October’s edition of Digger takes on the topic of succession planning and examines how four nursery owners are choosing to sell to employees rather than outside companies in order to continue their legacies. The four nursery owners took different paths to achieve their ultimate goals. We also look at how agricultural overtime rules are forcing nurseries to find a balance in seasonal workloads and staffing.
- Handing off a legacy: Meet four nursery owners who have found satisfaction in selling their nurseries to their employees. By Mitch Lies
- Reining in overtime: Nurseries finding balance between staffing and workload in light of Oregon’s new agricultural labor regulations. By Jon Bell
- Balancing the climate equation: Growers and others share ideas for assessing the carbon impacts of plants and production. By Curt Kipp
Columns:
- President’s Message: Thank you for coming along on visits to so many nurseries and meeting so many wonderful folks over the past 12 monts. By Ben Verhoeven (This column is also printed in Spanish this month, at the president’s request. Read the Spanish version.)
- Director’s Desk: On spending, America has lost its way, and it has been happening for decades. The federal debt is vastly out of whack. Most Americans greet this with a shrug and wonder, does it affect them? In fact, yes it does — or better stated, it will. By Jeff Stone
- What I’m Hearing: What’s the scoop on bug poop? By Mike Darcy
Growing Knowledge, an ongoing series provided by Oregon State University in collaboration with the USDA and in partnership with OAN.
- Reducing reliance on peat: Substrate strategies can reduce the use of finite resources and boost plant root structure. By Lloyd Nackley