JLPN only collects seed, in the case that we can’t outsource it, because collecting seed ourselves doesn’t generate profits and creates a drain on vital resources (labor). Our profits are created from producing seedling and rooted cuttings, largely in part to our mechanized planting system. Wherever possible, nurseries should streamline production and “Outsource your Overhead to Increase Profits.”

Many growers who used to do in-house propagation have realized that in today’s market, propagation has become a misuse of vital labor resources. Having a crew working on growing seedlings and cuttings takes focus away from the portion of the company that generates the true dollars – the crop! In addition, if a grower needs 1,000 plants of a specific grade, they have to grow at least 40 percent more trees to get that specific grade, which creates waste, adding to the overall cost and overhead. With the help of JLPN, you only order what you need, eliminating waste.

In-house propagation of seedlings and cuttings can save growers pennies per plant, however, that labor is best utilized for creating dollars by maintaining focus and producing a superior field crop that generates true revenue and profits.

Call or email today to learn more on the ways JLPN can help streamline your production process to eliminate overhead and increase profits. Call 1-877-490-7844 | Email info@jlpnliners.com | www.jlpnliners.com

Every new employee brings a possible threat to your business. Among them: theft, sexual harassment, physical violence, identity theft, fraud, and drug use. The potential for ruinous legal actions is higher today than ever before. A background check before you hire an applicant could save your business.

It’s essential that background checks be conducted within the maze of laws designed primarily to protect job applicants. Here are some things you need to know before performing a background check.

“The use of background checks is governed by a multitude of federal, state, and even local laws and regulations,” says labor law attorney David Roth of Fisher Phillips in Denver. “For example, the Fair Credit Reporting Act requires advance notice to the applicant that a background check will be made, and the applicant must provide written consent for the procedure. Further, it requires that the employer provide a copy of the report to the applicant before and after taking any adverse action.”

It’s advisable that you consult with an attorney experienced in labor law before adopting a policy of making pre-employment background checks.

Despite the need of adherence to applicable laws, many employers feel that the positive benefits of background checks far outweigh the inconveniences.

Benefits of background checks

“A comprehensive background check, including criminal convictions, civil filings, credit history (where permissible) and social media, will reduce the number of people hired with a history of violent, anti-social or otherwise undesirable behavior,” says labor attorney Todd Wulffson, managing partner at Carothers, DiSante & Freudenberger in Irvine, Calif. “This will likely reduce the risk of hiring persons who may harm the company, its employees or customers.”

Wulffson also points out that a comprehensive background check reduces the risk of “negligent hiring” cases against the employer by precluding applicants who, if they commit any bad act in the workplace, provide an easy argument that they should never have been hired because of their history.

“Another benefit is that eliminating applicants through various types of background checks reduces the pool of applicants thus simplifying the interviewing process,” Wulffson says.

Background check information, especially if taken from social media sites, may not always paint an accurate portrait of an individual, and decisions based on social media may be more susceptible to claims of discrimination.

Attorney Roth adds that other benefits of pre-employment background checks include:

• An increased ability to ensure quality employees
• A clean background check may indicate that an applicant is trustworthy, reliable, and responsible
• A clean background check may help predict job performance
• Pre-employment background checks often discourage applications by individuals who are trying to hide something
• May increase an employer’s ability to provide a safe workplace, and may decrease instances of workplace violence
• May increase an employer’s ability to minimize theft losses due to employee dishonesty
• May increase an employer’s ability to avoid negative publicity should an employee’s actions or history become public.

Disadvantages of background checks

The cost for conducting background checks has dropped sharply in recent years. The cost for a limited background check in a single state can be as low as $25. Still, it’s a cost that must be factored into the hiring process.

“There is no way to avoid the cost, time, and manpower necessary to request and review a background check,” says Roth.

Wulffson agrees. “Background checks can be expensive – either because one has to retain a company to do the searches, or because employee hours are directed to background checks instead of more productive company business.”

Another factor to consider is the potential that the information in the background check report is incorrect, which may improperly disqualify a good candidate or, conversely, permit the hiring of an undesirable candidate, according to Roth.

Pre-employment background checks cannot always indicate whether an individual with a problematic past has since reformed and become qualified for the job, according to Wulffson. And there is the potential of negatively affecting the morale of employees because they may feel that a policy of conducting background checks invades their privacy, he adds.

“Also, if a company does comprehensive background checks, particularly if it does them early in the application process, it can develop a reputation as a company that invades the privacy of its applicants/employees, and is therefore an undesirable place to work,” he says. “This poor reputation can prevent otherwise strong candidates from applying. This is especially true among millennials – the ‘culture’ of the company is very important to members of generation Y.”

Improperly conducted checks could potentially violate federal, state, or local laws, and monetary penalties for noncompliance with those laws can be significant. These laws and regulations may be complex and difficult to follow, and may require the assistance of legal counsel.

“If the background check process eliminates a great deal of applicants,” says Wulffson, “most of whom are of the same race, the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a state agency, or an enterprising plaintiff’s attorney may claim that the company used the background check as a means to discriminate in the hiring process.

“Also, if the company does a background check before legally compliant notice and consent has occurred, and someone other than the employer does the check, the company may have violated federal law. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), or state equivalents, which carry penalties on their own, may be used as the basis for an invasion of privacy or failure to hire case.”

Background check information, especially if taken from social media sites, may not always paint an accurate portrait of an individual, and decisions based on social media may be more susceptible to claims of discrimination.

“Keep in mind that the employer does not need the applicant’s consent to review publicly-available information about the applicant – which can include criminal records, civil filings and social media sites,” says Wulffson. “However, if the employer does not apply the same level of scrutiny to all applicants, or learns personal information about the applicant that cannot be used to make a hiring decision (e.g. religious affiliation, sexual orientation, cultural or national origin identity, marital status, disability status, etc.) the company risks a lawsuit for invasion of privacy or discrimination if the applicant is not hired.”

Weigh the pros and cons

There is risk and expense involved in the use of pre-employment background checks. Still, increasing numbers of small business owners are looking to them as a first line of defense against the potential problems introduced each time a new employee is hired.

“Any background check should involve a cost/benefit analysis,” Wulffson says, “and this requires a full understanding of the actual costs and risks. This will usually require consultation with competent employment counsel or experienced human resources professional. Our advice for an overall best practice is that the benefits of a standard background check – i.e. a criminal records check and verifying employment/references, outweighs the burdens. Checking these two areas is not expensive, and the risk to the employer for not doing such a minimal and reasonable check is simply too high.”

Credit checks should only be done where legally permissible and relevant to the position, he adds. Civil records checks, such as finding cases where the applicant was a plaintiff or a defendant in a past lawsuit, should only be performed for executives or other high profile positions.

“Finally, social media checks should only be done when social media skills are relevant to the job, or the position will be high-profile with the company. Although applicants must be told upfront what background checks are to be done, the checks must be done only after an employment offer has been made, but before employment begins. This provides a system that is legally compliant, as fair as possible to the applicants and protective of the employer’s interests,” says Wulffson.

It’s a true fact of nature: plants were meant to seed naturally and spread in the ground over the years, producing lovely natural root systems as they go.

However, all efficiency savings that can be made, have to be made and productivity must be ever advanced. Containerization is a fantastic and necessary leap forward to help achieve a smart and long-term operation.

We all know that excellent roots produce excellent plants. Excellent plants mean an excellent return on investment for growers. If a plant has numerous, vigorous and good quality roots when it is planted out, chances are it’s going to do well in the field.

If plants were never meant to grow in containers, how do we ensure our roots are second to none? It breaks our hearts to see containers get a bad name. So often we see poor trees grown in poor containers – root circling and j-rooting are all common sights, but are begrudgingly put up with because containerization is the only financially viable solution for growers.

This doesn’t have to be the case.

Thankfully, Proptek has the solution with our Pot-in-Frame growing systems that utilize our patented, industry-leading air pruning technology. There’s no mess, no chemicals and no labor-intensive shaving of roots.

The 50 Cell Pot-in-Frame (pictured) is a shining example of what happens when 30 years of horticultural and agricultural experience meets a clever mind that wants to produce the very best plants possible.

All our air pruning containers work by having ribs that direct roots to slots or holes in their cell walls from which the roots can escape. When the root is forced out of the slot into relatively dry air, its tip is desiccated or killed. Once this first root is air pruned, it loses its dominance and many secondary roots develop to replace it; these are then air pruned, and again they are replaced by even more healthy roots.

So what does this mean? In Proptek containers, very often plants will develop a mature root system earlier, and top growth has been reported to be 20%-25% greater than plants grown in other containers. Therefore, finish time is up to 33% less than with other containers. Not only are you getting 5-star plants, but you can grow them faster too – and that all helps your bottom line.

The Pot-in-Frame systems are economically advantageous, too! As the trays and pots are made from injection-molded plastic, they should last for many, many seasons. Some of our customers even have employees that are younger than some of their Proptek Trays.

There’s spiraling labor costs to consider too – with a Proptek containerized system, you can carry dozens of plants at once, but easily remove individual plants for inspection. Large parts of the process can be automated too – right from the filling and seeding to the benching and finally harvesting.

The future is containerization – ensure your trees, and your nursery, are the healthiest they can be.

For more information, visit www.proptek.com.

Employees are at risk for many types of injuries, but with proper training and diligent inspections, companies can avoid many of these hazards. One of the most common problems at work is a back injury; it’s the second most common cause of lost work time, with the common cold being No. 1.

OSHA does not have any specific requirements for back safety training or back injury prevention programs, but back injury has important workers’ compensation cost considerations, says Brent A. Bates, Director of Safety Services at Hortica^®, a brand of the Sentry Insurance Group.

To keep employees healthy and to avoid work stoppages, it’s a good idea to develop a back injury prevention program, including injury prevention techniques, available lifting equipment, proper lifting

“Everything you do both at work and at home impacts your back,” Bates says. “Most back injuries can be prevented if you always think defensively about your back. When people injure their backs, not only does it impact their work, it impacts every facet of their lives. A back injury can prevent you from doing many of the things you love to do and can even make daily movements near impossible.”

Although statistics show that back injuries occur more often at home than they do at work, it’s a business owner’s duty to keep the risk of injury low while at work, especially since injured backs are often subject to re-injury, he adds.

Make sure your employees know how to properly lift. Don’t assume that it’s common knowledge. Here are some tips you can share with your employees.

• Know where you are going to lift a load. Pre-plan your lift.
• Get a firm footing: Keep your feet apart (shoulder width) for a stable base and good balance; point toes out.
• Bend at your knees and hips: Don't bend at the waist. Keep the principles of leverage in mind. Don't do more work than you have to. Maintain your three natural back curves.
• Lift with your legs: Let your powerful leg muscles do the work of lifting, not your weaker back muscles. Maintain your three natural curves.
• Lift smoothly; don't jerk as you lift. Sudden movements and weight shifts can injure your back.
• Keep the load close: Don't hold the load away from your body. The closer it is to your spine, the less force it exerts on your back.
• Keep your back upright: Whether you are lifting or putting down the load, don't add the weight of your body to the load. Your nose and your toes should be facing up when lifting.
• Turn with your feet: Avoid twisting; it can cause injury.

Post this information in areas where employees are more likely to be lifting objects. Remind them of these steps during routine safety meetings. Remember to treat your back with respect at all times. “One wrong move could cause you a lifetime of pain,” Bates explains.

— Kelli Rodda

Disclaimer:This document is of a general nature and is not intended to address the circumstances of any particular individual or entity. No one should act on the information contained in this document without advice from a local professional with relevant expertise.

Disclosure:Hortica^® property and casualty coverages are underwritten, and loss control services are provided, by Florists' Mutual Insurance Company and Florists' Insurance Company, members of the Sentry Insurance Group. For more information, visit hortica.com. Policies, coverages, benefits and discounts are not available in all states. See policy for complete coverage details.