COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Ohio State University Nursery Short Course, held in conjunction with the Central Environmental Nursery Trade Show (CENTS), is changing its hours and schedule format for the 2007 event, so attendees can enjoy both programs free of conflicts.
CENTS is scheduled for Jan. 22-24 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio. The annual event is one of the nation's most comprehensive green industry trade shows. The Ohio State Nursery Short Course enhances CENTS with workshops, educational sessions, and presentations on green industry topics ranging from nursery production, to tree and turf care to landscape design and maintenance. The events are sponsored by Ohio State University's Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, the Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association, and Ohio State University Extension's Nursery, Landscape and Turf Team.
The 78th annual Ohio State Nursery Short Course hours of operation will be from 8 a.m. to noon all three days. The CENTS trade show hours on Jan. 22 and 23 will be from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Jan. 24.
"We feel these new non-conflicting hours will give exhibitors more time to attend Short Course sessions they could not attend in the past and allow Short Course attendees more time to spend on the trade show floor," said Hannah Mathers, an Ohio State University Extension nursery and landscape specialist and Nursery Short Course co-chair. "It should be a win-win change for both CENTS and Short Course participants."
The session format for the OSU Nursery Short Course is also new. The sessions will be organized into tracks that contain four 50-minute presentations, focusing on and developing subjects from introductory level to more-in depth presentations.
"This was not possible in past programs. The keynote presentations usually held from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. have been eliminated in order to have keynote-quality speakers in the body of the program and to enhance and advance subject development," said Mathers. "With this new format, there is little loss of instruction time. In years past, there were four and a half hours of instruction. In the new format, there are four hours. We believe the new intensity focused on topic development over a four-hour period more than makes up for the half hour lost from past programs."
Despite the changes in hours and schedule format, the OSU Nursery Short Course will continue with its free pre-show program on Jan. 21 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. This year's guest speaker is Jim Gardiner, curator of The Royal Horticultural Society's Garden, at Wisley, Woking, Surrey, England. The Royal Horticultural Society's Garden is renowned throughout the world as a center of gardening excellence. Gardiner's book, Magnolias, will be on display for sale before and after the presentation.
In addition to the free program, three workshops will be offered on Jan. 21 on tree liner production, winter tree identification and a diagnostic session on infectious plant diseases.
Registration for the OSU Nursery Short Course will also be open on Jan. 21 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. For more information on the schedule, log on to http://onla.org/shortcourse.html.
Other highlights of the OSU Nursery Short Course include:
• Added sessions for landscape architects to help fulfill their new requirements for education credits. The sessions will be held on Jan. 22, and will include such topics as strategies to deal with compacted soils in the landscape; urban soils and urban trees; controlling the top landscape diseases; and weed control options in field nurseries.
• A host of topics on Jan. 23 and Jan. 24 on economic worth of the industry; healthy substrates; turf weed control; irrigation water quality; the nuts and bolts of creating dynamic containers; and hiring Hispanic employees.
• A focus on issues related to disease, insect and weed control, with pesticide recertification credits will be available.
Other events taking place during CENTS include: the ONLA annual business meeting/luncheon; the CENTS industry networking reception; the ONLA annual Job Fair; Ohio Certified Nursery Technician testing; Certified Landscape Technician testing; the American Nursery and Landscape Association's Ohio Chapter meeting and reception; the ANLA Plant Professionals meeting; and the Ohio FFA Landscape Career Development Event.
For more information on CENTS programs, registration, hotel information and directions, log on to http://www.onla.org/cents.html.