Scenes from Cultivate’22
The green industry gathered in Columbus, Ohio, from July 16-19 for no shortage of education sessions, trade show exhibitors, new product launches, production tours and much more. Coverage will continue for a long time, but here are some highlights.
The event kicked off with a Garden Retail Tour with stops at Richardson’s Greenhouse located in Loudonville, the canoe capital of Ohio; Sheiyah Market in Berlin, the heart of Ohio Amish country; and Baker’s Acres Greenhouse and Garden Center, located in Alexandria, about 25 miles east of downtown Columbus.
The second annual Women in Horticulture luncheon featured happiness practitioner Jean Steel speaking on embracing change and really staying positive. The packed house had everyone leaving uplifted and full of laughter.
In this year’s State of the Industry address, Ken Fisher, AmericanHort president and CEO, welcomed the large crowd with a mostly uplifting report and a “proceed with caution” attitude.
Craig Regelbrugge, AmericanHort vice president of advocacy, research, and industry relations, took us inside Washington, D.C., and warned of changes to the rules of H-2A on the horizon.
Charlie Hall, AmericanHort chief economist, provided an economic update including increased sales industry-wide but with increased input costs and a need to continue raising wages to remain competitive and attract good talent.
Danny Summers presented the always popular Retailers’ Choice awards on the show floor, recognizing unique and innovative products that have the potential to be best sellers in garden center retail stores.
The trade show floor housed about 650 exhibitors and plenty of takeaways for anyone walking the show floor. Cut flowers and houseplants were two categories on the green goods side that really jumped out more than in years past, while overwhelming positive business reports dampened slightly by supply chain woes were the main threads during conversations.
Videos
