Digger magazine

Written to make you a nursery industry expert.

Week in Review

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Nationally, record unemployment numbers and an official confirmation that we are in a recession were the major news stories this week. In the Northwest nursery industry, however, attention was focused on a variety of stories, such as these: Pesticide reporting to end in 2009 Border state governor will be new head of U.S. Homeland Security […]

Big weekend for Christmas trees?

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An experienced and wise grower recently told me that great weather late in the week makes for great retail nursery sales on the weekend. That’s because people make their weekend plans on Thursday or Friday. This got me to thinking – is this also true during the colder months? Like, say, December? Today, Western Oregon […]

The last year for PURS

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Oregon’s Pesticide Use Reporting System apparently is going away after this year. It was not included in Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s proposed state budget for the 2009-11 biennium. According to the Capital Press (Salem, Ore.): PURS, meanwhile, is one of several programs facing cuts in the state Department of Agriculture budget losing more than 20 percent […]

The next U.S. secretary of Homeland Security

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What are the chances that the new Obama administration will push for a comprehensive approach to immigration reform at the federal level? The first clue arrived yesterday with the nomination of Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano. Although Napolitano, 51, signed the Arizona illegal worker law that employer groups, including nursery groups, have bitterly opposed, she has […]

Seasonal diseases

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What are the plant diseases you as a grower might encounter during the month of December? Oregon State University Plant Clinic tells you what to watch out for this month and every month, whether the disease is bacterial, fungal, viral, abiotic, or parasitic in nature. This month’s guide outlines several molds and fungi that thrive […]

More trees = less CO2

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It may seem like a “well, duh” kind of statement, but word is getting out that planting trees is a sustainable thing to do, according to this article from Salem Monthly/WillametteLive.com. Several eco-minded growers are mentioned in the piece, including Fisher Farms, Yule Tree Farms and Northwoods Nursery.

Columbia County coverage

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The Daily News (Longview, Wash.) has a good article on the Columbia County (Ore.) illegal-worker law, which voters in that county approved Nov. 4. It includes the arguments pro and con, while also mentioning the analysis by that county’s legal staff. Articles posted at The Daily News Web site often get a lively string of […]