Digger magazine

Written to make you a nursery industry expert.

Norbert Kinen 1933-2011

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We’re sad to report the Oregon nursery has suffered a major loss with the passing of Norbert Kinen. The past OAN president, former general manager of J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co., and member of the Oregon Nurseries’ Hall of Fame died Saturday. He was 78 years old. Services will be held at 4 p.m. […]

Farwest: Peach Cobbler butterfly bush is tops in New Varieties Showcase

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Buddleias — the non-invasive, sterile kinds — are back in Oregon. As proof, look no farther than the Flutterby Grande Peach Cobbler nectar bush (Buddleia x ‘Podaras #5’) from Ball Ornamentals, which was chosen as the New Varieties Showcase Best in Show at the 2011 Farwest Show. The shrub grows to 4-6 feet tall and […]

Connecting the dots

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For 33 years, the National Gardening Survey has presented a statistical picture of who the gardening consumer is and where they are going. And according to garden retail analyst Ian Baldwin, who presented his analysis of the results yesterday at the 2011 Farwest Show, the picture has been very clear over the last several years. […]

Scenes from the 2011 Farwest Show

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We’ve set up an album on Facebook showing Scenes from the 2011 Farwest Show: Day One. Keep checking back, as it takes time to go through the 400-plus photos that were taken yesterday, and pick out the best!

Fry Road scores coveted Best of Show award at Farwest Show

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The booth awards for the 2011 Farwest Nursery Trade Show were given out Thursday evening, and it was a rare instance of a repeat winner. Fry Road Nursery of Albany, Ore. scored the coveted Best of Show award for the second consecutive year, winning a free 10×10 booth at next year’s show. The nursery and […]

Sen. Jeff Merkley visits the Farwest Show floor

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Oregon’s junior U.S. senator, Jeff Merkley, paid a visit to the Farwest Show in Portland today. First he chatted with the OAN Government Affairs Committee about such important matters as the economic recovery, the availability of loan capital for businesses, the upcoming Farm Bill and pest and disease regulatory issues. Then he visited with show […]

Holiday Tree Farms co-founder remembered

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The Corvallis Gazette-Times published a nice article on the late Paul Nelson Goodmonson, the co-founder of Holiday Tree Farms. He died last Tuesday, Aug. 16, at the age of 90. Founded in 1955, Holiday became one of the largest Christmas tree growers in Oregon. That is saying something, considering that in the United States, only […]

Ag exemption survives cell phone crackdown

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Oregon Business has an article today explaining the changes in Oregon’s “hang up and drive” law — the one that prohibits motorists from cell phone use and text messaging unless they have a hands-free set. Under the current law, passed in 2009, there’s an exemption for any work-related calls. Not for long, however. Legislators thought that […]