ONLA hosts more than 200 students in annual Landscape Olympics

WOOSTER, Ohio — The Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association hosted 230 future workers, managers, and owners in the industry during its third annual academic competition on Nov. 1 and 2.

Nufarm Turf & Ornamentals served as the leading sponsor for the Ohio High School Landscape Olympics, a hands-on competition at The Ohio State University Agriculture Technical Institute in Wooster.

The Olympics intersects the high school educational experience when junior and seniors are starting to think more seriously about what they’ll do after graduation. Educators and students from 20 schools and career centers across the state traveled to this year’s event.

Following a career exploration where students meet with green industry leaders, participants competed in 12 events. The events are designed by industry professionals to help bring nursery and landscape certification exam questions to life to support practical understanding, exam preparedness and develop landscaping aptitude.  

Challenges included areas such as sales presentation, irrigation, truck and trailer operation, skid steer operation, cost estimation, hardscape installation, compact excavator operation, landscape maintenance, low voltage lighting, turfgrass, landscape plant installation and plant identification.

Nufarm Technical Services Director Jason Fausey addressed students and horticulture instructors in opening ceremonies, met with them at the career exploration on Nov. 1, and spent time with groups working on 12 live landscape competitions on Nov. 2.

“It was a privilege to sponsor this year’s Ohio High School Landscape Olympics,” Fausey said. “It’s inspiring whenever we can take time to connect what we do every day at Nufarm, working in service of a better green industry, to students considering where they want to focus their future. It’s also an honor to be able to meet with the instructors who lead them.”