Jul 29, 2013

A Good Place to Find Answers By Tim Hodson

Are you looking to improve the overall quality and health of the plants you grow? Do you have pest and/or disease issues in your greenhouses? Do you find it challenging trying to diagnose your production problems? Would you like to learn more about how plant growth regulators can impact your production?

Whether you’re a seasoned expert or someone just entering the business, if you answered “Yes” to any of these questions, then you may want to head to the Pacific Northwest in September.

That’s because OFA’s Disease, Insect & Plant Growth Management Conference will take place Sept. 9-11, in Vancouver, Wash., at the Hilton Vancouver Washington hotel.

The conference will feature hands-on workshops, 40 classroom sessions (many of them in Spanish and eligible for pesticide recertification credits), a nursery and greenhouse tour, a trade show and plenty of networking opportunities. If you are looking to solve plant production problems in your greenhouse or want to learn more about better ways to grow your products, this is the place to be.

For more information about the conference go to www.ofa.org/dig.

Raindrops Kept Falling (and Falling) On Our Heads

Even though Mother Nature did not behave herself on Friday for our trip to Ball’s 2013 Customer Day in West Chicago, Ill., we still had a lot of fun. It rained (and rained) all day long, but that didn’t stop attendees from showing up by the carloads. And it especially did not stop the Gardens at Ball from shining. You’ve got to have rain to make rainbows and plants need rain – so we just opened up our umbrellas and enjoyed a day of walking through the Gardens (and sitting in the classroom) learning about the latest offerings from all of the different brands at Ball Horticultural Co.

And rain can’t stop me from taking pictures either – I just had to keep drying off my camera lens. You can see some of my rain-kissed photos from the Gardens on the GPN Facebook Page.

– Tim