At the 2018 Farwest Show, August 22-24, in Portland, Oregon, nursery growers will hear from two industry experts on topics with environmental implications. Steve Black of Raemelton Farm will speak about his experience as owner and operator of the first U.S. nursery to sell USDA Certified Organic trees. In a separate talk, Dr. Hannah Mathers of Environmental Science Services LLC will examine the issues with stacked gene crop spraying in nurseries.

Steve Black. Photo by Larry Canner

Black’s seminar, “USDA Certified ORGANIC Landscape Trees: The How and Why of Being the First,” will detail his experience and production with his pioneering organic tree farm, certified in 2015. He’ll share his cutting-edge science and technology and explain the marketing value of, and financial rationale for, organic trees. His seminar is scheduled for Wednesday, August 22, 8:30 a.m – 9:30 a.m., in Room B115. Black, started Raemelton Farm in 2004 in Adamstown, Maryland. He uses the latest techniques and innovations in tree production.

Hannah Mathers

In her seminar, “Let’s Drift Apart: The Issue of Stacked Gene Crop Spraying for Nursery”, Dr. Mathers will speak about how genetically modified crops (GMCs) are being used in agriculture, with stacked glyphosate- and dicamba-resistant soybeans such as Xtend™ seed being some of the most recent players. A severe escalation in herbicide drift and carry-over injury on “non-target”/ nursery/landscape trees has resulted. Her talk sheds light on a subject not widely understood today. The seminar is scheduled Thursday, August 23, 8:30 a.m – 9:30 a.m., in Room B119. With more than 28 years of experience, Dr. Mathers is an independent researcher/consultant in nursery/landscape weed science, nutrition and cold stress and a renowned weed scientist for ornamental crops.

Registration is required for the seminars and available online at https://farwestshow.com/register/

Complete details on Farwest 2018 are found at www.FarwestShow.com