Expo
Michigan Greenhouse Growers Expo
in coordination with
The Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market Expo
December 10-12, 2019
in the Devos Place Convention Center, downtown Grand Rapids
Visit the Great Lakes Expo Website for more information. Registration opens Oct. 1.
Greenhouse Education Sessions at a Glance (tentative)
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Tuesday, Dec. 10 |
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9:00-9:50 |
10:00-10:50 |
2:00-2:50 |
3:00-3:50 |
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Art and Science of Pricing Bridget Behe, MSU Sponsored by Proven Winners |
Contemporary Containers: Combining Function and Fab Kari Mazzaferro, Scotts MiracleGro Sponsored by Scotts MiracleGro |
The Latest and Greatest: MSU Research Update Bridget Behe, MSU; Mary Hausbeck, MSU; Roberto Lopez, MSU; Garrett Owen, MSUE; Erik Runkle, MSU Sponsored by Syngenta |
The Shopper’s Journey Bridget Behe, MSU; Mary Tuski, MSU |
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9:00-10:30 A Sampler on Sampling Garrett Owen, MSUE; Laura Miles, MSU; Heidi Lindberg, MSUE; Jeremy Jubenville, MSUE Sponsored by Michigan Plant Grower’s Co-op |
Understanding the Fundamentals of Systemic Insecticides Ray Cloyd, Kansas State Univ. Sponsored by OHP |
New Solutions for Floriculture Disease Problems Mary Hausbeck, MSU Sponsored by Nufarm |
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Wednesday, Dec. 11 |
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9:00-9:50 |
10:00-10:50 |
2:00-2:50 |
3:00-3:50 |
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Ten Social Media Best Practices to Win More Customers Ariana Torres, Purdue Univ. |
Tips for Handling and Propagating Young Plants John Dole, NC State Univ.; Roberto Lopez, MSU Sponsored by HortAmericas |
Online Retail Marketing: Seven Approaches to Boost Sales Ariana Torres, Purdue Univ. Sponsored by Michigan Farm Bureau |
It’s Coming Out of the No$$le Will Healy, Ball Horticulture Sponsored by Ball Horticultural Co. |
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The PGR Toolbox 1 - Selection and Effective Use of Plant Growth Retardants Joyce Latimer, Virginia Tech Univ. Sponsored by Fine Americas, Inc. |
Integrating Pesticides With Biological Control Agents: Can It Be Done? Ray Cloyd, Kansas State Univ. Sponsored by Plant Products |
The PGR Toolbox 2 – Using PGRs to Enhance Growth and Quality of Herbaceous Perennials Joyce Latimer, Virginia Tech Univ. Sponsored by Fine Americas, Inc. |
3:00-4:15 Best Performing Annuals and Perennials Daedre McGrath, MSU Heidi Lindberg, MSUE Sponsored by Michigan Greenhouse Growers Council |
Thursday, Dec. 12
Greenhouse Production, Technology, & Labor-saving Bus Tour
Additional fee required, and limited to 55 people
Join MSU Extension Educator Heidi Lindberg for a tour featuring four leading greenhouse producers in west Michigan. Learn about how the crops are propagated, grown, and finished for wholesale distribution. The tour will highlight technology and labor-saving methods and strategies to reduce the cost of production while maintaining plant quality. Participants should dress warmly and wear close-toed, water-repellant shoes or boots and be prepared for a significant amount of time standing. The tour includes lunch and snacks. Except for the departure, all times are approximate.
7:30: Bus arrival at Lyon St. entrance to Amway Grand Plaza Hotel
8:00: Bus departs Amway Grand Plaza Hotel
8:30-9:30: Revolution Farms, a one-acre hydroponic farm in Caledonia that produces 10,000 pounds of lettuce every week. Participants will see hydroponic raft technology, high-intensity LED lighting, and numerous labor-saving techniques such as a rotational flow of product from the propagation area until the finished area, and conveyor belts into the cooler.
9:50-11:15: Henry Mast Greenhouse, a large wholesale producer of potted floral crops, rooted liners, and spring flowering plants. With a combined area of over 32 acres of production, Henry Mast Greenhouse has three facilities in Byron Center. Participants will see extensive technology including: MTZ Formflex basket systems, shade curtains, and LED boom lighting.
12:00-12:45: Lunch at Spring Meadow Nursery
12:45-2:00: Spring Meadow Nursery, which has 40 acres of greenhouse and 100 acres of woody shrub stock fields. As the primary woody-plant propagator for Proven Winners®, Spring Meadow Nursery produces plugs and liners of over 400 unique flowering shrubs, vines, and evergreens. Participants will see numerous energy efficiency projects: LED toplighting, in‐floor heating, energy curtains, and shade curtains. Also see labor‐saving technologies and practices including: robotic vegetative cutting sticking machine, automatic transplanter, automated grading machine, trimming machine, parboiled rice hull top‐dress blower, and LEAN‐flow techniques.
2:30-3:45: Walters Gardens, which ships 20 million perennial liners each year to wholesale growers, landscapers, and municipalities in the US and Canada. Their growing space is 13 acres of greenhouse in Zeeland, and 1,500 acres of field production in Allegan county. The state-of-the-art greenhouse facilities include LED toplighting, in-floor heating, and tissue culture laboratories.
4:30: Arrive Amway Grand Plaza Hotel