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VOLUME 30, NUMBER 6 / September 8, 2014
001128229r1
Fighting for survival n
ND nursery copes with declining shelterbelt sales By Jonathan Knutson Agweek Staff Writer
BISMARCK, N.D. — Brian Johnston wanted a challenge. He got one: Rescuing the faltering Lincoln-Oakes Nursery in Bismarck, N.D., which had been “hemorrhaging cash for years” and was close to closing, he says. It’s too early to declare victory. But results so far are encourarging. “We’re still losing money,” Johnston says. “But we’re getting to where it isn’t such a big loss and we’re able to stay in the game.” The veteran entrepreneur was named CEO of the North Dakota Association of Soil Conservation Districts in late 2011. His mission was to restore profitability at Lincoln-Oakes Nursery, owned and operated by the association. The nursery, which raises and sells many of the trees planted in Upper Midwest shelterbelts, had been hammered by years of poor business practices and declining interest in shelterbelts. In 2002, the nursery sold about 5 million trees. The number fell steadily to about 1.5 million in 2013, a 70 percent drop. It’s uncertain if sales will stabilize or continue to decline — and whether Lincoln-Oakes can remain economically viable if sales keep dropping, Johnston says. NURSERY: See Page 8
John Brose, Special to Agweek
G Brian Johnston is CEO of the North Dakota Association of Soil Conservation Districts, which owns and operates Lincoln-Oakes Nursery in Bismarck. The veteran entrepreneur was brought in to rescue the nursery, which was in financial trouble.
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CHS approves final plans for $3 billion ND fertilizer plant. See Page 26