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You are here: Home / Archives for Nursery Operations

An illuminating trend

By Jon Bell — Posted March 27, 2018

LEDs are helping nurseries gain all kinds of new efficiencies A mid-January morning in Hillsboro, Oregon: It’s gray, it’s drizzly and, most depressingly, it’s dark. Dark enough that 10:30 in the morning feels like dusk, which at this time of year comes far too early for most; dark enough that the region would be lucky to […]

Filed Under: Nursery Operations Tagged With: Digger, Digger magazine, Efficiency, Energy, Greenhouses, LED, Lighting, Wholesale Nurseries

H-2A for nurseries

By Steve Shropshire — Posted March 27, 2018

The guest worker program offers a labor option, but has its challenges Oregon nurseries are facing pressing labor shortages. Several have turned to mechanization, but the industry still needs human hands. In recent years, those hands have not been adequately available. Many nurseries are considering the H-2A temporary agricultural worker visa program as a potential […]

Filed Under: Columns, Nursery Operations Tagged With: Business, Digger, Digger magazine, H-2a, Immigration, Labor, Legal Access, Wholesale Nurseries

Maximizing your natural resources

By Bill Goloski — Posted December 6, 2017

Soil and water conservation districts are here to help landowners, not regulate them What is an SWCD — and what can it do for you? Let’s start with the acronym. SWCD stands for “Soil and Water Conservation District.” The goal of conservation is to use resources efficiently, not prohibit their use. SWCDs help you make […]

Filed Under: Nursery Operations Tagged With: Digger, Digger magazine, EMSWCD, erosion, Operations, Pesticides, Soil and Water Conservation, Sustainability

Delivering the goods

By Peter Szymczak — Posted November 1, 2017

Transporting nearly a billion-dollars’ worth of Oregon-grown plant material takes trucks and trains — and lots of them. Droves of railroad cars, dry and refrigerated (refer) vans are needed to move shipments of plants across the state and to faraway places across the continent. Growers ship their plants to market with the help of transportation […]

Filed Under: Nursery Operations Tagged With: Business, Digger, Digger magazine, Politics, Regulations, Transportation, Wholesale Nurseries

Preparing the load for shipment

By Tracy Ilene Miller — Posted November 1, 2017

The majority of wholesale growers in the United States sell a variety of types of material in a variety of sizes and formats. In terms of shipping the material, that presents challenges, but each nursery is different. While all growers must pay attention to the cost and availability of freight, as well as the labor […]

Filed Under: Nursery Operations Tagged With: Business, Digger, Digger magazine, Plants, Transportation, Wholesale Nurseries

Paving the way to market

By Curt Kipp — Posted November 1, 2017

The U.S. nursery industry is responsible for shipping nearly $14 billion worth of products every year, including nearly $1 billion from Oregon alone, according to the most recent USDA Census of Horticultural Specialties. Whether these plants, trees and shrubs are destined to live for a season or a century, they must make their way along […]

Filed Under: Nursery Operations Tagged With: Business, Digger, Digger magazine, Politics, Transportation, Wholesale Nurseries

Better production cycles mean greater success

By Jon Bell — Posted October 1, 2017

For Mike Heller of the Mount Angel-based Kraemer’s Nursery — and for probably just about any other seasoned nursery grower out there — the key to success can be boiled down to three simple things. “The biggest things for nurseries are space, time and money,” he said. “Those are the biggest limiting factors — and the […]

Filed Under: Nursery Operations Tagged With: Business, Digger, Digger magazine, Education, Growing Cycles, Labor, Plants, Wholesale Nurseries

An appetite for edibles

By Elizabeth Petersen — Posted October 1, 2017

When I grew up in southeast Portland in the 1950s and ’60s, my parents grew plenty of food in our yard. The parking strip in front of our house supported apple, peach, pear, plum and quince trees. The backyard held a full size cherry tree that boasted sweet fruit, provided comforting shade and supported both […]

Filed Under: Nursery Operations Tagged With: Business, Consumer trends, Digger, Digger magazine, Edibles, Food Gardening, Home gardening, Operations

Get ahead by overwintering

By Sarah Brackman — Posted September 13, 2017

Autumn can be a useful time of year in the nursery industry. As the intensity of spring wanes, fall affords greater bandwidth to complete to-do lists. It’s the season for stepping back and considering the problems you may have encountered the past year: Equipment failures? Labor shortages? An insect pest that caused significant loss? Prioritizing […]

Filed Under: Nursery Operations Tagged With: Operations, Wholesale Nurseries

Is there ‘at-will’ employment in Oregon anymore?

By Amy Robinson — Posted August 1, 2017

While Oregon employers can end employment at any time and for any reason, there are several exceptions.

Filed Under: Nursery Operations Tagged With: Business, Digger, Digger magazine, Legal, Regulations, Workforce

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NURSERY NEWS

In Memoriam: Melvin John Steffenson

New USDA Census of Hort arriving in mailboxes this month

Oregon Association of Nurseries honors the industry’s best at 2024 Convention

Eason Horticultural Resources is now employee-owned

Oregon’s nursery licensing program aims to keep the entire industry healthy

Building trust is key to establishing clientele base for new nurseries

Five owners share their experiences on what it takes to start a nursery businesses

Bailey hires new CFO and chief HR officer

More Nursery News

From the pages of Digger

May 2025: Sustainability Issue

April 2025: The Tree Issue

March 2025: The Perennial Issue

February 2025: The Greenhouse Issue

January 2025: The Retail Issue

More issues of Digger

Pests and Diseases

Prioritizing nursery pest challenges

New tools in the battle against thrips

Aiming for precision in pest control

Oregon’s nursery licensing program aims to keep the entire industry healthy

$250,000 shifted to P. austrocedri research

More articles

FARWEST SHOW UPDATES

Sense of excitement prevailed at Farwest as nursery industry ‘Meets the Future’ 

Farwest Show attendees select favorites for the Retailers’ Choice Awards

Starway to Heaven™ Japanese Snowbell wins People’s Choice balloting at Farwest Show New Varieties Showcase

Hopper Bros. wins Best in Show booth award at 2024 Farwest Show   

Starway to Heaven™ Japanese Snowbell wins Judges’ Best in Show at Farwest Show New Varieties Showcase

More Updates from Farwest

The Value of Membership

Meet the leader: Sam Pohlschneider

OAN honors the industry’s best

Oregon Association of Nurseries honors the industry’s best at 2024 Convention

More member stories

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