One thing I always hear our industry needs is more people. Not just any people mind you, but high caliber people to continue building the industry for generations to come. For many, that recruitment starts early, and in my opinion, we don’t always do a great job at selling our industry to the younger generation. I cannot count the times I hear students talk about limited jobs or career opportunities, while knowing that EVERYONE that gets a degree in horticulture has a job opportunity. For some reason, we just are not good at talking about the opportunities, and more importantly the fun and fulfillment that we get from our horticulture careers—and I know you enjoy it or you wouldn’t be reading this.

 

Seed Your Future is a well established movement to promote horticulture careers to anyone interested in or inspired by plants. They have been building interest and excitement in students for years, and not just college students. They work with high school students and middle schools to promote horticulture. Their goal is to get youth excited about horticulture and connect them with careers in the industry. I’ll say they are definitely in an uphill battle, but making great progress. 

 

Right now, they are pushing a social media campaign called #IAmHorticulture. They are asking folks to share their stories on social media; you never know, your story might just inspire someone to join in on the fun. You can find more information on the movement HERE. If you have a few minutes, jump in and share. 

Hot off the press, the 2026 GrowerTalks Biosolutions Guide, sponsored by Koppert, has just been released. This is THE guide for all the new insights and options in biological control. This is the fourth installment in this extremely helpful and insightful resource. 

 

Biological control continues to gain momentum and establish a larger foothold in the industry. I for one am always excited to see more biological pest management opportunities. Who doesn’t want effective pest control without all the excessive chemistry? Plus, implementing biologicals in your pest management plan has been routinely shown to be extremely effective long term.

 

That being said, as biological control harnesses the nearly infinite power of nature, there are a lot of discoveries and innovations coming from this field. Sorting through all the new ideas, plans and biologicals can be difficult, time consuming and exhausting. That is where the Biosolutions Guide comes into play. Ball Publishing staff sort through all the new innovations and work with researchers on the cutting edge to get the most important information directly to you. 

 

I know I have my copy in print that came with my June issue of GrowerTalks—and what a great resource it has already been. However, if you don’t have one or just want more access, it is, of course, available absolutely free on the Grower Talks Grower Guides webpage. There are a few other guides there as well, plus the older editions still have great information if you haven’t had a chance to read them yet.  

If you happen to be in East Texas or are looking for a reason to visit, I would suggest stopping by the East Texas Annual & Perennial Plant Trials open house. On Thursday, June 25, the Texas A&M Overton Research and Education Center will open their doors to the public and show off their world class plant trials. The open house will start at 9 a.m. and run through 4 p.m., offering a full day of fun. The day will open up exploring trials before it gets too hot. After lunch, round the day off with an educational session while cooling off. You can find more information on the day HERE. 

 

 

It takes a ton of effort to organize plant trials of this magnitude and do it well, and this is one of the best around. If you ever want to know which varieties to plant in hot and dry landscapes, this is where you’ll get all the information you need. Years ago, I used to attend this event in a three-day plant trials tour across Texas A&M Overton, Stephen F. Austin, and Dallas Arboretum. I haven’t heard much about the old East Texas Plant Trial Tour in a few years and am very excited that this event is back. I tried to find info on any other open houses but did not find anything. Hopefully, the resurgence of this event will bring the others back into the fold. 

For those of you who are planning to come to Columbus in about a month for Cultivate, I wanted to highlight this all-day workshop for growers wanting to learn more about pest management. On Saturday, July 11, you can join the Insect & Disease Grower Workshop and build core skills to help you master any insect or pest problem you might encounter. The workshop lasts from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., so you need to be prepared for a full day of learning. 

 

The morning session starts with insect and mite identification. Any pest management specialist will tell you the first step is to ID your problem, and this workshop will teach you how to identify the different common pests so you can instantly recognize when you spot them. Then you will dive into control strategies, both chemical and biological applications to arm you with all the tools you need to keep pests at bay. 

 

After lunch, the session will shift to diseases. Similar to pests, you’ll start off with identification and understanding which pathogens you can feel comfortable and confident diagnosing in house, and what instances you might want to call in an expert or send samples to a lab for identification. You’ll also get some strategies for minimizing and combating diseases and spread. 

 

Four well-seasoned and highly knowledgeable teachers will guide this session, including Julie Graesch, a Technical Services Manager at BioWorks, Inc.; Marielle Berto, an IPM Specialist with Costa Farms; Matthew Krause, the Field Solutions Director at Lallemand Plant Care and Suzanne Wainwright-Evans of Buglady Consulting. Together this team will give you the tools you need to take immediate action against greenhouse and nursery pests. The session is an add-on and you will have to purchase access in your registration.

Cultivate isn’t the only place to build your pest management toolkit. If you’re out west and looking ahead to Farwest, they have you covered. Attendees can earn up to nine pesticide recertification credits for attending the pest management education sessions. Check out more information on the pesticide recertification HERE. 

 

Don’t just come for the recertifications—there is so much more to do at Farwest, from tours to trade show, and education to evening socials. It is a great place to dial in and build connections for and with West Coast folks. Farwest takes place in Portland, Oregon, at the Oregon Convention Center from August 26 to 28. Three days full of networking, education and plants. Register HERE.

 

It seems that a new University of Florida Greenhouse Training Online course is opening every couple of weeks. In fact, if you have been reading my past few newsletters, you might think I am repeating information. In reality, this program has become a very in-depth and expansive opportunity for growers and anyone in the industry to get practical information quickly. These courses are designed for the greenest workers to seasoned horticulturists, and everyone in between. With several topics going throughout the year, UF Greenhouse Training Online helps you build your workforce and train employees easily and effectively, without sending them to long and drawn-out classes.

 

The Water Quality & Treatment course is set to kick off on July 6, so you still have a couple weeks to get prepared and registered. This is one of the long-standing courses in the program and is a must for anyone managing irrigation or water supplies. This is one of the more advanced courses in the program, being developed for experienced growers. This course will teach you to interpret water quality tests and select appropriate water treatment technologies, as well as design water treatment and monitoring systems. From water quality to sanitization to pond management, this is the class for growers interested in their water. 

 

You can check out the class HERE and register online HERE. You get a discount when registering multiple people, so send the team. The course lasts four weeks and is completed completely on your own pace. Like all the UF Greenhouse Online courses, this is offered in English and Spanish.

 

It doesn’t end there; UF Greenhouse Training Online has also launched the Professional Irrigator training series to help growers train their staff to avoid inconsistent watering practices. This new series includes short “Lunch and Learn” format modules that can be fit into the busy workday. The modules also come with an instructional video so you can learn to teach the modules to your team. Each session has a hands-on activity you can use to help staff develop skills. There are six sessions and they are all FREE!

 

You can find the six training resources on the Back Pocket Grower website, under “Training.” Stay tuned as there will be more Lunch and Learn-style sessions coming.