EHC | Expert in Aronia Berry Cultivation, Spray Drift Diagnosis and Commercial Horticulture Crops

Filing a Lawsuit

(this video tells how - click here)

Expert Witness Services:

Herbicide Drift Consultations:

If you are looking for a high quality expert witness who is a horticulture

specialist, then Dr. Eldon Everhart is a good choice. Most attorneys,

jurors, judges, claim managers, and laypeople are not familiar with

plant science, horticulture jargon, or diagnosis of symptoms.

Because of that, Dr. Everhart can be a valuable asset in legal

cases involving horticultural plants.

Dr. Everhart is a well-known and respected professional. He has

specialized knowledge and experience in horticulture related pesticide

drift complaints. Cases have involved financial losses due to growth or yield

reduction or loss of aesthetic value. Plants have included ornamentals, trees,

shrubs, fruits (including grapes), and vegetables grown in commercial and home

greenhouses, high tunnels, fields, nurseries, vineyards, and landscape plants in rural and urban settings.

For over 40 years, Dr. Everhart has served as a professional witness or judicial expert in court cases (see list to right) and has written numerous legal opinions or depositions. He has extensive experience diagnosing and assessing plant damage and injury symptoms due to alleged herbicide drift. Dr. Everhart also has research-based knowledge and practical experience differentiating signs and symptoms of actual herbicide drift from those due to other causes. This includes biotic problems caused by living organisms, such as fungi, bacteria, viruses, nematodes, insects, mites, and animals. It also includes abiotic disorders are caused by nonliving factors, such as drought stress, sunscald, freeze injury, wind injury, lightening strikes, girdling roots,nutrient deficiency, soil pH, salinity, or improper cultural practices, such as overwatering, planting too deep, or incorrect fertilization.

Everhart Horticulture Consulting also provides landscape tree and plant appraisal, damage evaluation, loss assessment, and advice on how to manage, avoid &/or minimize pesticide drift and future damage. A comprehensive written &/or verbal report of losses and options can be prepared and delivered to clients for each case.

Examples of services provided include mediation of disputes

between applicators and property owners, and between neighbors

regarding damage to existing plant materials caused by a variety

of activities including off-target pesticide drift, faulty applications,

excavation, pruning practices, etc.

To accurately diagnose herbicide injury, one must know the signs

and symptoms produced by individual herbicides on specific plants.

Grapevines, tomato plants, and redbud trees are some of the most

sensitive plants to herbicide spray drift. Commercial applicators and

landowners spraying herbicides must be aware of the adverse

effect herbicide drift may have on nearby non-target plants.

Different herbicides may show different symptoms depending

on the plant injured, timing, mode of action and fate of the

herbicide, the dose applied, and other factors that interact

and complicate the diagnosis.

In addition, a variety of factors may cause symptoms that resemble herbicide injuries.

Some of these include insect and disease damage, diverse weather such as frost damage and drought, soil compaction, root stress or damage, improper soil pH, misapplied fertilizers, ice-melting or de-icing salt, moisture stress, genetic mutations, and other factors.

In the courtroom, Dr. Everhart's demeanor conveys self-confidence but not arrogance. He is polite but not patronizing. His appearance is well dressed but not flashy or slick. His testimony and sworn statements are based on his own experiences and research in addition to laboratory results, literature reviews, extension publications, published research, and findings of the Spray Drift Task Force for ground and aerial application.

Dr. Everhart communicates facts to the jurors in an unbiased, objective, and credible way, without being perceived as an advocate. He speaks with good diction and proper grammar, without slang, and in concise sentences. He gets directly to the point without sounding blunt. He explains complicated concepts in easy to understand ways that makes sense to a lay audience, without appearing patronizing. Before each case, he prepares extensively and thoroughly rehearses his testimony. But, in the courtroom, he appears spontaneous and unrehearsed but precise and accurate.

Because Dr. Everhart provides an unbiased evaluation of each incident and shares research-based information, the cases that he works on are most often resolved out-of-court with settlements that are satisfactory to all parties. With his help, it is often possible to avoid protracted, expensive, and divisive litigation. If you find yourself involved in a herbicide drift situation, please contact us or have your attorney contact us as early as possible in the process.

A non-refundable retainer fee and a signed Expert Witness Agreement is required prior to the client (or the client's attorney) declaring Dr. Everhart as an expert witness in legal cases.

Office: 712-254-4035

Cell: 712-249-3868

Confidentiality - Everhart Horticulture Consulting (EHC) respects the privacy of our clients. If you provide EHC with personal information it will be held in confidence. EHC does not sell, lease, rent, or share our client's individual personal information or business information without explicit consent from our clients. EHC may tally but does not record site visits, cookies, or other personal information from visits to our website. EHC does not collect information via this website to share with other programs, agencies, individuals, or businesses. EHC is committed to providing a secure, sharing, user-friendly, and mutually beneficial relationship with our clients.

Endorsement - References, advertisements, and links to websites on this website do not imply endorsement or approval of products, processes, or services by Everhart Horticulture Consulting (EHC). This non-endorsement policy includes all products and services other than those offered specifically by EHC. Any reference on this website to any other products, processes, or services does not constitute or imply an endorsement by EHC.

Liability - Everhart Horticulture Consulting (EHC) assume no liability for inaccuracies, misstatements, errors, or outdated information on this website. Everhart Horticulture Consulting (EHC) does not makes any warranty, express or implied, for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, advice, or services included on this website or by email, telephone, Skype, or during in-person consultations, or on other websites or documents that are linked to this website. The views and opinions expressed or implied on this website do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of EHC.

Everhart Horticulture Consulting - In the statements above and everywhere else on this website, the name "Everhart Horticulture Consulting" and the abbreviation "EHC" refer to Eldon Everhart, Lindsey Everhart, Sydney Everhart, and all owners, partners, and employees of this business.

Prices

Guidelines

The following guidelines are what we use to price your project

However, please contact us for a free price quote and detailed description of services we can provide

Phone & Email Consultations

$40/20 minutes or 1 question

$70/40 minutes or 2 questions

$100/60 minutes or 3 questions

On-site Visits

Starting at $300 plus travel for 3 hour visit

Total pricing will vary depending on the

distance to your site and type of service

Commercial business visits are more

Please contact us for a free price quote

Plant Identification

Iowa State University's Hortline provides

plant identification for $10 per sample

If you would like a second opinion or prefer

to work with us, we will be happy to help you

for $10 per plant

Services

Expert Witness Services - click here

Herbicide Drift Consultations - click here

Educational Presentations - click here

Aronia Berry Consultations

For prospective, new and established aronia berry growers

Information on the cultivation of aronia berries

Recommendations regarding site selection

Grant writing services

Any other questions or concerns you may have regarding aronia berry cultivation

Commercial Horticulture Consultations

For commercial producers of horticulture, nursery and landscape crops

Diagnosis and treatment recommendations for plant diseases and insect pests

Advice and "how-to" help for growers who want to become organic certified or more environmentally responsible

Tree Consultations

Problem diagnosis

Evaluation of potential hazard trees

Tree selection & care recommendations

Construction damage prevention recommendations

Tree evaluation for legal or insurance purposes

Herbicide Drift Consultations

For parties involved in disputes regarding damage caused by herbicide spray drift

Diagnosis of spray drift damage

Expert witness services - click here

Laboratory analysis of residue.

Diagnosis of other possible causes.

Home Horticulture Services

Advice on how to become more environmentally responsible, including rain collection & rain gardens, pest management, etc.

Diagnosis and treatment advice for plant diseases and insect pests

Plant identification

Educational Presentations

For small, medium, or large groups

Tailored for each audience

Customized for time available

List of topics available on request

Office: 712-254-4035

Cell: 712-249-3868

Email - ckick here

Dr. Everhart giving a PowerPoint program.

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Dr. Everhart served as Iowa State University Horticulturist for over 20 years. He is an expert on aronia as well as other horticulture plants. I recommend Eldon highly to assist home owners & commercial growers with their horticulture questions & problems.

-- Gary Guge, Harrison County Extension Director (retired)

Learning

is fun!

For more FREE information,

read the posts on our blog:

Aronia in America

For more information,

click on the photos & references below.

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Expert witness cases

(during recent years)

Bradley v. Southern State