Denise Godfrey of Olive Hill Greenhouses (Top), Michelle Opela of Costa Farms (Middle), and Aren Phillips of Walters Gardens (Bottom) | Greenhouse Grower
Back in the summer of 2023, Greenhouse Grower launched its new “Greenhouse Grower to Grower” podcast series, talking to growers across the controlled-environment and green industry about market trends, innovation, technology, and their biggest challenges and opportunities in a changing landscape.
Here are a few of our favorite recent podcasts, featuring Michelle Opela from Costa Farms, Denise Godfrey from Olive Hill Greenhouses, and Aren Phillips from Walters Gardens:
Insights on IPM and Biocontrols with Michelle Opela at Costa Farms
Michelle Opela, Senior IPM Manager at Costa Farms, gave two talks at Cultivate’24 on the topic of integrated pest management (IPM) and biocontrols in the greenhouse. Michelle’s career path started with studying biology at Cornell University. After a brief stint in marine biology, she joined Costa’s R&D team eight years ago, eventually finding her way into managing the company’s IPM program.
In this episode, Editor Brian Sparks talks with Michelle about keeping up with new advancements in biocontrols, how her marine biology experience convinced her to follow her passion for plants, and why IPM is all about learning from your mistakes.
To learn more, and to listen to this podcast episode, please click here.
Denise Godfrey of Olive Hill Greenhouses on Floriculture and Sustainability
During Cultivate’24, Denise Godfrey of Olive Hill Greenhouses in Fallbrook, CA, participated in a panel discussion on sustainability in floriculture. Denise brought the grower perspective, and she was joined by a group representing all sectors of the industry, including Susannah Ball at Ball Horticultural, Devin Johnson from WestRock, Melinda Knuth of North Carolina State University, and Edmund Timm of MPS.
In this episode, Brian Sparks catches up with Denise after Cultivate to talk more about how Olive Hill approaches sustainability, how they’ve been able to adjust their sustainability strategy in response to consumer needs, and what she learned from participating in the panel.
To learn more, and to listen to this podcast episode, please click here.
Aren Phillips of Walters Gardens on Smart Greenhouse Technology Adoption
Aren Phillips is a Greenhouse Systems Manager at Walters Gardens in Zeeland, MI. He is a team leader on several projects at Walters Gardens, including sales forecasting, automation, data collection and analytics, and the potential of artificial intelligence. Aren was part of a panel discussion at Cultivate’24 on smart technology adoption, and he will also be presenting at the Great Lakes Expo in December on live labor tracking, streamlining ERP systems implementation, and more.
In this episode, Aren talks about these topics, why he’s taken a strong interest in greenhouse technology, and more.
To learn more, and to listen to this podcast episode, please click here.
All of these podcasts, and more, can be enjoyed in their entirety, and in order, by following the “Greenhouse Grower to Grower” podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or the Greenhouse Grower website.
