The Basic Production Skills session (November 7, 2018) at the NEGC will feature four presentations on the fundamentals of greenhouse production. These presentations are appropriate for new growers or experienced growers interested in learning training topics. 

• 9:00 am - Controlling Height: Chemical, cultural and environmental approaches,  Christopher J. Currey, Iowa State University
• 10:30 am - The art and science of watering, Rosa Raudales, University of Connecticut 
• 1:30 pm - Managing the greenhouse environment: Light, temperature, carbon dioxide, and humidity, Christopher J. Currey, Iowa State University 
• 2:30 pm - Nutrient management: Fertilizers and substrates, Ryan Dickson, University of New Hampshire 

Meet the presenters:

Christopher J. Currey is an assistant professor of Horticulture in the Department of Horticulture at the Iowa State University, specializing in greenhouse and controlled-environment crop production. Chris received his B.S from the University of Minnesota. After graduating he went to work as a commercial orchid producer in Minnesota, and was also a horticulturist for the National Park Service, growing native plants for restoration at Glacier National Park. After realizing he wanted to teach, conduct research, and work with commercial growers, he went back to the University of Minnesota for his M.S. and the received his Ph.D. in from Purdue University. Chris has responsibilities in teaching, research, and Extension. He teaches courses on greenhouse operations and management, hydroponic food crop production, floriculture crop production, and landscape crop production. Chris’s greenhouse crop and controlled-environment research is focused on providing research-based best-management practices to support commercial producers of ornamental and food crops to improve productivity, profitability, and sustainability using and managing light, temperature, mineral nutrition, and plant growth regulators.

Rosa E. Raudales is an assistant professor in Plant Science at the University of Connecticut. Rosa received a Ph.D. in Horticulture from the University of Florida, a M.Sc. in Plant Pathology from The Ohio State University, and a B.Sc. in Agricultural Science and Production Systems from Zamorano University. Rosa’s research program focuses on understanding how to use low-quality water for irrigation of greenhouse crops. The Raudales team conducts research on control of plant pathogens in closed-loop hydroponics, evaluating factors that affect clogging of irrigation systems, safe use of reclaimed-water, and water treatment options for control of pathogens, algae, biofilm and residual chemicals.  Rosa’s research and outreach program address management of biological, chemical and physical parameters in water that affect the plan health and irrigation efficiency of greenhouse crops. Follow Rosa on Instagram @rosaraudales or Twitter @RaudalesLab 

​Ryan Dickson is the State Extension Specialist for Greenhouse Management and Technologies at the University of New Hampshire. Ryan has a PhD in Environmental Horticulture from the University of Florida.The biennial Northeast Greenhouse Conference & Expo is co-sponsored by New England Floriculture, Inc. - a group of grower representatives from the Northeast, augmented by University and Cooperative Extension staff in each state who specialize in greenhouse crops and management. 

The biennial Northeast Greenhouse Conference & Expo is co-sponsored by New England Floriculture, Inc. - a group of grower representatives from the Northeast, augmented by University and Cooperative Extension staff in each state who specialize in greenhouse crops and management. 

The Northeast Greenhouse Conference and Expo is thrilled to announce that Carmen Johnston, nationally renowned garden lifestyle expert and founder of Carmen Johnston Gardens, will keynote their 2018 Conference and Expo.
Carmen, who specializes in commercial and residential landscape and garden design, is also an authority in event and wedding design. Carmen is a Southern Living Garden Lifestyle Expert, and she regularly contributes to the magazine as well as others such as Real Simple, etc.
During this exciting session, Carmen will forecast the latest gardening trends and discuss one of the most important aspects of the business: social media.
In the ever-expanding world of digital media, to be successful, growers and retailers, alike, have to utilize social media. Not only is social media necessary from a business perspective, but it is also dictating the trends in gardening. These days, the ideas clients bring to the table are often those they have found while scrolling through Facebook or Instagram. In this exciting session, Carmen Johnston, nationally renowned garden lifestyle expert, will share the secret to social media success and illustrate how it is forecasting the future of gardening.
The biennial Northeast Greenhouse Conference & Expo is co-sponsored by New England Floriculture, Inc. - a group of grower representatives from the Northeast, augmented by University and Cooperative Extension staff in each state who specialize in greenhouse crops and management.
Exhibit space and sponsorship opportunities are available. Contact Karen Forbes at karen@delaneymeetingevent.com.
Attendee registration will open in August.
Follow “negreenhouse” on Instagram and Facebook and look for our hashtag on Twitter.

​The Northeast Greenhouse Conference and Expo held on November 9 and 10, in Boxborough, MA was a great success with over 800 attending.

Sue Adams (NEF President), Mark Adams Greenhouses in Poughkeepsie, NY hosted the Dazed and Infused Educational Cocktail the evening before the conference. According to Sue, "Everyone loved the Rosemary Infused White Wine Sangria."

The educational sessions on pest management were all well attended. Dan Gilrein, Extension Entomologist with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County is sharing Tips on Thrips, Pot Drips, Mite Blips and Neonic Hit, Management Matters, from 2016.

Spanish language sessions were held for the first time and were much appreciated. Carlos Bogran, Technical Manager from OHP is sharing his knowledge with everyone.

5-5-5 Best Ideas for Marketing Grower Panel featured 5 panelists, including Sue Adams, Kirsten Smith Maskell, Teri Boardman, and Dustyn Nelson who shared what worked to attract customers and attract sales.

Inspiring and right to the point. Great session!

Thank you to our 2016 conference sponsors and exhibitors! Thank you for joining us and to everyone who helped make the conference a success.

New England greenhouse growers have long relied on the New England Greenhouse Floriculture Guide, for its unbiased, detailed information about insect and mite management, disease prevention and management, weed control, and plant growth regulation. The Guide is updated every two years to ensure that it provides up-to-date information about crop management methods and products. The 2017-18 edition will be available at the 2016 Northeast Greenhouse Conference and Expo, 9-10 November 2016, at the Holiday Inn Boxborough, in Boxborough MA.

In addition to updated recommendations, the new edition presents:

• An updated discussion of Best Management Practices to minimize the threat to bees and other pollinators.
• An update on OSHA’s Worker Protection Standard, reflecting the changes that will become effective in January 2017. This information is invaluable to all greenhouse owners and pesticide handlers.
• A greatly expanded section on biological controls, which provides details for beginners as well as for experienced pest managers looking for new research based information.
• The pest and problem identification website, maintained by Guide contributors Leanne Pundt of University of Connecticut and Tina Smith of University of Massachusetts, is continually updated to include emerging pest problems. You can access it online at: http://negreenhouseupdate.info/photolibrary. This resource provides photographs and descriptions of cultural problems, diseases, insects, mites, nutritional disorders, weeds and algae. It also presents photos of biological control agents, and symptom look-alikes.

The Guide is updated every two years by floriculture faculty and staff from the six New England State Universities, and is published by New England Floriculture, Inc.
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The 2017-18 edition of the Guide will be available to attendees of the Northeast Greenhouse Conference at a special conference price of $30 per copy. After the conference, it will be available for $40 per copy via the Northeast Greenhouse Conference website, and from the Extension publication offices of the Universities of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.