Digger magazine

Written to make you a nursery industry expert.

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People. That’s what it’s about.

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It takes a number of essentials to transform a healthy seed, seedling, cutting or start into a market-ready plant or tree. There’s water. Fertilizer. Pest management. Growing media for containerized plants, or healthy soil for those grown in the field. If any of these are missing or unavailable, the product will suffer or die, but […]

The leadership farm team

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When people talk about the nursery industry’s human resource challenges, they often speak strictly in terms of labor. But the nursery industry needs people at all levels, from entry-level workers to crew leaders, supervisors, managers and above.  To succeed in a challenging industry, nursery companies rely on the experience, technical knowledge, management ability and leadership […]

Working wonders

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Despite pervasive labor struggles, nurseries find ways to find workers There was a time, up until 2006 or 2007, when Robinson Nursery in McMinnville, Oregon would lay off at least 30 percent of its workforce every year, just after the fall season and heading into winter. Back then, the nursery industry’s labor pool included a […]

The essentials of retention

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Many growers can’t set the price of their products in the national marketplace. They are competing for business with growers from states that don’t have same high cost of doing business, which puts Oregonians at a competitive disadvantage. This means business owners must focus on collecting high-value returns on high-cost labor expenses. When compiling salaries […]

Grower guidance vs. customer demand

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Sometimes customers want one thing and climate wants another, but this dilemma presents opportunities for the grower If Mick Jagger had been a horticulturist, he might have sung, “You can’t always plant what you want.” Case in point: Sean Hogan, owner of Cistus Nursery (Portland, Oregon), was driving home from work in late August and […]

Smart sprayer becomes commercially available

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After years of research, nurseries looking for a machine to selectively apply fertilizers and chemicals to their plants — and only their plants — finally have what they wanted. The USDA Agricultural Research Service has licensed its smart sprayer technology to Smart Guided Systems LLC, the agency and the company announced. Orders are being accepted […]

The next generation of green minds

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Seed Your Future launches BLOOM!, a vibrant national campaign which packages a discovery quiz, short videos and a library of educational materials from Scholastic that even businesses can use Retailers and wholesale businesses alike know that launching a new marketing campaign comes standard with a certain number of uncertainties. Will your audience like your message? […]

Where plant demand is headed

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Nurseries navigate a new landscape as consumer demand evolves Americans love their pets. A lot. In 2017, they spent nearly $70 billion on their animal companions, and that number’s expected to rise to $100 million by the end of the decade, according to the American Pet Products Assocation. They also, it seems, love their smartphones, […]

Excellence on display

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Is it worth the trouble of creating a display or trial garden at your nursery? We spoke to several growers about the challenges and benefits Many wholesale and even retail nurseries establish a display garden on their premises. These gardens can impress, instruct and inspire customers, while showing them what the plants look like in […]

Money efficiency

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These tips will help growers spend their business dollars wisely As a business owner, you want to spend your money on what provides true, long-term business value. Because nurseries can rely heavily on cash flow to keep their operations running, it’s important to understand where your money is going and plan for your capital investments. […]