Green Report

TNLA Green Report Podcast, Season 5, Episode 7: How the Green Industry Can Embrace the Unknown Featuring Ryan Watkins, Hort Mentor

Change and uncertainty are constant in today’s green industry. In this live podcast, Ryan Watkins of Hort Mentor shares insights on adapting to shifting markets, labor challenges, and evolving customer expectations. Learn how leaders can stay flexible, plan ahead, and turn uncertainty into opportunity for long-term success.

TNLA Green Report Podcast, Season 5, Episode 6: Employers’ Biggest Legal Mistakes Featuring Dustin Paschal, Simon Paschal PLLC

Employment law missteps can be costly. In this live podcast, attorney Dustin Paschal breaks down the most common legal mistakes employers make and how to avoid them. From hiring and termination to policies and compliance, gain practical guidance to reduce risk and protect your business in today’s complex legal environment.

TNLA Green Report Podcast, Season 5, Episode 5: From Dirt to Data: AI for the Texas Green Industry, Terry Brock

Sponsored by Hotchkiss Insurance Agency

In this episode, Hall of Fame speaker Terry Brock breaks down how AI is already transforming nurseries, greenhouses, and landscape operations—and how you can use it to grow profits in 2026. Forget buzzwords and sci-fi hype. This session delivers real-world examples and live demos showing how horticulture businesses are using AI to improve forecasting, reduce waste, spot trends early, and strengthen customer relationships.

You’ll explore practical AI tools—including but not limited to ChatGPT—and walk away with a realistic action plan for what to test, what to ignore, and how to get your team using AI effectively, even if you’re not a tech expert. If you want AI to work for your business (not overwhelm it), this episode is your roadmap.

TNLA Green Report Podcast, Season 5, Episode 4: Thrips Management & Biological Control Innovations, Katerina Velasco-Graham & Team

Sponsored by Hotchkiss Insurance Agency

In this TNLA webinar, industry experts share the latest research and innovations in thrips management and biological control. Learn how to identify thrips, strengthen integrated pest management programs, and apply practical, sustainable solutions for greenhouse and controlled-environment operations.

Panelists include, Katerina Velasco-Graham, M.Agr., M.S., Subin Neupane, Ph.D., and Pedro Toledo, Ph.D.

TNLA Green Report Podcast, Season 5, Episode 3: How Landscapers Win Affluent Clients, Jack Jostes, Ramblin Jackson

Sponsored by Hotchkiss Insurance Agency

In this episode, learn how to attract and convert high-end landscaping clients without wasting time on unqualified leads. Discover why traditional marketing falls short with affluent buyers, how to position your company as the obvious premium choice, and ways to prequalify prospects, improve pricing transparency, and close bigger, more profitable projects.

TNLA Green Report Podcast, Season 5, Episode 2: Two Spotted Leaf Hopper, Dr. Rafia Khan, Texas A&M University

Sponsored by Hotchkiss Insurance Agency

In this episode, Dr. Rafia Khan provides a critical update on the invasive two-spot cotton leafhopper recently detected in Texas. Learn how to correctly identify this emerging pest, recognize early signs of infestation, and implement effective management strategies to protect plants, nurseries, and landscape operations. This episode is essential listening for growers and green industry professionals navigating this new and evolving threat.

TNLA Green Report Podcast, Season 5, Episode 1: Time Freedom for Founders: Reclaim Time with AI, Tommy Cole, LeanScaper

Sponsored by Hotchkiss Insurance Agency | Presented by TNLA + LeanScaper | Hosted by Tommy Cole

Running a business shouldn’t mean sacrificing your time or personal life. In this episode, Tommy Cole reframes productivity as a systems problem—not a hustle problem—and shares practical ways founders can redesign how they work.

Listeners learn how to escape the busyness trap, audit where their time is really going, and rebuild their schedules around values, priorities, and purpose. The session explores the F.L.O.W. productivity model, the power of eliminating, automating, and delegating effectively, and how AI can serve as a personal time coach to keep systems running smoothly.

Designed for business owners and leaders feeling stretched thin or out of alignment, this episode offers a clear, structured path to reclaiming time, gaining clarity, and leading with leverage—not burnout.

TNLA Green Report Podcast, Season 4, Episode 10: New H-2A Rules, New Challenges with Arnulfo Hinojosa

In this episode, Curtis Smith (TNLA Director of Legislative & Regulatory Affairs) sits down with Arnulfo Hinojosa, COO of FEWA, to break down the latest changes to the H-2A program following the U.S. Department of Labor’s new Interim Final Rule.

In just 30 minutes, we cover what employers in the nursery, greenhouse, and landscape sectors need to know heading into the 2026 filing season — including new wage calculations, advertising requirements, incidental tasks, staggered start dates, interview waivers, and the broader legal landscape surrounding H-2A.

Topics include:
• What’s now in effect under the Interim Final Rule
• How OEWS wage data, skill levels, and the Adverse Compensation Adjustment will impact pay
• Best practices for advertising wages and retaining returning workers
• Clarifying incidental tasks and job-order scope
• How staggered start dates and interview waivers work under the new system
• What lawsuits and regulatory shifts mean for employers
• Practical next steps for green-industry operations preparing 2026 applications

A timely conversation for anyone navigating seasonal labor, compliance, and workforce planning under the evolving H-2A program.

TNLA Green Report Podcast, Season 4, Episode 9: Water at the Capitol: Proposition 4, Groundwater, and What’s Next

Water took center stage in Texas this year. In this episode of The Green Report Podcast, we sit with Jeremy Mazur, Director of Infrastructure and Natural Resources Policy for 2036, to unpack the constitutional amendment on water, the groundwater fight from the regular and special sessions (including Rep. Cody Harris’s efforts), and what it all signals for next session—with a focus on real-world impacts for TNLA members.

TNLA Green Report Podcast, Season 4, Episode 8: Protecting Your Business: Inside TNLA’s 2025 Legislative Wins

This episode of the Green Report takes you inside the fast-paced world of the Texas Legislature with TNLA’s Director of Legislative & Regulatory Affairs, Curtis Smith. From a record-setting water infrastructure win to stopping dangerous licensing and pesticide bills, Curtis breaks down how TNLA successfully defended the green industry at the Capitol. Plus, hear how TNLA members made a direct impact through advocacy and grassroots outreach—and what’s next for protecting your business. For more information on TNLA and Advocacy, visit www.TNLAonline.org.