The three-day Farwest Show — biggest nursery trade show on the West Coast — opens this morning in earnest. The morning seminars are underway, and the expo floor will open for business at noon. The available seminar tracks for this morning include “Stellar Selections” (seminars on fruits/edibles, maples and chic plants); “The Good, The Bad and The Buggy” (biological control with beneficial insects); “Creating Value in Your Staff” (leading and getting the most from your team); “E-Newsletters That Work”; and “Cultural Issues and Gender Sensitivity” (taught in Spanish). Meanwhile, show organizers have just turned the booth judges loose on the empty show floor to go and see who has the best, most exciting and most effective trade show presence. The early word is that companies are stepping up their game.