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A gathering of community

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Our nursery industry community is special. This will be my 19th year celebrating our annual gathering at License to Grow: The 2024 OAN Convention. Mark Krautmann and Kathy LeCompte were easy choices to serve as honorary co-chairs on November 15–16 at Salishan Coastal Lodge in Gleneden Beach. Changing of the guard At convention we celebrate […]

Government behind the scenes

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It is true — government is like a mighty river or an aircraft carrier. These things are not nimble and take time to turn, but in the end, policy decisions do matter and directives from elected officials are eventually implemented.

The sprint to November begins now

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Every four years, we hear from the political pundits that “this election is the most important one in our lifetime” or “our nation and its survival is at stake.” Alternatively, we might get a pervasive feeling of dread that our vote won’t matter in the end. Well, this election is very important. The direction (not […]

Little doubt about it

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Recently the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistical Service (USDA NASS) and the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) released the Top 20 Commodity List for the State of Oregon. Our industry remains the shining example of resilience and once again is the “King of the Crops.” Despite punishing weather events, increased production costs levied […]

A pledge to America and a call to action

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I find myself sentimental toward our nation and its promise to the world. I feel pride and apprehension for our daring experiment of a form of government, which is powerful and yet at the same time fragile every four years as we pick a new president. Elections matter. You as voters matter even more. While […]

A gateway to the future

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The annual spring meeting of the Nursery & Landscape Association Executives of North America (NLAE)  provides tremendous value to the OAN and our sister associations across the states and provinces. For two days, we gather and collaborate, problem solve, and build long-term relationships to serve our great indus-try. The NLAE began in 1947. Oregon has […]

Charting a course through a perfect storm

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The political process can be aggravating, and most of the population is disconnected from it at an alarming rate. This column has consistently warned of the clear and present danger to our system of government and nation due to the lack of understanding of how things happen at a state and national level. It is […]