Digger magazine

Written to make you a nursery industry expert.

You are here: Home / Archives for Columns

A gateway to the future

By — Posted

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 […]

Species rhododendrons offer unusual alternatives

By — Posted

Species rhododendrons may not always have the spectacular flowers that many hybrids do, and while a species can give color interest with their flowers, they can also offer other features for garden interest such as colored or variegated foliage, indumentum (fine hairs), and variable growth habits.

Making progress towards sustainability

By — Posted

When I first saw that this month’s issue of Digger was focused on sustainability, I was apprehensive. I reactively thought about how my small nursery hasn’t reached a scale that would let us focus on sustainability. I thought about what larger nurseries are doing, such as Robinson Nursery. They have stopped shipping 600,000+ pounds of […]

Charting a course through a perfect storm

By — Posted

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 […]

U.S. Department of Labor issues new guidance for the ever-evolving ‘employee or independent contractor?’ determination

By — Posted

On January 10, the U.S. Department of Labor (Labor Department) published new guidance for determining whether a worker is an employee or an independent contractor under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Why it matters As most employers are aware, the misclassification of an employee can expose the business to liability, including employee wage claims, […]