CNGA LooseLeaf February March 2019

22 colorad o nga.org LooseLeaf February/March 2019 FUNDING RESEARCH & EDUCATION In 2018, the Colorado Horticulture Research and Education Foundation took a look at the foundation’s mission and goals. We dove into what education means to the green industry in Colorado, and what the foundation, industry and Colorado Nursery & Greenhouse Association can do to promote horticulture in Colorado. We asked ourselves: what will the future of horticulture in Colorado look like, and what can we all do to ensure Colorado is on the map and continues to have a prosperous future for the industry? The money raised through CHREF goes to good causes: we are able to help Colorado State University with some needed research, and support a few CSU and Front Range Community College students financially every year. The issue is that the pool of students, in general, is not sufficient to fill the growing number of jobs in our industry. We need to work on increasing student and graduate numbers, so we are more likely to foster elite performers and discover future leaders for the industry. This may mean allocating some of our resources to recruiting young people with initiatives like broad-based scholarships, which will incentivize entry into horticultural education and professions. Green industry leaders and business owners have met multiple times with Dr. Ajay Menon, the Dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences at CSU, to explore the needs and interests of our industry, and examine how we may be able to help the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture. Human capital is at the top of the list. How do we, as an industry, increase the number of educated graduates from horticulture programs, feed more young people into the programs, and increase the level of education that they are getting? Through GreenCO, green industry associations collaborate. CNGA, ALCC (landscape contractors), RMSG (sod growers), ASLA (landscape architects), CALCP (lawn care professionals), ISA (arborists) and GCC (garden centers) work together on legislative advocacy, water utilization research and best management practices for our industry. We have yet to work together on our workforce problem and doing so would have a large impact. Recruitment-incentive scholarships funded by GreenCO could be a solution to increasing the level of enrollment in all horticulture programs, benefiting the industry at large. To put Colorado on the map as a horticulture and green industry mecca, we all need to come together to do something significant at CSU. That might mean contributing to the construction or renovation of a building to be named after our foundation, creating an endowment for professorships, or supporting the acquisition of new labs, equipment or land for teaching and research. We have recently seen similar contributions to the animal sciences program, which seem to have increased enrollment and national interest. If the Colorado green industry is able to do the same, we are likely to see serious results. Industry leaders and business owners will continue to meet with the dean of agricultural sciences to understand what would best benefit both the college and the collective industry, and how to move forward on noteworthy developments in Colorado horticulture. CNGA will update you as new initiatives are developed. Supporting New Horticulture Students & Professionals ByMike Schleining, CCNP CHREF BoardMember 2015–16&2016–17 CHREF Scholarship Recipient Photo courtesy of National Association of Landscape Professionals