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You are here: Home / Archives for Columns

Our mission is to serve

By Jeff Stone — Posted January 30, 2018

The Oregon Association of Nurseries wouldn’t have lasted for over eight decades without changing with the times, but the pace of societal change feels like it is accelerating. We must keep up.    All across the country, trade associations have struggled to demonstrate the return on investment (ROI) to their membership. They’ve presented a wide […]

Filed Under: Columns, Director's Desk Tagged With: Benefits, Business, Digger, Digger magazine, OAN, OAN Members, Politics

Teamwork matters

By Josh Zielinski — Posted January 30, 2018

Growing up, I was always a foot shorter and roughly 20 pounds lighter than my age group, and my coordination was not exactly stellar. As a result of all this, sports analogies can go right over my head. These days I rarely watch sports events on television, and I definitely haven’t ever had a fantasy […]

Filed Under: Columns, President's Message Tagged With: Digger, Digger magazine, OAN, OAN Members

Who is the hero of your ads, and why does it matter?

By Ian Doescher — Posted December 22, 2017

Have you ever noticed how most Internet companies advertise their services? One company has super-fast speeds, one has ultra-fast speeds, one has blazing-fast speeds, and another has lighting-fast speeds. What’s the difference between super-, ultra-, blazing-, and lighting-fast speeds? Your guess is as good as mine. These companies are making a mistake many advertisers make […]

Filed Under: Columns, Pivot Points Tagged With: Business, Marketing, Pivot Points, Retail Nurseries, Wholesale Nurseries

Turning the page to 2018

By Jeff Stone — Posted December 22, 2017

I have had the pleasure of working for the association for a dozen years. I have worked for a United States senator, been chief of staff to a regional government, but this industry is something special. I am a workaholic — our past president Mark Bigej endured well over 2,000 emails over the course of […]

Filed Under: Columns, Director's Desk Tagged With: Business, Digger, Digger magazine, OAN, OAN Members

Welcome to the new year!

By Josh Zielinski — Posted December 22, 2017

It’s always an invigorating time of year, as the dust settles following the holidays. We can start to think ahead a little bit, knowing that in just a flash, it’ll be spring’s mad rush. But because it’s the dead of winter, we can also feel especially grateful for where we live: the state of Oregon. […]

Filed Under: Columns, President's Message Tagged With: Digger, Digger magazine, OAN, OAN Members

Convention and the nursery family

By Jeff Stone — Posted December 7, 2017

Something special happened at this year’s OAN Convention, held in November at Salishan. Anytime there’s a large gathering of our membership, I find myself rejuvenated. The camaraderie is something to behold. You see titans of the industry interacting with up-and-comers and the future of the industry. They talk about trends, production and labor challenges as […]

Filed Under: Columns, Director's Desk Tagged With: Business, Convention, Digger, Digger magazine, OAN, OAN Members

Specializing in the unique

By Mike Darcy — Posted December 6, 2017

They would never be called a “garden center.” They would not be a place to go to for buying annuals in the spring. They have very few hard goods; it is unlikely that a customer would find garden chemicals, fertilizers, gloves and other items. Their locations are usually not in a metro area and they […]

Filed Under: Columns, Mike Darcy Tagged With: Digger, Digger magazine, Home gardening, Mike Darcy, Plants, Retail Nurseries

A winter respite

By Josh Zielinski — Posted December 6, 2017

Growing up on a farm and container nursery, I have always noticed a slight lull in the pace when fall and winter roll around. While many of my childhood friends went out of town for Spring Break and often went on numerous summer camping and fishing trips, it didn’t make sense for our family to […]

Filed Under: Columns, President's Message Tagged With: Digger, Digger magazine, OAN, OAN Members

Going big on transportation

By Jeff Stone — Posted November 1, 2017

As Oregon’s largest agricultural sector, the nursery and greenhouse industry depends on an integrated transportation system so product can get to market. Nearly 75 percent of the nursery stock we grow ends up leaving our borders, with more than half ticketed for markets east of the Mississippi River. As a trade association, we have supported […]

Filed Under: Columns, Director's Desk Tagged With: Digger, Digger magazine, Economy, OAN, OAN Members, Politics, Regulations, Transportation, Wholesale Nurseries

Don’t underestimate the power of email

By Ian Doescher — Posted November 1, 2017

There are so many digital tools you can use to reach potential customers these days: digital ads on Google or Facebook, social media pages and advertising, videos, remarketing, blogs, websites, and more! In this new and evolving landscape, it’s easy to forget about one of the first digital marketing tools many of us used: email. […]

Filed Under: Columns, Pivot Points Tagged With: Business, Digger, Digger magazine, email marketing, Marketing, Pivot Points

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NURSERY NEWS

Bailey Nurseries removed dams to build environmental resilience

The new NurseryGuide.com powers up with new features

Terra Gardens owner’s gesture for his mother opens the door to other wheelchair-bound gardeners

OAN announces 2025 Friends of Nurseries award winners

OAN leads grower-driven Japanese beetle solution

AmericanHort president and CEO to step down

In memoriam: Bill Van Belle

Longtime employee buys Heritage Seedlings and Liners

More Nursery News

From the pages of Digger

August 2026 Digger: Farwest Show Edition

July 2026

June: The Shrubs Issue

May 2026: the Sustainability Issue

April: The Tree Issue

More issues of Digger

Pests and Diseases

Box tree moths pose a threat to Oregon nurseries

Managing Phytophthora: timing, temperature and emerging threats

Managing slugs and snails in Pacific Northwest nurseries

OAN leads grower-driven Japanese beetle solution

Prioritizing nursery pest challenges

More articles

FARWEST SHOW UPDATES

2026 Farwest Show issues calls for speakers

Excitement, optimism prevail at 2025 Farwest Show

Dazzling plants, products garner Retailer’s Choice Awards

Youngblood Nursery wins Best in Show booth honors at the 2025 Farwest Show

Glow Sticks Fescue wins top honors from judges at Farwest Show’s New Varieties Showcase 

More Updates from Farwest

The Value of Membership

OAN members see benefits and rewards from serving ag industry organizations

AmericanHort president and CEO to step down

OAN honors industry leaders at 2025 Convention

More member stories

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