Photo courtesy of Oregon Association of Nurseries
The Farwest Show is introducing a new feature to serve emerging horticulture professionals of any age.
Career Boulevard will be a gateway into the diverse opportunities the green industry offers in horticulture, landscaping, nursery management and other related fields, including education, employment, internships and scholarships.
“Everyone starts somewhere, and the green industry needs new energy from new people now more than ever,” said Jamie Moore, events and education coordinator for the Oregon Association of Nurseries, which produces the show. “This also means that opportunities are in abundance. We saw a need to let people explore all the possibilities, and we knew the best place for that would be Farwest.”
Several schools and organizations will have booths in the Career Boulevard area, including Chemeketa Community College, Clackamas Community College, Oregon State University, the Oregon Department of Agriculture, the Oregon Department of Forestry and the Oregon Landscape Contractors Board. The Horticultural Research Institute, affiliated with AmericanHort, and the Oregon Nurseries Foundation, affiliated with the OAN, will also be present.
“We are creating a one-stop location on the show floor where people interested in a nursery career can pursue their dreams,” Moore said. “It opens up a whole new aspect of our show. We envision a place where students can explore educational opportunities, learn about careers, view a job board, make connections and perhaps have their resume reviewed or practice their interview skills.”
For students attending, there will be special perks, including a free three-day trade show pass and a discounted three-day education pass to the seminars. Information is available from area colleges that have an agriculture or horticulture program.
“The horticulture industry offers tremendous opportunities to enjoy a meaningful and rewarding career doing something that people love while making a difference,” Moore said. “We are stoked about debuting this new feature and even more enthused about seeing where it goes from here. The sky is the limit, and we are looking for feedback and ideas to really help it take off.”
The 2025 Farwest Show is Aug. 20-22 at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland.
The show floor will feature with more than 300 exhibiting companies, including wholesale growers, re-wholesalers, garden centers, landscape designers and service providers, allied service providers and suppliers, and more. More than 4,000 attendees are expected.
Show features include:
- In the career-relevant keynote “Plant Your People,” nursery industry consultant and educator John Kennedy will share innovative approaches to employee investment and team development, offering a four-step plan to nurturing and supporting well-rooted teams, so they are ready to grow on day one.
- The New Varieties Showcase and the New Products Showcase will preview the best new plant varieties and hard goods coming to the marketplace in 2025 and 2026. A panel of professionals and attendees will issue awards and accolades to the top entries and exhibiting companies across the show.
- Experts from all segments of the industry will deliver more than 45 educational seminars throughout the show, including free mini sessions that take place at the Solution Center right on the trade show floor. An added feature this year will be a Climate Summit. Attendees can earn continuing education credits, including 10 hours of pesticide recertification credit. The keynote address on Wednesday will be free to all registrants. A discounted student and teacher education pass is available for attendees who provide identification from their institution.
- Three tours — the Wholesale Grower Tour, Retail Garden Center Tour and Automation Tour — are being offered on Aug. 19, one day before the show begins. Food and transportation are provided. The tours cost $124 per person if purchased by July 31, or $139 if purchased after. Sign up at farwestshow.com/register.
- Networking opportunities will take place throughout the show, including the NexGen networking event at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, a happy hour at 5 p.m. Wednesday, a women in horticulture networking event at 3:30 p.m. Thursday and a pub crawl at 5 p.m. Thursday.
The Farwest Show is produced by the Oregon Association of Nurseries, with show proceeds reinvested into industry advocacy, research, workforce development and education.
Those interested in signing up for a booth can visit farwestshow.com/exhibitor-sign-up or contact farwest@oan.org or 503-682-5089.
Complete details on events, daily schedules, speakers and educational seminars for Farwest are available at farwestshow.com. For additional questions, can contact Moore at jmoore@oan.org or 503-582-2010.