Farwest announces broad educational schedule

The 2022 Farwest Show conference lineup in Portland has seminars for every kind of green industry professional, including growers, breeders, arborists, landscape designers, landscapers, businesspeople, marketers, nursery workers, salespeople and of course anyone interested in sustainability.

Over the course of three days, Wednesday–Friday, August 24–26, there are more than 50 hours of educational content scheduled. All of the Farwest seminars offer some form of professional development credit, including 10 classes good towards pesticide certification.

“Farwest brings green industry professionals together,” said Heather Cyrus, events and education manager for the Oregon Association of Nurseries (OAN), which produces Farwest. “Our seminar lineup is designed to spark new ideas, garner tips to take back to your team and inspire new, creative ways of running your business. Whether you want to learn how to be more efficient, attract the best employees, market your product or grow the very best trees, flowers and shrubs, there will be a seminar for everyone.”

The Farwest conference lineup has several well-known experts sharing their knowledge, all in one place, including:

• Anne Obarski, founder and CEO of Merchandise Concepts, presenting sessions on improving your workplace culture, creating an astonishing customer experience in your garden center and merchandising your sales floor for maximum impact;
• Alison Kutz, biocontrol advisor and owner at Sound Horticulture, presenting two sessions on beneficial insects;
• Dr. Josef Racsko, technology manager at Mycorrhizal Applications LLC, presenting on plant growth regulators;
• Danny Summers, managing director of The Garden Center Group, presenting on the future of retail;
• Nancy Buley, communications director at J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co., presenting on the development and breeding of climate-resistant urban trees;
• Dr. Ann Chase, cofounder of Chase Agricultural Consulting, giving updates on plant disease control products; and
• Timothy Howard, president and founder of Clarity Connect Inc., presenting on putting your company’s best foot forward on the web, as well as how to reinvest in your business to improve its future performance.

The show and conference will also include keynote by Greg Bell, at 11 a.m. Wednesday, August 24, which will be free to all registered Farwest participants. He will inspire attendees and their companies to unleash their potential by adopting a high-performance mindset and focusing their attention on their core values and the things that matter most.

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Following Bell’s keynote presentation, the trade show floor will open from noon – 5 p.m. on Wednesday, August 24. It will be open from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Thursday, August 25 and 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Friday, August 26. Conference seminars will run all three days starting at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, and the Farwest nursery tours will happen Tuesday, August 23.

Registration for the show and conference is live at www.farwestshow.com/register. The organizations offering professional credit for the various sessions include the Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD), the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), the Oregon Landscape Contractors Board (OLCB), the Idaho Department of Agriculture (IDA), the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA), the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) and the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (CDPR).

Oregon nursery and greenhouse growers sold $1.19 billion in nursery material in the most recent year tabulated. The show floor will be packed with nearly 300 exhibiting companies, including nursery and greenhouse wholesale growers, equipment suppliers, allied service providers and suppliers for growers, retailers and landscape industries and more.

Complete details on events, daily schedules, speakers and education for Farwest are posted at www.FarwestShow.com.