Nursery Operations

Shippers must sift through layers of deception

By Mitch Lies — Posted October 31, 2023

Shippers, brokers and carriers increasingly must be watchful for a fraudulent practice called ‘double brokering’

Industry veteran leading turnaround at Rio Verde Plantas

By Vic Panichkul — Posted October 31, 2023

Gary Furr addresses toxic company culture to fix crippling problems at Rio Verde Plantas

Walla Walla Nursery Co. sold to management team

By Vic Panichkul — Posted October 17, 2023

Lorne and Aurelea Blackman have sold a 90 percent stake in Walla Walla Nursery Co. Inc. to a team of managers and a customer, the company announced.

A slimy scourge

By Casey Richart — Posted October 12, 2023

Researchers seek effective biological controls against invasive North American slugs

Taking care of our own

By Jon Bell — Posted October 11, 2023

A new mental health crisis line offers help for those facing the unique stresses of agriculture

Protecting employees from heat

By Steve Shropshire — Posted October 2, 2023

Tips and resources for employers to comply with Oregon’s new heat illness prevention rules

The problem of the root

By Mitch Lies — Posted September 5, 2023

Growers, suppliers discourage tap roots and circling with pruning pots and grow bags.

E-commerce sales of plant material as a percentage of total plant sales exploded over the pandemic and have continued to grow. According to research funded by the Horticultural Research Institute, the growth of plant e-commerce sales is here to stay and will continue to substantially increase. I had the opportunity to view a presentation on […]

The (not so) big chill

By Jon Bell — Posted July 26, 2023

Plant sales have cooled off since the highs of the COVID era, but 2023 is shaping up strongly so far for the green industry It got cold in Atlanta this past winter. One day in December, the mercury topped out at a frigid 7 degrees. “I can’t ever remember a single-digit day since I moved […]

Branching out with banking relationships

By Jon Bell — Posted June 21, 2023

Financing for the nursery industry can be tricky without a few financial friends Any business faces challenges, but nurseries have a unique set all to themselves. There’s nature to contend with, a perpetual shortage of labor, and the fact that crops planted today won’t be ready to sell, in many cases, for years. And when […]