Century city

This month, we celebrate a centennial. For our cover story, I spoke with the five members of the fourth-generation leadership team at Kankakee Nursery Co. Did you know that only 4% of family-owned businesses make it to a fourth generation? The Illinois grower shared some of the secrets of its staying power and gave us a preview of what they expect to see in year no. 100. Read it on page 22.

I’m delighted to introduce Neville Stein to you. Neville is the author of our newest recurring column, Across the Pond. He’s going to share what he’s learned in nearly 50 years of U.K. horticulture. You’ll soon see the challenges U.K. and U.S. growers face aren’t that different. Hopefully you’ll get some actionable advice from the column, and not just “keep a stiff upper lip.” Check it out on page 10.

I’m happy to welcome Jim Owen and Jake Shreckhise back to continue the Tinkering for Profit series. This month, they cover how to monitor your substrate temperature and why you should bother. See it on page 16.

If that article piques your interest, you’ll want to sign up for our free webinar “Temperature Tactics: A cross-country evaluation of substrate temperature management strategies.” Experts Jeb Fields and Lloyd Nackley, from Louisiana State University and Oregon State University, respectively have been researching the topic, as well, and they’ll go deep into the topic Jan. 29 at 2 p.m. Eastern. Sign up at nurserymag.com/webinars/.

Starting on page 28, you’ll find our Spring Survival Guide. We want to help you get through the most stressful time of year. We asked two successful growers how they prep for spring, provided equipment management tips to ensure your tools make it through the busy season, wellness tips to keep your employees happy and healthy despite the long hours, and sanitation tips so a disease outbreak won’t derail all those plants on their way out of the nursery. Hopefully, these articles will give you some ideas to implement in your own business.

There’s a non-zero chance you may be reading this magazine in or around Baltimore, Maryland. We’ll be at MANTS, too, and we’d love to see you. Come visit us at booth 804. Don’t get discouraged if we’re not there. There’s a lot of show to see and we want to see as much of it as we can. Leave a business card or a creative note and we’ll get back to you. Or stop us in the aisles if you see us cruising through and want to chat. You’re our readers; we want your feedback. Of course, you can always email me directly. Good luck this year, and best wishes for a fantastic 2025.