Allan Armitage California Spring Trials Scholarship Winner is Tyler Beasley
February 1, 2017 
Tyler Beasley
Tyler Beasley, a junior at Oregon State University’s Ecampus who is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Ornamental Horticulture, has been named the first recipient of the Allan M. Armitage Scholarship to attend the California Spring Trials (CAST) in 2017.
Beasley manages the Spokane Community College Greenhouse (SCC) , a 6,000-square foot greenhouse facility that provides commercial sales to the general public and educational resources to SCC students. As Tyler puts it, “I am often ‘playing’ with some of my favorite genre of plants that I carry in the greenhouse as pet plants.”
With his work in crop production for spring and fall sales, Beasley notes, “I have gained a vast amount of knowledge when it comes to plant identification, culture, and retail management, and would like to contribute more to our diverse and definitely creative industry.”
During CAST 2017, Beasley will be doing just that. Joining the team of Greenhouse Grower editors Laura Drotleff and Janeen Wright, as well as Contributing Editor and scholarship namesake Allan Armitage, Beasley will take plenty of photos and write daily perspectives on what he has learned each day.
“I am honored to be awarded the 2017 Dr. Allan Armitage CAST Scholarship,” Beasley says. “I believe anyone can achieve great things when they put passion into every step. Attending the California Springs Trials is another step in achieving my horticultural goals. I look forward to seeing the future of our industry and working with others that are as passionate as I am.”
A scholarship committee of respected horticulturists was formed to evaluate the many talented applications received, Armitage says.
“Tyler will learn a great deal about the workings of the horticulture industry, and have a lot of fun doing it,” he says.
Beasley says he has attended the Farwest Show in previous years, and has enjoyed seeing new variety introductions there, but looks forward to seeing how new cultivars are introduced to the industry at CAST.
“I truly believe I have the eye for the next big thing. Traveling to California to attend the California Spring Trials would not only be inspiration to teach new plants to students and the public, but would provide a great opportunity to network with breeders within the industry and become more familiar with plant breeding in general,” he says.
In addition to managing the SCC greenhouse, Beasley is the Vice President of the Inland Empire Gardening Club.
If you’re traveling to CAST, be sure to introduce yourself to Beasley if you see him, and say hello to the Greenhouse Grower team, as well. Meanwhile, follow the team’s travels by signing up for the daily CAST e-newsletter.
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