“Be like a duck. Calm on the surface, but always paddling like the dickens underneath.” – Michael Caine
I’ve always liked that quote – and I think it is very descriptive of all of us in our busy, multi-tasking lives. I thought I’d share a few things that are going on under the surface here at CNGA, keeping your staff and board members busy. While nurseries and greenhouses are ramping up for your busy season, we are, too!
My Microsoft Outlook calendar is telling me I have 104 reminders on my “to-do” list, ranging from ensuring that we get orientation done for new board members to determining whether we are going to promote the Plant Something campaign this summer and updating and reprinting some of our publications.
We are planning on being able to get back together in person this fall, and consequently our event schedule tilts heavily to the third and fourth quarters of 2021. We look forward to our Member BBQs in August and September, and getting back down to New Mexico to host one! If you are interested in hosting a Member BBQ at your location, please give Ben a call at our office!
CNGA is also planning to host a new fall buying show on September 17, the Friday before the CHREF golf tournament. We are still working out the details on format and location, but please shoot us an email at info@coloradonga.org if you would be interested in participating, and let us know what you would like to see there. Trade show? Education opportunities? And, plan on spending the weekend in Denver and joining us for the CHREF golf tournament on Sept. 20 at the Colorado National golf course in Lafayette.
Also this fall, our Horticulture Leadership Retreat expands to include our Industry Celebration that usually takes place concurrently with ProGreen. We will be celebrating our award winners, having a live and silent auction, and enjoying each other’s company. We are looking at possibly having this event in Blackhawk, Colo. Save the dates of November 5 and 6!
Also new this year is the opportunity to take CNGA’s certification classes online. This fall, as we carefully held our Colorado Certified Nursery Professional (CCNP) classes in larger and larger classrooms to adhere to pandemic precautions, we also videotaped the classes. Our online learning opportunity goes live this spring.
We are also in the legislative season right now and CNGA, along with GreenCO and our lobbyists, are keeping an eye on what our Colorado state and federal legislators are up to. Our top priority this year is going to be water and drought, unless La Niña surprises us and we have a really wet spring. We will be keeping an eye on agricultural tax exemptions, as we have heard tax exemptions of all kinds could be on the chopping block to help balance the state budget. As always, we will also monitor any legislation concerning pesticides, although things seem quiet on that front this year.
CNGA and our industry partners were fortunate last year when we were able to hold ProGreen before the pandemic curtailed public events. Holding the event this year as a virtual, online experience was certainly a decision we struggled with. All our organizations are reliant on the income this event brings in, and we knew that having it virtually would not appeal to everyone. Thank you to all of you who turned out to support us and attend the event, and we hope to see you in person soon!
The longer we spend social distancing and avoiding gatherings, the more we value each other and our interactions. I am glad I got to meet so many of you last year at ProGreen, and I am looking forward to a busy 2021.
