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You are here: Home / Archives for Nursery Operations

Managing for efficiency

By Curt Kipp — Posted April 30, 2018

Efficiency begins at the top. It starts with company leadership setting an expectation and empowering employees to contribute their ideas and expertise. It’s about encouraging dynamic, back-and-forth conversations in the workplace. Companies such as wholesale propagator JLPN Inc. in Salem, Oregon; wholesale grower Skagit Horticulture in Mount Vernon, Washington; Eshraghi Nurseries in Hillsboro, Oregon; wholesale […]

Filed Under: Nursery Operations Tagged With: Business, Digger, Digger magazine, Efficiency, lean, Management

Creating an efficient workflow

By Curt Kipp — Posted April 30, 2018

Although setting the tone for innovation is important, the production process is where the action takes place. Companies like Alpha Nurseries of Salem, Oregon; Robinson Nursery of Amity, Oregon; Woodburn Nursery & Azaleas of Woodburn, Oregon and others have realized great savings from revising their production processes to make them more efficient. At Alpha, manager […]

Filed Under: Nursery Operations Tagged With: Business, Digger, Digger magazine, Efficiency, lean

Using your inputs efficiently

By Curt Kipp — Posted April 30, 2018

Although labor is the largest expense for many nurseries, it isn’t the only expense. Inputs such as water, fertilizer, growing media and even artificial light also impose significant costs for the grower. Entire books could be written on saving water and electricity in a nursery. The Oregon Association of Nurseries and the Oregon Environmental Council […]

Filed Under: Nursery Operations Tagged With: Business, Digger, Digger magazine, Efficiency, lean

Arranging the workspace

By Curt Kipp — Posted April 30, 2018

In the nursery world, there’s a fine line between having too much space and not enough. Ben Verhoeven, president and general manager of Peoria Gardens, has found the secret to walking that line. “Lots of sleepless nights and coffee,” he said. “Deep breaths. Colorful language.” In all seriousness, though, utilizing a nursery’s space in the […]

Filed Under: Nursery Operations Tagged With: Business, Digger, Digger magazine, Efficiency, lean

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

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NURSERY NEWS

GOP gubernatorial candidate Christine Drazan visits Farwest Show

Deciphering Oregon’s plastics recycling law

J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co. celebrates 80 years as a nursery standout

Monrovia Nursery Company celebrates 100 years of innovation and looks to the future

New AmericanHort CEO introduces himself to OAN

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

More Nursery News

From the pages of Digger

September 2026 Digger

August 2026 Digger: Farwest Show Edition

July 2026

June: The Shrubs Issue

May 2026: the Sustainability 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

GOP gubernatorial candidate Christine Drazan visits Farwest Show

Sofia® Cherry Laurel and Saturnalia™ American hybrid oak shine at New Varieties Showcase 

Eschenfelder Farms wins Best in Show at Farwest

A sense of excitement in the air at Farwest

Deciphering Oregon’s plastics recycling law

More Updates from Farwest

The Value of Membership

ONF scholarships help recipients launch their career in horticulture

New AmericanHort CEO introduces himself to OAN

OAN members see benefits and rewards from serving ag industry organizations

More member stories

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