Fall is a beautiful season in Michigan, and it finds me back downstate, actively seeking employment.
Priorities and timelines for development of Two Fish Farms have shifted with the owners focusing on starting a family and the schoolhouse remodel taking longer than anticipated due to a lengthened stay by international extended family visitors. Continue reading
I can really geek out doing plant research, and love libraries and databases. North Carolina State University has a sparkly and new database worthy of note: Floriculture InfoSearch. It searches an interesting and wide range of sources: scientific literature, trade group and association magazines and websites, NC State University, and the American Floral Endowment Floriculture Archive (which includes literature back to the 1800s). I’ve found it such an excellent resource that I created a new page here, Databases. There you can find links to this and other plant-related databases worth investigating. Enjoy!
I’ve worked at Raker for my entire professional career. I started part time when I was finishing my Master’s degree. I’ve been with Raker 18 years this March. It’s very rare these days in any industry, let alone horticulture, to remain with a company so long. Continue reading
In the 21st century, Horticulture has not been an easy career or business to succeed in. Many, if not most, professionals are in the industry more for their love of growing plants than for the money. Long hours are the norm during peak production periods, and the work can be exhausting and stressful at times. There are definitely rewards, but it is passion for plants that fuels the industry. Continue reading
2014? But 2012 isn’t even over…
While home gardeners ponder their seed orders for 2013 (I’ve been reviewing the new Johnny’s and SSE catalogs, and was happy to pick up the High Mowing catalog at the EXPO trade show), the wholesale horticulture world is getting presentations on new varieties being introduced for the 2014 season. The industry gets advance notice to evaluate and trial varieties before they reach the market and to get programs finalized and catalogs printed in time for the 2014 sales season. Continue reading
Having spent over 17 years in the Horticulture Industry, I’ve seen a large number of breeders, growers, and suppliers purchased by larger companies. Both the amount of consolidation and the rate of consolidation in the Horticulture industry have been on the rise in the last 3 to 5 years. Continue reading
I’m speaking on plug production at the Great Lakes EXPO in Grand Rapids on December 5th.
Details at their web site
A prose version of my talk is included in the EXPO prospectus given to all attendees, and a full, extended handout is available on the Juicy Info / Seed Propagation page