Greenhouse Grower Expo 2013: Information-packed sessions

The 2013 Michigan Greenhouse Growers Expo, held Dec. 10-12, 2013, at the DeVos Place Convention Center in Grand Rapids, Mich., promises three days of action-packed sessions. This year’s highlights include topics on marketing, technology, business and pathology. Learn from a panel of prominent people in Michigan’s floriculture industry about the best advice they ever took or gave in the industry. For the business-minded, Michigan State University Extension’s Roger Betz has developed a return on investment tool that will help you analyze investments made in your business or assess a future investment you are contemplating. For those of you with retail businesses, MSU’s Bridget Behe will help you understand your customer base and what they are looking for out of a retail experience.

Is your business as efficient as it could be? Learn about inventory and scheduling software from growers who already use it. Are pest and diseases a problem in your greenhouse or do you wish you could have a quick fix for plants that are sub-par? Sessions at Greenhouse Growers Expo will provide the newest information on how to deal with spider mites, thrips and impatiens downy mildew and even last minute fixes for crops. If you are looking to replace impatiens in your program, learn about impatiens alternatives from a panel of breeders from Proven Winners, Syngenta Flowers and PanAmerican Seed.

On Thursday, Dec. 12, you can attend either a workshop on biocontrol methods or visit some of Michigan’s most efficient, mechanized growers. The workshop on biological control will be presented by Kansas State University’s Raymond Cloyd, who will discuss how chemical sprays impact biocontrol agents, release rates, banker plants and much more. The western Michigan greenhouse tour will take you behind the scenes at retail, wholesale and propagation operations that may give you ideas to employ in your own facility.

For more information and to see session topics, visit the 2013 Michigan Greenhouse Growers Expo webpage.