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You are here: Home / Archives for Jon Bell

O, Christmas trees

By Jon Bell — Posted September 26, 2019

The industry’s been on a rough ride, but some silver linings point to a bright future The years leading up to the Great Recession were merry ones for Christmas tree farmers in the United States. Consumer demand and spending were strong, prices were steady, and the supply was bountiful. The future looked bright as a […]

Filed Under: Nursery Operations Tagged With: Christmas trees, Digger, Digger magazine, Operations, Plants

Growing at the right pace

By Jon Bell — Posted July 26, 2019

  Marred by the recession, nursery growers are evolving along with the industry Over the past few years, Minnesota-headquartered Bailey Nurseries worked on breeding a new addition to its Endless Summer® brand of hydrangeas. Called Summer Crush®, the plant erupts in raspberry red or neon purple flowers, hues that are much bolder than the standard […]

Filed Under: Nursery Operations Tagged With: Business, Digger, Digger magazine, Economy, Wholesale Nurseries

Creating ‘standard work’

By Jon Bell — Posted April 26, 2019

Finding and reinforcing best work flows helps nurseries run a tighter ship Walk into JLPN Inc., a seeding operation and nursery in Salem, Oregon, and even if you’re not familiar with how to harvest or grade container seedlings, you’d soon be doing it like an experienced hand. How? Simply by looking at the laminated diagrams […]

Filed Under: Nursery Operations Tagged With: Business, Digger, Digger magazine, Efficiency, lean, Wholesale Nurseries

Keeping things moving

By Jon Bell — Posted April 26, 2019

The Lean concept of continuous flow delivers big for Oregon’s nurseries Twenty people to five. A quarter-mile span to 20 feet. One week to 20 minutes. What do these all have in common? They are all some of the head-scratching efficiencies that individual nurseries across Oregon have realized since they’ve implemented one key Lean concept […]

Filed Under: Nursery Operations Tagged With: Business, Digger, Digger magazine, Efficiency, lean, Operations, Wholesale Nurseries

The value of influence

By Jon Bell — Posted February 25, 2019

Nurseries strategically seek influence and recap the rewards About 10 years ago, Costa Farms launched a campaign called “O2 for You,” which was designed to play up the valuable role that houseplants can play in cleaning pollutants out of indoor air. The Miami, Florida-based horticultural grower — now one of the largest in the world — compiled […]

Filed Under: Nursery Operations Tagged With: Business, Digger, Digger magazine, Marketing, Wholesale Nurseries

Taxing times for trade

By Jon Bell — Posted January 25, 2019

How Trump’s tariffs and trade policies are impacting Oregon’s nursery industry Jeff Stone has been in the nursery industry in Oregon for nearly 15 years. And in that time, the executive director of the Oregon Association of Nurseries has seen his share of industry ups and downs, particularly in the area of trade. Most recently, […]

Filed Under: Nursery Operations Tagged With: Digger, Digger magazine, Transportation, Wholesale Nurseries

Working wonders

By Jon Bell — Posted October 24, 2018

Despite pervasive labor struggles, nurseries find ways to find workers There was a time, up until 2006 or 2007, when Robinson Nursery in McMinnville, Oregon would lay off at least 30 percent of its workforce every year, just after the fall season and heading into winter. Back then, the nursery industry’s labor pool included a […]

Filed Under: Nursery Operations Tagged With: Business, Digger, Digger magazine, Immigration, Labor, People

Where plant demand is headed

By Jon Bell — Posted July 31, 2018

Nurseries navigate a new landscape as consumer demand evolves Americans love their pets. A lot. In 2017, they spent nearly $70 billion on their animal companions, and that number’s expected to rise to $100 million by the end of the decade, according to the American Pet Products Assocation. They also, it seems, love their smartphones, […]

Filed Under: Nursery Operations Tagged With: Business, Consumer trends, Digger, Digger magazine, Marketing

An illuminating trend

By Jon Bell — Posted March 27, 2018

LEDs are helping nurseries gain all kinds of new efficiencies A mid-January morning in Hillsboro, Oregon: It’s gray, it’s drizzly and, most depressingly, it’s dark. Dark enough that 10:30 in the morning feels like dusk, which at this time of year comes far too early for most; dark enough that the region would be lucky to […]

Filed Under: Nursery Operations Tagged With: Digger, Digger magazine, Efficiency, Energy, Greenhouses, LED, Lighting, Wholesale Nurseries

Green trade groups adapt to the changing landscape

By Jon Bell — Posted January 30, 2018

Nonprofit nursery associations continually adapt to help their members succeed Like many large nursery associations in the United States, the Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association (MNLA) has a big, broad spectrum of members it represents: nursery stock growers, commercial flower companies, landscape design firms, irrigation companies, arborists, lawn care business, mom-and-pop shops, massive agriculture operations […]

Filed Under: OAN Members Tagged With: Digger, Digger magazine, OAN, OAN Members, People

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Nursery Guide LIVE clicks into place

Booth spaces still available for Nursery Guide LIVE March 17–18

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From the pages of Digger

April 2021 – The Greenhouse Issue

March 2020

February 2021

January 2021 – Nursery Country

December 2020

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