The greenhouse and nursery industry continues to predict high profits during the pandemic, according to the latest market snapshot by Northwest Farm Credit Services. In a straw poll, container and B&B growers in the Northwest reported a 12.05% increase in sales in 2020, although most of the gains were reported by the container growers — […]
OAN takes a financial hit
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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 […]
Growing in a new way
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Nurseries modify processes on the fly to protect their workers from COVID-19 COVID-19 created a game-changing societal threat — a deadly pathogen that can spread easily for up to 14 days without the carriers showing symptoms. Nurseries and greenhouses responded quickly by implementing social distancing to prevent transmission. They looked at every facet of their operations, […]
Seeding the need to garden
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Nothing about the spring 2020 garden season has been ordinary. From March onward, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted many facets of the garden industry in ways no one could have predicted. Six months ago, if you had described a scene where shoppers and workers were wearing masks and standing six feet apart, no one would […]
Becoming a Zoom Jedi master
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The COVID-19 pandemic has forced me to work at home, isolated in what I have started calling “the 64th Avenue Bunker.” As a result, my family has gained a deeper understanding of my severe technological deficits. They commonly hear me uttering phrases like, “I just want it to work!” I am not quite to the […]
2020 Farwest Show canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic
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The 2020 Farwest Show in Portland, Oregon has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to show producer the Oregon Association of Nurseries (OAN). The show, for nursery and greenhouse operators and professionals, had been scheduled for August 26–28 at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon. “We are very disappointed not to be […]
Michigan nurseries can resume operations
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Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has modified that state’s stay-at-home orders from March 23 and 30 with a new order issued April 24, thereby allowing the state’s green industry businesses to resume operations immediately — provided they follow “enhanced” social distancing rules, as required by the state. Although the state’s stay-at-home mandate was extended through May 15, […]
Nurseries problem solve a pandemic
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Ben Rough (pronounced “row,” rhymes with “now”) will never forget his first day of work at J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co. nursery in Boring, Oregon. The newly hired CEO of the company started on March 23 — the same day that Oregon Gov. Kate Brown issued a mandatory stay-in-place order for Oregonians in response […]
Director’s Desk: We have your back
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Gardening is not canceled. Oregon’s nursery, greenhouse, retail and supply chains are open for business. Our state and governor could have mandated full closures and declared our businesses non-essential. The fact they didn’t do this is a credit to the OAN’s leadership and its advocacy team. They were the perfect picture of vision, pure effort […]
President’s Message: Into the unknown
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Spring is a hectic time. Add in a worldwide pandemic with economic uncertainties, and it can be a recipe for disaster. The most unnerving aspect is the unknown. As an industry, we are accustomed to unpredictable weather. We see damaging frosts, rainy weekends, and hot, dry summers stressing the growing season. These are all hiccups […]