The Oregon nursery industry is known for its camaraderie but the spirit of competition at Farwest always results in some fantastic creative booth displays and this year was no exception.
Judges walked the floor to find the best of the best, recognizing several winners with the Ted Van Veen Best in Show booth awards.
“The exhibitors at Farwest this year really pulled out all the stops,” Show Director Allan Niemi said. “I thought last year’s winners would be hard to beat, but there were some real head-turners this year. Nurseries pushed creativity to another level. There were excellent efforts on every aisle from both newer exhibitors as well as longtime exhibitors.”
Winning the overall Best in Show booth award was Hopper Bros. of Woodburn, Oregon (Booth #12010), for their booth containing pumpkins, gourds, and conifers, including one giant poodle-trimmed specimen conifer that was purchased on the show floor by another exhibitor.
“We really appreciate it and it’s very special to be given the award. For years people have always said they really liked our booth. It’s not the glitzy modern type, it’s kind of homey but it resonates with people,” Joni Hopper said. Her husband, Denny, designs the booth every year.
The Best in Show booth award comes with a free 10×10 booth space for the 2024 Farwest Show. Other Best of Division award winners included the following:
Grower
- Best 10×10 Booth – Schwope Brothers West Coast, Cornelius, Oregon (Booth #11010)
- Best 10×20 or Larger Row Booth – Hopper Bros., Woodburn, Oregon (Booth #12010)
- Best Island Booth — Gold Family Farms Inc., Hillsboro, Oregon (Booth #20037)
Service/Supply
- Best 10×10 Booth – The Harvest Company, Greenwood Village, Colorado (Booth #13011)
- Best 10×20 or Larger Row Booth – Down to Earth, Eugene, Oregon (Booth #20050)
- Best Island Booth — Flier Systems USA Inc., Kenneshaw, Georgia (Booth #23037)
The show also recognized exhibitors who put extra creativity into their booths with three Far From Ordinary booth awards:
- Busco LLC, Molalla, Oregon (Booth #8025),
- Smith Gardens, Bellingham, Washington (Booth #10015), and
- Walla Walla Nursery Co. Inc., Walla Walla, Washington (Booth #7034).
The Farwest Show serves professionals engaged in the nursery industry and related trades, including retail nurseries, wholesale growers, landscapers, landscape designers, and others involved in the green industry. For more information about the 2024 Farwest Show, visit FarwestShow.com.
From the September 2024 issue of Digger magazine | Download PDF of article
