Meet our growers and learn why Oregon is a great place to groPBH Nature’s Media Amendment is a...

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JANUARY 2020

Meet our growers and learn why Oregon is a great place to grow

LOOK INSIDE

Green Industry

Networking Calendar 2020

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4 JANUARY 2020 DIGGERMAGAZINE.COM

16 Oregon is Nursery Country In this issue, we profile nurseries that exemplify the

advantages of Oregon's outstanding soil, climate, and skilled growers:

17 Serendipity Nursery After leaving a career in finance, David Sather now runs a 40-acre

wholesale operation in Canby, Oregon that offers a variety of broadleaf evergreens, conifers and groundcovers and other genera.

22 F & B Farms and Nursery A pair of brothers and their wives co-own a business that produces

wide variety of annuals, plus an assortment of different and unusual greenhouse-grown items that are in demand in garden centers.

25 TSW Nursery Sales Inc. Inspired by his time in a retail setting 20 years ago, Todd Williams

began the process which led to his wholesale nursery operation with two growing locations in the Willamette Valley.

15 Spending your first digital dollars Simple tips for Google search ads, Facebook ads, and SEO.

20 Networking Calendar Pull Out: Post this magazine spread to the wall of your work

space to as a reminder for opportunities to connect with the industry, build your network and pursue your business success.

33 Fire blight in the plant nursery How did it arrive here, and what can be done?

Printed in Oregon on domestic recycled paper when available.

COLUMNS 7 President’s Message 15 Pivot Points 38 Director’s Desk

DEPARTMENTS 8 Calendar 9 Northwest News 29 Classifieds 32 Subscription Info 33 Growing Knowledge 37 Digger Marketplace

On the cover: From left: Serendipity Nursery is one of hundreds of top-quality providers green products produced in Oregon. PHOTO BY BILL GOLOSKI

On this page: Left: TSW staff digs to move conifers for shipment. PHOTO BY BILL GOLOSKI

20

January 2020 Vol. 64 No. 1

25

Todd Nelson, Sharon Kearn, Scott Durst, and Tiffanie BakerBountiful Farms NurseryFarwest Exhibitor

The biggest Green Industry trade show in the West

GET YOUR BOOTHFarwestShow.com Meet Me There

August 26–28Portland 2020


Employer & Individual Health and Dental Insurance • Property & Casualty Insurance Agribusiness Insurance • Workers Compensation Insurance • Auto & Home Insurance

HEALTH WORKERS COMPENSATION

AUTOHOME

AGRIBUSINESS

PROPERTY &CASUALTY

Contact Randy Skinner: 503-296-0077 • [email protected] • www.lacoinsurance.com

5201 S.W. WESTGATE DR, SUITE 300PORTLAND, OR 97221

L E O N A R D A D A M S I N S U R A N C E

Offering employer and individual health, dental, property and casualty insurance

OAN members have exclusive program access with Providence Health Plans and LifeMap

OREGON ASSOCIATION OF NURSERIES GROUP HEALTH, DENTAL, PROPERTY &

CASUALTY INSURANCE PROVIDER

29751 S.W. Town Center Loop WestWilsonville, OR 97070

PH 503-682-5089 PORTLAND

PH 888-283-7219 NATIONWIDE

FAX 503-682-5099 MAIN OFFICE

FAX 503-682-5727 PUBLICATIONS

[email protected] EMAIL

www.oan.org WEB

www.diggermagazine.com NEWS BLOG

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STAFF Jeff Stone [email protected] EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 503-582-2003

Beth Farmer [email protected] COMMUNICATIONS & 503-582-2013 WEB DESIGN MANAGER

Bill Goloski [email protected] PUBLICATIONS MANAGER 503-582-2009

Kelsey Hood [email protected] EVENT & PROGRAM 503-582-2010 COORDINATOR

Debbie Hopkins [email protected] ACCOUNTING & DATABASE 503-582-2004 MANAGER

Curt Kipp [email protected] DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS 503-582-2008 & PUBLICATIONS

Zen Landis [email protected] EVENT & EDUCATION 503-582-2011 MANAGER

Allan Niemi [email protected] DIRECTOR OF EVENTS 503-582-2005

Blair Thompson [email protected] ADVERTISING 503-582-2012 ACCOUNT MANAGER

Stephanie Weihrauch [email protected] DIRECTOR OF FINANCE 503-582-2001 & ADMINISTRATION

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Curt Kipp [email protected] EDITOR 503-582-2008

Bill Goloski [email protected] ART DIRECTOR 503-582-2009

Blair Thompson [email protected] ADVERTISING 503-582-2012 ACCOUNT MANAGER

____________

Copyright © 2019 by the Oregon Association of Nurseries (OAN). Digger magazine is an official publication and a member service of the Oregon Association of Nurseries, 29751 S.W. Town Center Loop W., Wilsonville, OR 97070.

REPRINTS AND SUBMISSIONS Digger allows reprinting of material with written permission; requests should be directed to the editor. We are not responsible for unsolicited freelance manuscripts and photo-graphs. Contact the editor for contribution information.

SUBSCRIPTION AND CHANGE OF ADDRESS Circulation is con-trolled. Domestic subscriptions are complimentary to qualified U.S. nursery industry members. Non-qualified U.S. subscriptions are $42. Qualified foreign subscriptions are $35 to Canada; $45 to Mexico; and $80 for all other countries. Single copy rate is $6 while supplies last. Notify OAN Publications of change of address. Please allow 3-4 weeks for address change.

Postmaster: Change of address correction requested to above address.

ADVERTISING Contact OAN Publications for display and classified advertising rates. Deadlines are the 1st of the month preceding the month of publication.

7DIGGERMAGAZINE.COM JANUARY 2020

Why we connectOregon is a diverse place with

mountains and coastline, high

deserts and fertile valleys.The nurseries that dot the Oregon map are just

as diverse. Liner production, reforestation, cut flow-ers, Christmas trees, retail, and large specimen grow-ers are just some of the categories represented, and our people are just as diverse as our products.

Oregonians have a reputation for blazing their own trails. It goes back to Oregon Trail pioneers who sought more bountiful lives. You can see the individual-ity in the way we grow, too. No two nurseries are alike.

But for all our differences, our interest in a successful and viable industry brings us together. The OAN sets that table and allows us to come together en masse.

More than ever, it is imperative that we join together. State legislators in Salem have passed a tax on gross receipts that unfairly hurts low-margin businesses. Next, they are look-ing at a carbon tax that will push our freight and heating costs skyward. Such bills have real impacts on any nursery's bottom line.

We need to have a seat at that table. Our collective voice can help shape the conversa-tion and enlighten legislators to the real-world effects these bills will have on nurseries, nurs-ery suppliers, and agriculture in general.

Nationally, 2020 is a huge presidential election year. The field of candidates is diverse and wide. The political inclinations of our members are probably equally so. We don’t have to agree on the candidates. What we do agree on — and push for — is reasonable immi-gration reform, restricting unneeded regulation, and funding support for research for plant health and diseases. Our goals are much more closely aligned than can be conveyed in a 30-second soundbite or a clickbait headline.

The interaction we share as humans is important. According to social scientist and researcher Robert D. Putnam, participating in social activities, such as a club or organization, will cut in half your chances of dying in the next year. Unfortunately, as prevailing societal trends show, many behaviors that signify person-to-person connections are on the decline. There’s been a 58 percent drop in attending meetings, a 43 percent drop in family dinners and a 35 percent drop in having friends over.

These astounding findings show why making connections is important. It’s not a huge leap to say what’s healthy for you will also be for your business.

Speaking of business health, we can help your bottom line financially. The OAN offers members valuable savings through its health insurance program and various other discounts, including bulk fuel, office supplies, trade show booths, advertising and more.

The OAN — through chapter meetings, open houses Farwest, Convention and single-issue gatherings we call “road shows,” provides early information on trends, operational challenges, regulatory threats, pest and disease issues and more.

Together, we use our influence to stifle unfair bills. A great example of this last one was a few years back when the OAN lobbied hard to stop the taxation of greenhouses as real property and won. I think of this every day we work in our greenhouses. I think of this every day I drive by my neighbor’s new greenhouse range. These are real dollars that would have stopped expansion or created a cost barrier where startup nurseries would flounder.

We are in a similar place today as we start this new year. As a group, we can stand together on the issues we feel strong about. It’s time to begin, restart, or renew our member-ship with the OAN so we can lean on each other for support, information, and help.

We are a group of individuals with separate businesses, plans, and ideals. But we can come together under the OAN umbrella and meet at what we all think is important, keeping Oregon’s Nursery Country viable and strong.

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Jim SimnittOAN PRESIDENT

2019–2020 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Jim Simnitt Simnitt Nursery PRESIDENT 138 NE 22nd Ave.

Canby, OR 97013 [email protected]

503-266-9640 FAX 503-263-6330

Kyle Fessler Woodburn Nursery & Azaleas Inc. PRESIDENT-ELECT 13009 McKee School Road N.E.

Woodburn, OR 97071 [email protected] 503-634-2231 FAX 503-634-2238

Josh Robinson Robinson Nursery Inc. VICE PRESIDENT P.O. Box 100

Amity, OR 97101 [email protected] 877-855-8733 FAX 503-835-3004

Todd Nelson Bountiful Farms Nursery Inc. TREASURER 17280 Boones Ferry Rd. N.E.

Woodburn, OR 97071 [email protected] 503-981-7494

Mike Hiller KCK Farms LLC PAST PRESIDENT 11483 SE Amity-Dayton Hwy.

Dayton, OR 97114 [email protected]

503-864-9422 FAX 503-864-4412

Denece Messenger Decorative Bark Products SECRETARY P.O. Box 1198 Tualatin, OR 97062 [email protected] 503-510-4029 FAX 503-859-3764

Wes Bailey Smith Gardens Inc. MEMBER AT LARGE 23150 Boones Ferry Road N.E.

Aurora, OR 97002 [email protected] 503-678-5373

____________

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Tom Brewer HC Companies Inc. ProCal ASSOCIATE MEMBER [email protected] 503-686-8448

Adam Farley Countryside Nursery CONTAINER GROWER [email protected] 503-678-0511

Ron Kinney Monrovia CONTAINER GROWER [email protected] 503-868-7941

Amanda Staehely Columbia Nursery CONTAINER GROWER [email protected] 503-810-2598

Jesse Nelson Hans Nelson & Sons Nursery Inc. FIELD / BARE ROOT GROWER [email protected] 503-663-3348

Chris Robinson Robinson Nursery Inc. FIELD / BARE ROOT GROWER [email protected] 877-855-8733

Jay Sanders KG Farms Inc. FIELD / B&B GROWER [email protected] 503-678-3245

Lorne Blackman Walla Walla Nursery Co. Inc. GREENHOUSE [email protected] 509-522-9855

Ben Verhoeven Peoria Gardens Inc. GREENHOUSE [email protected] 541-753-8519

Gary S. English Landsystems Nursery RETAIL [email protected] 541-382-7646


CalendarGet the word out about your event! Email details to [email protected] by the 10th day of the month to be included in the next issue of Digger.

JAN

FEBRUARY 4 BOXWOOD HEALTH WORKSHOPThe Oregon Association of Nurseries is teaming up with the Horticultural Research Institute and AmericanHort to bring an all-day boxwood health workshop to the Willamette Valley, which is a major hub of boxwood production in the United States. Experts from across the nation will help local growers identify and manage boxwood blight, which can be difficult to detect in the Pacific Northwest climate. The event includes a session by a mid-Atlantic grower who will share commonsense ways to reduce the incidence of the boxwood blight at the nursery level. The sessions will take place 8 a.m.–4 p.m., at the Oregon State University North Willamette Research & Extension Center, 15210 N.E. Miley Road, Aurora, Oregon. To register, visit www.oan.org/event/boxwoodhealth.

SIGN UP THROUGH FEBRUARYWINTER TRUCKS TO TRADE SHOWSOAN members can ship plant material to the green industry shows held across the country in January and February, including The Western, Utah Green and others. Space is limited. Reservations are taken on a first-come, first served basis; payment is required to reserve space. To sign up, contact Kelsey Hood at [email protected].

VARIOUS DATESFIRST AID AND CPR CLASSESTwo OAN-sponsored First Aid and Adult CPR training classes are available in January. Successful completion results in certification that is good for two years. The first class, conducted in English, will be on January 6. The second class, in Spanish only, will happen January 7. Both sessions take place from 8 a.m.–noon at Oregon Association of Nurseries, 29751 S.W. Town Center Loop West, Wilsonville, Oregon. Register online at www.oan.org/cprclass

JANUARY 8–10 MANTSThe Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show will be held at the Baltimore Convention Center (One West Pratt St., Baltimore, Maryland). MANTS is one of the largest green industry trade shows on the East Coast, attracting more than 900 exhibitors and 10,000 attendees annually. For more information, log on to www.mants.com.

JANUARY 15–17 THE WESTERNThe Western Nursery & Landscape Association’s annual trade show and conference, known as The Western, will take place at the Crown Center Exhibit Hall, 2323 McGee St., Kansas City, Missouri. WNLA represents the green industry in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa and Nebraska. For more information and to register, log on to www.wnla.org/western.

JANUARY 15FARM SUCCESSION PLANNING WORKSHOP SERIESEast Multnomah and Clackamas Soil & Water Conservation Districts and the Clackamas Small Business Development Center will kick off a free, four-part workshop series for agricultural business owners. The series will explore many topics — from identifying a transition plan to navigating the Oregon estate tax. Attendees will also receive free one-on-one counseling from a farm and ranch adviser to discuss options specific to their situation. The events run from 1–4 p.m., January 15 and 29 and February 12 and 26, at Multnomah Grange, 30639 S.E. Bluff Road, Gresham. To register, contact Kathryn Nishimoto at 503-594-0738 or [email protected].

JANUARY 16PLAN FOR YOUR LAND 2020Marion Soil & Water Conservation District and North Santiam Watershed Council are hosting a free four-part series of courses for small farms and rural properties planning a conservation plan for their land. Experts will discuss protection water, improving soil health, increasing wildlife habitats, and potential project funding. The classes run from 5–7:30 p.m. on consescutive Thursdays, January 16–February 7, at the Broadway Commons, Keizer Room, 1300 Broadway Street N.E., Salem, Oregon. Register online at tinyurl.com/uaogqln

JANUARY 15–18 NORTHWEST AG SHOWThe 50th edition of the Northwest Ag Show will be held at the Oregon State Fair & Exhibition Center, 2330 17th St. N.E., Salem, Oregon. The annual event focuses on the emerging trends in the ag industry such as small farming, technology and education. The show coincides with the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce’s SAIF Agri-Business Banquet on Friday, January 17 at the Salem Convention Center, 200 Commercial St S.E., Salem, Oregon (tinyurl.com/y5vba3gp). Both events contribute to Ag Week celebrations for the Salem area. For more information, log on to northwestagshow.com.

JANUARY 27–29UTAH GREEN CONFERENCE AND TRADE SHOWPresented by the Utah Nursery & Landscape Association, the event will be held at the Mountain America Expo Center, 9575 State St., Sandy, Utah. The show features green industry vendors from across the nation and offers seminars on topics such as business management, landscape design, plant material, irrigation, and many others. Full details are available on www.utahgreen.org.

FEBRUARY 21 PNWCTA CHRISTMAS TREE 2020 SHORT COURSEChristmas tree growers and retailers are invited to the Pacific Northwest Christmas Tree Association (PWNCTA) 2020 educational session, starting at noon at Holiday Inn Portland South, 25425 S.W. 95th Avenue, Wilsonville, Oregon. Experts will discuss topics such as new growing and harvesting methods, research updates, pesticide and safety information, business practices and tax implications for those involved in the industry. Registered attendees may earn pesticide re-certification credits with ODA and WSDA. The lodging deadine is February 7. See tinyurl.com/y6lpuw6t for more information.


Northwest NewsOAN members and chapters are encouraged to send in relevant news items, such as new hires, new products, acquisitions, honors received and past or upcoming events. Email [email protected].

OAN members elected to leadership positions in the Oregon Farm Bureau for 2020

Barb Iverson of Wooden Shoe Bulb Co. was elected president of the Oregon Farm Bureau, while Angela Bailey of Verna Jean Nursery, also an OAN member, was elected first vice president. Iverson replaces the previous president, Sharon Waterman, while Bailey is replacing Iverson as first vice president.

“Both Barb and Angela have served in OAN’s chapter and board leadership,” OAN Executive Director Jeff Stone said. “They are strong voices for nurseries and agriculture, and we congratulate them for taking on these important roles in the Farm Bureau leadership.”

Wooden Shoe, home of the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival, is a retail and wholesale grower and agri-tourism attraction based in Woodburn, Oregon. Iverson’s family farms 1,200 acres in all and, in addition to tulips, they grow hemp, seed crops, squash, and table and wine grapes. Verna Jean Nursery is a wholesale grower based in Gresham, Oregon.

GROWERS REQUIRED TO RETURN NASS HORTICULTURAL SURVEY

Nursery and greenhouse growers are being asked to complete the 2019 Census of Horticultural Specialties survey no later than February 5, 2020. The survey is conducted every five years by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). It gives the most com-plete, state-by-state statistical picture of the green industry that is available.

“Horticulture is a very important part of U.S. agriculture and our economy,” USDA NASS Administrator Hubert Hamer said. “Responding to this census is the best way for growers to help associations, businesses and policymakers advo-cate for their industry, and influence program decisions and technology development over the next five years.”

The 2019 Census of Horticultural Specialties results will expand results from the 2017 Census of Agriculture with information on horticultural crop production, value of products, square footage used for growing crops, production expenses, and more. By federal law, all growers with $10,000 in sales or more annually must complete the survey. It can be completed online using a code that is mailed to them, or it can be filled out on paper and mailed back.

The results will be published December 2020. Although industrywide stats by state will be tabu-lated and published, all individual information submitted remains confidential by law. The prior

survey, from 2014, had Oregon as the top grower in several horticultural categories, including decid-uous shade trees, deciduous flowering trees, and coniferous evergreens.

Those who do not receive a survey, or who have questions, may contact Dave Losh, Oregon state statistician with NASS, at 503-326-2136 or [email protected].

U.S. HOUSE APPROVES FARM WORKFORCE MODERNIZATION ACT

The U.S. House of Representatives approved House Bill 5038, otherwise known as the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, on December 11.

The bipartisan immigration reform bill is sponsored by Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-California), with 62 co-sponsors roughly divided between Republicans and Democrats. It passed easily, with 260 in favor and 165 against. Supporting the bill were 226 Democrats and 34 Republicans. Opposed were 161 Republicans, three Democrats and independent Justin Amash.

The Oregon Association was among the farm groups urging passage of the bill, and all five of Oregon’s U.S. representatives voted aye.

“The nursery and greenhouse industry is facing a labor crisis, and Congress has failed repeatedly to solve the immigration issue,” OAN Executive Director Jeff Stone said. “As Oregon’s largest sector of agriculture, the nursery and green-house industry supports many aspects of the

Congress is considering legislation to address a shortage of farm workers. PHOTO BY BILL GOLOSKI

Barb Iverson


Northwest News

Farm Workforce Modernization Act, and we urge passage of the bill.”

The U.S. Senate will have the opportu-nity to take up the bill in 2020.

Attempts at passing immigration reform have long been stymied. This bill takes a less comprehensive approach, focusing on farm labor. It provides a three-pronged approach to the issue.

The first part would allow agricul-tural workers to get right with the law and earn legal status. The second part would streamline the H-2A guest worker program to make it easier for farmers to use. And the third part would require the E-Verify employment eligibility verification system for all agricultural employers.

Farm groups have said that E-Verify is a flawed system but have sometimes been willing to support it as a trade-off, when it is included in a bill that provides agriculture with a long-term, stable, legal workforce.

WORKGROUP EXAMINES EQUIPMENT PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTION

A workgroup of the Oregon Legislature is looking at how county assessors apply the personal property tax exemption for certain farm equipment and machinery.

To get a picture of the role equipment and machinery play in production, the group toured OAN member Woodburn Nursery & Azaleas this past November. Members saw various pieces of equipment that are used to blend growing media, shift containerized plants into larger containers, and line them up and transfer them to a cart or truck, for transport back

Woodburn Nursery uses many types of equipment in its production. A property tax working group toured the nursery to see the role that equipment plays in the operation. PHOTO BY BILL GOLOSKI

QUALITY FLOWERING &SHADE TREES SINCE 1925

33740 SE LUSTED ROADGRESHAM, OR 97080

[email protected]

PHONE: 503.663.5224 800.831.2599 FAX: 503.907.8099

to the field or to the customer.Accompanying the legislators during

the visit were members of the OAN Government Relations Team, who have pushed to direct attention to this issue.

The workgroup, including legislators as well as state officials, was created during the 2019 Oregon Legislature to address inconsistencies and ambiguities as to how farm equipment and machinery should be handled for personal and real property tax purposes. The issue surfaced when some growers received letters from their county assessors asking them to pay personal property taxes on farm equipment that is supposed to be exempt.

According to the Oregon Farm Bureau, Oregon law prescribes a certain analysis to determine whether machinery or equipment should be considered or taxed as real property or tangible personal property, and whether it should be tax exempt. Only personal equipment used for propagation and harvest is eligible for the exemption. The rules say equipment is real property if affixed to real property in any way, and personal property if moved or moveable in the ordinary course of business. However, many pieces of nursery equipment are both moveable, and often bolted down to prevent movement or theft.

Leigh Geschwill, an owner of F & B Farms and Nursery, serves on the OAN Government Relations Committee. She has followed the equipment tax issue closely.

According to Geschwill, the rules were developed when most farm equipment was tractor based, but that is much less the case today. That’s why movability as a criterion is harder to interpret.


OUTSTANDING VALUE

EXPANDED ORNAMENTAL OFFERINGSIMPECCABLE SERVICEFrom Acers to Zelkova, and many varieties in between, we specialize in understock for flowering, fruiting and shade.

Our customers come to us for our quality rootstock. They come back for our service and attention-to-detail.

WillametteNurseries.com

GROW

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Canby, Oregon

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“I could have a mixing and planting line, a combine, and a hop picker that are all worth the same amount,” she said. “Some of this equipment is movable, some of it is not. Some of it used to be movable, some of it could be movable in the future. The mobility of equipment is often an operation-by-operation decision, depending on proximity of fields and operations to each other. The idea of ‘movable’ equipment cannot be applied equitably between operations and in fact has no real bearing on agriculture operations as they exist today.”

The workgroup was created with the intent to introduce a bill in the 2020 Legislature to clarify how this issue should be addressed. The goal is to ensure that the personal property tax exemption for propagation/harvest equipment is maintained.

OREGON GROUP TO REVIEW USE OF CHLORPYRIFOS

The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) has organized a stake-holder group to evaluate uses of the pes-ticide Chlorpyrifos, as well as potential restrictions that go beyond those that are already specified on product labels. The group will “explore the critical uses and evaluate science-based restrictions that pro-tect public health and safety,” ODA stated in a press release.

Jeff Stone, executive director of the Oregon Association of Nurseries, and Pete Brentano, an owner of Brentano’s Tree Farm (St. Paul, Oregon) as well as being a past president of OAN, were among those appointed to the group. Other members represent agricultural groups, the envi-ronmental community and farmworkers. Two faculty members from Oregon State

University — Christmas tree extension agent Chal Landgren, and toxicologist Jeff Jenkins — are also part of the group.

The group convened in December and will meet again in January and March at ODA headquarters in Salem, Oregon. Following that, ODA is expected to devel-op a proposal that will balance protection of public health with those uses that are deemed to be necessary and critical.

The process and meetings will include opportunities for public input. For more details and the meeting agendas, log on to https://oda.direct/Rulemaking.

Chlorpyrifos is used to control insect pests on a variety of nursery and other agri-cultural crops, including Christmas trees. It is also allowed for use on golf courses and for mosquito control. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has prohibited most residential uses since 2001.


Northwest News

Announcements SEELY JOINS GARDEN TIME TV PROGRAM AS CO-HOST

Ryan Seely, sales manager at wholesale grower Little Prince of Oregon Nursery, will be the new co-host of the local Garden Time television show, according to an announcement by show producers Gustin Creative Group. Seeley has been featured on the garden show several times for his long-time experience in the gardening industry. He will replace longtime co-host William McClenathan, who is leaving the show. The show airs on KPTV-12 and KPDX-49 in Portland, as well as stations in Salem and Eugene.

Judy Alleruzzo of Al’s Garden & Home will continue as co-host of the show for its upcoming 15th season. The show recently completed its 2019 season on

November 30; new episodes will begin to air on March 7, 2020.

OAN TO TRAIN MEMBERS AS INDUSTRY ADVOCATES

An advocacy training session, where OAN members can learn to be effective lob-byists and citizen activists for the nursery industry, will take place from noon–4 p.m. Monday, January 27 at the OAN office,

Dick Joyce Conference Room, 29751 S.W. Town Center Loop West, Wilsonville.

Experts with the OAN Government Relations team — including OAN Executive Director Jeff Stone, attorney Steve Shropshire of Jordan Ramis P.C., and lobbyist Elizabeth Remley of Thorn Run Partners — will train industry members in how to make a strong and sympathetic case for nursery-friendly policies and programs.

“The people who work in the industry, run the businesses and deal with the issues on a daily basis are often the most compel-ling spokespeople for the industry,” Stone said. “Some growers may not view them-selves as lobbyists, but they are highly effec-tive in that role if they don’t allow fear to be a barrier. Our training addresses that by tak-ing the fear and mystery out of giving verbal or written testimony.”

There are opportunities to learn and

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practice in a friendly environment, with constructive feedback given. Those who have completed the training have gone on to tes-tify effectively and advance the cause of the nursery industry.

Participation in this training is free and exclusively for OAN members. All members are encouraged to participate, and those interested industry members who are not yet OAN members are encouraged to join the association and become involved.

No prior experience on the Government Relations Committee is necessary. Contact Jeff Stone at [email protected] for details.

DAVE WILSON NURSERY ACQUIRES FREDRIKS NURSERY

Dave Wilson Nursery has purchased Fredriks Nursery in Ripon, California, according to a release by the company. Located 30 miles away from their Hickman, California headquarters, the existing green-houses on the facility will be upgraded to grow potted almond, walnut and stone fruit varieties and rootstock by early spring. Final products are anticipated to be ready by fall of 2020.

“When the opportunity to sell to a fellow Central Valley family-owned busi-ness presented itself, it made sense for our family to sell at this time in our life,” David Fredrik, president of Fredriks Nursery. “We believe that Dave Wilson Nursery will be a good partner here in Ripon and we’re pleased by the local leadership.”

Dave Wilson is the largest commercial nut and fruit tree nursery in the world, according to the company. Visit tinyurl.com/

vcko82l for details.

FOUR-PART WORKSHOP SERIES ON SUCCESSION PLANNING OFFERED

Clackamas and East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation Districts and the Clackamas Small Business Development Center (SBDC) are hosting a free Farm Succession Planning workshop series for agricultural business owners. The series will explore many topics — from iden-

Your contribution today helps prepare the nursery

industry leaders of tomorrow.

Contact the Oregon Association of Nurseries for more information:

503-682-5089 or 888-283-7219.

The ONF is a nonprofit 503(c)3 corporation. Donations may be tax-deductible; consult a qualified tax attorney or accountant.

FOUNDA

FOUNDA


Northwest News

tifying a transition plans to navigating the Oregon estate tax. Attendees will also receive free one-on-one counseling from a farm and ranch advisor to discuss any options unique to your situation.

Each of the four events run from 1–4 p.m., at the Multnomah Grange #71, 30639 S.E. Bluff Road, Gresham, Oregon. A light lunch will be provided at 12:30 p.m. of each workshop.

1. Overview of Farm Succession Planning — January 15

2. Goal Setting for You and Your Family — January 29

3. Getting Organized — February 124. Passing on Management Roles —

February 26Space is limited to 50 participants.

To register, contact Kathryn Nishimoto at 503-594-0738 or [email protected].

For questions, call Diana Tourney at 503-594-0732.

Digger magazine published its Transitions Issue in December 2019, address-ing the many facets of nursery transitions and succession planning. Read the stories at www.diggermagazine.com/december-2019.

FREE CONSERVATION PLANNING COURSES OFFERED FOR GROWERS

Marion Soil & Water Conservation District and North Santiam Watershed Council are hosting a free four-part series of courses for small farms and rural proper-ties planning a conservation plan for their land. Experts will discuss protection water, improving soil health, increasing wildlife habitats, and potential project funding.

The classes run from 5–7:30 p.m., at the Broadway Commons, Keizer Room, 1300 Broadway Street N.E., Salem, Oregon.

1. Conservation Planning & Vegetation — January 16

2. Water & Soil — January 233. Streamsides & Woodlands —

January 304. Agriculture Land & Action Plans

— February 6Register online at tinyurl.com/uaogqln

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Ian Doescher is the Director of Nonprofit Marketing at Pivot Group,

a marketing agency in Portland, Oregon. He can be reached at [email protected].

PIVOT POINTS

Spending your first digital dollars

it might feel creepy, but these days it is accepted practice. It’s also very effective. Remarketing helps keep your company in front of previously interested individuals who, on second thought, might want to make a purchase.

Facebook ads: Say what you will about Facebook, it is still an effective and relatively inexpensive place for highly-targeted digital ads. You can target custom-ers based on geography, gender, interests, age, and more. Sponsored stories (rather than sidebar ads) look like posts in users’ feeds, and you can take on two of the top social networks at once by posting your Facebook ads to Instagram, too (Facebook owns Instagram). Even better news is that Facebook ads tend to be inexpensive, around $1 or $2 per click. You can also do A/B testing if you want, and (like Google) you can adjust your campaign as it runs.

Search engine optimization: Online ads are great, but can your web-site be found without them? If someone types a search into Google that should,

BEYOND THE ADS YOU see on Facebook, Instagram, and Google, digital advertising may be some-

thing of a mystery to you. Many small- and medium-sized businesses aren’t sure where to start when it comes to digital marketing, because it is still fairly new and its landscape is ever-changing.

Given the challenges, you may be curious about where to start with digital marketing. If you were doing a test — committing a small amount to digital marketing to try it out — where should you put that money to be most effective? Here’s a guide to where to spend your first digital dollars:

Google search ads: When it comes to search results, being on top of the pile is important. That’s why, when you search on Google, the top results are frequently paid content — that is, ads a company has placed based on the keywords you just typed. Google search ads can be fairly expensive, especially if the keywords you want your ad associated with are highly competitive. Placing an ad for the keywords “garden tips” will be much more expensive than an ad for the keywords “Muskogee ornamental nursery.” The trade-off, of course, is that fewer people are searching for the second than the first. But if you find the sweet spot where people are searching for the term and the term isn’t too competitive or expensive, you’re in business. Also, you can adjust your Google ads over time, as needed, as you begin to see what is working and what isn’t.

Remarketing through Google: Another Google adver-tising service is remarketing — that’s when ads follow you around the internet after you visit a particular website. Yes,

by all rights, include your company in the results, are you showing up in the first or second spot? Search engine optimization (SEO) is the practice of improving vari-ous aspects of your website to increase the likelihood that search engines will rank it higher for certain keywords. SEO is gener-ally a service provide by digital firms, and can be done at reasonable rates.

A few final caveats and tips: First, everything above assumes that your website is in good working order. If your website looks old and tired, if it doesn’t work cor-rectly, or it is poorly organized, it will have a negative effect on your business. Your web-site is the first digital investment you should

make, if you haven’t already.Second, there are some

things you can do in the digi-tal realm that are free and will give you a leg up: (1) claim and update a Google My Business page for your company, (2) fol-low the social media accounts of businesses that are related to yours — that might mean other local companies or other com-panies in the industry, and (3) set up Google Analytics and Tag Manager to study traffic behavior on your website, including demo-graphics of site visitors.

The digital world can seem massive, but like any new chal-lenge, if you take it a step at a time, you’ll be in great shape. Best digital wishes!


A place where people can growSTORIES BY CURT KIPP / PHOTOS BY BILL GOLOSKI

DAVID SATHER WANTED A place to grow. After spending years developing a landscap-

ing business in the Seattle area, he was ready to chase a dream by raising his own plant material.

When David arrived in Oregon, he knew he had found his place.

Todd Williams wanted a place to grow. After working at a retail nursery in Nevada for close to a decade, he was ready to create the plant material that he knew retailers wanted.

When Todd arrived in Oregon, he knew he had found his place.

Mikaela Eaton wanted a place to grow. After working nearly two decades in the nursery and landscaping trade in Nebraska, she left a comfortable career to accept a new sales job at a wholesale nursery in the Willamette Valley.

When Mikaela arrived in Oregon, she knew she had found her place.

Fred and Leigh Geschwill wanted a place to grow, as did Bill and Heidi Geschwill. As longtime Oregon natives with backgrounds in farming, however, they didn’t look far. They knew every-thing they needed was readily available to them.

Like the others, they knew they had found their place.

Oregon is Nursery Country, and the nickname doesn’t come by acci-

dent. As measured by gross sales, the state’s nursery and greenhouse indus-try is the number one sector in all of Oregon agriculture.

And just as nurseries lead Oregon agriculture, Oregon leads the U.S. nursery and greenhouse industry in many different horticultural segments. According to the latest USDA statistics, no other state sells more deciduous shade trees, deciduous flowering trees, or coniferous evergreens. Oregon is also near the top in broadleaf ever-greens and deciduous shrubs.

Looking for arborvitae? How about ash, barberry, birch, boxwood, cedar, Christmas trees, or crabapple? Perhaps flowering cherry, flowering plum, honey locust, linden, Japanese maple, Norway maple, Pieris, pine, red maple or spruce?

Oregon is your place. No other state grows more of these plants.

But Oregon’s nursery industry is broader than just these plants. The state grows a wide variety of plants — annu-als to perennials to vines to fruit trees to tropicals, and so much more. Search NurseryGuide.com, and you’ll find 18,075 different plant, service and supply listings from 388 growers and 730 com-panies, representing 4,611 plant varieties — all of it at your fingertips.

Or you can pick up the the printed Nursery Guide book — all 316 pages of

it — at MANTS, Cultivate, CanWest and Farwest trade shows. It’s a great resource for office, briefcase or pickup truck.

Oregon is able to grow so many plants so well because of its mild climate, a long growing season, adequate winter dormancy, and available irrigation water.

But most importantly, there’s a com-munity of talented growers who share their knowledge and help each other succeed. If one grower doesn’t have what you need, they are likely to point you to someone else who probably does. That’s why we thought we would intro-duce just three of them to you. Discover more at www.diggermagazine.com/nursery-country.

And next time you’re in Oregon, be sure to stop by and see David and Mikaela at Serendipity Nursery, near the farming community of Canby. Maybe arrange a visit with the Geschwills at F & B Farm and Nursery, down the road in Woodburn, or swing over to TSW Nursery in Aurora and Hubbard and see Todd and his crew.

Perhaps come to the Farwest Show, August 26–28 in Portland and meet many more great growers in a very short amount of time.

Take an extra day and explore. You’ll see why Oregon is a great place where people can grow.

TSW Nursery Sales Inc.


THINGS THAT HAPPENED by chance — but happily so — have steered the destiny of nursery founder

and owner David Sather. Hence the name of his nursery — Serendipity Nursery.

“It’s been a fun trip,” he said.The 40-acre wholesale operation in

Canby, Oregon offers an evenly-chosen variety of broadleaf evergreens, conifers and groundcovers across a variety of standby genera — maples, firs, barberries, boxwoods, cedars, dogwoods, beeches, cotoneasters, junipers, heavenly bamboos, spruces, pines, laurels, sumacs, arborvitaes, viburnums, ornamental grasses and others.

“We start from our own cuttings and develop them into a finished product in con-tainers or in the field,” David said. “We used to do our own grafting, but due to lack of labor, we now purchase our own grafts from other growers.”

Serendipity’s plants, trees and shrubs are shipped all across the United States to re-wholesalers, as well as landscapers and retail garden centers that have a landscaping division.

Doing right by customers is David’s guiding principle, and that of his sales man-ager, Mikaela Eaton. She is the one inter-acting directly with customers most of the time these days. “You’ve got to develop a relationship with your customers and serve them in a way that they can be successful,” she said.

The team at Serendipity is comprised of David, Mikaela, five other full-time work-ers, and some seasonal help. Most of the

employees have 15–20 years of experience, remaining loyal because David makes treat-ing them well a priority.

“I’ve been in this industry 20 years and never met anyone who treated their workers like here,” Mikaela said.

From country to cityThe serendipity of David’s life began on a

dairy farm in Washington’s Puget Sound region. He grew up on his parents’ farm outside the still-not-large rural community Enumclaw. It’s located roughly halfway by car ride between Seattle and towering Mount Rainier.

Growing up near Seattle and Tacoma, David decided early in life that the city was where he wanted to be. “I couldn’t wait to get off the farm,” he said.

After high school, he enrolled at the University of Washington. He studied eco-nomics, minoring in business and finance. He worked at a brokerage house as he studied.

After graduation, David went right to work in the banking industry.

In the process of looking for ways to apply his knowledge of productivity and efficiencies, he developed a cost-accounting system for the bank, initiating marketing and economic research, while working under the direction of the bank’s chief financial officer.

But after six years, David left the bank. It was a matter of principle.

“I had a very good job,” he said. “I left because I had an active role in civil liberties and civil rights, and the bank had a policy of not lending to minorities, including

Serendipity NurseryFounded: 1986 by David Sather

ABOUT: Wholesale grower offering containerized and B&B broadleaf evergreens, conifers, grasses, and ground covers, which are shipped to wholesalers, garden centers and landscapers across the United States.

PRINCIPAL: David Sather

KEY EMPLOYEES: David Sather, president; Mikaela Eaton, sales manager

EMPLOYEES: 5 year-round plus seasonal employees

CONTACT:

8400 S. Sconce Road Canby, OR 97013

503-651-2122

Fax 503-651-3398

[email protected]

ONLINE:

www.serendipitynursery.com

TRADE SHOWS: MANTS, Idaho Horticulture Expo, Farwest Show

LISTINGS:

.145


women.” David disagreed with this insti-tutionalized discrimination.

David accepted a position as a hous-ing consultant at a nonprofit organization that provided housing to underserved com-munities. He worked there for two years, but then the program was shut down after President Nixon cut off federal funding.

His next stop was Seafirst Bank in Seattle. David was hired to develop a program to stop foreclosures and keep families in their homes, and to help the institution give minorities equal opportu-nity in the employment process.

This was a two-year project. After it ended, David thought hard about what to do next.

“I made a list of things I liked,” he said. “Up to then, plant material was a hobby. That’s when I started to look at it as a business.”

Entry into the green industryDavid started a landscape mainte-

nance operation called Parkwood Services, before long adding landscape installation services as well. The company soon became a landscape contractor for major corpora-tions in the Seattle area, with Boeing and Weyerhaeuser as its largest clients.

The company grew quickly, peaking with five licensed landscape architects on staff and 110 employees overall. Both of his sons, Jeff and Jim, worked for him. David soon decided it made a whole lot of sense to add a nursery to the operation. That way, he could grow some of the material he was installing.

“I decided it was time to follow my dream, which was to own a nursery,” he said.

It was then David looked at sites and concluded Oregon would be the best place to grow. “The advantages I found in Oregon were far beyond what I expect-ed,” he said.

What he didn’t find, initially, was the right piece of land for his new nursery.

But then, while searching for plant material for a landscaping job at the 1986 Farwest Show, he began chatting with Paul Werner, a World War II veteran who owned Werner’s Nursery. He asked Werner how long he had owned the nursery, and Werner replied that it had been 17 years.

“My wife and I are going to sell the nursery after the trade show,” Werner then told David. “We’re putting it on the market.”

David went to see the nursery. It was spotless and just what he was looking for.

“We bought the nursery 30 days later,” David said. “Paul would come back and visit, and he was always welcome here.”

David renamed the 40-acre operation “Serendipity Nursery” due to how the transaction came together. He purchased additional parcels in 1988 and 1989 so he could expand the operation.

He continued with his landscaping business in the Seattle area for a time, but

Serendipity Nursery

Previous page: Serendipity Nursery offers a variety of evergreen products (left) and colorful shrubs and grasses in containers (right).

Left: The fields of Serendipity Nursery showcase a diverse range of products for landscapes. Right: Mikaela Eaton (left) was recruited to work for the nursery by founder David Sather (right). PHOTOS BY BILL GOLOSKI


eventually sold it and moved to Oregon in 1992 to focus on Serendipity. The nursery initially focused on the Seattle area, where his landscaping business had been based, but now the focus expanded.

“I pursued the national market,” he said.

Over the years, Serendipity continued to expand, reaching 200 acres when the nursery was at its largest. David enjoyed getting out, meeting customers and selling his Oregon-grown product. “What a great experience!” he said. “As you go around the country, you get to learn about vari-ous parts of the country.”

However, David’s thirst for expansion was tempered by a broader concern about the fundamental health of the economy. As a student of economics, he watched warily as banks raised the valuation of crops to artificially make loans look better on paper.

David cut back his production num-bers around 2006, and paid off loans to make sure he had no bank debt by the time the recession hit. And then, just as he predicted, the economy went south. The year was 2008. Economic indicators took a nosedive, financial institutions failed, employment sank, the stock market tanked, and the Great Recession was in full effect.

“I did not know where the downturn

was going to happen,” he said. “It hap-pened a little earlier than I thought and went on longer than I thought.”

David believes the nursery survived because he anticipated the recession and was fully prepared for it. “My back-ground was economics,” he said. “I knew what was going to happen.”

Positioned for the futureWith the economic recovery over

the last decade, Serendipity Nursery has regained its footing and adapted well to a changing marketplace.

“The plants people are planting are different,” David said. “Yards are smaller. We’re getting a lot more calls for colum-nar trees.” He has increased his quantity of ornamental grasses and altered his product mix to include more drought-tolerant selections.

It was another case of serendipity when David met Mikaela. Mikaela was a young nursery professional from Nebraska four years ago, and David was visiting a nursery where she did business. They struck up a conversation.

On the flight back to Portland, David recalled that he needed someone with Mikaela’s abilities. He reached out to her, and she ended up running Serendipity’s

trade show booth for two years. When David began thinking about

candidates to help him ease back his duties at Serendipity, he knew what his next call would be. Mikaela came out to the Farwest Show in 2018 to see the nursery. She ended up joining Serendipity the following July.

“I was leaving something very com-fortable,” Mikaela said. “In Omaha, I had bought a house for $101,000. I left my very comfortable situation to take a risk, but I’m the sort of person who knows you have to make yourself uncomfortable sometimes.”

Both sides have benefited. In Mikaela’s time on board, she has brought on new customers and helped the nursery exhibit suc-cessfully at Farwest and elsewhere. Her back-ground as a horticulturist, landscape designer and nursery buyer has proven invaluable.

“I told my sons that I’ve probably hired the best person I’ve ever hired in Oregon,” David said. “I already see a major increase to what we’re doing in the local market.”

Through it all, David has remained proud to be an Oregon grower. He likes the way the nurseries work together to advance the industry.

“There’s just an attitude of sharing and comparing notes and doing things,” he said. “If you talk to somebody in the industry, they’re going to help you.”

Hoop houses on the nursery are stocked with colorful shrub and grass varieties. PHOTO BY BILL GOLOSKI


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Looking out for the customer is the pathway to success for F & B Farms and Nursery.

The wholesale greenhouse grower, based in Woodburn, Oregon, sells to independent garden centers in the Pacific Northwest. These are F & B’s direct customers, but the nursery also pays attention to the end consumer’s needs. By so doing, F & B can provide quality plants that generate repeat business for the independent garden centers they sell to.

It’s all part of the nursery’s philosophy that “success trickles up.”

“It’s important that we’re growing things for the Northwest that will be suc-cessful,” co-owner Leigh Geschwill said. “If the customer is successful, then the garden center is going to be successful, and then they’re going to come back to us.”

F & B’s products include a wide variety of annuals, plus an assortment of different and unusual greenhouse-grown items that are also in demand in garden centers.

These items include organic herb and vegetable starts; potted indoor flowering and forced bulbs; pre-planted containers; small fruits, berries and grapes; pumpkins; fall décor items; and poinsettias for the holi-day season. Their vegetable and herb starts are certified organic through the Oregon Department of Agriculture.

“It’s important to prove to the customer you have good stewardship practices,” Leigh said. “You have to be able to walk your talk that way.”

The nursery delivers 52 weeks a year with its own fleet of trucks. “The seasons have condensed, so April, May are your big months, and then August, September for fall season, and then Christmas,” Leigh said.

The deliveries venture as far north as Bellingham, Washington and as far south as Ashland and Klamath Falls, Oregon. They also deliver to central and eastern Oregon and Washington, with a few customers locat-ed across the state line in Idaho.

“We deal with our customers every week, so you’ve got to have a great relation-ship with your customers,” Leigh said. “Our drivers are familiar with where they are going and how customers are reacting. They are like our front-line customer service people.”

What they often see is that consumer needs and wants change frequently. For example, there are more men in the garden than there used to be, and there continues to be rising interest in ornamental edible plants. Changing climate patterns are also driving evolution in the plant palette that customers demand. Meanwhile, the breeding of annuals is rapidly changing what is available in the trade in any given year.

“Every year we’ve been in business, there’s been change,” Leigh said. “It’s a good reminder to be nimble and responsive to the marketplace.”

A family history of farmingF & B Farms & Nursery was named

for its two founding brothers, Fred and Bill Geschwill. And although the nursery

F&B Farms and NurseryFounded: 1997 by Fred and Leigh Geschwill,

Bill and Heidi Geschwill

ABOUT: Wholesale greenhouse grower serving the Pacific Northwest. Products include annuals, organic herb/vegetable starts, potted indoor flowers/forced bulbs, small fruits/berries/grapes, pumpkins, fall décor and poinsettias. They also operate a small, local, seasonal garden center.

PRINCIPALS: Fred, Leigh, Bill and Heidi Geschwill

KEY EMPLOYEES: Jon Venzke, general manager; Regina Fischer, outside sales; Alaina Gannon, inside sales

EMPLOYEES: 25–30 full time, plus seasonal

CONTACT:

10498 Geschwill Lane N.E., Woodburn, OR 97071-9149

503-982-2748

Fax 866-608-3709

[email protected]

ONLINE:

www.fandbfarms.com

TRADE SHOWS: Farwest Show, NNBA

LISTINGS:

.22


wasn’t founded that long ago, in 1997, the Geschwill family’s history of farming in the Willamette Valley reaches back much farther than that.

Fred and Bill’s grandfather, also named Fred Geschwill, arrived as a German immigrant in 1931. Hailing from the city of Brühl, on the Rhine River, he eventually made his way to Oregon’s Willamette Valley by the late 1930s. Settling on land south of Woodburn that is still in the family, he began raising a crop that the family to this day continues to grow.

“He drank more wine than beer, but he raised hops,” Leigh said.

The elder Fred soon started growing vegetables and grass seed on his farm, which grew over time to 1,200 acres. He also raised his family, including sons Henry and William.

The younger Fred and his brother Bill, sons of William, grew up on the fam-ily farm. They both attended Oregon State University, where Fred studied agriculture,

and Bill studied crop and soil science. There they met their future spouses, Leigh and Heidi.

Leigh, who grew up in Portland, graduated with a degree in housing design from OSU. She met Fred at a country/western dance class in college, which a friend

convinced her to attend. “I never thought that I’d marry a

farmer, but there you go,” she said.Bill met Heidi when they were both

studying crop and soil science.After graduation, the couples moved

home to the Geschwill family farm. Fred, Bill and Heidi put their education to work on the farm, while Leigh took a job in the lumber industry. She sold lumber, mill-work and windows in the Portland area.

Starting a nurseryAlthough Leigh was raised in the city,

she had grown up around gardening and farming. She had horses, her grandparents had a farm, and she learned gardening from her grandfather.

“I was a farm-ready city girl,” she said.The four owners began to talk about

what they could do on the property that could add value to the existing farming operation, and help generate their own revenue stream.

The two couples started a small retail

nursery. Taking advantage of a seldom used corner of the farm, located along busy Highway 99E, they put up their first greenhouse and hoped to draw on the traffic passing by. Their first crops consisted of seed annuals, cut flowers and hothouse tomatoes.

“When we first started, it was the four of us and we all had to learn,” Leigh said. “It was seasonal and we planted everything by hand.”

Growers at several other nurseries helped them when they were starting out. “It’s a pretty friendly, pretty open indus-try,” she said. “It’s a ‘rising tide lifts all boats’ sort of feel.”

After three years, Fred suggested that they grow wholesale plants as well. Everything was still done by hand, with no automation. Yard wagons were used to move things around the property. Deliveries were made in a family pickup truck with a canopy. When more capacity was needed, they purchased a trailer.

A few years after the wholesale operation started up, Leigh quit her job in the lumber industry and focused on the nursery full time.

“Every year since, the wholesale has grown exponentially,” she said. “We still do retail, but we don’t do a lot of market-ing, so that we don’t compete against our retail customers.”

The retail operation is now called Happy Bee Garden Center and is managed by Heidi. It is open seasonally and sells

Previous page: Left: Coleus in containers. PHOTO COURTESY OF F & B FARMS

AND NURSERY. Right: F & B staff gather and order of pansies for shipment. PHOTO BY BILL GOLOSKI

From left, Alaina Gannon, Leigh Geschwill, and Regina Fischer pose in a greenhouse. PHOTO BY BILL GOLOSKI

Center: Gerbera daisies. Right: Pennisetum. PHOTO

COURTESY OF F & B FARMS AND NURSERY


F & B Farms and Nursery

at market prices. They still service the origi-nal customers who helped them get started.

Leigh takes a leading sales role in the wholesale operation, making use of her design and problem-solving knowledge to operate and market the business, while Fred and Bill focus on farming and growing. Heidi helps Bill with the hops and combining during down time at the garden center. All four make major decisions collaboratively.

Early on, the nursery had ½ acre of greenhouses by the highway. Three more acres were soon added. They now have six acres of greenhouse space and two acres of outdoor space.

A big turning point was hiring the nursery’s first head grower in 2006. Jon Venzke was an early head grower for the company and now serves as general manager. The nursery later hired its first salesperson and made a series of capital improvements, including a labor-saving flat filler on their planting line.

Ready for the futureLeigh has never regretted the decision

to live on the farm and start a nursery.“Once you’re in it, the farming life-

style has a lot to recommend it,” she said. “You’re close to family. My daughter has been able to grow up in relative freedom. We’re busy, but if you need to raise a fam-

ily, you have flexibility.”She has used that flexibility to give

back to the industry by serving on the OAN Board of Directors, including a year as president in 2016.

“The nursery industry is actually a really small industry in terms of how it feels. It feels like everyone knows everyone,” she said. “What impresses me is people’s willingness to help each other out. You don’t see that in the lumber business.”

After her presidency ended, Leigh continued her OAN involvement by serv-ing two years as chair of the Government Relations Committee, which involved ana-lyzing the impact of proposed and poten-tial legislation, shaping the association’s political messages and speaking to elected leaders on behalf of the industry.

Although no longer chair, she contin-ues to participate in the committee. She believes in the importance of its work, given an industry that lost several opera-tions during the economic downturn, and due to the aging of operators, is undergo-ing generational change. That has provid-ed opportunities as well as challenges.

“I don’t know that the market has grown exponentially, but there is more market share to divvy up between those who remain,” she said.

She sees an assortment of perplexing

issues threatening to make it harder for growers to operate successfully.

Labor is one. “You used to be able to hire a whole crew any time of year,” she said. But now, the lack of workers has kept the nursery from expanding as quickly as it otherwise could have.

Related to that is increased plan-ning. “People must plan for their needs further out,” she said. “I am seeing less speculative material on the market all through the supply chain.”

For F & B, traffic congestion is another issue that hurts. A four-hour drive to Seattle, where many customers are located, now takes five or six hours. That’s money lost.

And then there’s the cumulative effect of regulations affecting employers and businesses, including wage laws, paid leave laws, taxation and more.

“When we started, there were lots of startup nurseries, but today you see very few,” Leigh said. “I wouldn’t want to start up now. It would be too difficult.”

On a positive note, her ability to serve an expanding geographic market-place with quality material keeps her content to stay the course.

“We are in this together, united as great Pacific Northwesterners have always been,” Leigh said.

F & B produces edible plants for retail sale. PHOTOS BY BILL GOLOSKI

25DIGGERMAGAZINE.COM JANUARY 2020 25DIGGERMAGAZINE.COM JANUARY 2020

AMBITION AND HARD WORK have propelled Todd Williams from a single leased loading dock and an

office in his apartment to a successful whole-sale nursery operation with two growing locations and a strong team behind him.

“I always knew I was going to have my own business in the nursery industry,” Todd said. “I always had an entrepreneur’s mindset.”

And after nearly 20 years in business, it’s clear any risks Todd took in the early years have paid off. “Failure is not a bad thing,” he said. “It’s a learning experience. Get out there on the thin ice — the skinny branches.”

TSW Nursery Sales Inc. (Aurora, Oregon) ships trees and shrubs to retail garden centers, wholesalers, landscapers and growers all over the United States, 12 months a year.

The nursery prides itself on its consis-tent quality, as well as its variety. They sell trees, shrubs, broadleaf evergreens and coni-fers. Depending on the selection, material is available as liners, bare root, containers, air pots and B&B. Some of the material is grown by TSW; the remainder is obtained from quality growers based in the Pacific Northwest that TSW has worked with for many years.

“We strive to fill all of our customers’ orders to the fullest,” Todd said. “And if we aren’t able to source a specific plant, we always offer the customer an alternative or substitution to switch to.”

TSW will also work with customers to custom grow material on contract. “When

our customers come to us with a problem, we solve it, no matter what it is,” Todd said.

For quality assurance, all plant mate-rial that is shipped from TSW is double and triple checked. “We like being hands on with every order,” Todd said. “Quality and consistency is the most important. Our customers are always looking for consistent products and timely shipping.”

And giving customers what they need is the priority.

“Customers are not growers,” Todd said. “They want a seamless process that is as simple as possible. They want the plant shipment to come in, be consistent, look nice, and perform as expected. If they’re moving plant material and selling plant material, we’re doing our job.”

Backing Todd is a talented team of growers and support staff.

“They are excellent at their jobs and work at the highest level,” he said. “They are some of the best people I’ve ever worked with.”

Falling in love with the industryTodd was born in Las Vegas, Nevada

and was the third of seven siblings. His father worked for The Bell Telephone System for 30 years, helping to develop systems such as 911 for the phone company in the late 1960s. His mother was a homemaker.

“My mom was very kind, sweet and calm,” he said. “My dad was always very driven when I was growing up.”

A few years after high school, Todd enlisted in the U.S. Army. He completed

TSW Nursery Sales Inc.Founded: 2001 by Todd Williams

ABOUT: Wholesale grower and broker of trees and shrubs in containers and B&B, shipping to most of the United States.

PRINCIPAL: Todd Williams

KEY EMPLOYEES: Todd Williams, president/CEO: Marissa Williams, CFO: Laura Woodward, inside sales manager; Tom Dodd, farm manager: Shelby Cabeceiras, assistant office manager: Jaime Urcino, farm/shipping foreman; Oscar Lopez Hernandez, assistant farm foreman.

EMPLOYEES: 20 year-round, plus seasonal

CONTACT:

P.O. Box 1217 Wilsonville, OR 97070

503-678-4401

Fax 503-678-4422

[email protected]

ONLINE:

www.tswnurserysales.com

TRADE SHOWS: Farwest Show, MANTS, Idaho Horticulture Expo

LISTINGS:

.235



his service at 24, then earned an associate’s degree in business from Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno, Nevada.

After returning home from the mili-tary, Todd got a job at a retail nursery in Sparks, Nevada, starting at what was then the minimum wage, $5.50 per hour.

“I just fell in love with the nursery industry,” Williams said. “I loved being outside. I’m type A — you can’t keep me inside very long. I like to be outside, mov-ing and grooving. It was fun to go to work. I enjoy working directly with people.”

The nursery in Sparks was small when Todd started. As it grew, he was given increasing responsibilities. He sought out mentors throughout the indus-try, from growers to retailers and more. Eventually, the nursery assigned Todd to build two growing grounds in California to help supply the retail operation with trees, shrubs and perennials. He learned as he went along, helping the nursery grow their business.

Todd eventually ended up in charge of the whole growing and nursery retail operation until the time he decided to leave. “It was time to step out and do something different,” he said.

Getting in the ringInspired by Oregon’s status as a nurs-

ery powerhouse, Todd decided to head for Oregon and see where he fit into the industry. “Oregon has a unique situation for growing,” he said. “The growing climate here is some of the best in the United States.”

Todd was given an opportunity to work for a wholesale nursery in Oregon in 2000. He stayed for a year and a half, then decided he wanted to start his own com-pany and be his own boss. “I decided to go out there and step in the ring,” he said.

Using his initials for a business name, Todd founded TSW Nursery Sales Inc. in Gresham, Oregon in 2001. He started with four employees, a small amount of leased acreage and a loading dock. His apartment doubled as a “home office” — literally.

Todd focused first on brokering plant material. He felt he could help buyers obtain plants they were otherwise unable to locate in the trade. “There was a lot of opportunity,” he said. “There was a lot of plant material to be sold.”

From his experience working in a retail nursery that also grew some of its own material, Todd knew what customers would expect and need. He also knew that his plants would have to prove themselves in the marketplace and make a strong first impression.

“When you’re building a new busi-ness, if they open the (truck) door and it’s

not right, sometimes they don’t open that door a second time,” he said.

Todd did not keep a day job; rather, he poured everything into getting TSW up and running. He was all in, spending time visiting people and going to trade shows. That was all by design.

“When you’re hungry, you work hard,” he said. “You have to work for free till you start making money. I had an apartment office and the shipping dock. It was as hard as you can imagine, to wait for the first sales.”

The sales came, and business grew. Next Todd needed a place to grow his own material and improve his ability to fill orders for an expanding customer base.

In 2004, he purchased a 14-acre hazelnut orchard in Aurora, which would become his headquarters and first growing site. He cleared off the trees and converted it to a nursery. He started growing plant material there in 2005.

Todd shipped his first non-brokered trees and shrubs in 2007 and 2008, which unfortunately was just as the recession started to hit. This slowed plans for rapid expansion, and forced some layoffs. At the lowest point, TSW was down to seven employees, but the operation has grown every year since.

“To make it through, I feel very

Previous page: TSW Nursery Sales Inc. serves as both a grower and broker of containerized shrubs (right), maples (left), and other woody ornamental products.

From left, Jaime Urcino, Todd Dodd, Oscar Lopez Hernandez, Marissa Williams, Austin Williams (driver), Todd Williams, Shelby Cabeceiras, Laura Woodward. PHOTOS BY BILL GOLOSKI


Left: Staff move a tree to a new location of the nursery. Right: Laurel shrubs are prepared for an order in containers. PHOTOS BY BILL GOLOSKI

WHOLESALE GROWERS OFFruit, Flowering & Shade Trees

Deciduous ShrubsEspalier Apple & Pear

Combination Fruit TreesDwarf Fruit Cherries on Gisela™

Frost Peach®

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[email protected]

lucky,” he said. “You’ve got to know when to put on the gas and when to put on the brakes.”

Growing for the futureBy 2013, Todd identified a need for

more material in the marketplace, driven by a recovering economy. He noticed some growers, stung by the recession bubble, had been gun-shy about increasing

their numbers again. “The timing of the industry has cre-

ated a huge gap,” he said.TSW Nursery Sales leased 14 acres

that a neighboring grower wasn’t using. When they needed it back, he vacated that site and purchased 32 acres further south in the Willamette Valley, near Gervais.

The process of redeveloping the Gervais site into a working nursery has

kept him busy building roads, installing drainage tiles, putting in irrigation — and all while working around a natural gas main along the edge of the property. “There’s things you’d never, ever guess that you’ll have problems with,” he said.

With TSW about to enter its 20th year in business, the nursery has 20–25 employees year-round and brings on addi-tional workers as needed seasonally.



Your area representative: Courtney Lewis-Borts [email protected]

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Finding adequate labor is the biggest challenge for him, as it is for most nurseries.

“The more you can become more mechanized, the better it will be, but some things you can’t mechanize,” he said. “Pruning, you need to do by hand.”

In the role of owner and leader, Todd styles himself as a tough boss with high

standards, but one who creates a culture of teamwork and appreciation. “Everyone is on the same team and on the same level,” he said. “My crews in the nursery are as professional and do an extremely good job every day.”

Even with the challenges he faces at his growing nursery, Todd still finds the

same enjoyment in the work that he did almost 30 years ago.

“Every day when I go out in the nursery, I always feel like I want to learn something else,” he said. “I love what I do. It’s very gratifying succeed-ing and having a customer call up and thank you.”

Curt Kipp is the director of publica-tions and communications at the Oregon Assocation of Nurseries, and the editor of Digger magazine.

Supported by bamboo stakes, woody ornamentals are stored under a covered hoop house at TSW. PHOTO BY BILL GOLOSKI


SALES REP – UTAH & ARIZONAJ. Frank Schmidt & Son Co., a leading provider of the highest quality bare root and containerized shade and flowering trees in North America, is seeking an experienced independent sales representative for Utah and Arizona.

The qual if ied individual wi l l proactively market, sell to and maintain our existing client base as well as establish new customers. Candidates must be positive, self-motivated and have experience selling nursery stock. Experience working in the territory is a plus.

If you’re enthusiastic about partnering with a well-known and established leader in the nursery industry please email, fax, or mail your cover letter and resume to:

J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co.Attn: Human Resources

P.O. Box 189Boring, OR 97009Fax: 503-512-2209

Email: [email protected]

HELP WANTEDFor jobs and key employees throughout California and the Northwest, call Florasearch, Inc. You know us. For more than three decades we have been bringing together key people and excellent companies in the nursery and greenhouse industries and allied trades. Check our references. Confidential. Employer pays fee.

Florasearch, Inc.1740 Lake Markham Rd.

Sanford, FL 32771Ph (407) 320-8177Fx (407) 320-8083

Website: www.florasearch.com Email: [email protected]

Hiring? Work

with us!Contact

Blair Thompson 503-582-2012 or

[email protected]

CLASSIFIED ADS WORK!

EMPLOYMENT EMPLOYMENTEMPLOYMENTEMPLOYMENT

1. Select Standard or Display Classified formats.2. Determine general heading and subhead that ad runs under: • General: “Employment,” “Plant Material,”“Service/Supply,” “Real Estate.” • Subheads run under general headings. Create your own, but be general:

“Conifers,” “Liners,” “Equipment,” etc.3. Indicate number of months ad runs.4. Indicate any blind box for confidential replies. We assign number and

mail any responses.5. Compose ad. Designate headlines.6. Email ad by deadline, January 10 for the January issue.7. We bill after publication.8. We reserve right to edit ads for content.

Classified Line Ad• $35/column inch for OAN members / $55 for nonmembers.• Regular, one-column, standard typeface, approximately 28–38 characters

per line, 7 lines per inch. Use headlines, bold, italics and special characters.• Corporate logo (black & white) $30 additional charge.

Classified Display Ad (plus production charges @ $69/hour)• $45/column inch for OAN members / $71 for nonmembers.• Use logos, display type, borders, screens or reverses.• Electronic ad files can be supplied. Call for production details.

Digger Classifieds29751 S.W. Town Center Loop W., Wilsonville, OR 97070Phone 503-682-5089 • Fax 503-682-5727 • Email: [email protected]

CLASSIFIEDS

DECIDOUS TREE GROWERWholesale deciduous tree nursery located in Milton-Freewater, OR is seeking a full-time grower with experience in tree production. Applicant must be fluent in Spanish and English, both reading and writing, and have proven supervisory/management skills.

Ideal candidate will be self-motivated and quality-driven, be honest, a team player, trustworthy and possess a high work ethic standard. Five plus years of horticultural education and/or work-related experience is preferred. Valid driver’s license required.

Moving and/or housing assistance may be available. Wage DOE with full company benefits.

Mail, fax, or email your resume to:J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co.

Attn: Human ResourcesP.O. Box 189

Boring, OR 97009Fax: 503-512-2209


magazine.com

INSIDE SALES REPRESENTATIVEJ. Frank Schmidt & Son Co., a leading provider of the highest quality bare root and containerized shade and flowering trees in North America, is seeking an experienced Inside Sales Representative at our headquarters in Boring, Oregon.

The qualified individual will oversee demands of our existing client base as well as new customers and support 3-4 Outside Sales Representatives. Candidates must have experience in our Green Industry, be positive and self-motivated with a strong team work ethic.

Excellent computer skills and the ability to deal effectively in a fast-paced environment are required. Past experience in a similar role is a plus.

This is a full-time position with great benefits. Wage DOE.If you’re enthusiastic about partnering with a well-known and established leader in the nursery industry please email, fax, or mail your cover letter and resume to:

J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co.Attn: Human Resources

P.O. Box 189Boring, OR 97009Fax: 503-512-2209


OUTSIDE SALES ACCOUNT REPMotivated individual sought for outside sales position with landscape design firm in Salem.

Applicants must have verifiable experience in horticulture, landscape technology, or landscape design. Love of people and great design skills required.

Generous commission package offered.

Please send resume to [email protected]

FARM MANAGERJoin a successful, team-oriented, profitable company to advance your career. J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co. is a family of long-tenured, loyal employees who are recognized as industry leaders in growing deciduous, shade and flowering trees and for being a world leader in new tree cultivar development and introductions.

Our team is looking for a highly motivated, forward-thinking team leader to oversee our group of experienced growers and employees at our 80-acre container farm in Boring, Oregon.

Primary Job Responsibilities:• Oversee all farm practices of

growing container trees from potting through shipping

• Work with container farm team to set priorities and manage workflow as efficiently as possible

• Create and oversee labor, expense, and capital budgets as approved by CEO

• Participate in company-wide production meetings to maximize return on company investment in container grown trees

Required Experience:• Minimum of 5 years in nursery

production and management• BS Degree in Horticulture or Business

Management or equivalent experience• Bilingual in English and Spanish a plus

Highly competitive wage DOE including comprehensive benefits package.



Boring, OR 97009Fax: 503-512-2209





Contact Blair Thompson

503-582-2012 or [email protected]

OUTDOOR LIVING SPECIALIST –TACOMA, WA

Interested in finding out what an Outdoor Living Specialist is? Father Nature Landscapes is a full-service design/construction/maintenance company. We have been connecting life & land for over 13 years and are blessed to be a fun, fast-growing company with expansion plans over the next year.

Our Outdoor Living Specialists meet with clients to listen, inspire and sell landscapes including outdoor kitchens, patios, fire pits/fireplaces, and other elements that create amazing spaces for family & friends to gather. Working with our exceptional design team and craftsmen, you will be a part of the connection. This is an exciting opportunity to grow with us.

Position Details• Experience in sales/connecting

with people is a bonus, but not mandatory.

• Positive go-getter attitude with a customer-centr ic mindset required. We give you the tools to be successful with training, marketing materials, fresh sales leads and office space (in our cool, newly remodeled space in Tacoma, Washington.)

• You will be responsible following-up with leads and setting your own appointments to meet clients at their property.

• Work with our creative team for design.

• Bid potential construction projects. Manage estimates, including working with suppliers and digging in where needed to create the best customer experience.

• You will be the liaison between client and company. Excellent communication and organization are a must.

• Position includes base salary, sales commission, health benefits, IRA, and bonus program.

Visit www.fathernaturelandscapes.com/ landscapers-tacoma-wa or our Facebook and Instagram pages to learn more about our company.

If you're ready to sink your teeth in and grab this opportunity, send us your resume with a cover letter telling us why you would like to join our team. Email to: [email protected] or mail to: 7718 Portland Avenue E. Tacoma, WA. 98404.

PLANT BUYER –TEUFEL LANDSCAPE

Bring your talent to Teufel Landscape! We are looking for an energetic and ambitious Plant Buyer to join our Plant Nursery Team!

Job SummaryThe Plant Buyer / Purchasing Agent works out of our Roy Farm Nursery in Cornelius, Oregon. Daily interaction with local area, regional and national nurseries to acquire the highest quality plant material at reasonable prices. Responsibilities and Duties• Negotiate and procure plant

material for multiple jobs in multiple locations

• Work from plant lists to produce price quotes for projects, locate and procure plant material that meets contract specifications

• Work with external and internal growers to deliver the sizes and quality that we need at the right times of year

• Coordinate inbound and outbound deliveries to reduce freight costs, ensuring that all materials are acquired at the lowest cost consistent with considerations of quality, reliability of source and urgency of need

• Support and maintain vendor relations/performance to facilitate quality, service, price and delivery objectives

• Interviewing vendors, analyzing quotes, recommending resources and scheduling deliveries

• Obtaining delivery certifications and reviewing materials received against orders placed

• Verifying and approving invoices for orders placed

• Developing and maintaining necessary records and files

• Be able to work inside and outside as needed at all times of the year

• Assist Nursery Manager with reports and/or tasks as required

Qualifications and Skills• Procurement exper ience in

landscaping, construction, plant nursery or related industry

• Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure

• Horticulture knowledge/experience is a plus

• Effect ive ora l and wr i t ten communication skills

• Ability to prioritize and multi-task in a fast-paced environment

• Strong work ethic• Exceptional customer service skills• Ability to define problems, collect

data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions

• Have a valid Oregon driver’s license

To apply, emai l resume to: [email protected]

NURSERY MANAGERTeufel Nursery is looking for a career-minded professional Nursery Manager to work out of our Cornelius, Oregon facility.

Job Requirements:• Able to establish and maintain a

good working relationship with field crews and farm managers. Be a respected leader.

• Be familiar with all aspects of nursery production including potting, pruning, field maintenance, weed and insect control.

• Have or be willing to acquire Spray Applicator certification.

• Be willing to travel within Oregon and Washington weekly.

• Establish and maintain high standards of plant quality

• Lead all crews to perform every work function safely

• Maintain all equipment in clean, good working order and insure regular service intervals are met.

• Have a valid driver’s license and an acceptable driving record

Salary DOE, up to $65K + vehicle + mobile phone. Benefits include Medical, Dental, Vision insurance plus PTO and 401(k) plan.

S e n d r e s u m e d i r e c t l y t o : [email protected] IN-HOUSE SALES REPRESENTATIVEPatterson Nursery Sales, Inc. located in Eagle Creek, Oregon is searching for an experienced In-House Sales Representative. We are unique in that we are both a Grower as well as a full-service brokerage of Ornamental Nursery Stock. Our mission is to supply the finest plant material available through exceptional service. We ship throughout the USA and Canada.

A successful candidate will maintain existing customer accounts as well as develop new accounts. In conjunction with those primary duties, he or she will also maintain, develop, and cultivate strong vendor relationships. Candidate needs to be extremely se l f -motivated, quality-driven, and possess a high work ethic. Must be a team player with extensive indust ry exper ience. Vehicle provided for to and from work as well as significant local travel visiting our suppliers and touring customers. Minimal overnight or out of area travel requirements.

E xce l l en t bene f i t package , competitive compensation based on DOE. If we interest you, please apply!All applicants remain confidential.

P l e a s e s e n d r e s u m e t o [email protected]

JB INSTANT LAWNSALES REPRESENTATIVE

JB Instant Lawn is a leader in the green industry and has specialized in providing beautiful lawns since 1968. Headquartered in the heart of Oregon's Willamette Valley, JB farms nearly 2,500 acres of sod and seed in Oregon and Washington.

We have an immediate opening available on our sales team. We are seeking a motivated, responsible, assertive and highly organized professional to join our staff based out of our Redmond, WA location.The ideal candidate must have a minimum of two years of successful horticulture selling experience. This position will be focused on building and maintaining accounts for sod, seed, and nursery sales to the landscape trade.

Essential Abilities:• Excel lent wr i t ten and oral

communication skills• Sense of urgency and self-

motivat ion; abi l i ty to work independently

• Ability to work under pressure• Proven success in a sales territory• Knowledge of turf and nursery

stock• Computer literacy• Social media skills• Some travel required• Attention to detail with strong

organizational skills

As an industry leader, JB provides you the opportunity to control your sales success with a competitive base salary plus a sales commission structure. We also offer our sales representatives a benefits package that includes company vehicle, vacation, medical, dental, and 401(k) plan.

Please contact Brad Veibell, JB VP of Sales, via email including your resume and cover letter to [email protected]

Want to post a job? Contact Blair Thompson

503-582-2012 or [email protected]


JOURNEYMAN MECHANIC – BORING, OR

Large wholesale nursery is seeking a ski l led and self-motivated Journeyman Mechanic to join our team in our repair shop located in Boring, OR.

Applicant must have a valid driver’s license and insurable driving record. Candidate must have the ability to work independently and assist other mechanics in the repair and maintenance of vehicles, tractors, forklifts, farm equipment and implements for a large variety of repairs, diagnosis and general service and upkeep.

Required experience:General Service, Gasoline/Diesel/LPG Engine Repair and Diag., Clutch/Transmission and associated component replacement (Tractor and Vehicles), Brake systems (Hydraulic and Air), Heavy Equipment Repair and Service including drive systems, Electrical Systems and wiring, Hydraulic systems and cylinders, some level of experience with farm equipment.

Any additional experience in welding and/or fabrication is a plus as well as familiarity with diverse farm/nursery implements or tire repair and replacement on vehicles/tractors.Cand ida te w i l l have good communication and organizational skills, be highly motivated and goal oriented as well as being aware of and practicing safety in the workplace.Candidate must also possess knowledge of electronic diagnostic equipment and be open to further training and use of electronic data and labor management software platforms.The ability to maintain accurate records by recording service and repairs completed with parts and product usage is vital to the position.Must be able to handle and carry objects up to 80 lbs.

We maintain a drug-free workplace. This is a full-time position with excellent company benefits. Work hours are 40+ hours per week and are conducted inside of a shop but may require outdoor work in potentially inclement conditions out in the fields of the nursery at times. Opportunities for advancement; wage DOE.


Attn: Human Resources9500 SE 327th Ave.Boring, OR 97009Fax: 503-512-2209


JOURNEYMAN MECHANIC –CANBY, OR

Our established and progressive wholesale nursery is seeking a skilled Journeyman Mechanic for our facility shop in Canby, Oregon. Extensive knowledge in the repair and maintenance of diesel semi and tractors, mechanical repairs on heavy and light duty trucks, system hydraulics and electronics are required.

Candidate must have an ODL with a clean driving record to be insurable, a familiarity with diverse farm/nursery implements and some experience with fabrication (welding an excellent plus). Must have the ability to work with a diverse team of employees, be goal-oriented, organized, workstation neat, energetic and maintain a safe work environment.

Exce l lent benef i t s package, competitive compensation DOE, smoke and drug-free workplace. Please send resume to:

Mail, fax or email resume to:J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co.


Boring, OR 97009Fax: (503) 512-2209


B&B DEPT. MANAGERWe are currently looking for an experienced manager to coordinate day-to-day operations of our B&B Dept. in Boring, Oregon. Qualified candidates should have hands-on experience with production of B&B ornamentals and conifers.

Individual is responsible for plant growth, health, and all cultural techniques and must be an organized team player capable of supervising others. Prior nursery experience is essential. Bilingual (English/Spanish) is a plus. Must have a valid driver’s license and good driving record.Excellent benefit package. This is a full-time position.



Boring, OR 97009Fax: 503-512-2209



We are always looking for career oriented skilled sta�. Our operations include wholesale growing, shipping, landscape contractor sales, and retail nursery. If you have the interest and skills needed to be a part of our team, please apply. We are growers of container and �eld grown ornamentals.

We are looking for people in the following areas:• Sales / Customer Service (Wholesale/Retail)• Production / Growers / Supervisors• Shipping & Receiving• Inventory / O�ce Mgmt & Admin / Purchasing• Pesticide / IPM Managers & Applicators• Irrigation Management / Skilled Laborers• Outside sales throughout U.S. & Canada• Controller / Accounting Manager• Horticultural Website Developer

Applicants with speci�c work experience or education in the nursery industry is desired. Computer skills, Spanish / English bilingual, plant ID knowledge and equipment operation skills also preferred.

Pay commensurate with experience. Bene�ts to include: Paid vacation and sick leave, paid holidays, medical and dental insurance. Respond with resume to [email protected] to the speci�c job for which you qualify.

For more information, please visit us online atwww.loennursery.com

GREENHOUSE SALES REPAre you a sales professional who enjoys the mechanical and technical side of horticulture? Do you like working with clients on configured and integrated projects? Stuppy is looking for a territory sales rep for expansion in the Western United States (OR, WA, ID, MT, UT). Our account reps work with several types of greenhouse users including ornamental growers, perennial growers, retail centers, schools, researchers, hydroponic vegetable growers, and aquaponic farmers. Stuppy does not pursue cannabis growers as clients.

We are looking for bright, outgoing people who can continually build and maintain strong relationships with clients. With national and international competition, an attitude of success and enthusiasm is necessary to compete for, and win, our customer's confidence. Stuppy customers expect an understanding of their unique growing requirements and confidence in our technical recommendations. You will be required to manage multiple sales opportunities, communicate enthusiastically with customers, and generate quality results.

Hor t i cu l tu ra l exper i ence and knowledge are ideal but not required. A passion to learn and connect with horticultural professionals is a must. People with engineering, construction, and configured product sales will be considered. You will be trained and we have excellent home office staff to support you.

Compensation is commissioned based. Our best salespeople earn over $100,000 annually. The ideal location for a home base is in the Portland, Oregon area.

Travel is a must – expect to be out and about ten or more days a month. Most expenses are reimbursed and a vehicle is provided. In your first year, expect regular travel to the home office in Kansas City, Missouri.

Visit us at www.stuppy.com to learn more about our products, services and markets served. To apply, email cover letter and resume to: [email protected]

SERVICE/SUPPLIES

ANDERSON FLATSUsed heavy duty (19 7/8" x 15 1/4")

$.50/ flat. Many available & delivery possible.

Call Kelleygreen Nursery at 541-974-1086 (c).

Drain Tile Installation

Nursery Specialists

Creekside Valley FarmsServing Oregon & Washington

Contact Paul

503-437-4833 Cell503-864-4422 Office


Specimen sizeBAMBOO

over 30 feet tallavailable

•Clumping Bamboo•Large diversity

•Quality wholesale plants•We carry bamboo barrier

HDPE 30” x 60 milControls running bamboo

(503) [email protected]

PLANT MATERIALPLANT MATERIAL PLANT MATERIAL PLANT MATERIAL

Pacific NW Native Plants

Container • B&B • BarerootEnvironmental & Ecological

Re-vegetation Landscape ContractorNative Trees & Shrubs

GroundcoversWetland & Riparian Plants

Conifers & Deciduous Trees

Contract & custom growing year-round

A Valley Growers Nursery

503-651-3535 • FAX [email protected]

Hubbard, OR • OR and WA Certified D/WBE Company

Northwest Natives

Native, Wetland and

Ground Cover SpecialistGrowers of

Quality, Healthy, Ready-to-Sell Plants.

Phone: 503-632-4787 Fax: 503-632-5412CONTRACT GROWING

YEAR ROUND21200 S. Ferguson Rd. Beavercreek, OR 97004

www.beaverlakenursery.com

BEAVERLAKEBEAVERLAKEN U R S E R Y

Bareroot & Container GrownUnderstock & Rooted Cuttings

Bareroot SeedlingsAcer, Amelanchier, Betula, Cercis, Malus,

Populus, Prunus, Pyrus, Zelkova

Rooted CuttingsAcer rubrum, Betula, Platanus, Prunus & Ulmus

Band Pot GrownAcer, Carpinus, Cornus, Fagus, Liquidambar,

Nyssa, Quercus, Syringa

Over 175 Varieties

Salem, Oregon 877-490-7844 jlpnliners.com • [email protected]

HICKENLOOPER GARDENSWe have a lot to offer!

Specializing in: Hosta

Winter Jewels Hellebores Hardy Fuchsia

Heuchera Ferns

Contact us for an availability list.www.hickenlooper-gardens.com

Phone: 503-949-5723 Fax: 541-327-2011

[email protected]

JAPANESE MAPLESBloodgood & Laceleaf maples for sale in Sandy, OR. 1-20 gallon size.

Call or email: [email protected]

CLEARWATER GROWERS

ROOTED CUTTINGS / PLUGS: Carex; Deschampsia caespitosa; Juncus;

Scirpus; Thuja o. - ‘Emerald Green’ LINERS:

Arctostaphylos - ‘Mass’; Carex; Ceanothus g. ‘Pt Reyes’; Cotoneaster - ‘Lowfast‘/ ‘Coral Beauty’; Deschampsia caespitosa; Fragaria; Juncus; Liriope m.

‘Big Blue’; Liriope spicata; Mahonia; Pachysandra; Pennisetum; Polystichum;

Rubus c. Sarcococca; Thuja o. – Emerald Green’; 'Green Giant'; Vinca

1 gal availability Arctostaphylos - ‘Mass’; Calamagrostis; Carex; Cotoneaster dammeri - ‘Coral

Beauty’ / ‘Lowfast’; Deschampsia; Festuca; Fragaria; Helictotrichon

sempervirens; Juncus; Liriope; Mahonia; Pennisetum; Rubus; Sarcococca; Vinca

Custom Propagation Available Ph: 503-359-7540 Fax: 503-357-2282 Forest Grove, OR

SCHURTER NURSERY

Arborvitae - Emerald green Container-grown Boxwoods

Green Giants Otto Luyken • Skip Laurel

Various Sizes & Varieties 503-932-8006

Ground Covers

Woody Liner Tool KitNobody has a wider selection of unique cultivars and root stock.

Salem, OR 97317503-585-9835 / Fax 503-371-9688

[email protected]

Bare Root Native PlantsAcer, Alnus, Amelanchier, Betula,

Conifers, Cornus, Fraxinus, Holodiscus, Lonicera, Mahonia,

Malus, Physocarpus, Populus, Rosa, Salix,

Spiraea, Symphoricarpos, Wetland Plants

Over 300 species of

source identified natives

Fourth CornerNurseries

[email protected]: 800-416-8640

fourthcornernurseries.com

Rhododendrons

BIG RHODODENDRONS

Acres of rhododendrons – the place with 6'–10' tall sizes.

Also tall rhododendrons in cans.

Hidden Acres Nursery Sherwood, OR503-625-7390

www.hiddenacresnursery.net

Rootstock

PREMIUM QUALITYOREGON ROOTSTOCK

THE FOUNDATION OF YOURORCHARD STARTS HERE!

TRECO® NOW OFFERSHAZELNUT TREES TOO.

TRECO® Oregon Rootstock & Tree Co. Inc.

P.O. Box 98 | Woodburn, OR 97071p: 1.800.871.5141f: 503.634.2344

WWW.TRECO.NU

WILLAMETTE NURSERIES

YOUR SOURCE FOR ORNAMENTAL SEEDLINGS, FRUIT

TREE ROOTSTOCK, CUTTING LINER VARIETIES & MORE.

We specialize in understock for flowering, fruiting and shade.

www.willamettenurseries.com

Excellent quality. Outstanding service.

25571 S. Barlow Rd. Canby, OR 97013

503-263-6405 Toll-Free: 1-800-852-2018

E-Mail: [email protected]

WAYS TO SUBSCRIBE TO

PHONE 503-682-5089

ONLINE www.oan.org/publications

EMAIL [email protected]

3


Contact Blair Thompson 503-582-2012

[email protected]


An ongoing series provided by Oregon State University

in collaboration with the United States Department of Agriculture

and in partnership with the Oregon Association of Nurseries

GROWING KNOWLEDGESeries content is coordinated by Dr. Jay Pscheidt, professor of botany and plant pathology at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon.

Fire blight in the plant nurseryHow did it arrive here, and what can be done?

BY KEN JOHNSON AND TIANNA DUPONT

FIRE BLIGHT IS A DISEASE that can kill apple and pear trees. It is especially dangerous in a nursery setting, for reasons we will explain.

The disease can result in the direct loss of plant material, which in turn can necessitate a costly and difficult clean-up. If infected planting stock is sent to customers, dissatisfaction is likely.

This article discusses recommendations for preventing fire blight from arriving in your nursery, and for cleaning up the disease, should infected plants be detected there.

Like all plant diseases, fire blight requires three ingredients: a susceptible host, a favorable environment, and of course, a pathogen. In this case, the pathogen is a tiny bacterium named Erwinia amylovora.

Of these ingredients, host susceptibility is the most difficult to manage because customers dictate the demand for cultivars. Currently, because of consumer and industry preferences for fruit quality and storability, most “in-demand” cultivars range from sus-

ceptible to extremely susceptible to this disease. Cultivar susceptibility is exacerbated by the fact that all plants

are young and frequently grown for optimal vegetative growth. This requires high inputs of nitrogen. These conditions — youth and high nitrogen fertility — greatly enhance susceptibility to the disease.

Where nurseries are vulnerableA nursery environment also can promote fire blight to an

extent beyond that observed in a typical orchard setting. This includes the use of overhead irrigation and tight plant spacing that creates the long periods of canopy wetness which are conducive for pathogen infection.

Flowers are a common and well-known site of infection for the fire blight pathogen, but flowers are typically absent in the nursery. Most plant-to-plant spread is via shoot infection, which occurs after the pathogen has been introduced to the very youngest cells near the tip of a growing shoot.

Fig. 1


Previous page: Figure 1. Shoot symptoms of fire blight. Frequently, an infection in the shoot leads to rapid wilting, which is described as a "shepherd's crook". Leaves on diseased shoots can show blackening along the midribs before becoming fully brown. PHOTO BY TIANNA DUPONT

Figure 2. On young plant material, shoots darken and appear water-soaked. Under the bark, the cambial layer will be streaked with brown to black discolorations both in and immediately below the visibly infected tissues. PHOTO BY DAVID SUGAR

Fire blight in the plant nursery

Overhead irrigation splashes the patho-gen to the shoot tips from ooze droplets on infected plants. Wet conditions and whip-ping winds can be sufficient to create small (micro) wounds where the pathogen initiates a shoot infection.

Alternatively, an insect — perhaps a leafhopper, stink bug or earwig — might be attracted to the sweet odor of a bacte-rial ooze drop on a diseased plant. The insect may then transmit the pathogen when it moves to feed on a shoot tip of a healthy plant.

The pathogen can also enter through the wounds created by hard rains, hail, or where tender wind-whipped plant material rubs against wire and tie-offs. A single drop of ooze can contain a billion pathogen cells. Consequently, an overhead irrigation event has the potential to disperse a sufficient amount of pathogen cells to infest a large

in water, or on plant surfaces. To continue its cycle, it must move quickly from an infected host to an infection site on a healthy plant.

Given these limitations, where does the fire blight pathogen come from? One poten-tial source is unmanaged, backyard, orchard or ornamental apple and pear trees located near but off the nursery property.

Fire blight is indigenous to agricultural areas of the Pacific Northwest. While it might not seem common, especially west of the Cascades, it is known to persist at

Fig. 2

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number of healthy plants. If there is good news in any of this, it’s

that under dry conditions, pathogen cells splashed away from oozing cankers are viable for only a day or two. They do not multiply again unless they successfully infect those young tissues wounded by insects, wind, or hail.

How the pathogen arrivesFor orchardists, fire blight management

guidelines always recommend “pruning out the old cankers,” which is where the fire blight pathogen overwinters.

Nurseries, in contrast, generally do not have enough old plants around for old cankers to be an issue, although mother trees used for scion wood or layering could be in this category.

Another bit of good news is that the fire blight pathogen does not survive well in soil,


low levels on various rose family hosts, including Malus, Crategus, Pyrus, Cydonia, Amelanchier and Sorbus. An infection of any of these hosts can produce the ooze droplet that is brought to the nursery by an insect or wind-blown rain.

At a minimum, a nursery manager should be aware of rosaceous hosts grow-ing nearby and manage the situation (to the degree possible) if fire blight is suspected or becomes an issue.

Likely more common, the fire blight pathogen comes to the nursery via infested scion wood collected from a tree that had fire blight earlier in the spring. The term “infested” is used because this scion wood will not show any fire blight symptoms.

In the mother tree from which the scion wood was collected, after infection, the pathogen produces a symptomatic canker that is literally loaded with trillions of bac-terial cells. These cells of the pathogen are squeezed out of the canker as ooze drops, and they also begin to disperse (diffuse) internally within the tree.

Therefore, when the scion wood is collected in July from a tree previously diseased with fire blight in spring, it is potentially preloaded with the pathogen. Summer T-budding of this propagation stock then creates the wound that re-initi-ates disease. In a susceptible scion cultivar, such as Cripp’s Pink or Bosc pear, numer-ous failed buds from a bud-stick unit is a potential symptom of scion wood infested with the fire blight pathogen.

Alternatively, a budded scion might transmit the pathogen to a susceptible rootstock (this occurs frequently in M.9 and its derivatives, and EMLA.26), which might cause fire blight in the current season (August or September) or perhaps not until the following spring.

What to do after detectionIn the event the fire blight pathogen

is detected in a production nursery environment, a variety of control methods are available.

Cultural control. Restoring the nursery to a disease-free state is priority number one. Ooze drops of the pathogen are

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often present on infected trees before symp-toms are easy to see. Frequent and inten-sive scouting — at least once a week — is required to remove these plants as soon as they can be detected.

With young plants (less than two years old), any material that has developed fire blight should be removed and destroyed. In layering beds, mother plants with fire blight should also be destroyed.

Secondary cultural priorities are to man-age the canopy of infected beds to be as dry as possible. Reduce the frequency of over-head irrigation. Applications of water should be timed to take advantage of the drying power of the afternoon sun.

Reduce additional inputs of nitrogen, as this nutrient enhances susceptibility and encourages active shoot growth. In contrast, shoots with set terminals buds are resistant to infection. If any flowers appear (for exam-ple, Cripp’s Pink likes to bloom anytime it’s growing), remove them by hand.

In the fall, watch trees closely as the leaves begin to color. With apple, those trees with internal infections of fire blight often color earlier and the color is more toward red than yellow. Then inspect closely for can-kers or ooze. Atypical early coloring is not sufficient reason by itself to destroy a tree. However, it’s probably worth the effort to flag these trees for re-inspection in spring.

Chemical control. The antibiotic, strep-tomycin (FireWall, Agristrep 8 oz./100 gal.) is the most effective material (locally system-ic) for fire blight suppression, but its effec-tive period of protection is only four days. Copper-based bactericides, such as Cueva,

CuPRO or Badge X2, are also effective but have the same problem of a short residual and are not systemic. Thus, with coppers, it is hard to protect a rapidly expanding shoot tip but the copper kills pathogen cells as they splash around during irrigations.

With both coppers and antibiotics, a treatment frequency that maintains a consistent residual provides more effective suppression than a higher rate with more infrequent application.

Actigard (2 oz./100 gal.) protects by inducing resistance in the tree. It is only par-tially effective at preventing fire blight infec-tion, but provides a longer effective residual (7–10 days) than antibiotics or coppers.

Other antibiotics, oxytetracycline (FireWall, Mycoshield) and kasugamycin (Kasumin), are also available. They are not as effective as streptomycin and have similar short residual periods, but unlike streptomy-cin, the pathogen has not yet become resis-tant to them.

Streptomycin resistance in the fire blight pathogen occurs quickly when it is sprayed too often. Orchard districts of Washington State have greatly reduced levels of strepto-mycin resistance by making greater use of alternative materials.

Described below is a potential spray program that could be followed if a fire blight problem arises. It based on the idea that nurseries can afford relatively expensive mixtures of protective materials because the crop value is high and there is a relatively small area to be treated. Moreover, when combined with intensive scouting, this spray program should go

for at least a month to provide a period of protection that overlaps the detection of infections that occurred before the control effort was initiated.

Spray program: Every five days, spray a mixture of an antibiotic, copper-based material, and Actigard. The specific copper material is less important than selecting the rate to be 0.16 to 0.21 lbs. of metallic cop-per per 100 gallons of water. For example, the amount of metallic copper in Cueva at 4 qt./100 gallons (a soluble copper mate-rial) and Badge X2 at 0.75 lb./100 gallons (a fixed copper material) is 0.16 and 0.21 lb. of metallic copper per 100 gallons of water, respectively.

For purposes of resistance management, antibiotic labels either limit (or are in process of limiting) the number of consecutive treatments of a specific material to two applications. For example, a clean-up program could begin with streptomycin on the first and second sprays, but needs to change to kasugamycin or oxytetracycline on the third treatment. In general, when there is active plant growth, it is better to have a spray on shortly before an irrigation (or rain) than after the wetting event.

At the end of a month, the program can be continued, slowed or stopped based on an assessment on whether the disease spread is still advancing. Cultural efforts should be ongoing.

Additional reading

https://articles.extension.org/pages/74505/organic-fire-blight-management-in-the-western-us

https://www.apsnet.org/edcenter/disandpath/ prokaryote/pdlessons/Pages/FireBlight.aspx

http://treefruit.wsu.edu/crop-protection/disease-management/fire-blight/

Ken Johnson is a professor in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. He can be reached at [email protected]. Tianna DuPont is a tree fruit extension special-ist with Washington State University’s Tree Fruit Research & Extension Center in Wenatchee, Washington. She can be reached at [email protected].

Fire blight in the plant nurseryFigure 3. Translucent to yellow to amber-colored drops of “ooze” of the fire blight pathogen may be present on bark both in and immediately below the visibly infected tissues. RIGHT PHOTO BY KEN JOHNSON, LEFT PHOTO BY TIANNA DUPONT

Fig. 3a Fig. 3b


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Jeff StoneOAN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

DIRECTOR’S DESK

Growing a vision for the futureMany of us grew up watching

Hollywood’s idea of what the

year 2020 might look like. “Back to the Future” (1985) thrilled

us with 21st Century visions of flying cars and hovering skateboards, while “Blade Runner” (1982) took us into a bleak world, populated by synthetic humans working on colonized planets.

Now that we’ve arrived in 2020, we can see what the movies got right. The answer is: not much! As Yoda wisely said, “Difficult to see — always in motion, the future is,” in “The Empire Strikes Back” (1980).

Despite the derision from my two daughters and spouse, I am a history nerd (and movie nerd). I enjoy looking back on past advancements and changes. It’s fun to see the world through the eyes of yesterday’s visionaries — we can consider how they led us to the world we have today.

Those visionaries include at least one legend of the green industry, as we saw when Chicago hosted the World’s Fair in 1893.

As a showcase for everything new and cutting-edge, this expo rolled out many remarkable innovations that are still with us. People were introduced to Wrigley’s Spearmint gum, Pabst Blue Ribbon beer, Aunt Jemima pancake mix, Cracker Jack, the zipper, spray paint, the mechanical dish-washer and even the Ferris wheel.

The expo’s success was never a given. It had to follow in the footsteps of the prior world’s fair in Paris (1889), where the Eiffel Tower debuted as the city’s crown jewel and tallest manmade structure in the world.

The pressure was on Chicago to not just follow that, but represent America equally well or better to the world. And that’s where Frederick Law Olmsted came in.

Applying plants to the built spacesOlmsted was an American landscape

architect, journalist and social critic, now popularly considered to be the father of American landscape architecture.

He became involved in the Chicago World’s Fair after American architects were tasked to create public spaces worthy of cele-brating the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the New World in 1492. The world’s perception of American

innovation and beauty was at stake. Prominent American architects John

Wellborn Root and Daniel Burnham were assigned to the built spaces. They sought out Olmsted to create an outdoor environment worthy of the world stage.

Buoyed by his success designing Central Park in New York City, Olmsted saw the World’s Fair as an opportunity to show the public that landscape architecture could be more than just a simple gardening exercise. It could be appreciated as an art form, on the same level as sculptures, paintings and archi-tecture. He challenged people to see plants, trees and flowers as pieces of an overall land-scape, like colors on a palette and shapes on a painting.

Olmsted designed the expo site on Chicago’s South Side, which was named Jackson Park. He defended his vision against those who felt the site should be more suited to industrial or commercial activity. The resulting park became an example that launched hundreds of other public treasures around the country.

The quality of Olmsted’s landscape architecture was recognized by many of his contemporaries. They appreciated his use of lakes and wooded slopes, with lawns and banks and forest-covered hills on the shore of Lake Michigan that gave the impression of an ocean view.

Olmsted’s work even served as an inspiration to me earlier in my career, when I served as chief of staff at Metro, the regional government for the Portland area.

Metro acquires, develops and man-ages greenspaces. As we sought public support for a greenspace acquisition bond, Olmsted’s voice was still with us, showing us the value of livability and living material in urban planning.

“Difficult to see” the future is — but Olmsted helped us see it.

The proven benefits of plantsOur green industry — globally,

nationally and in Oregon — grows the very foundation of inspiring landscapes of the kind that Olmsted envisioned. The people who get to live in these verdant, thriving, well-designed communities are the beneficiaries.

But that’s not just us talking. It’s all

proven by research our industry has shared through the Plant Something program (www.Plant-Something.org).

Shade trees and landscaping along paved streets can cut the cost of street repairs, lower the costs of maintaining near-by buildings, and make people more com-fortable by moderating weather's effects.

Well-planned landscaping also protects buildings from the sun’s pounding rays in summer and the biting conditions of winter. Situated properly, plants can create buffers between the buildings and the elements. Plants cut costs associated with cooling in summer and heating in winter. What’s more, they protect the walls themselves, reducing the costs of upkeep.

Streetscapes create a welcoming, inter-esting shopping place. Trees should be part of street improvement programs that benefit businesses. Flowers, shrubs and trees make businesses inviting, which increases flow and puts customers at ease. Adding plants and landscape to business areas also boosts the economy by employing people to tend and maintain the displays.

Policymakers, city planners and the industry must look beyond just the aesthetic benefits of what the industry grows each year. Our products bring the principles of natural design into the brick-and-mortar world, creating beautiful environments that incorporate both.

We are limitless, only confined by our imagination. The products we grow today could have future impacts surpassing Olmsted’s innovations from 1893.

And with all respect to Yoda, that’s not so difficult to see.

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