Growing Knowledge
Growing students for
the green industry
The OSU Department of Horticulture prepares the professionals
of tomorrow for nursery, greenhouse, landscape and turf careers
By Richard Regan, Kelly Donegan
and Anita Azarenko
Plant Propagation lab sections give students
hands-on experience in rooting cuttings, seed
germination, grafting and budding while testing
the science and principles learned during lectures.
Oregon State University is training
college students to become a viable
part of the diverse green industries in
the Pacific Northwest and elsewhere.
Under the College of Agricultural
Sciences, the OSU Department of
Horticulture recognizes the need for
college graduates with both technical
knowledge and practical skills.
The green industry – including
nursery, greenhouse, and Christmas
tree production systems – is one of the
strongest sectors of agriculture. These
operations are constantly challenged by
changes in market demand, regulation
of invasive species, production efficiency, as well as climate change and
sensitivity to environmental issues.
At the same time, Oregon’s diverse
landscape industry offers careers in
landscape design, construction, and
management, as well as landscape restoration, conservation, urban forestry
and consulting.
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An ongoing series provided by
Oregon State University
in partnership with OAN
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Landscape and turf careers
Landscape professionals design,
build, and manage aesthetic, functional,
and environmentally responsible spaces
where we all live, work, and play. In
recent years, the industry has become
more sophisticated to meet the challenges of today’s urban environment.
Consequently, there is great demand for
creative, motivated individuals who love
the outdoors and enjoy working with
plants, soil, water, nature and people.
Oregon has every kind of golf
course, from high-end style country
clubs, to world-class links-style ocean
courses, to high desert resort courses.
Oregon also has some of the finest
municipal golf courses in the country.
Sports turf abounds in the form of
schools, parks, and club facilities for
soccer, football, baseball, softball, and
lacrosse and we even have polo fields
under development. Career opportunities in turf management of golf and
sports fields have never been better
than they are right now.
Many students choose to study
under OSU’s Turf and Environmental
Landscape Management option. The turf
industry offers professional opportunities in golf course maintenance, park
and athletic field maintenance, and
landscape maintenance. This industry
continues to expand and offers more
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growing knowledge
career track jobs than any other in
horticulture.
Golf course maintenance, leading
to positions such as golf course superintendent, historically has drawn the most
students and is the largest component
of the curriculum. Athletic field maintenance is emerging as a strong career
track as well.
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The OSU campus is a rich resource of plant
materials that help students learn to identify
mature trees, shrubs, and herbaceous perennials.
nies. Students within our turf program
have found jobs throughout the Pacific
Northwest, the Rocky Mountain states,
Arizona, and throughout California.
Faculty at Oregon State
Our faculty members use contemporary research tools in plant biology,
genetics, and ecology to solve problems
important to the horticultural industries.
They research the basic biology of horticultural crops; explore the ecology
of horticultural systems, and work to
develop a productive and sustainable
horticulture industry.
These experiences are used to
teach students how to develop plant
production systems that optimize water
use, improve soil and water quality, reduce or eliminate pesticide and
fertilizer use, and utilize new plant
varieties that are more productive and
marketable.
One leading goal is that students
become skilled at finding and synthesizing information in order to deal with
new situations they could face during
their careers.
A major faculty responsibility is
to advise and mentor students on
how best to prepare themselves for
a career within the green industries.
Every effort is made to show how science is connected with the horticultural enterprises and how it can apply
to the continued growth of green
industry businesses.
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Students at Oregon State
Students come from across the
United States, and many other parts
of the world. Some have grown up in
horticulture as part of family farms, perhaps looking to diversify their operation
or form their own horticultural businesses. Others simply know they enjoy
working with plants and want to build
a career in the green industry.
Many students begin their studies
at OSU, while others transfer from community colleges and other universities
or return to school later in life to train
for a new career. While they study at
college, they have the opportunity to
intern at nearly any place in the world.
An internship is a requirement for
graduation, and is the best way for students to learn their craft and network
with industry leaders. Students typically intern at nurseries, greenhouses,
golf courses, and landscape management firms. They can also intern with a
research project leader or facility, such
as the North Willamette Research and
Extension Center. These students learn
about using scientific methodology to
solve specific production problems or
ecological issues.
Students graduating from the
Horticulture Department find jobs
throughout North America. Numerous
OSU graduates are hired to help manage green industry businesses. Some
eventually work towards ownership.
With the technical education they
receive and a few years of industry
experience, these graduates are positioned to move into management.
Other graduates find themselves
working as consultants and field representatives of supply and service compa-
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growing knowledge
Outside the classroom, faculty
members encourage students to consider possible internships and explore
career opportunities. The faculty can
help interested students develop individual senior research or undergraduate thesis projects.
Curriculum
The department’s Ecological and
Sustainable Horticulture Production
option integrates courses in horticulture,
landscape ecology, soils and plant sciences with business, social and environmental issues, and globalization.
Classes in the Turf and Environmental
Landscape Management curriculum
include Principles of Turf Maintenance;
Plant Propagation; Plant Nutrition;
Plant Genetics; Ecology of Managed
Ecosystems; Plant Material Identification;
Students in this Floriculture and Greenhouse Systems class at Oregon State University propagated and
finished this crop of geraniums.
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Dave Van Essen
Van Essen Nursery, Lebanon, OR
Complete Logistics Services for OAN Members
The Oregon Association of Nurseries and C.H. Robinson Worldwide,
Inc. have developed a collaborative transportation program providing
a reliable, cost-effective shipping service.
This service is a free OAN member benefit and is designed for the
efficient, low cost transport of nursery products.
OAN members receive these exclusive benefits:
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• Dedicated account management teams with nursery expertise
• Flexible, multimodal transportation options
• Customized transportation plans
• Online shipment visibility and other technology services
• Executive scorecarding and reporting
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For more information about this program, contact:
Shannon Zavorski
Sales Manager, Grower-Shipper Services
Monterrey, CA Branch
[email protected] 866.771.1270
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The authors are all members of the
Oregon State University Department
of Horticulture. Anita Azarenko is a
full professor and the department head,
Richard Regan is an associate
professor, and Kelly Donegan is an
academic adviser.
B & B CONIFER
Landscape Design; Landscape
Maintenance; Landscape Construction;
Floriculture and Greenhouse Systems;
and Plant Nursery Systems.
For all students in the program,
firsthand experience is provided
through field trips, laboratory exercises, industry guest lecturers, and
real world case studies. Many classes
include field trips and labs that demonstrate the diversity of Oregon’s
green industries. These field trips
include visits to golf courses, parks,
sports fields, landscape design/construction firms, contemporary and historical landscapes, wholesale and retail
nurseries, greenhouses, and Christmas
tree operations.
Our courses tackle contemporary
issues. We draw from top practitioners
in the Pacific Northwest who share
their experience and knowledge from
real world settings. These guests share
ideas and insights on new turf cultivars,
sustainable landscape design, construction, and management, techniques to
reduce pesticide use, improved plant
propagation and production techniques,
as well as new varieties of plants and
plant materials for low-input ecological
landscape, green roofs, bioswales, rain
gardens and more.
Our goal at Oregon State University
is to prepare students for future success
and career satisfaction.
Students gain the necessary knowledge and skills to plan and manage
horticultural businesses. At the same
time they are taught to see horticulture
as an activity connected to our larger
society and which includes issues of
ecology, economics, and politics.
For additional information about
the OSU Department of Horticulture,
browse http://hort.oregonstate.edu.
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