Thursday, September 29

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10:00 a.m.   Learning Lounge, session 1, center stage

Oklahoma State Question 777: Right To Farm, Rodd Moesel of American Plant Products

Rodd Moesel and Mark Yates will lead a discussion in support of Oklahoma State Question 777: Right To Farm, which will be on the November ballot.  SQ 777, the Right to Farm amendment, will secure Oklahoma’s economic future, expand food choice for Oklahomans and help address food insecurity across our state, according to the Oklahoma Farming and Ranching Foundation. It also will protect the rights of Oklahoma farmers of all sizes, including small, organic and family farms. Ninety-eight percent of Oklahoma farms are family-owned and operated; SQ 777 would protect their right to operate in a safe and responsible manner without overregulation by the government or out-of-state activist groups.

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10:20 a.m.   Learning Lounge, session 2, relaxation station

Nursery Insurance 101 - questions and answers for Risk Management, Tracy Jankovic of Hudson Crop

Bring your questions and be ready to learn all about the offerings and the myths vs. truths of nursery insurance.  Tracy Jankovic has over 35 years of experience in the nursery and landscape industry in Crop Insurance, working with nursery policies since 1997 as an adjuster and has been Nursery Sales Manager for Hudson Crop since January of 2015.  Tracy holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Horticulture from the University of Florida.

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10:40 a.m.     Learning Lounge, session 3, center stage

Oklahoma City Tree Inventory Project:  Connecting Dots on Countless Levels

Brian Dougherty of Oklahoma City Community Foundation, Oklahoma Forestry Services, Urban Forestry Coordinator Mark Bays, Neal Bilger of Oklahoma City Parks and others involved will share the process, history and results of the Tree Inventory Project that has been underway throughout Oklahoma City Parks.  This is so much more than a simple tree count and management plan.  Learn about what trees they have, how they are doing, maintenance needs and about the environmental services and value of Oklahoma City’s park trees based on the results of the iTree Eco Report.  Also learn how it is now possible to for you calculate the environmental services of trees on projects you are involved on using this same technology in iTree-Design.  This session will provide CEUs for ISA and Oklahoma LA licensure.  ODAFF Pesticide CEUs have been requested.

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5:45 p.m.    Green Industry Celebration:  Hans and Torrey Butzer and Mark Bays

Hans and Torrey Butzer, of Butzer Architects and Urbanism, designers of the Outdoor Symbolic Memorial at the Oklahoma City National Memorial, and Mark Bays of Oklahoma Forestry Services, one of the many caretakers of The Survivor Tree, will speak at center stage on the trade show floor about their experiences with the outdoor symbolic memorial from that fateful April day to the present, as the 21st Anniversary has passed and the museum has undergone a major renovation.  We will then travel to the Memorial, just a few short blocks away, where the Butzers and Mark will lead a tour of the grounds at dusk.  This session will provide CEUs for ISA and Oklahoma LA licensure.

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Friday, September 30

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10:00 a.m.     Learning Lounge, session 4, center stage

7 Things That Matter for Improving Signage and Sales, Timothy Howard of Clarity Connect

Use the seven item checklist when creating signs to improve their effectiveness and your sales. Examples, both good and bad, will be used to demonstrate each of the seven things that matter for great signage.  Timothy Howard is the Founder and President of Clarity Connect and GardenCenterMarketing.com. From small landscapers and single location garden centers to large wholesale growers, they have designed and delivered a wide range of creative, practical and cost-effective marketing and technological solutions. Timothy’s presentations feature real-world examples mixed in with humor and some on the spot analysis of attendees’ marketing.

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10:20 a.m      Learning Lounge, session 5, relaxation station

Reduction of Pesticide Applications using New Microsponge™ Technology, Lucía G.I. Marshall, Ph.D., Biosorb Inc.

One of the main problems in pesticide application is the run-off or dilution of applied materials due to rainfall or over-head irrigation.  Traditionally, surfactants have been used to aid the spread of the application over leaf/fruit surfaces; however, these surface-active molecules have a tendency to facilitate the dissolution of chemicals in water and wash the pesticides off the treatment area.  New natural-based Microsponge™ technology is replacing surfactants in chemical and biological applications due to their absorption and adhesion properties.   The microsponge technology was invented for aquatic applications in weed and algae control, and for horticulture use in disease/insect control.  Yet, growers and farmers are using the rainfastness properties to adhere treatments so not to lose the application during rain events.
This talk will introduce the microsponge technology as compared to surfactant analyzing:  1- Chemical and biological properties of treatments as they are applied to the surface of waxy cuticles in plants; 2- Toxicology and persistence of surfactants in aquatic/environmental conditions; 3- Biological efficacy of herbicide treatments with surfactants versus the microsponge system;   4- Biological efficacy of fungicide treatments with surfactants versus the microsponge system; 5- Implication to environmental fate and chemical accumulation in waterways due to run-off.  

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10:40 a.m.        Learning Lounge, session 6, center stage
Top Trial Garden Selections for Oklahoma Landscapes, Allan Storjohann

Years of traveling to see display and trial gardens in this area have helped me realize that there are literally thousands of plant varieties in the market place right now. More are being introduced every year.  Some are real good for around here, others are not. While I won’t be able to cover every plant type in this short talk, I hope to pass along to you some of the newest and hottest plants in the landscape business today. If you have been disappointed with what you’ve been using in your landscape projects, then this talk is for you. You will come away with some fresh new ideas for the year ahead.

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1:00 p.m.     Learning Lounge, session 7, center stage

Responsible Outdoor Water Use: The Role of Plants, Industry and Consumers, Dr. Justin Moss of OSU

Oklahomans love to maintain their yards and landscapes and will often err on the side of abundant irrigation to keep their plants green and happy. In this session, we will discuss the role of industry professionals, plant materials, and consumers in development of common sense approaches and solutions for water conservation in the landscape. Many municipalities have developed, or will be developing, outdoor water restrictions for their communities. We will also discuss the role of the industry in development of municipal water conservation recommendations and programs. Lastly, we will announce a water focused conference to be held in November 2017 in cooperation with ONLA.   

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1:20 p.m      Learning Lounge, session 8, relaxation station

Keeping Financial Balance through Business Cycles, Bill Toay of Opes One Advisors

Whether you operate a recent start-up or a mature growing company, cash flow and keeping financial balance can be a problem. Bill will present tips to help you keep financially organized with his presentation.  Bill Toay, Special Agent at Opes One Advisors, knows that many business owners have no business succession plans in place in the event of their death, disability or retirement. He assists the business owner by coordinating their business succession planning. He helps them with business valuation, keep-sell planning, and business estate planning.

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1:40 p.m.     Learning Lounge, session 9, center stage

Build a Website That Delivers Results You Can Measure, Timothy Howard of Clarity Connect

If you’re interested in looking at websites in a new light and building (or refining your current site) your website to improve your business, this class is for you.  Come prepared to think, participate and possibly be challenged. The class will be broken into 3 sections. One, the presentation of concepts and real-world examples to get you thinking differently about your website. Two, applying the concepts to developing a new site map and principal ‘calls to action’ for your site. Three, review of some of the participants existing websites and their new plans for improving it. You will be able to walk away with a round map for improving website results and how to measure the results of your work.

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