Director’s Desk

Where plants, growth and networking thrive

By Jeff Stone — Posted July 26, 2019

Oregon’s Willamette Valley is a treasure trove of rich and vibrant soil, clean water and a climate that is perfect for growing nursery stock. Growers of all sizes have brought the Oregon nursery and greenhouse industry from mostly a local enterprise to national and even global prominence. That’s not bad for an industry that arrived […]

The technology race

By Jeff Stone — Posted June 24, 2019

On July 20, the nation will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. Apollo 11, led by Commander Neil Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, set in motion a technology era with their successful mission in 1969. Less than eight years earlier, President John F. Kennedy had […]

Elections have consequences

By Jeff Stone — Posted May 24, 2019

I am privileged and honored to serve an Oregon nursery industry that is hardworking, honest and committed to excellence. Our association sets an example for others around the country on how to approach turbulent issues, such as the environment, education and workforce development. We stake out moderate views on taxation and employer regulations. We are […]

Celebrating Mom

By Jeff Stone — Posted April 26, 2019

During the month of May, I usually write about our industry’s labor needs. Normally, I express my dismay that Congress is kicking the immigration reform can down the road yet again. But on a personal level, it’s really Mother’s Day that defines the month of May for me. Mothers play a central role in molding […]

Part of the climate change solution

By Jeff Stone — Posted February 25, 2019

Someone has done the calculations, and it turns out that Oregon is responsible for 0.14 percent of the world’s carbon emissions. This means that 99.86 percent comes from outside of our little slice of the Pacific Northwest. Oregon is abundant in natural resources. Timber, food and nursery production reign. It is no accident that we […]

Flowers, hearts and decapitations

By Jeff Stone — Posted January 25, 2019

Valentine’s Day is a day to show affection for our loved ones, but it also happens to be one of the most profitable holidays of the year. Although the giving of flowers makes up only a small part of the spending, far behind Christmas or Mother’s Day for our retailers, it still brings in customers […]

A bumpy ride ahead?

By Jeff Stone — Posted December 28, 2018

The year ahead could turn out to be a defining one, both economically and politically. The perception around the state and nation is that we are a people divided. We are urban and rural. We are conservative and liberal. And we are using social media as a tool for derision and conflict. We certainly have […]

A homegrown connection for the holidays

By Jeff Stone — Posted November 26, 2018

Every household has a holiday tradition, as does every culture. In Mexico, the Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe (December 12) is a public holiday. It is a Catholic feast to celebrate the belief that a man encountered the Virgin Mary, Mexico’s patron saint, in Mexico City on December 9 and 12, 1531. St. Lucia Day, […]

The Pacheco brothers

By Jeff Stone — Posted October 24, 2018

Four decades ago, Doug Zielinski — then a recent Oregon State University graduate, fresh off an internship at Kraemer’s Nursery — decided to chase a dream by becoming a fourth generation farmer. Doug’s father, Ernie, had taken over the farm when he was just 15 years old, after Doug’s grandfather, Charlie, suddenly passed away. The […]

Honoring the past and charting the future

By Jeff Stone — Posted September 25, 2018

The Oregon nursery industry was built with the sweat of our earliest growers. Blessed with some of the best soil in the country, their hard work transformed unknown markets into opportunities. There is an old photograph that is at the OAN office, and I pass it every day. It looks to be in the mid-1930s […]