Out In The Nursery – Track

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18
9:30 AM – 4:50 PM
SESSION DESCRIPTIONS

 Loss Prevention

Zach Bruce, Hortica Insurance

Whatever your horticultural industry business – landscape/lawn care, interior plantscape, garden center, retail florist, nursery, greenhouse, wholesale floral distribution, sod farm – effective loss control and safety programs must be established to ensure a safe and profitable operation. In this presentation Zach will dive into options and insurances to keep your company safe.

Measure What You Want to Manage

Charlie Hall, Texas A&M University

How many green industry businesses really know the financial status of their business? Recent departures of some very good firms in the industry are bringing the reality home that growers must be financially prepared for times when cash flows slow down. Which financial and operational benchmarks are worth your time tracking and how much deviation from these benchmarks is acceptable before corrective actions should be taken? In this session, attendees will learn how to set their own benchmarks and gauge whether or not they really are doing as well as they think they are!

Understanding the EPA Ag Worker Protection Standards

Gwen Minton, NC Department of Agriculture

An overview of the approved EPA revisions to the 1992 Worker Protection Standard. These new requirements are to come into effect January 2, 2017. These new revisions will put rules in place for agricultural workers that are more in line with other industrial workers. There will be additional pesticide safety training, expanded field posting, an Application Exclusion Zone and new respirator requirements that include fit testing, training and a medical evaluation that conforms to OSHA standards.

Plastics Recycling – Does it Make Sense?

Bev Fermor, Waste Reduction Partners

The cost benefit of current recycling options for agricultural plastics will be reviewed, with examples of success stories. Current challenges will be discussed.

Budgeting Water Use Effectively

Anthony Lebude, NC State University

Keep everything you paid for in the container during irrigation. Try using one of these irrigation control techniques to maintain quality plants, reduce leaching and prevent pest and plant disease problems.

Emerging Pest/Threats/Treatment within the Horticulture Industry

Joy Goforth, NC Department of Agriculture

Joy Goforth, NCDA&CS Central Region Field Certification Specialist will highlight emerging insects and diseases that pose a threat to nurseries and the agricultural community. Discussion will cover how these pests arrived in NC and measures nurseries can take to prevent their introduction and/or spread. New NC pest quarantines will be covered with emphasis on how these quarantines are likely to impact plant movement, sales and marketability of certain crops.