Greenhouse Best Management Practices Workshop

Join us for the 2024 Greenhouse Best Management Practices Workshop!Greenhouse best management practices workshop logo

The Greenhouse Best Management Practices workshop is a full-day event for greenhouse and nursery growers to learn the latest techniques and advice in integrated pest management, business management, sustainability, and more. The day also serves as an opportunity to network with other growers and see live demonstrations of techniques.

Light refreshments will be provided. Please pack a lunch.

Three pesticide applicator credits are available for attending this program.

When: March 5th, 2024, from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM (rain date – March 8th)

Where: Longfellow’s Greenhouses, 81 Puddledock Rd, Manchester, ME

Price: $20

Seating is limited! Please register soon!

Register here!


AGENDA

Tuesday, March 5th, 8:30 am – 4:00 pm

8:30 – 9:00 am | Check-in and Coffee

9:00 – 9:05 am | Welcome and Introductions

9:05 – 9:30 am | Rodents & Other Mammals Around the Greenhouse – Hillary Peterson, DACF IPM Specialist, and Kirk Michaud, USDA APHIS Wildlife Specialist

9:30– 10:00 am | Recycling Plastics in the Greenhouse – Speaker TBD

10:00 – 11:00 am | Hiring and Retention of Employees – Dr. Jason Entsminger, UMaine Extension Small Business Specialist

11:00 – 11:15 amBreak

11:15 am – 12:15 pm | Plant Disease Prevention, Detection, and Management – Dr. Alicyn Smart, UMaine Extension Plant Pathologist

12:15 – 1:00 pm | Lunch – Brown bag lunch

1:00 – 3:30 pm | Guided Tour of Longfellow’s Greenhouses with Hands-on Activity Stations (25 minutes per station. See map for your group number & order of stops)

Station #1: Biological Control – TBD (Longfellow’s) & Hillary Peterson (DACF IPM Specialist)

Station #2: Improving Disease Detection & Sanitation – Dr. Alicyn Smart (UMaine Extension), TBD, & Evan Longfellow (Longfellow’s)

Station #3: Perennials & Rodents and Other Mammals – Crystal Ferris (Longfellow’s) & Kirk Michaud (USDA Wildlife Specialist)

Station #4: Transplanting Machine Demo & Equipment – Will Longfellow (Longfellow’s) & Sarah Scally (DACF Assistant Horticulturturist)

Station #5: Watering, pH, & Calibrating Equipment – Monica Bragg (Longfellow’s), Carole Neil (DACF Assistant Horticulturist), & Jeff Skillin (Head Grower, Skillins Greenhouses)

3:30 – 4:00 pm | Q&A Session, Grower Discussion, & Wrap Up


For questions about the program, please contact Hillary Peterson at hillary.peterson@maine.gov or 207.215.4793.

If you are a person with a disability and need an accommodation to participate, please contact Kerry Bernard at 207.581.3884, 800.287.0279 (in Maine), or kerry.bernard@maine.edu. Receiving requests for accommodations at least 10 days before the program provides a reasonable amount of time to meet the request, however, all requests will be considered. 

In complying with the letter and spirit of applicable laws and pursuing its own goals of diversity, the University of Maine System does not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender, gender identity or expression, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship status, familial status, ancestry, age, disability physical or mental, genetic information, or veterans or military status in employment, education, and all other programs and activities. The University provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Director of Equal Opportunity, 5713 Chadbourne Hall, Room 412, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-5713, 207.581.1226, TTY 711 (Maine Relay System).