Photos © Matt McClellan
The GIE Media Horticulture Group attended the 2026 Farwest Show!
We signed up to attend the wholesale grower tour, which visited four Oregon nurseries, and was sponsored by Farm Family Insurance.
Workers at Gold Family Farms pot up plants and send them off to be picked up and spaced.
The first stop on the wholesale grower tour was Gold Family Farms. There was plenty of labor-saving automation in action at this 80-acre location.
The third-generation family business has a total of 400 acres, including three other farms. The nursery's leadership strives to find ways to complete tasks more efficiently.
Matt Nichols holding a Red Panda Japanese maple at Buchholz and Buchholz Nursery.
Stop two on the wholesale grower tour was Buchholz & Buchholz Nursery. Half production nursery, half arboretum, this is home to many of Talon Buchholz’s legendary plants.
We caught up with Matt Nichols, the nursery’s co-owner and one of the brothers behind MrMaple.com. Read Nursery Management magazine's February 2026 cover story on the Nichols brothers' entry into the wholesale market here.
Matthew Hauth explains how different containers affect root circling, branching and temperature at Krueger's Tree Farm.
The third stop on the wholesale grower tour was Krueger's Tree Farm.
Matthew Hauth has done a lot of research testing how different pots impact root branching and root zone temperature. The nursery is also embracing automation with container handling, spraying and irrigation.
Workers at Eshraghi Nurseries graft Japanese maples.
Stop four on the wholesale grower tour was Eshraghi Nurseries. This 500-acre operation was the largest on this tour. The woman-owned business specializes in Japanese maples and has 150 different varieties available.
One highlight was watching the innovative grafting setup. The art of combining two plants into one is usually a low-tech process, utilizing a knife and tape. At Eshraghi, it involves power tools.
Skilled employees carry out the graft with their hands while they operate a drill with a sewing machine foot pedal to speed up the process. Eshraghi grafts 250,000 Japanese maples and 200,000 conifers each year.
Watch our social media channels and upcoming issues of Nursery Management for more from the show.