The owner of Evergreen Nursery Company in Sturgeon Bay has been honored by the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. Ron Amos was named the 2021 Wisconsin Distinguished Agriculturalist by the school's College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences.
Amos has taken one of the oldest businesses in Wisconsin and has kept it relevant, innovative and thriving. Evergreen Nursery, established in 1864 by George Pinney, remained in the Pinney family until 2001, when Amos, who had advanced from propagator to vice-president at Evergreen Nursery, purchased the business. Today, he oversees more than 30 employees who annually produce three million liners of evergreens, shrubs and birch, and up to two million liners of cranberries that are shipped across the U.S. and Canada. Evergreen Nursery is the largest wholesale nursery in the state.
A native of Madison, Amos has a strong background in plant propagation having earned a master's degree from UW-Madison under Brent McCown, Ph.D. He started a tissue culture lab at Evergreen Nursery where he optimized the techniques to propagate unique birches and other woody plants which are notoriously difficult to work with, making them commercially viable. He partners with other woody plant breeders to make new and valuable varieties of northern hardy shrubs available.
He also works closely with the cranberry industry. The With his strong plant propagation skills and deep understanding of plant development, Ron has helped cranberry breeders increase their number of plants of advanced selections for trials and mass produce the most promising cultivars. His efforts have helped make new, high-yielding cultivars available to growers.
Amos' contributions in the area of plant production have helped support multiple sectors of Wisconsin's $2.7 billion horticultural green industry, from landscape and garden center sales, to fruit production. In 2017, he was inducted into the Wisconsin Green Industry Federation Hall of Fame.
"For more than 50 years, the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences has been recognizing individuals who have made significant contributions to agriculture and natural resource management in Wisconsin and beyond, as well as supported UWRF and its programs," said CAFES Dean Dale Gallenberg. "Ron's place among these individuals is well deserved and we’re pleased to add him to the group. We appreciate his support of our college and what he has done for the nursery industry."
The Wisconsin Distinguished Agriculturalist Award was established in 1970 to recognize individuals who have provided leadership, service and other contributions to the broader agricultural community.
Categories: Wisconsin, Education