Small, nonfarm businesses — including nurseries — in 13 Oregon counties and neighboring counties in California are now eligible to apply for low-interest federal disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). These loans are intended to offset economic losses caused by drought conditions in the following Oregon counties: Grant, Josephine, Baker, Crook, Curry, […]
OAN thanks six ‘Friends of Nurseries’
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The Oregon Association of Nurseries issued this press release today: The Oregon Association of Nurseries will recognize six Oregon elected officials as “Friends of Nurseries” at its 2013 Convention, to be held Friday at The Oregon Garden resort in Silverton, Ore. The six include three Republicans and three Democrats. They are Gov. John Kitzhaber (D), […]
Can a native also be considered invasive?
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Eastern Oregon grassland with encroaching Western juniper. Photo courtesy of Oregon Department of Agriculture. Dan Hillburn, administrator of the Oregon Department of Agriculture Plant Division, blogged on Saturday about the dilemma posed by Western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis) choking out grassland habitat in Eastern Oregon. As he explains, these trees are native, but the Native Americans […]
Scientists discover quick drought tolerance test
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Scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles, working with a botanical garden in Yunnan, China, have come up with a new method to quickly predict the drought tolerance of plants. According to a UCLA press release: It is based on an important trait known as “turgor loss point.” During drought, the leaf cells’ water […]
Webinar series teaches all about irrigation
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The Water Education Alliance for Horticulture is offering an upcoming series of nine free, 45-minute webinars on various irrigation-related topics. The webinars begin Nov. 29, and run every Tuesday at 9 a.m. Pacific time (noon Eastern) through Feb. 7, 2012. Several experts at universities and companies will give presentations on topics to help growers conserve, […]
All aboard for the September issue of Digger!
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September is here! That means the Farwest Show is in the books, the days are shorter, football is back, the kids are headed for school, the Halloween candy is almost on store shelves … and, of course, the September issue of Digger is out and available! We have several exciting features in this month’s issue […]
Two-day water management seminar offered at NWREC
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The North Willamette Research and Extension Center (NWREC) will offer “Water Management for Floriculture and Nursery Crops,” a two-day workshop, on Thursday-Friday, Feb. 2–3, 2011 at the Wilsonville Holiday Inn (day one) and NWREC (day two). According to the organizers, participants will learn how to: monitor and manage pathogens, salts and alkalinity problems in irrigation […]
USDA awards $2.7 million for research into plant pathogens
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture has awarded group of colleges, led by Virginia Tech, a $2.7 million grant to conduct research on integrated management of zoosporic pathogens and irrigation water quality. Researchers will look for biological control methods for fighting Phythophthora, Pythium and other pathogens. Researchers will also “develop […]
Nurseries using recaptured rain
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In our February issue of Digger, we’ll have an article on the challenges of watering plants at a garden center. One way to reduce expenses is to capture rainfall from the rooftops and store it for when it is needed. They’re doing this at Al’s Garden Centers in Sherwood, Ore. Another retailer that’s big on […]
Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown to speak to OAN members
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The second-highest elected official in Oregon’s state government will be the guest speaker at the next meeting of the OAN Government Relations Committee. As secretary of state, Kate Brown works on many issues of importance to nursery growers. For one, she is leading a workgroup that is grappling with the thorny issue of defining public […]