By Emma Peterson. 

From workforce legislation and trade policy to agricultural funding and advocacy efforts, Matt Mika’s address highlighted the issues shaping the future of the green industry. 

There are many reasons to attend industry trade shows and conferences, but one of the biggest is the opportunity these events present attendees with for gaining access to the latest industry news and breakthroughs. For example, Matt Mika's address at the 2026 Cultivate show gave attendees a special glance at the state of the industry and what's to come.  

Meet Matt 

Matt is currently the vice president of advocacy and government affairs at AmericanHort. Prior to taking this role, Matt spent 12 years as the director of government relations for Tyson Foods, Inc. in Washington, D.C. He has also worked for three members of the Michigan Delegation. All this time spent behind-the-scenes in D.C. makes him the ideal person to give Cultivate attendees insight into the state of the industry as related to politics and regulations. 

2026 address 

In his 2026 address, Matt started by highlighting the importance of bipartisan collaboration and relationship building in modern American politics. From there he dove into topics specifically relevant to the outdoor industry, such as:  

• 2026 Farm Bill: A bill going through the house that extends agriculture, conservation and rural programs through 2031 with a focus on disaster recovery, research, risk tools and financing. 
• Tariffs: Top of everyone’s mind, supply chains and trade still looks uncertain due to tariffs. AmericanHort’s team has held over 65 D.C. meetings and filled 8 formal USTR comments highlighting the impact of this on the outdoor industry. 
• H.R. 9535: This house bill, also known as the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act, looks to reform the H-2A program so that year-round growers can be a part of the program.  
• Washington Fly-In: Matt also recapped the Washington D.C. Fly-In, which saw AmericanHort gather over 100 advocates from 25 different states to conduct “over 220 Capitol Hill meetings on labor, the Farm Bill, supply chain and research.” 

Conclusion 

In an industry where time is limited, trade shows like Cultivate provide a focused environment for learning about the issues, opportunities and innovations impacting outdoor professionals. How? These shows pack a few days with addresses and presentations from experts like Matt who give busy professionals the inside scoop on the news and innovations that they don’t have time to keep up with during their demanding day-to-day operations. 

Overall, in a fast-paced, demanding industry like outdoor contracting, professionals shouldn’t spend their day-t-day time sifting through the noise for relevant information when attending a couple day show like Cultivate can keep them in-the-know.

By Emma Peterson. 

During his Cultivate 2026 presentation, Dr. Charlie Hall outlined the realities of operating in a post-pandemic economy where growth opportunities exist, but margins remain under pressure.   

Like many industries, COVID-19 created what could be described as a reset. What does that mean? Business dropped off and lost growth momentum during the pandemic. Today, we are just starting to regrow the market from that reset. In fact, during his Cultivate 2026 presentation, Dr. Charlie Hall, chief economist at AmericanHort and professor of International Floriculture at Texas A&M University Horticultural Sciences, talked about this. 

Specifically, he pointed to four trends that have emerged since 2019:  

1. Growers are reporting increasing intense weather, with one describing handling weather in the field as “a bare-knuckle boxing match most days.” 
2. Consumers have gravitated to lower-priced items, eroding the margins of many growers. 
3. The market is still unreliable, with one nursery operator saying that their business has been “profitable in odd years, unprofitable in even ones.”  
4. Tariffs have a huge impact, with profound sales drops felt when the worldwide tariffs were announced in 2025. 

The good news is that even with these struggles, “roughly 6 in 10 growers are up more than 25% versus pre-pandemic — in every survey.” Looking at all these trends and data, Dr. Hall surmised the state of the industry:  

The economy is running in place — GDP at 2.1%, activity slightly negative, sentiment cratered at 44.8 even as real disposable income is up 6.3%. People have money but they’re spooked. Labor is solid (unemployment 4.2%, claims 215K), yet 61.5% participation means the shortage isn’t resolving. I put recession odds under 20% — but this feels like treading water, not momentum. 

For operators, the mixed signals create openings: building-material and garden sales +7.5%, existing-home sales up, remodeling index at 62 — the hay is out there. But input costs stay high (grower index 173, diesel $4.67) while big-box comps limp at 0.6%. 

In other words, post-pandemic reset, we’ve entered a slower, price-led market thanks to flat units, stressed margin, unstable weather and volatile tariffs. Dr. Hall’s advice for professionals in the field is simple: “Hold pricing discipline, watch labor as the new H-2A rule resets your wage floor and don’t chase volume with discounts when confidence is this fragile.” 

Want to learn more? Check out Dr. Hall’s Index of Prices Paid by Growers report.

By Emma Peterson. 

Through humor, business insights and real-world experience, Garrison Wynn showed Cultivate attendees how stronger communication can improve retention, performance and team alignment. 

Back in the second week of July (Saturday, July 11 – Tuesday, July 14, 2026 to be specific), AmericanHort brought thousands of horticulture, outdoor living and landscaping professionals together in Columbus, Ohio for their annual trade show – Cultivate! This show is the premier event for these markets, boasting more than 160+ educational sessions, a variety of hands-on workshops, production tours and events that are perfect for networking with peers.   

One standout session at the 2026 show was Garrison Wynn’s Jolt! Morning Keynote! Garrison is a well-known speaker, professional stand-up comedian and process designer. He got his start as a teen working on the world’s first video console gaming system, the Odyssey. From there, his career has taken him from stand-up tours to a role as the youngest department head in the history of a Fortune 500 company. Most recently, Garrison has been touring, presenting motivational business expertise to leading companies and organizations around the country. 

His Cultivate presentation, “Influence in Action,” centered on the importance of creating a culture of engagement within companies. In this presentation, Garrison highlights the following data, sharing, “engaged employees are 40x more likely to recommend & support your ideas & decisions, 43% more aware on the job (better safer record, less complacency and improved focus) and 86% more likely to be loyal to you, the customer each other, the vision and the culture.” In other words, people perform their best when they feel genuinely valued and appreciated.  

How do you help your employees feel important? Engage them! Garrison explained that building a culture of engagement is all about clarity. He recommends one specific question for owners and managers to keep asking, "Is there a question I didn’t ask you that you believe I should have?" 

By asking this, you not only find out if there is a lack of clarity in your expectations of employees, but it also shows that you want to listen and care about them. Overall, this is just one example of the points Garrison made about engagement during the keynote and attendees walked away “with simple yet powerful communication tools they can use to reduce resistance to change, improve behavior and strengthen retention [at their company].”  

Save the date: July 11 - July 14, 2026

Where connections are made! Hosted by AmericanHort, Cultivate brings together growers, retailers, breeders, suppliers, distributors, designers, landscapers, educators, researchers and manufacturers. Come to Cultivate and meet the people you need to know to prepare you and your business for the future.  

At this world-class event, you will:

• Discover trends, tools and technologies that fuel growth

• Build networks and strengthen business opportunities

• Sharpen business skills, deepen industry expertise and learn about future trends.

Cultivate education

Discover industry best practices, fresh ideas, and creative solutions to common challenges when you take part in education, tours, workshops and more at Cultivate. Experienced researchers and industry experts have come together to provide you and your team with the knowledge and tools you need to become more efficient, productive and prepared for the future.

Hands-on workshops at Cultivate

Take your learning to the next level when you sign up for Saturday workshops* at Cultivate. These half or full-day programs provide more in-depth opportunities for hands-on learning. Enrich your experience with programs designed to help you and your team develop knowledge and skills that you can take back to your business and implement immediately.

Industry production tours

There is nothing like a production tour to show you what’s possible and inspire you – no matter how large or small your business — to try new things. AmericanHort is pleased to offer production tours at Cultivate to let you see some of the industry’s best practices up-close and personal. We visit facilities that are stand-outs in the industry.

Cultivate experiences

Cultivate offers multiple opportunities for additional in-depth, hands-on learning & networking with industry colleagues. Join us for industry gatherings to make or renew business connections and get the most out of your Cultivate experience. 

Sign up for alerts!

Save the date: July 11 - July 14, 2026

Where connections are made! Hosted by AmericanHort, Cultivate brings together growers, retailers, breeders, suppliers, distributors, designers, landscapers, educators, researchers and manufacturers. Come to Cultivate and meet the people you need to know to prepare you and your business for the future.  

At this world-class event, you will:

• Discover trends, tools and technologies that fuel growth

• Build networks and strengthen business opportunities

• Sharpen business skills, deepen industry expertise and learn about future trends.

Cultivate education

Discover industry best practices, fresh ideas, and creative solutions to common challenges when you take part in education, tours, workshops and more at Cultivate. Experienced researchers and industry experts have come together to provide you and your team with the knowledge and tools you need to become more efficient, productive and prepared for the future.

Hands-on workshops at Cultivate

Take your learning to the next level when you sign up for Saturday workshops* at Cultivate. These half or full-day programs provide more in-depth opportunities for hands-on learning. Enrich your experience with programs designed to help you and your team develop knowledge and skills that you can take back to your business and implement immediately.

Industry production tours

There is nothing like a production tour to show you what’s possible and inspire you – no matter how large or small your business — to try new things. AmericanHort is pleased to offer production tours at Cultivate to let you see some of the industry’s best practices up-close and personal. We visit facilities that are stand-outs in the industry.

Cultivate experiences

Cultivate offers multiple opportunities for additional in-depth, hands-on learning & networking with industry colleagues. Join us for industry gatherings to make or renew business connections and get the most out of your Cultivate experience. 

Sign up for alerts!

Available On-Demand May 1-31, 2026!

Spring is the most demanding season in the green industry—long hours, high expectations, and constant pressure on leaders and teams. This month, we’re doing something different.

Instead of adding more webinars or asking you to step away from your work, we’ve shifted our focus. We’ve built a collection of short, practical tools designed to support you and your team in real time—during the busiest weeks of the season.

The Spring Survival Toolkit is a curated bundle of short videos and resources that fits into busy workdays and focuses on stress management, communication, morale, and physical resilience. Getting through spring shouldn’t mean burning out your people.

Help your team: 

• Communicate clearly under pressure 
• Prevent burnout 
• Support morale during long days 
• Build physical and mental resilience

Getting through spring shouldn’t mean burning out your people.

Available in English and Spanish starting May 1. Open to members and nonmembers.

Get started today!

Learn more.

Por Emma Peterson, traducido por Jessica Bravo.  

Participa en la serie interactiva de educación Grow Forward para desarrollar tus habilidades, fortalecer tu red de contactos y avanzar en tu carrera. 

Es bien sabido que los lugares de trabajo que fomentan la inclusión son más productivos y resilientes. Para ayudar a los profesionales que buscan construir entornos acogedores e inclusivos, AmericanHort organiza una serie llamada Grow Forward. Esta serie de seminarios web está diseñada para fomentar el crecimiento personal y profesional, así como para perfeccionar las habilidades de los participantes. Los seminarios conectan a los asistentes con personas afines y coaches de carrera de toda la industria para “mejorar las habilidades de comunicación interpersonal, potenciar la inteligencia emocional, fortalecer el networking estratégico, aprender adaptabilidad y promover una mentalidad de crecimiento profesional continuo.” 

La próxima entrega de esta serie, un seminario web* titulado “Construyendo equipos donde todos destaquen”, ¡ya está abierta para inscripciones! Esta sesión, que se llevará a cabo de forma virtual el miércoles 19 de noviembre de 2025 a las 12:30 p. m. ET, abordará temas como fomentar la inclusión, aumentar los índices de participación y mejorar la productividad. Estas habilidades son esenciales para ayudar a los profesionales a construir entornos laborales más sólidos, creativos y resilientes. 

A través de discusiones interactivas y ejemplos del mundo real, podrás “adquirir herramientas para identificar tu propio estilo de liderazgo y desarrollar estrategias prácticas para crear equipos donde todos puedan prosperar.” Esta sesión será dirigida por Geneiva McNeale, propietaria y directora ejecutiva de GLM Leadership Solutions. Geneiva cuenta con más de dos décadas de experiencia ayudando a profesionales de diversos campos a desarrollar habilidades de comunicación, ampliar sus perspectivas y crear objetivos a largo plazo. Incluso si actualmente no ocupas un puesto de liderazgo, esta sesión es una excelente oportunidad para desarrollar habilidades que impulsarán tu carrera y te permitirán apoyar mejor a tu equipo. 

¡Este seminario web se ofrece en inglés con la opción de interpretación simultánea en español! 

La inscripción es gratuita para los miembros de AmericanHort e incluye acceso a la grabación del seminario para futuras consultas. Si aún no eres miembro de AmericanHort, el costo para asistir es de solo $49. ¡Regístrate hoy!

By Emma Peterson. 

Participate in the interactive Grow Forward education series to develop your skills, strengthen your network and advance your career.  

It's a well-known fact that workplaces that foster inclusivity are more productive and resilient. To help professionals looking to build welcoming and inclusive environments, AmericanHort hosts a series called Grow Forward. This webinar series is designed to help cultivate growth and sharpen skills among those in attendance. These online webinars connect attendees with likeminded participants and career coaches from across the industry to “sharpen interpersonal communication skills, boost emotional intelligence, enhance strategic networking skills, learn adaptability and foster a continuing professional growth mindset.” 

The next installment of this series, a webinar* titled “Building Teams Where Everyone Excels,” is now open for registration! This specific session, which will take place virtually on Wednesday, November 19, 2025, at 12:30 p.m. ET, will cover topics such as fostering inclusion, enhancing engagement rates and improving productivity. These skills are critical to helping professionals build stronger, more creative and resilient workplaces.  

Through interactive discussions and real-world examples, you can expect to “gain tools to build awareness of your own leadership style and develop actionable approaches to creating teams where everyone can thrive.”  This session will be led by Geneiva McNeale, the owner and CEO of GLM Leadership Solutions. Geneiva has over two decades of experience helping professionals across various career fields develop communication skills, broaden their perspectives and create long-team goals. Even if you are not currently in a leadership position, this session is a great way to develop leadership skills that will elevate your career and better support your team. 

*This webinar is offered in English with the option to switch to a live Spanish interpretation! 

Registration is free for AmericanHort members and includes access to the recorded session for future review! If you are not yet an AmericanHort member, it's only $49 to attend. Register today!