Valuable leaders listen intently. They encourage others and they are honest. They inspire innovation. Rosalynn Carter said, “A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.”
Now in its third year, the 2019 Horticultural Leadership Awards (HILA) are honoring six recipients who share these qualities. Greenhouse Management, Nursery Management and Syngenta congratulate these remarkable men and women who represent the green industry with fortitude.
Whiteflies and thrips remain two of the most challenging pests in ornamental production. There are multiple species of each, some of which can transmit plant viruses, leading to further plant damage. Preventing these insect pests is critical for optimal control. Curative applications can be costly and unsuccessful.
The biggest reason whiteflies and thrips are so difficult to control is their rapid reproduction rate. Populations of these two pests can increase very quickly, often resulting in plant injury. To make matters worse, their prevalence has led to resistance issues.
“They hit so many different crops and the reproduction is so rapid so they’re being treated very often, which can lead to resistance to the materials that everyone is using,” says Stanton Gill, extension specialist in IPM and entomology at the University of Maryland Extension. “Growers who are doing broad-spectrum spraying in a greenhouse environment and trying to hit multiple plants in multiple applications — you’re going to get resistance. Especially with thrips, because their life cycle is so short.”
Whiteflies’ life cycle moves a little slower than thrips, taking 24 to 26 days for a complete pass through from egg to reproducing adult. Controlling whiteflies and thrips requires an integrated strategy of monitoring, utilizing proper cultural practices and effective control agents. Since they often feed in hard-to-reach areas of the plant (buds and flowers), thorough application coverage is critical for successful control. Thrips make it particularly difficult because of their egg-laying practices.
“The egg is tucked into the leaf so the grower can’t see it,” Gill says. “It hatches, it goes through two larval stages than boom – it’s an adult reproducing. That can be very rapid when the hot weather occurs. So populations can go through the roof quickly.”
In addition to the potential threat of tospovirus transmission with thrips, their rasping mouthparts cause physical injury to both leaves and flowers, reducing the quality and salability of the crop. With whiteflies, the presence of immatures and adults is not appealing, and the sticky honeydew they excrete attracts ants and results in the growth of sooty mold.
“It is important to carefully scout your crops every week and apply controls at the first appearance of the pest,” says Nancy Rechcigl, technical services manager for ornamentals at Syngenta.
Being proactive can help with control, and big-ticket crops like poinsettia and basil are priorities because they’re such moneymakers.
“Poinsettia is always going to be the classic plant they go to,” Gill says. “Gerbera daisy is the Typhoid Mary of plants — gorgeous flower, but it gets whiteflies, it gets thrips, it gets aphids, it gets powdery mildew, downy mildew, it gets it all.”
Amy Morris, head grower at N.G. Heimos Greenhouses in Milstadt, Ill., was spending a lot of time and product spraying for pests. She turned to Mainspring® GNL insecticide from Syngenta, which is a neonicotinoid alternative for greenhouse and nursery crops.
“We trialed Mainspring GNL and found that a drench provided excellent coverage,” Morris says. “We were not seeing any caterpillars, thrips, aphids or leafminers. We used to have to spray every week just to prevent flare ups of aphids or caterpillars on our outdoor mums but we’re able to eliminate a lot of that product use with a drench of Mainspring GNL.”
Gerberas are notorious for attracting thrips and whiteflies. Because of those pests’ rapid reproduction rate, scout crops early and often.
Neonicotinoids have long been used to combat infestations in the nursery. However, recent bans and limitations have forced growers to consider alternative chemistries. Mainspring GNL insecticide controls a wide range of chewing and sucking pests with the novel active ingredient cyantraniliprole, which belongs to the recently-added chemistry class (IRAC Group 28). As a non-neonicotinoid product, it is compatible with beneficial insects. It carries a four-hour REI (restricted-entry interval), has no special personal protective equipment required for early entry and is registered by the U.S. EPA under its Reduced Risk Program.
A reduced risk pesticide use is defined as one which may reasonably be expected to accomplish one or more of the following; (1) reduces pesticide risks to human health; (2) reduces pesticide risks to non-target organisms; (3) reduces the potential for contamination of valued, environmental resources, or (4) broadens adoption of IPM or makes it more effective. Mainspring GNL qualifies under one or more of the above criteria.
When used preventively, Mainspring GNL, can keep pest populations from building to damaging levels and helps reduce additional pest pressure later in the season, Rechcigl says.
Growers can use Mainspring GNL in a similar manner as they would a neonicotinoid product.
“Mainspring GNL is systemic, so you should make a drench application a few weeks after transplanting, once the crop has started rooting into the container,” says Rechcigl. “The more roots that are present, the more active ingredient is picked up, resulting in longer control. You typically see 8-12 weeks of protection with drench applications.”
Sprays can also be used to control these pests on crops with short production times. When sprayed, applications should begin when insect populations are first noticed. The active ingredient will be absorbed into the plant tissue and prevent populations from building to damaging levels. Spray applications also have residual activity and Rechcigl recommends making applications on a two-week interval.
Morris was pleased with the results of the Mainspring GNL drench on her poinsettia crop.
“We appreciate that we are using fewer chemicals on a weekly basis and the fact that it is not a neonicotinoid,” she says. “With poinsettias, we found that drenching them at the 10 oz. rate held perfectly for 8 weeks. If we want 100% coverage, we drench with Mainspring GNL and we don’t have to go back and make curative applications. I would absolutely recommend it to other growers.”
The life cycle of whiteflies is 24 to 26 days from egg to reproducing adult.
Photo courtesy of Scott Bauer, USDA
A potent combo
Using a product rotation with different modes of action is an important component of an integrated pest management (IPM) program to help prevent the development of resistance. Growers should select products with/from different FRAC and IRAC codes and, if using biological control agents (BCAs), ensure compatibility. For the greatest success, take time to research the control products and the BCAs in your IPM program to ensure compatibility and avoid trial and error.
“Mainspring GNL works like a shield and provides long, residual control against a wide range of chewing and sucking pests that challenge ornamental production,” Rechcigl says. “It also has good compatibility with natural enemies/beneficials and can be used in IPM programs. Having an effective tool that will control your primary pest problems with long residual control means that the grower has more time to focus their attention on other productions issues.”
Gill has long been a proponent for biological control programs for thrips and whiteflies because of the resistance issue.
He has conducted many trials testing IPM approaches that incorporate traditional chemical treatments. During a 2018 trial focused on eliminating thrips and aphids from dahlias, he found an approach that works well. On the chemical side, he used a drench with Mainspring GNL applied twice a year at a rate of 8 oz. per 100 gallons of water. He combined that with a banker plant system, predacious insects and pheromone and food-baited sticky traps.
The banker plants used in the Maryland trial were an ornamental pepper (Capsicum annuum) ‘Purple Flash’, which was chosen for prolific flower production. The peppers’ job was to provide pollen and nectar to feed a predacious insect called Orius (also known as minute pirate bugs), which loves to feed on the larval stage of thrips.
“When used preventively, Mainspring GNL can keep pest populations from building to damaging levels.” NANCY RECHCIGL, technical services manager, ornamentals, Syngenta
The compatibility of Mainspring GNL with beneficials came in handy, as he also used two predatory mites, Amblyseius cucumeris and A. swirskii, in the trial.
Gill says the drench did an excellent job controlling aphids on the treated plants for the entire season. No aphids or thrips were detected in the first 12 weeks of growth. And its application did not impact predator releases.
“It worked beautifully,” Gill says.
Next, he’s planning a second year of the project, in which he’ll reduce the number of biological releases to try to reduce the cost per plant.
In addition to whiteflies and thrips, Mainspring GNL can be used to prevent aphids, caterpillars, leafminers, leaf-feeding beetles and lace bugs for greenhouse and nursery growers.
Syngenta is dedicated to helping greenhouse and nursery growers keep plants strong and healthy, whether it be bedding plants, perennials, ornamental grasses or vegetables grown for transplant.
Many operations continue to add vegetable plants and herbs to diversify their offerings. Pre-finished containers of fruiting vegetable plants and herbs can be produced along with and complementary to spring and summer ornamental portfolios. They are well-suited for patio containers or garden transplants.
“Over the past several years, we have seen a 35% increase in the production of vegetable plants and herbs being produced alongside ornamentals for the retail market,” says Nancy Rechcigl, technical services manager for ornamentals at Syngenta.
As with ornamentals, growers should select vegetable varieties that are more tolerant or resistant to specific disease or insect pest problems.
“Usually the breeder or the company that’s marketing those products have a list of varieties that will be more tolerant to, for instance, bacterial leaf spot,” Rechcigl says. “There’s a lot of breeding going on in vegetable production for tolerance or resistance to bacterial leaf spot because there are not a lot of products available to control that. It is important to always check with the vendor, and if possible, purchase varieties that are more resistant or tolerant to the problem.”
While new vegetable varieties are often bred and screened for resistance to certain diseases, it is still important to scout and be aware of common problems such as leaf spots and mildews.
In addition, identification should always be confirmed through a commercial or state diagnostic lab.
Downy mildew and powdery mildew can spell trouble for production of many lettuces, leafy greens and herbs, as well as cucurbits, peppers and eggplants, Rechcigl says. Tomato growers should scout for leaf spots such as Alternaria and Septoria.
Two-spotted spider mites, whiteflies, thrips and aphids are some of the primary insect pests that affect vegetables.
“It’s a similar pest spectrum like you would see in ornamentals,” Rechcigl says.
Although many of the same diseases and insect pests affect vegetables and herbs as ornamentals, fewer plant protection products are registered for use on them.
“Many growers rely on using biological control agents to keep their ornamentals, vegetables and herbs disease- and pest-free,” Rechcigl says. “However, there are times when disease and pest pressure can get out of control and traditional plant protection products are needed.”
Compatibility with beneficial insects is an important feature of chemical products since many growers incorporate biological control agents during vegetable production.
Knowing whether a chemical product is compatible is critical for a successful integrated pest management program (IPM) and saves time, resources and labor. Many Syngenta insecticides have been tested with beneficial insects, which can help growers avoid trial and error.
“New active ingredients are not only screened for their efficacy on different diseases and pest problems, but they’re also evaluated on the effects they may have on non-target organisms — and this includes beneficials — so that we know where they can fit in IPM programs,” says Rechcigl.
Syngenta is committed to working with growers to develop comprehensive solutions to the pest and disease issues they face on a wide variety of plants.
There are several Syngenta products registered to help protect vegetable and herb plants grown for resale in the retail market. Each has demonstrated effective control of many common diseases and insects that can affect vegetable production.
With a commitment to bringing plant potential to life, Syngenta discovers and develops active ingredients to bring more product innovations to the horticultural and agricultural industries.
Citation, Endeavor and Flagship are registered for insect control; while Heritage, Micora, Mural, Segovis and Subdue Maxx are registered for disease control for certain types of vegetables and herbs. Consult product labels for more information.
“Endeavor insecticide is the most recent product from Syngenta that is now registered for use on vegetable plants grown for resale to consumers,” Rechcigl says. “Products are really developed with a purpose and solution in mind. That’s how we show our commitment to the industry.”
2019 Syngenta; Important: Always read and follow label instructions. Some products may not be registered for sale or use in all states or counties and/or may have state-specific use requirements. Please check with your local extension service to ensure registration and proper use. GreenCast®, Citation®, Endeavor®, Flagship®, Heritage®, Micora®, Mural®, Segovis®, Subdue Maxx® and the Syngenta logo are trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company.
The war against downy mildew
2019 Horticulture Industry Leadership Awards - Advertorial
Improved fungicides, smart rotation approaches and new resistant varieties are weapons growers can use to fight this difficult disease.
The reproductive cycle of downy mildew pathogens can occur within a short time under the right environmental conditions. Pictured: downy mildew sporulation on impatiens.
Photo courtesy of Nancy Rechcigl
One of the most popular bedding plants across the globe became a rare commodity when impatiens downy mildew went rampant in 2011. The disease, caused by the pathogen Plasmopara obducens, decimated the impatiens market and has had a lasting impact on the production and successful use of impatiens and many other crops.
Downy mildew diseases are notoriously difficult to control because of a few particular factors that ease its spread. The reproductive cycle can occur within a short period of time under the right environmental conditions.
They are also known for producing sporangia, which contain mobile zoospores that are capable of starting new infections.
“The disease can progress very quickly in some plant systems,” says Nancy Rechcigl, technical services manager for ornamentals at Syngenta. “In some instances, the disease can become systemic, leading to recurrent infections or plant death.”
Non-treated impatiens at 10 weeks Photo courtesy of Nancy Rechcigl
Rotation and the “sandwich” approach
Recent innovations in plant protection products and genetics provide the tools needed to successfully produce impatiens in the greenhouse and grow them in the landscape.
Still, practicing good resistance management is critical to preserve plant protection chemistries and crop genetics. Downy mildew fungi in particular are known to develop resistance very easily when exposed to a single active ingredient over an extended period of time, Rechcigl says. To avoid developing resistance issues, it is important to incorporate at least two and ideally three products with different modes of action into a rotation for each target problem.
Fungicides that are effective on downy mildews come from FRAC groups 4, 21, 40, 43, 45 and 49. These specifically target oomycete diseases, including downy mildew and Phytophthora. Growers should try to select products from these FRAC groups and put them in a rotation. Rechcigl also suggests incorporating fungicides from FRAC groups 7 and 11 as well, because they include broad-spectrum activity fungicides. A crop that is susceptible to downy mildew isn’t just going to be fighting downy mildew. Mixing in these fungicides allows growers to protect against downy mildew while still covering other diseases like Botrytis and fungal leaf spots.
“Ideally, a program should include a combination of products with systemic activity as well as contact or translaminar activity,” Rechcigl says. “A well-structured program will consider how best to utilize the products’ strengths and leverage modes of action at times when they will provide the maximum benefit.”
Rotating modes of action is important, but another key to successful rotation is using products in a particular order. Even for new disease-tolerant and resistant genetics, Rechcigl recommends implementing a rotation program that utilizes a “systemic sandwich” approach.
“With this approach, systemic fungicides are applied as a drench at transplant or at the beginning of production and again prior to shipping,” says Rechcigl. “Other fungicides with translaminar activity should be applied as sprays in between. The use of systemic products as a drench prior to shipping provides extended protection in the landscape for the consumer, which maximizes garden performance. The sprays applied between the drenches are part of a resistance management strategy to take the pressure off the control provided by the drench.”
Rechcigl says that Segovis® fungicide, launched by Syngenta in 2016, currently offers the longest residual activity out of all the systemic products, which makes it a particularly good fit for “systemic sandwich” rotation programs. Also, Segovis has a unique mode of action and can be applied as a drench for long-lasting control of downy mildew. Its novel active ingredient in FRAC group 49 can help diversify treatments, which is ideal for rotation programs. Mural® and Micora® fungicides can be applied as sprays in between to offer translaminar activity and continued control of downy mildews, as well as other diseases.
Imara XDR Salmon Shades
Photo courtesy of Syngenta Flowers
Practical experience
Jeff Walls, head grower at Kube-Pak, in Allentown, N.J., has experience using Segovis as a preventive measure for downy mildew. Kube-Pak produces plugs and rooted cuttings for greenhouse growers, as well as finished plants for garden centers and landscapers in 20 acres under cover and six acres of outside growing area. Walls applies the fungicide in the spring to coleus, agastache, ornamental cabbage and kale.
“It’s become protocol,” he says. “In 2017, we lost 40% of our agastache crop to downy mildew, but we didn’t have any issues with it in 2018. We sprayed Segovis preventively and there was no loss of the crop. When we saw signs of downy mildew on seed and vegetative varieties of coleus, we drenched with Segovis at the high rate of 2.4 oz/100 gal. It cleared right up and we were able to ship the crop seven days later. That may be my first time ever seeing something clear up like that and still be able to ship.”
In addition to the ability to clear plants of disease, the level of preventive control he’s seen has allowed Walls to reduce chemical usage at Kube-Pak.
“With other fungicides we could control outbreaks but would have to apply a lot of chemicals to clear the crops of disease,” he says. “We are using less chemicals now because of the improved chemistries in Mural and Segovis.”
Impatiens treated with Segovis 10 weeks after application.
Photo courtesy of Nancy Rechcigl
Resistant varieties
Better fungicides and smart rotations can reduce the impact of downy mildew. Growers also are fighting back by using new resistant varieties.
“No doubt, impatiens downy mildew has been one of the most significant diseases to affect the ornamental production market in the past two decades,” Rechcigl says. “We did see a big drop in impatiens production in 2013 and again in 2014, but we are starting to see this turn around.”
New innovations in plant protection products and resistant genetics have created optimism about the future of impatiens for the garden market.
Imara™ XDR from Syngenta Flowers is billed as the first Impatiens walleriana with a high degree of resistance to downy mildew. It performed well in independent trials in North America and Europe, including trials in 2017 and 2018 at Cornell University’s Long Island Horticultural Research and Extension Center.
Even though these new varieties are resistant, that doesn’t mean growers can completely ignore disease pressure.
“Resistance management is just as important with plant genetics that are bred for tolerance to a disease as it is for preserving new chemistry,” Rechcigl says.
Over time, new strains of the pathogen will evolve that will overcome the plant’s tolerance or resistance. This unfortunate factor tends to occur most frequently in oomycetes.
While disease pressure within production may appear to be low and manageable with resistant varieties alone, the real success is if the plants can maintain their landscape performance for the season under disease pressure, year after year. A fungicide program can help preserve genetic resistance and depending upon the product and timing, help ensure optimum landscape performance.
“Resistant varieties give us another tool to use to manage or avoid a problem and achieve a successful outcome,” Rechcigl says. “When they are used in a program with effective products, you have the greatest chance of success.”
Born in London and fond of using quotes from the legendary prime minister Winston Churchill, Alan Jones is a quintessentially British plantsman. He will occasionally jokingly refer to his current country as “the colonies.” John Clark and Dennis Hendrix, the two men that partnered with Alan to buy Manor View Farm, will joke about the past history between the two countries. Despite Alan’s British sense of humor, they have formed a strong bond that has ensured the success of Manor View Farm.
Working for the Queen
In England, it’s customary for agricultural and horticultural students to get some practical experience before heading off to college. Alan had always been interested in plants. He even organized greenhouses while in high school, which he says “was probably unusual for a high school student.” Alan gained two years of horticultural experience by working at The Royal Gardens, Windsor Castle, and The Savill Garden and Windsor Great Park.
Built by William the Conqueror, Windsor Castle has been the home of British kings and queens for nearly 1,000 years. History oozes from every corner. Alan worked in a Victorian greenhouse complex and walled garden that supplied the palace with plant material — from bouquets for a state dinner to houseplants. He lived on the castle grounds with his fellow students.
Growing plants for a palace at The Royal Gardens was different than working at The Savill Garden, a woodland garden in Windsor Great Park, a large park connected to the castle grounds.
“We bumped into the royal family from time to time,” Alan says. “The Queen would be out riding horses, so you’d come across them. She would expect you to have a conversation with her, even if only briefly.”
“You’d see the Queen Mother coming through The Savill Garden when she was out exercising her dogs. She’d always stop and talk about the plants and ask questions about what you were doing.”
Alan enjoyed his experience at Windsor Castle and it solidified that horticulture was the right career for him. He also got the benefit of receiving a Christmas card (and a Christmas pudding) from the Queen.
A journey to the colonies
After he graduated from Pershore College of Horticulture, Alan went to work for Oakover Nurseries in Ashford, Kent. Tom Wood, Oakover’s owner, introduced Alan to The International Plant Propagators’ Society in 1979.
However, Alan’s eyes were wandering across the sea. His maternal grandmother was born in the U.S., and through that family connection, he was related to Lib Flemer, the wife of Bill Flemer III, president of Princeton Nurseries in New Jersey. Bill was a very influential leader in the U.S. nursery industry, who served as president for numerous regional and national associations and was credited with 62 tree and shrub introductions. Alan had met Bill a few times when he visited England. After finishing college, Alan spent six weeks crisscrossing America on a Greyhound bus. He stayed with the Flemers in New Jersey, visited some other relatives near Boston, and traveled across the country to the West Coast, stopping at nurseries along the way.
His visit gave him some in-person knowledge of the U.S. nursery industry and strengthened his resolve to make the move. In 1984, Alan emigrated to the U.S. and went to work for Bill. Princeton Nurseries has a long history. It was established in 1913, shortly before World War I, before growing to become the nation’s largest commercial nursery.
While at Princeton, Alan was initially involved with propagation and container production. But by the end of his time there, he was a vice president of the nursery and involved with all aspects of production at the Kingston, New Jersey, location.
A new beginning
After 10 years at Princeton, Alan left in 1994 to join Manor View Farm in Monkton, Maryland. The 100-acre nursery grows a wide range of finished B&B trees and shrubs, and propagates a wide selection of potted shrub liners for sale to growers.
John Clark had been at Manor View since 1988, and was one of the people who interviewed Alan for the job.
“We were looking for someone to run all of our growing production operations and Alan certainly fit the bill,” John says.
Manor View was just starting its own propagation liner division, so Alan’s experience as a propagator at Princeton Nurseries as well as his knowledge of field growing made him an ideal candidate.
“Princeton was Princeton back then,” John says. “We were very small. We felt really fortunate to get Alan at that time.”
The Patterson family sold Manor View Farm to Alan, John and Dennis Hendrix in 2007. Alan’s leadership was evident then to his partners as well as his employees.
“He has more energy than anyone I’ve ever met,” John says. “I’ve never known him to be tired. I don’t think he sleeps at all. And his energy level, it influences everybody. It inspires us all to do a little more, you know, it just creeps into every fiber of everybody here.”
“He is a mentor to all of the folks in our propagation unit as well as those in the yard and field departments,” Dennis Hendrix says. “During the past recession, Alan’s guidance with cost control certainly helped keep MVF afloat during tough times.”
Rocky roads
Alan faced his most daunting challenge when the 2008 economic recession hit just one year after he purchased the nursery.
It was a stressful time. The three co-owners had borrowed heavily to purchase the business. Now, its sales had dried up as customers cut back on landscaping projects. But not only did the nursery survive when many others did not, Manor View Farm didn’t lay off a single worker.
“Alan was truly an inspirational, motivating force in holding everything together through a deep recession,” John says. “We kid him about being British and the ‘stiff upper lip,’ but it’s what got us through the really bad times.”
Alan says the survival was mainly due to prudent “belt-tightening and having one of the best teams in the green industry. A very supportive and understanding wife and family also helped.” Everyone took a pay reduction. The owners led by example, taking larger reductions than everyone else.
There was a silver lining of sorts. Manor View Farm was able to take the lessons learned from the recession and incorporate them into everyday business practices. In trying to cut costs and become more efficient, Alan and his team looked very hard at what they were doing and why they were doing it. They were able to reduce waste in several areas.
“We had to become very lean,” Alan says. “Winston Churchill once said, ‘You never waste a good recession.’ As we moved forward, we took advantage of what we learned during that period.”
In describing the mindset needed to endure a recession, Alan offers another quote often attributed to the WWII-era prime minister.
“‘If you’re going through hell, just keep going,’” he says. “You’ve got no choice, really. The alternative is not encouraging.”
It took nine years for sales to recover to pre-recession levels and today, Manor View Farm is doing well. The nursery celebrated 40 years in business in 2016.
Alan started a family in the U.S., as well. His wife, Kyle, is American and Alan’s son Colin grew up around the business. His other children — Ian, a civil engineer, and Megan, a supply chain management specialist — also worked at Manor View during summers and weekends, but decided other careers were more to their liking.
“For as long as I can remember my dad has always been involved with activities that I was involved in,” Colin says. “Whether it was helping drive a truck and trailer to all the Boy Scout camping trips or going to the local tennis court to help me practice for a few hours, he was always willing to spend time with me. More recently, it has been helping to learn the workings of the business and industry. We have started going to more industry events together so I can learn and meet more people.”
London-born Alan Jones leads Manor View Farm. The nursery grows a wide range of finished B&B trees and shrubs, and propagates a wide selection of potted shrub liners for sale to growers.
Forging connections
From a young age, Alan has been keen to get involved with industry associations. He learned useful skills and forged connections that helped him when he was just beginning his journey. And like those before him, Alan has taken up leadership roles and helped others along their paths.
“It was instilled in me from Tom Wood and Bill Flemer that if you take from the industry that you should give back to the industry,” Alan says. “To quote Sir Winston Churchill: ‘We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.’”
Alan has joined regional, national and international associations, including the Maryland Nursery, Landscape & Greenhouse Association, on which he served on the legislative committee. The MNLGA presented him with its Professional Achievement Award in 2014. At the national level, he served in several capacities for the American Nursery and Landscape Association, which was the precursor to AmericanHort. He served on the ANLA Standards Committee, as ANLA Senate representative for Maryland and a contributor to the ANLA New Ideas Session. He’s currently a board member for the Horticultural Research Institute.
Alan is a very active member of the International Plant Propagators’ Society’s Eastern Region. He has served on the board of directors and served as president in 2002. In 2000 he was elected a Fellow of IPPS — Eastern Region and received the organization’s highest honor, the Award of Merit, from Eastern Region IPPS in 2011.
The IPPS motto is ‘to seek and to share,’ and its members’ willingness to do just that is unique to the horticulture industry.
“I don’t know many industries where your major competitor can be one of your best friends,” Alan says. “There’s not many industries that will share information about what you do and how you do it.”
Even if it is proprietary information, the diversity of the industry means it’s not always easy for someone to copy exactly what you’re doing. They might be in a different part of country with a different climate, different soil, or use different media.
Alan Jones guided Manor View Farm through the recession without any layoffs.
Alan’s time with IPPS provided him with unique opportunities. He suggests any young nursery professional should ask lots of questions and travel as much as possible.
“Meeting nursery people from around the world certainly influences your thought process and your views of the industry, because you have a wider perspective of how the industry works,” he says.
He has served on the IPPS International Board for 12 years and as chairman for the past four years. He’ll retire from the International Board this year. As part of the International Board, he was recently invited to speak at conferences in China and India promoting the formation of new IPPS regions. His son Colin says the 2019 IPPS International Tour may have been the first time he ever took any time off in May — let alone a two-week trip to Australia.
John says the time Alan spends working for the good of the industry, outside of what he does for Manor View Farm, has helped benefit the company.
“He is known nationally and internationally,” John says. “I’ll joke with him. When he travels he gets to go to New Zealand, Australia and India. When I travel, I get to go to Tennessee, North Carolina and Oregon.”
Education of both customers and team members is important to Alan and the annual Manor View Education Seminar, now in its 20th year, has allowed him to bring many unique international and national speakers to Maryland for the first time.
“We had a feeling that if we can educate our customers, the benefit to Manor View is that they buy more plant material, and the right plant material,” Alan says. “By understanding what to buy, how to design and how to handle plant material, their customers will be happier because there won’t be so many failures. Everybody wins through education.”
The American Landscape Institute is another interesting educational initiative that aims to provide leadership and training to the next generation of horticultural professionals. Two years ago, a group of landscape and nursery companies based in the Baltimore, Maryland, area created this concept to help find a local solution to solving the skilled labor shortage.
Alan joined ALI as its vice president because he saw the idea's potential as a “learn to earn” program. The apprentice-like structure allows students to work four days a week, then attend community college classes for one day a week. In May, the Maryland Department of Education gave ALI an award for cooperation between education and industry.
Alan has encouraged some of Manor View’s younger people to serve on the board of local associations.
“It does take time away from the business, but the industry needs to speak with a sound, solid voice, particularly when it comes to political issues,” he says.
Playing politics
Immigration reform is the most significant political issue for nurseries, because without an actual labor force the industry would be in severe trouble.
Alan has worked closely with Craig Regelbrugge, AmericanHort’s senior vice president of public policy and government relations, for nearly 30 years on the issue.
“We’ve long encouraged every horticulture industry business to take the time to make political outreach and education part of their business model,” Craig says. “Alan has done this, and doubled down, literally, both in Maryland where Manor View Farm is located, and across the border where he resides in Pennsylvania.”
One of the first political fundraisers Alan attended was for the late Arlen Specter, U.S. Senator for Pennsylvania. During introductions, the famously quick-witted senator asked, “Do I detect an accent from the Empire?”
“He had no idea if I was English, South African or from Australia or New Zealand and he didn’t want to embarrass himself,” Alan says.
After Alan explained that he was from England and that he had just become a citizen a few months before, Specter added, “You mean you are at this meeting and you didn’t vote for me at the last election?” Alan replied he did not, then held up his check and said “But I have one of these.” The senator replied, “Well, you’re welcome at this table anytime.”
Craig considers Alan a friend as well as a powerful advocate in the realm of federal and state politics and policies.
“His ‘accent of the Empire’ can be a conversational door-opener, and being an immigrant himself lends personal perspective and a story regarding the important contribution immigrants and temporary workers make in our society,” Craig says. “He is credible, diligent and persistent, taking the long view about winning the support of a politician, rather than writing someone off after one difficult meeting. Truly, one who walks the walk!”
Alan encourages nurserymen to participate in congressional visits or organized fly-ins because it helps them understand why resolving an issue like immigration takes so long.
“We’ve had some congressmen visit our nursery so we can explain to them the importance of our Mexican and Hispanic workers, help them understand what it’s like for them to go through the visa process, and some of the issues they face while they wait for their visas,” he says. “It certainly helps getting to know those people, because then you gain easier access to them.”
In the last two years, many of Manor View’s landscape customers did not receive the workforce they were expecting. Many of them come to Alan for answers about H-2B, because even though he’s only been a U.S. citizen since 2005, the dual citizen knows American politics better than most.
“Not a lot of people take the time to do the industry work,” John says. “He’s a good person and a great leader and a tireless worker for the industry. We certainly would not be where we are without Alan.”
Although challenged by labor, weather and the economy, Alan sees a bright future for Manor View Farm. He also feels fortunate to work in an industry he enjoys.
“If you’re passionate about what you do every day, life is much more enjoyable,” he says.
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