NNLA Winter Conference & NCNLP Testing held in Lincoln
NNLA hosted two events this past January. On Wednesday, January 25th, NNLA held the winter edition of the Nebraska Certified Nursery & Landscape Professional (NCNLP) exam on UNL’s East Campus. NNLA was again welcomed by UNL Agronomy and Horticulture to use a classroom in Keim Hall. Due to the cold temperatures, the plant ID portion of the test was given using PowerPoint slides with plant photos as well as cuttings of plant material. NNLA had five people registered to take the test. Three of them were taking portions of the test over, and two were taking the entire NCNLP test for the first time. At the end of the day, NNLA welcomed one new member to the NCNLP program. NNLA plans to offer the exam again in early August at East Campus, where they will be able to utilize the Maxwell Arboretum and Backyard Farmer Gardens for plant ID testing.
NNLA held its annual Winter Conference at UNL’s Innovation Campus Conference Center the following Thursday and Friday, January 26th and 27th. NNLA was pleased to have a lot of interest from vendors for this year’s event. This added to the positive and energized atmosphere of the conference. NNLA was planning on 110 members in attendance but ended up having around 150 total attendees. Good weather- cold but no new snow- made it easier for members to attend.
Thursday morning, attendees were welcomed by NNLA’s President, Jason Kuehl. Weston Zimmerman, the co-founder of SynkedUP, was the first presenter. He shared the importance of knowing the overhead costs of doing business, which will be unique for each business. Weston’s experience working in the landscape industry made him a great fit to create budgeting and business solutions tailored to the needs of the average landscape company.
Next, Auggie Rodriguez, the Director of Training and Development at Unilock Midwest, spoke to attendees about the challenges water can cause to hardscape projects. He shared tested solutions to make retaining walls, paver patios, and paver driveways perform year after year. He explained the possible benefits of the open-grade base installation method to areas prone to freeze and thaw cycles and in areas where it is difficult to get consistent compaction. Auggie also presented on Perma Edge and DriBond products and their use in hardscape installations.
Before lunch, Laura Fauber, the Director of National and Enterprise Sales at Greenius, was slated to speak. However, due to the weather, she was unable to travel to attend the conference in person. She shared her presentation with the winter conference attendees as a webinar on Wednesday, February 8th. Her session covered the 5 steps to build and sustain high-performing teams. Laura also shared more about the partnership between NNLA and Greenius.
Lunch was held back in the convention hall, where attendees were able to network and meet with vendors. After lunch, the Annual NNLA Meeting took place. Members were updated on the exciting work being done by the Marketing Committee and NCNLP Committee. During the awards portion of the meeting, NNLA was able to honor the lifetime contributions of Addie Kinghorn to the horticulture industry in Nebraska. She was given the NNLA Hall of Fame Award. Lee Olson received the Distinguished Landscape Professional Award in recognition of his years in the landscape design industry. Julie Van Meter was awarded the Distinguished Nursery Professional Award and thanked for her years of dedicated service to the horticulture industry through her time at the Nebraska Department of Agriculture and as an advisor to the NNLA Board of Directors. Sheila Schrader received the NCNLP of the Year Award for her ongoing contributions to the NCNLP Committee. Jim Locklear of Lauritzen Gardens was awarded the Gold Leaf Nursery Award. This award is given to a group or individual who has actively shown outstanding support to the NNLA and the nursery and landscape industry in Nebraska. Brett Schroer was elected as the incoming President of NNLA. Lee Olson was selected to take his place as Vice President. Aaron Oltmans was reelected to another term on the Board of Directors. The Board also welcomed Joel Kayser, who was elected for his first term.
After lunch, Jim Locklear presented on the conservation vision of Lauritzen Gardens. He shared an overview of the gardens as they are today, as well as their plans for continued growth and improvement of the botanical center. Jim also gave an overview of the conservation and ecological stewardship efforts at Lauritzen Gardens. The gardens have become an important site for insects as well as migrating bird populations which has been shown through their ongoing biodiversity surveys. Laurie Stepanek, head of the Nebraska Forest Service Forest Health Program, presented on herbicide damage to off-target trees and shrubs. She discussed some of the complex issues of herbicide use around landscape trees, including properties of chemicals, impacts of weather, the herbicide sensitivity of individual plants, and applicator error.
The last speaker on Thursday featured Robert Clark with Bailey Nurseries. He shared recent and new First Editions Plant Releases from Bailey Nurseries. Robert explained that the current goal of the breeding program is to create cultivars that are compact and upright to fit the smaller lots of new construction homes. One such plant is the Fiber Optics buttonbush which, at approximately 5-6 feet wide and tall, is smaller than the straight species but a little larger and more compact than the Sugar Shack cultivar. Attendees were then invited to walk over to the Scarlet Hotel for a reception. Around fifty of the attendees enjoyed this additional opportunity to network while enjoying the view from the Barred Owl rooftop bar.
Friday began with a brief welcome by incoming President Brett Schroer. The first speaker of the day was Corby White, Product Manager with Helena Agri-Enterprises. He discussed all of the possible factors that could impact a spray application of fertilizer, herbicide, or fungicide. Corby focused much of his talk on the impacts of water pH as well as water hardness on spray applications. He discussed the benefits of surfactants and adjuvants and the importance of “building your tank” when it comes to adding each chemical or additive in the proper order. Corby stressed the importance of checking water pH throughout the year in different conditions such as drought.
A raffle was held to raise funds for the NNLA scholarship program. Vendors and members donated items to be used as prizes in the raffle. NNLA raised over $600 for the scholarship fund through the raffle. Thank you to all to participated in the raffle and who donated to the scholarship fund. This year, one NNLA scholarship was awarded to Keely Conrad of York who is attending the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and will graduate in December of 2024.
Next, Erin Kubicek, the Environmental Health Educator for Lincoln Transportation and Utilities’ Watershed Management Division presented alongside Andy Szatko, with the City of Omaha Stormwater Program. They collaborated to speak about purposeful landscapes which make the most of stormwater, using it onsite, slowing it down and spreading it out before it makes its way to the storm drain. Andy and Erin showed examples of green infrastructure projects throughout Omaha and Lincoln, including rain gardens and bioswales. They explained that there is a need for professionals to maintain these green infrastructure features which could be a good niche for some landscape contractors to fill.
As the last speaker of the conference, Bob Henrickson, the Horticulture Program Coordinator with the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, presented on edible landscaping. He explained that edible landscaping is becoming something more and more homeowners are asking for in their landscapes. There are many native, edible plants that also look great in the landscape throughout the seasons. Bob shared many trees and shrubs that would be great options to add to yards across the state. He also spoke about how there is so much more to be made out of fruit and berries other than jams or jellies. Bob encouraged attendees to think about homemade wine, tinctures, pies, and breads.
NNLA is excited to see how the attendees will take what they learned at the Winter Conference and use it to grow and improve their businesses. Educating members is an important part of the mission of NNLA and to the growth of the nursery and landscape industry in Nebraska. A big thanks again to the event sponsors and to the people and organizations that made this event possible.