Throughout the internship program with Tagawa Greenhouse, I have had the opportunity to experience and learn about all aspects of the business including operations, production, retail, and business and administration.  My scope of horticultural knowledge has broadened and I can already envision the ways this will help me both in the workplace and in life. At the beginning of the internship, I was taught about the importance of lean, minimizing waste, and increasing efficiency.  This framework gave me the proper mindset needed to navigate the next six months of the internship.

Starting with operations, I was introduced to the seeding area in Brighton.  Here, we fed trays onto conveyer belts, assisted in hand-seeding, ensured the soil structure and moisture levels were up to standard, and sorted finished trays on carts to be taken to the germination chambers.  The seeding lines were very fast-paced and required me to plan my next steps whether it was running to get plastic covers for trays, fill up soil, prepare a new cart, or run over to the line next to me to do the same tasks.  The job seemed overwhelming at times, but I came to realize that the machine wasn’t going too fast, rather I was going too slow.  My quick thinking skills were tested which has helped me remain calm while stressed which is important in an industry as intense and volatile as horticulture.  The seeding manager frequently walked around the various lines to check their quality and observing this gave me a better idea of how to do quality control without micromanaging.  Finding this balance has been difficult for me in the past, but now I feel like I can handle these situations when they arise.

We then spent time in the seed inventory mainly doing receiving and storage.  We were shown how and when to order more seeds when the stock was low which helped me get a better understanding of supply chains, safety stock, and lead times.  The biggest learning curve was the AS/400 computer software.  Despite being outdated, I became grateful for learning how to use the software months later after learning that other companies like Costco also used it.  Although I did not see other parts of the Brighton greenhouse during this rotation, I am appreciative of the relationships I made with the other seeders even though we didn’t speak the same language.

Next was the production rotation in Golden.  During this time, I helped with verifying tray counts, grading, pinching plants, jimmy tagging, and documenting spray records.  I learned a lot about the importance of organizing a greenhouse.  With so many moving trays, it was sometimes a challenge to find where the plants were that we needed to do record keeping for especially if the new locations of plants were not entered into the system. 

Once production slowed down, we helped Tagawa’s InColor team at Costco.  My favorite part of the job was setting up the flower displays before opening because each day was like solving a new puzzle depending on what products we had or what we wanted to promote.  After opening, we consolidated and removed racks, kept the floors clean, and watered plants.  One store I worked at consistently had more racks delivered than the store was able to take.  Communication was therefore a large aspect of this rotation.  I often found myself coordinating with Costco’s receiving department and general manager to plan a smooth delivery to get our plants from the back of receiving to the front of the vestibule.  Furthermore, several of my coworkers would come to me for instructions when our supervisor was away which I was not always prepared for.  However, this helped me prioritize tasks and delegate them to the people I worked with.  I am not one to tell others what to do, but I feel much better giving instructions to coworkers.

The next rotation took place at Tagawa Gardens.  At the garden center, we helped out the nursery with a delivery and cleaned the annuals section.  We also had the opportunity to talk to several department managers including the front office, cashiering, production, and events.  It was very valuable to hear everyone’s insights and learn their thought processes when doing their job.  For example, the lead cashier mentioned how she more than tripled the sales of gloves by asking to change how they were displayed.  I wasn’t expecting much from cashiering, but she made it sound a lot more interesting than I would have expected.  This drove Tagawa’s philosophy of always looking for improvement further into my mindset regardless of what job I may be performing. 

The final rotation focused on the business and administration departments of Tagawa Greenhouse.  We talked to managers from HR, finance, IT, InColor, young plant production, and maintenance.  These deep dive conversations opened my eyes up to several aspects of jobs that I otherwise did not consider.  I learned that HR is responsible for a lot of the strategic management which serves to establish a culture within the company that makes workers more engaged and willing to support the company’s goals.  Because the IT department can oftentimes get overlooked in a greenhouse business, I was taught the importance of being on the ground and trying to connect with others.  Seeing the Excel sheets that the finance department creates showed me the consideration required when calculating every potential expense and earning.  I found it amazing that each plant sold from Tagawa could be priced down to the penny and then the expected revenues could be projected within minimal deviation.  I also got a grasp for how to use and communicate these numbers when trying to sell a product or negotiate with a company such as Costco.  On the last day, we talked to several other departments including procurement, distribution, marketing, inventory, and maintenance.  It was interesting to learn about each of these functions, and it helped piece together all of the elements that make the company run.  We also got some insight into the horticulture industry as a whole and current trends that each team was observing.  Each conversation was very helpful for getting a better understanding of all the jobs going on behind the scenes in the greenhouse that give Tagawa the ability to operate each year.

There were some aspects of the internship that I wish were different.  I spent all seven weeks of the first rotation only in the seeding area.  When the other interns did their rotation, they were able to spend time in various areas across the facility, giving them more exposure to all the processes in Tagawa’s main facility.  I also wish I had more opportunities to talk to the managers I worked with during the operations and production rotations so that I could better understand their roles and thought processes when growing.  However, I understand this is difficult to accomplish during peak season.

Overall, I am extremely grateful that I had the chance to partake in such an amazing program with the other interns.  We all learned a lot from Tagawa as well as each other.  There was so much new information to take in, and I do feel like I absorbed a good amount of it.  My horticultural knowledge has definitely expanded, and my skills are more well-rounded now.  This internship is a formative seed in my horticultural career, and I am confident that I will use this experience to further help me grow. 

My time at Tagawa Greenhouse was an invaluable part of my education. During my six-month internship, not only was I able to apply all that I had learned from my degree program, but learned just as much, if not more, than I had in the classroom alone. Although my education had well-prepared me for a career in the horticulture industry, there truly is nothing like hands on experience in the field.

 At first, I was hesitant to move halfway across the country for an internship, but I was surprised to by how much knowledge I gained from the location alone, Colorado having unique microclimates, multiple hardiness zones, and unique issues related to elevation that gave me a chance to learn about different natural ecosystems and sustainability practices.

The first four months of my internship was spent in production of young plants at the main facility in Brighton, Colorado, where I started in seeding and was able to witness the progression of the crops until they were shipped out. The majority of my time was spent under one of their head growers that oversaw germinating seedlings. From her, I learned much about the differing cultural needs of various annuals. Through both experience and detailed explanation of why we perform specific tasks, I was able to learn about irrigation, plant growth regulators, and environmental controls within a large-scale greenhouse.

In a range full of stock plants, I got hands-on experience identifying common greenhouse pests and diseases, applying biologicals, properly pruning herbaceous plants, and testing soil EC and pH. My classes had prepared me somewhat for these tasks, but I was grateful to be able to apply this knowledge in the field. Although I was unable to visit the facility where most cutting and sticking of plants occurred due to Covid-19 restrictions, I did get to spend time in the stock range and watch the cutting process on a much smaller scale and was able to care for the rooting plants.

My main task throughout the week was aiding in data collection for a patented research project. I found the problem-solving aspect enjoyable and appreciated the opportunity to learn through trial and error, as well as develop more detail-oriented techniques for handling seedlings. It was exciting to see the results of my work from growing week to growing week and be able to document it. When it came to careers, I often thought about working in a research lab, but it was eye-opening to be able to experience this type of work at a production greenhouse. It made me realize there were many more opportunities to do the things I was interested in, outside of academia. 

Tagawa Greenhouse is much more than a production facility, as they also merchandise their products at big box stores, as well as their own garden center. Being able to experience a many different aspects of the industry was one of the things that drew me to Tagawa. Not only was I able to work in production, but I was able to follow their plants from shipping and distribution right into stores, where I had the opportunity to interact with the public on the retail side of things, merchandise and set up displays of our plants, and learn from experienced master gardeners at Tagawa Gardens. 

It was surprising how much I learned from my retail experience, having been a gardener myself for many years. I was able to see how the Tagawa name was synonymous with both quality and knowledge. Customers at retail chains knew that their plants came from Tagawa and would turn to the garden center for both more information and product. Every department at Tagawa Gardens had an expert in their area from whom I learned everything from how to prune a rose to how to help a customer find the right fertilizer for their needs and unique location.

Most years, Tagawa takes their interns to the ProGreen Expo, but due to Covid-19, the convention was online this year, but I was still given the time to attend the virtual panels and learn more about the green industry, the challenges of growing in Colorado, and new and developing greenhouse technology. I was able to watch lectures from CSU professors and see the type of research students were involved in at the university. 

After I complete my associate degree in Horticulture, I had determined that I wanted to go on and continue my education at a state university and being able to see the work done at CSU added another school for me to consider if I decide to leave Iowa. Tagawa helped put me in contact with a professor at CSU who gave me a tour of their trial gardens and arboretum, as well as introduce me to their wonderful Horticulture program.

Interning at Tagawa Greenhouse was an amazing opportunity. It gave me a better sense of the type of work in horticulture I enjoy and showed me where I could apply my interests. There are more careers that I am now considering than I was prior to my internship, as well as more contacts to help me when I finally take my place in the industry or continue my education. 

The six-month term was just long enough to see all sides of production and I wish I could have spent more time there, but I do have one more year to complete in my current educational program. My college was impressed with the internship program as well, and AFE allowed my instructor to visit and tour the facility. This fall, I will be talking to first-year students about my experiences at Tagawa and with AFE, encouraging more students to apply for the Vic & Margaret Ball Intern Scholarship. The distance was well worth the experience!

— Will Billmeyer