NHLA Field Day a Huge Success

2022News

November 26, 2022

First NHLA Field Day A Success
by Mike Barwell

Beautiful weather, engaging speakers, helpful vendors, and eager attendees made the first Field Day a successful venture. Canterbury Shaker Village, with its historic buildings and grounds provided the perfect late summer venue for more than 150 participants.

Highlights of the day included a well-attended demonstration about how to incorporate drone technology into landscape design by Graham Pellettieri and co-workers from Pellettieri Associates.

Long-time NHLA member Bill Gardocki gave a hands-on demonstration about building walls and patios while Andrew Mauch of Millican Nurseries did a workshop about best plants for fall plantings.

Jonathan Ebba of UNH Cooperative Extension provided a workshop about using soil testing equipment and Jeremy Delisle, the Cooperative Extension’s fruit specialist, gave a tour of the Shaker Village 1917 orchard and talked about pruning, fire blight mitigation, and grafting historic trees at the village.

The business side of landscaping was present when Greenius presented a program about its on-line training platforms that are being offered to NHLA members at discounted rates.

Likewise, representatives from the National Automotive Road Fuels Associates (NARFA) shared information throughout the day about how to attract and retain employees through benefits and other programs.

Vendors offered a myriad of products, including the newest equipment, landscape products, plants, and technology.

State Police from Troop G., who monitor and enforce laws about safe road equipment, were on hand to answer questions and engage with landscapers.

Other popular workshops included First Aid in the Field, Irrigation Tips and Tricks, and Building Credentials with the NH Certified Landscape Professionals. Demonstrations throughout the day included small engine repair and chain saw safety.

Overall, most attendees thought the event was a success, with a good location, interesting workshops, and good food from vendors.

It Takes a Village,
by Pam Moreau, NHLA Business Manager

Our first Field Day was a huge success! The weather was a little windy, but otherwise an amazing day. An event this size takes a village to make it happen and run smoothly. We had a great deal of help! I would like to thank everyone who helped, starting with Canterbury Shaker Village. It was a beautiful venue for this event, and we were able to offer a tour of the gardens during lunch.

Next, I would like to thank our SPEAKERS. We could not have done it without them! They were fantastic!

  • Laura Faubert, Greenius: Introducing an Online Training Platform
  • Abby Zuidema, Mosaic Plant Design and NHCLP Coordinator: Building Credentials with the NHCLP Program
  • Graham Pellettieri and Celynn Siemons, Pellettieri Associates, Inc: What can you do with drones in landscaping?
  • Jonathan Ebba, UNH Cooperative Extension: Soil Testing w/ Affordable Instruments
  • Bob Taylor, Windham Firefighter/EMT: First Aid in the Field
  • Joe Conlon, Northeast Golf & Turf: New Hydro Mulch Technology and Seed Varieties
  • Bill Gardocki, Hardscape Educator: Proper Paver and SRW Retaining Wall Installation Techniques
  • Jim Moreau, Northeast Turf & Irrigation: Irrigation Tips & Tricks
    NARFA, Vinnie Daboul and Andrew Gresenz: How can NARFA help you?
  • Andrew Mauch, Millican Nurseries: Best Practices for Fall Planting
  • Chris Baker and Andrew Giampalo, North Point Outdoors: Basic Small Engine Repair Q & A
  • Mike Gagnon, UNH Cooperative Extension: Chain Saw Safety Q & A
  • Jeremy DeLisle, UNH Cooperative Extension: Small Fruit Production Q & A
  • Trooper Magoon and Trooper Trattoria, Troop G – NH D.O.S: Inspection Safety Q & A

A special thank you to our SPONSORS. They made it possible to keep our event affordable for all our attendees. We appreciate your support!

  • Drop One Portables for donating the portable toilets.
  • Read Custom Soils for donating the voice amplifiers for the speakers.
  • Northeast Turf & Irrigation for donating the lunches for the speakers.
  • Gilbert Block for donating the hardscape material for the paver installation demonstration.
  • Dig Safe for donating hats, bags, manuals, magnifiers, stickers, and post-its.
  • North Point Outdoors and the Cafua Management Group for donating the coffee and donuts.

A special thank you to all our VENDORS. We were very fortunate to have a variety of dedicated professionals. They demonstrated many new products and equipment. One of my personal favorites was the excavator, from Chappell Tractor.

Agresource, Inc,
Arborjet/Ecologel
Bigelow Nurseries, Inc.
Central NH Trailers
Chappell Tractor Sales
Donovan Equipment Co.
Greenius
MacMulkin Chevrolet
Medford Nurseries
Millican Nurseries, LLC
NARFA
Northeast Nursery Inc.
Pellettieri Associates, Inc.
Pierson Nurseries
Read Custom Soils
Squared Landscape Equipment
Techniseal
Techo-Bloc
The Yard at Pleasant View
UNH Cooperative Extension
Unilock
United Ag & Turf
Vermeer All Road

A very special THANK YOU to the NHLA Board of Directors and Committee Coordinators. They spent many hours planning and executing this event. Thank you to Dave DeJohn, Andrew Pelkey, Maria Rainey, John Crooks, Cori Cahow, Ben Huntington, Annette Zamarchi, Mike Barwell, and Pam Moreau.

I would also like to give a special THANK YOU to several people who came early to help set-up and stayed late to help break down. Thank you to Jim Moreau, Scot Flewelling, Chris Baker, Giampalo, Kristy Youmell and Riley Pierce. We could not have done it without you.

Finally, THANK YOU to all our attendees. We value your commitment and support to NHLA and the industry. We hope it was a great day for all and you learned something new. Your thoughts and ideas are important to us. Please email us with your ideas!