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Stretched to the limit

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Extreme weather wreaks havoc on greenhouse poly film With 15 acres of greenhouses under his management, Jeremy Dewar at North American Plants in McMinnville, Oregon, replaces polyethylene (poly) film on a recurring basis. Lately, however, he is replacing it at a higher rate than usual. Like other greenhouse operations in Oregon, the greenhouses at North […]

OAN Member Profile: Oregon Flowers Inc. 

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The Meskers family comes from generations of bulb producers in Holland. Since Martin Meskers emigrated from Holland to Oregon, he has grown a wholesale cut flower business called Oregon Flowers Inc. The business ships approximately 6.5 million stems per year to nearly all 50 states, mostly to the West Coast and the Northeast. Company president […]

Events to bring in the masses

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In a post-pandemic world, retailers can use classes and events to establish new traditions and spur repeat customer interactions Retail garden centers and nursery operations looking for more customer traffic often turn to in-store special events and classes. These give customers an added reason to drop in. While there, they may be tempted to buy […]

Boxing out boxwood blight

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Growers must work vigilantly to keep the fungus that causes boxwood blight out of their nurseries Boxwood is one of the most popular landscaping plants around. It’s evergreen and pretty, it provides natural privacy, it’s easy to maintain and it can be shaped into attractive ornamental topiaries. In fact, so popular is boxwood that it’s […]

Cool ridin’

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Refrigerated trucks are key to spreading the Oregon nursery industry far and wide When you think about it, it’s pretty amazing that, say, a young Autumn Blaze® red maple tree (Acer × freemanii ‘Jeffersred’) that starts its days here in Oregon can end up all the way across the country in a backyard in Boston. […]

Safe travels

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Nurseries take steps to protect plants and reduce shipment risks Getting plants to market safely without any mishaps requires a variety of techniques to meet the needs of customers and plants. One must also consider the limitations of packing live products into motorized inert steel boxes, which bounce, for long trips. Here we explore approaches […]

A season of nightmares

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With low availability and higher driver and truck costs, shipping costs skyrocketed in 2022 For as long as Erica Hill can remember, Union Pacific railroad has provided the nursery industry with a special commodity rate to move stock during the spring shipping season. Until this year, that is. “With container availability issues and with the […]

Protecting your office against cyberattacks

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Hacking and cybersecurity issues have been steadily increasing in the green industry. But for horticultural businesses facing a variety of challenges, addressing these issues is rarely the top priority. Nonetheless, this is an increasing issue that owners and managers should pay attention to. Cybercriminals target everyone. Cybercrime for hire is big business and is a […]