Page 61 - Free State Spring 2022 - June FINAL

contacting speakers, securing their
titles and session topics, biographies,
and the program was coming together
beautifully. The committee decided to
host the Nursery Grower, Landscape
Contractor, Greenhouse Grower, Retail
Growers and Garden Center tracks on
day one concluding the day with a
plenary session.
We were thrilled to welcome Sam
Hoadley from the Mt. Cuba Center
to be our keynote this year. Sam is
no stranger to Chesapeake Green,
and he gave an outstanding address
discussing the various research trials
they are currently conducting at the
center as well as native plant species,
cultivars, and hybrids in their Trial
Garden. Our incredible plenary session
was a business leader roundtable
featuring Taylor Pilker (Cavano’s
Perennials), Andrew Barry (Griffin
Greenhouse Supplies, Inc.), Bernie
Kohl (Angelica Nurseries), John Stump
(MidAtlantic Farm Credit), Alan Jones
(Manor View Farm, Inc.), and Julie
Iferd (Catoctin Mountain Growers).
This panel was similar to the one we
hosted in 2021, however this one was
more focused on the struggles that
businesses are facing now, and what’s
to come. Over the past two years, the
pandemic, while benefitting the industry
on one hand, has triggered and/or
intensified many industry challenges
including material shortages, supply
chain struggles, labor shortages,
shipping trials and more. Our
roundtable panelists discussed all of
these issues and took a lot of questions PAGE 60
from the audience. You can tell when Attendees stop and chat with sponsors including Bob Froelich with Bayer Ornamentals and
it’s a good session when it runs over it’s Kathleen Hester from Gowan
allotted time and no one comes out of ABOVE TOP TO BOTTOM
the auditorium right away! Keynote Sam Hoadley addresses the Day 1 Chessie crowd
Our fantastic moderator on Day 1, Chuck Schuster keeping everyone on their toes!
In between our incredible keynote and
plenary sessions, speakers touched on Steve Black of Raemelton Farm shows off his official Chesapeake Green speaker gift this year to
keep things running during the busy planting season!
all topics from the blue ash borer war
A packed, but masked auditorium enjoying Day 2 of Chessie Green

Get Active. Stay Involved. • SPRING 2022 61