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By Jim Simnitt — Posted September 28, 2020

The Oregon Association of Nurseries is our trade association that helps keep us working and growing. The volunteer leaders and professional staff that make up the OAN connect us, market our plants, and above all else advocate on our behalf to the politicians and government officials in Salem and Washington DC. I am really excited […]

One industry, one voice

By Jeff Stone — Posted September 28, 2020

Welcome to the Advocacy Issue of Digger. We have devoted most of this issue to showing you how the Oregon Association of Nurseries gets involved in policymaking and advocacy on behalf of the members. We wanted to take you “inside” and show you our mindset as well as the process and methods we follow. We […]

Our Oregon ‘Field of Dreams’

By Jeff Stone — Posted September 1, 2020

OK. The pandemic sucks, and not just for the reason of a legitimately insidious virus causing a massive loss of life and economic carnage. We are weary and fatigued with COVID-19 as it stretches into its seventh month. For certain, the year 2020 has enough memes to make it a standalone chapter in our lives. […]

The silver linings of COVID-19

By Jim Simnitt — Posted September 1, 2020

When the pandemic started, it threw our businesses and lives into chaos. It was difficult to follow as scientists continually discovered more about the disease, and we all had to adapt. Social distancing slowed many of our plant production processes, and trips to the grocery store became infrequent. As we come into September and the […]

Reflections on Farwest

By Jeff Stone — Posted July 30, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the world’s social and economic norms with shelter-in-place orders and social distancing. Unfortunately, it has also turned the business of large events upside down — including the Farwest Show. That’s why you’re holding a Farwest Edition of Digger without a show to attend this year. Oregon growers define the show The […]

Gardening interest enters full bloom

By Mike Darcy — Posted July 29, 2020

In my last column (June 2020), I wrote about some of the many changes that garden centers have had to make during the COVID-19 pandemic. The good news is that it appears that most garden centers managed to adapt to these new requirements. Since the COVID-19 situation is not abating, an appropriate follow-up would be […]

An important partnership

By Jim Simnitt — Posted July 29, 2020

In 1888, the Oregon Agriculture College (OAC) established a horticulture department with sights on building a single greenhouse and creating its own laboratories to conduct experiments. In the subsequent 132 years, OAC became Oregon State University (OSU) and the horticulture department has grown. When I graduated from OSU in horticulture 20 years ago, there were […]

Search engine optimization: Helping customers find you

By Shelly Weasel — Posted July 1, 2020

Previously, I offered some tips on putting your website to work for you. This month, I’m back to help make sure your website can be discovered by search engines, such as Google, which is vital to helping both customers and other businesses find you on the internet. The primary goal of search engine optimization (SEO) […]

America needs our vote

By Jeff Stone — Posted July 1, 2020

At a time of national challenge, we can either look at what divides us or what unites us. Our nursery community is a critical ingredient in the great American experiment. We are a blessed and privileged few. America is only as strong as her citizens. Our nation is a cauldron of different perspectives, ideologies and […]

OAN takes a financial hit

By Jim Simnitt — Posted July 1, 2020

I miss baseball. Due to concerns related to COVID-19, the start of the Major League Baseball season was postponed. I’m hopeful there will be some baseball games before the end of summer. I’m not a die-hard fan by any means, but I played a lot growing up. Summer was a time for batting gloves, infield […]