This Event is Exclusively for Personnel of Commercial Greenhouse Operations
Save the Date
March 5, 2026
Best Western Plus
Leamington ON
10:00am - 2:00pm
Lunch Included
What’s actually causing preventable pest outbreaks?
Most greenhouses don’t struggle with IPM because they aren’t trying hard enough.
If your IPM results fluctuate from crop to crop, hotspots keep returning, or biocontrol works inconsistently then the problem isn’t your effort — it’s the system behind your effort.
Teams are forced into firefighting when the system guiding decisions, timing, reproduction, and follow-through is misaligned.
This workshop exists to replace reactive IPM with predictability, control, and stability.
Outbreaks don’t strike at random.
They’re triggered by a predictable pattern of overlooked breakdowns that silently sabotage even the most well-intentioned IPM programs — regardless of greenhouse size, crop type, or team experience.
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In this workshop, we’ll uncover what really drives pests to gain the upper hand, and what to do about it.
This workshop is designed for people inside greenhouse operations who are responsible for IPM outcomes. Leaders are encouraged to bring their key team members:
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Owners with operational or department leaders
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Head growers with growers or production leads
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IPM managers with scouts or IPM team members
Working through the IPM system together creates shared understanding, faster execution, and stronger follow-through once you’re back in the greenhouse.
When these root causes go unresolved, biologicals never truly establish. Hotspots seem to shrink, then come roaring back. Teams shift from strategy to survival mode. Budgets balloon. Trust erodes.
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This is where margins disappear — not because of pests, but because of preventable system failures that allow them to thrive.
What you’ll learn in this workshop
This is a high-performance, hands-on working session for greenhouse leaders who want IPM outcomes they can rely on.
During the workshop, you’ll work through the A–Z IPM framework used to eliminate chaos and build consistent results.
A–Z IPM framework
Learn More
This is a high-performance, hands-on working session for greenhouse leaders who want IPM outcomes they can rely on.
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During the workshop, you’ll work through the A–Z IPM framework used to eliminate chaos and build consistent results.
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We’ll unpack:
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The four silent warning signs that an outbreak is already brewing — even when scouting sheets still look “normal”
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The eight root causes that quietly ignite pest explosions before a single sticky card shows red flags
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Why most biologicals fail to reproduce — and how to ensure they establish faster than pests
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Why generic IPM plans turn greenhouses into pest petting zoos — and what to replace them with
This is not theory. It is a system-level diagnosis of why outbreaks repeat — and how to stop them.
The Goal
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The goal is not to add more products, reports, or meetings.
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The goal is to empower :
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Eliminate firefighting
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Identify failure points before outbreaks occur
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Build an IPM system that performs consistently under pressure
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When the system is right, effort finally compounds instead of being wasted.
PLUS
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Greenhouse-optimized AI prompts tailored to real operational tasks
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A trained and validated custom ChatGPT, used live during the session
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Practical workflows for drafting, organizing, summarizing, and first-pass thinking
These tools act like a second brain — handling preparation and structure — so your time is spent on judgment, prioritization, and action.
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PLUS!
Exclusive Access to a Private WhatsApp Group for Greenhouse Leaders
Alignment doesn’t stop after four hours.
​Participants receive access to a private, non-commercial WhatsApp group for greenhouse leaders across ownership, production, and IPM — people who carry responsibility and think in terms of outcomes.
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Share practical insights, questions, and real scenarios as they arise
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Learn from peers facing similar people and operational challenges
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Apply the tools from this workshop with support, not guesswork
NO sales, pressure, or obligation. Just ongoing access to perspective, experience, and shared thinking — so you’re not trying to solve people problems alone.
BONUS
$300 Thrips Biocontrol Voucher
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The first 20 people to register will receive free access to a custom prompt-creation GPT designed specifically to help greenhouse teams build effective, reliable AI prompts for daily operational work — upon attending the workshop.
The first 20 people to register will receive a $300 locally reared, high-performance Thrips biocontrols including Cucumeris, Orius, Atheta & more — upon attending the workshop.
We include this because we want you to experience what functional biologicals can do inside a clean, strategic IPM system — not in isolation, and not under reactive conditions.
This bonus is offered to early registrants only and is designed to accelerate application of the workshop tools back at the operation.
Facilitated by
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Dr. Ishtiaq Rao, PhD
CEO & Co-Founder, Crop Defenders Ltd.
Dr. Ishtiaq works directly with greenhouse leadership, production, and IPM teams across North America to build scalable pest management systems that reduce the risk of production losses from outbreaks.
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He has trained and worked closely with leading thinkers in leadership, organizational design, and human systems, and brings that experience into practical, real-world greenhouse operations. He is a board member of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) Canada Bridge and Detroit Chapters and has participated in multiple EO learning programs focused on executive decision-making and organizational effectiveness.
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Dr. Ishtiaq has been invited to speak by the North American Plant Protection Organization (NAPPO), the Canadian Greenhouse Conference, AmericanHort, ANBP, IOBC, and IBMA.
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His facilitation of this workshop centers on helping greenhouse leaders protect their time and attention by improving alignment — so teams perform better without added pressure.
You won't want to risk missing out on this.
Preventable outbreaks are expensive — not just in lost yield, but in reactive labor, bloated biocontrol spend, and teams stuck in survival mode.
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When outbreaks keep repeating, it’s not because pests are unpredictable. It’s because the IPM system is misfiring upstream — warning signs are missed, root causes stay hidden, and biologicals never fully establish. By the time pests are visible, the damage is already locked in.
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If you want fewer surprises and IPM outcomes you can rely on, this workshop will be the four most valuable hours you’ll spend to restore predictability and control — not through more effort, but through better system design.