Jun 10, 2014

SNA Research Conference to Host Lineup of SpeakersSource: Southern Nursery Association

The Southern Nursery Association (SNA) announced final details of the 59th Annual SNA Research Conference,July 22 and 23, 2014, at Atlanta’s Georgia International Convention Center. The conference will take place in conjunction with SNA 2014, which combines a regional marketplace with the Southern Plant Conference, the SNA Research Conference, the SNA Annual Business Meeting, and SNA State Officer’s Conference.

This two-day conference, sponsored by GreenForest Nursery Inc., Bennett’s Creek Nursery and Lancaster Farms, is held annually and is known for quality research. Participants are top horticultural research and educational leaders from across the country. Hundreds of topics in 13 categories are shared in presentations that run approximately seven minutes each. Research categories include : Container Grown Plant Production; Field Production; Economics & Marketing; Engineering, Structures & Innovations; Entomology; Floriculture; Growth Regulators; Landscape; Pathology & Nematology; Plant Breeding & Evaluation; Plant Propagation; Water Management; and Weed Control.

Additionally, 15 of the industry’s top plant experts are slated to share their knowledge and expertise during this eight-hour conference. Don Shadow, SNA Past President and internationally recognized plantsman, will moderate the session.

Speakers include :

• Jeff Beasley, Transplant Nursery, Lavonia, Ga.;
• Tim Brotzman, Brotzman’s Nursery, Madison, Ohio;
• Randy Davis, Greenleaf Nursery, Park Hill, Okla.;
• Dr. Michael Dirr, Plant Introductions, Bogart, GA
• Dr. Donna Fare, US National Arboretum, McMinnville, Tenn.;
• Aaron Floden, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tenn.;
• Bill Hendricks, Klyn Nurseries, Perry, Ohio;
• Richard Hesselein, Pleasant Run Nursery, Allentown, N.J.;
• Pete Krueger, Ball Horticulture, West Chicago
• Dr. Todd Lasseigne, Tulsa Botanical Garden, Tulsa, Okla.;
• Buddy Lee, Transcend Nursery & PDSI, Independence, La.;
• Alex Neubauer, Hidden Hollow Nursery, Belvidere, Tenn.;
• Mark Weathington, JC Raulston Arboretum, Raleigh, N.C.;
• Barry Yinger, Star Roses & Plants, West Grove, Pa.
• Plus Special Guest Speaker Michael Steinhardt, Steinhardt Management Co. Inc., New York, N.Y.

Another feature of the conference is the Bryson L. James Student Research Competition, an opportunity for graduate and undergraduate students to present their latest research results, hone their communication skills and compete for cash awards. The competition is named for Dr. Bryson L. James who served as director of research for the Southern Nursery Association, and served as coordinator of the conference and editor of the Annual Proceedings of the SNA Research Conference for nearly 50 years.

All research presented at the conference is published in the annual publication “SNA Research Conference Proceedings” and can be found on the SNA website.

More information can be found on the SNA website at www.sna.org.