PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

The professional landscape industry has faced a severe worker shortage for many years; however, 2021 had brought on the worst labor market in recent history and that trend has continued into 2022. If you took a poll not only in Indiana but nationally about the industry’s biggest challenges, attracting and retaining qualified workers would likely lead the list. How do you create an ecosystem of the right people that want to collaborate and help achieve and support company objectives in an environment of low unemployment? While I don’t have all of the answers or have a magic formula, I have focused my efforts on building and investing in company culture.

This will be an ongoing initiative but here are some ideas that I have either implemented or am considering implementing in my company:

Training Programs

•Pre-season training to ramp up the crews

•Lunch and learns with vendors because food is the way to reach a person’s heart

•Vendor specific training on products and equipment is a great way to learn proper operational techniques from experts

Competitive Compensation

•We offer wages that are at or above local industry averages

•Employees are eligible for retirement savings plan, insurance, paid vacations and holidays

•We do offer employees year-round employment by using the off season to repair equipment, train, and of course, plow and salt

•Hiring incentives to keep new recruits coming in while rewarding the person that brought the recommendation forth

Team Building

•We host a holiday party each year with food, gifts and a theme, which is usually a casino night where everyone wines a prize. It is not only a thank you for my people but also a recruiting event.

•Carry in breakfast/lunches for company meetings

•Friday night cookouts where I cook for the guys. We invite vendors and family vendors to this event as well

Employee Empowerment and Decision-Making Rights

This is another definite area of improvement for me and my company. The employees are the ones in the field and are the subject matter experts. Trust needs to be built so they feel free to make certain jobsite and project decisions.

Providing Work/Life Balance with a Family Oriented Focus

This is the first of the areas that need significant improvement in my company. Because our work is seasonal, we work to complete as many projects as possible during periods that are workable. When you get into the busy season, you tend to forget that employees have outside obligations.

Appreciation Program

•Production bonuses for great execution

•Attendance bonuses twice a year to reward those who always show up

•Non-smoking raises because nonsmokers are safer and more productive than smokers

•Employee loan program for those employees who have been with the company more than 4 years

Finally, and most important: Owner Self Awareness

•This effort is the hardest one of all. I work each day on trying to be a more compassionate leader, a better listener, and a strong supporter of my field and office staff.

•Being available and approachable for the staff and make time to hear what the team has to say. Listen to the employees’ concerns and make sure they know they have a voice.

As I stated earlier in the article, I don’t have a magical solution for curing the labor shortage issue, however, employing these ideas has helped me to engage the core body of our talent to return year after year.

As the exiting President of the INLA, this will be my last article of the President’s Letter. I hope some the information and insight provided has helped in some way. As a past President, I look forward to any feedback on the INLA events and the association as a whole. We welcome your suggestions and look forward to improving our industry. Thank you for your support and remember “Progress is the Product”.

Dean Ricci, INLA President Ricci’s Landscape Management, Inc.

Plant Viruses and Why They Matter

By Angela Rust

Since late 2019 the world has become more familiar with human viruses than anyone ever wanted, but did you know that plant viruses are an increasing global threat too? With an estimated 10% of the world population facing food insecurity and billions of dollars in crop losses globally from plant viruses, it is important to all areas of the plant industry.

Many viruses that are economically devastating to food crops can infect ornamental plants. The impacts to ornamentals may be minor in some cases but depending on where those virus infected plants end up in the landscape, they could have a detrimental effect on nearby food crops. It is important to know that once a plant is infected with a virus, the plant remains infected for the life of the plant.

While some viruses may only infect a small group of plants or one genus or species of plant, there are other viruses that have hundreds of different hosts. Further complicating the picture is the fact that some viruses may be present in a plant yet cause no symptoms or only minor symptoms that are easily overlooked. Asymptomatic carriers are a leading cause of propagation infection and disease spread. Getting a virus infection in one group of plants and not recognizing subtle symptoms may put several of your surrounding plants at risk. Escaped viruses may then be destined to spread to nearby gardens or crop production areas.

Increased international and domestic trade of plant material has increased the risk of viruses and other pathogens spreading to new areas and into new host plants. When virus-infected, newly introduced crops grow next to native vegetation, new encounters between viruses and vulnerable native plants may have the potential to create virus epidemics. Many states and countries recognize this risk and have regulations in place to protect essential food crops and cherished natural resources from these threats.

Viruses can spread through many pathways of transmission such as:

• Insect and mite transmission

• Transmission by infected seed or seed debris

• Transmission via infected bulbs, corms, tubers, and rhizomes

• Transport of budded or grafted plants or plugs or rooted cuttings

• Contact with infected root grafts

• Movement of pollen from infected plants

• Movement through virus infected fungi

• Nematode transmission

• Virus infected tools and clothing

How a virus is transmitted will depend on the specific virus; not all viruses can be transmitted in the same way. Some viruses have only one type of transmission pathway and others may have multiple means of spread.

Viruses of regulatory concern include the rose mosaic virus complex. This name refers to a small grouping of viruses that can be found individually or as mixed infections on the same plant that contribute to viral mosaic symptoms in rose species. Some of these viruses include Prunus necrotic ringspot virus (PNRSV), Apple mosaic virus (ApMV), Arabis mosaic virus (ArMV), Tobacco ringspot virus (TRSV), Tomato ringspot virus (ToRSV) and Strawberry latent ringspot virus (SLRSV). The viruses most detected in symptomatic roses are PNRSV and ApMV. This complex of viruses is primarily spread through grafting of healthy buds or scions onto infected rootstock, grafting of infected buds onto healthy plants, or through use of infected vegetative propagation equipment. It is also suspected that this disease complex can be

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