 Charlie Cook, editor and publisher of The Cook Political Report and political analyst for the National Journal Group and NBC News, speaks at the 2013 Kickoff Breakfast for Congressional Action Days.Courtesy of SAF Photographs |
Floral industry puts issues front and center on Capitol Hill
What can you do in fifteen minutes? Multiply that quarter hour times 102 entrepreneurs visiting nearly 140 legislative offices in one day, and you can put floriculture’s most important issues — access to capital, immigration reform, funding for floriculture research and better deductions for charitable donations —smack in the center of Congress’ radar.
Those are the issues that teams of growers, wholesalers, suppliers and retailers from 25 states boned up on and took to Capitol Hill, during SAF’s 33rd Annual Congressional Action Days (CAD), held March 11 and 12. The combined and coordinated effort put floral industry needs into direct human (i.e. “constituent”) perspective for the denizens of Capitol Hill.
“CAD is critically important,” Marvin Miller, AAF, of Ball Horticultural Company in West Chicago, Ill. Chair of SAF’s government relations committee, Miller, who’s been attending CAD for 25 years, told attendees at the opening breakfast, “Seeing the results may take a while. But the results are often significant, long-term and benefit the entire industry.”
Source: SAF
For more: bit.ly/XHyAvr.
Canadian Natural gas prices hit a four-month high amid forecasts of cooler weather across North America and declining supplies in Canada. Benchmark AECO natural gas spot prices stood at $3.42 per gigajoules ($3.61 per million cubic feet) at close yesterday, a level it last traced on November 22, 2012, according to NGX, which is the standard benchmark for AECO pricing. Aside from November 22 and November 23 of last year, this would be the highest prices since early September 2011, according to Martin King, an analyst at First Energy Capital. Canadian natural gas prices have also rebounded after crashing to a decade low of $1.43 per Btu in April 2012, compelling energy producers to slash investments in gas drilling and focus on liquids. “Natural gas supplies in Western Canada continue to remain very stable, despite what has been a relatively muted level of drilling,” King said in a note to clients. Read the rest of the story at natpo.st/XcQsTY. Source: The Financial Post Ready or not, healthcare reform is here to stay. Business owners have nine months to implement this complex new law, which goes into effect Jan. 1, 2014 — but SAF has a tool to help horticulture business owners. SAF’s new Health Care Resource Center spells out the law’s key provisions in easy-to-understand language, and its step-by-step Planning Tool points a business owner toward specific requirements depending on how ACA rules define a company’s size. The site explains specific requirements and penalties for non-compliance for companies defined under ACA rules as small or large employers, the self-employed, and guidelines for employees as they consider their health care choices. A glossary of terms and an implementation timeline are also part of the resource center. “We’ve tried to be as comprehensive as possible. Our Health Care Resource Center demystifies the ACA and breaks it into plain English and facts,” Connors said. If members don’t find information they need, there’s a form to submit questions. Visit the Health Care Resource Center at www.safnow.org/health-care-resource-center. Source: SAF For more: Corey Connors at cconnors@safnow.org or 800-336-4743. Syngenta Flowers will offer two scholarships in 2013 to undergraduate, master’s or doctoral students who have shown high potential in the fields of plant breeding and ornamental horticulture through scholastic excellence and experience. The Glenn Goldsmith Breeding Excellence Scholarship will award $7,500 to a student currently working toward a degree in plant breeding, and the Goldsmith Seeds Floriculture Business Advancement Scholarship will award $7,500 to a student currently working toward a degree in the ornamental horticulture business. “Syngenta is pleased to offer these scholarships to students who demonstrate a passion and commitment to this important industry,” says Scott Valentine, president of Syngenta Flowers. “We recognize this industry will need future leaders. By recognizing these students, it is our hope we can further empower their future and their ability to succeed in the ornamental horticulture industry.” Applications are due May 31, 2013. The two scholarship recipients will be notified on June 28, 2013, and will be awarded their scholarships by Syngenta at the OFA Short Course trade show July 14 to16. Recipients do not need to be present in order to receive the scholarships. To apply, students must be either an undergraduate, master’s or doctoral candidate at an accredited four-year university during the 2013-14 academic school year, and carry a minimum of a 3.0 cumulative grade point average. Applicants must submit a cover letter and resume, a letter of recommendation from the applicant’s professor or academic adviser, a brief description of career aspirations and an essay between 1,000 and 1,500 words describing what ‘Bringing Plant Potential to Life’ means to their career path. This information must be submitted to syngentaflowers.scholarships@syngenta.com by May 31, 2013. People Matt Mart has joined Benary of North America as the new sales and marketing manager. He will operate out of the company’s newly opened facility in Watsonville, Calif. Jean Paul Bessette, current sales and marketing manager of Benary of North America, has accepted a new position as area sales manager for Southern Europe and South America. Rancho Tissue Technologies has added Lee Charles Chaille as production manager to its team. Chaille has served as lab manager and commercial producer for Hawaii Biotech Tissue Culture Center, where he explored the commercial production of Jatropha for biofuels. He collaborated with Dr. Kheng Cheah, a renowned tissue culture specialist, to establish the New Plant Distribution Center and develop new optimized culture media for Bamboo culture while at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Michael Hemming of Eastern Shore Nurseries, Easton, Md., has been awarded the Maryland Nursery and Landscape Association Professional Achievement Award. He follows in the footsteps of his grandfather, who won the Professional Achievement award in 1947, and his father, who won the award in 1964. Costa Farms has brought Hispanic writer Andrés Fortuño onto its team to speak to the growing number of Hispanics who love to garden. Fortuño will be “the voice” for Costa Farms’ new Facebook page, Costa Farms en Español. He will also help develop retail-specific programs for the Hispanic market and conduct product knowledge classes in specific retailers in South Florida. Fortuño has developed DIY gardening projects that have aired on Telemundo and Univision. He is experienced in the creative field, from traditional advertising and photography to landscape creations and editorial writing. He currently writes for About.com Español, producing the Plants and Gardens section. The Executive Committee of the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) has confirmed the appointment of Tim Briercliffe as the new Secretary General of the association. This full-time role results from an internal review of AIPH activity and was created to drive the growth of AIPH. The position will spearhead a new phase of activity focusing on meeting the needs of growers across the world, the association says. Read more at bit.ly/YVPgP9. Aris Horticultural Services has announced that Jennifer Kuziw has joined the company as a sales representative covering New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware. Kuziw has worked in the industry for nearly 25 years. Her experience covers both the grower and retailer aspects of the business, from product knowledge to production scheduling to developing retail sales programs and merchandising. Marrone Bio Innovations files patent for unique Bacillus species Marrone Bio Innovations (MBI) announced the submission of a patent application encompassing a new Bacillus sp. strain F727 to the United States Patent and Trademark Office. In comparison tests with commonly used chemical fungicides, the Bacillus sp. strain F727 shows a high level of activity against a broad range of fungal and bacterial plant pathogens. In MBI’s greenhouse tests, Bacillus sp. strain F727 outperformed the leading Bacillus biofungicides on the market, particularly on downy mildews, the company states. According to Phyllis Himmel, Ph.D., MBI vice president of research & development, Bacillus sp. strain F727 shows consistent fungicidal activity against Botrytis gray mold and downy mildews in plant tests. “We are excited to move this candidate to field trials on a broad range of crops in 2013,” she says. “The strain has also shown activity beyond plant disease control. Additional work is in progress to explore its usefulness as a plant growth promoter in crops such as corn, soybeans, tomatoes and turf.” Source: MBI New York-based BrightFarms, Inc. will build a greenhouse in Richard L. Berkley Riverfront Park in Kansas City, the Port Authority of Kansas City announced. BrightFarms will build the 100,000-square-foot, $4 million hydroponic greenhouse in partnership with the Port Authority and should create 25 full-time jobs and 100 temporary construction jobs. When complete, the facility will produce as many as 1 million pounds of produce annually. Source: Kansas City Business Journal On December 20, 2012, Ohio Gov. Kasich signed House Bill 458 into law. The new legislation, which becomes effective March 27, 2013, was influenced by the recommendations of the Ohio Underground Damage Prevention Coalition (OUDPC) and makes changes to Ohio Revised Code 3781.25-32 and 153.64. While the full text of the law can be downloaded and reviewed at www.onla.org, there are five primary areas that may impact green industry businesses in Ohio. Pre-Marking in White: The excavator is required to pre-mark the approximate excavation location in WHITE. (Excavators should pre-mark sites prior to contacting a protection service.) Four exemptions to this rule: if the utility can determine the precise excavation site (location, size, etc.) by referring to the notification provided by the protection service; if the excavator and the affected utility have had an on-site, preconstruction meeting for the purpose of pre-marking the site; if the excavation replaces a pole that is within five feet of the location of an existing pole; and if pre-marking by the excavator interferes with pedestrian or vehicle traffic control. Universal Marking Standards: Previously, not all underground facilities were marked in consistent manners or colors and variations existed from municipality to municipality. Moving forward, all underground facilities must be marked in accordance to the Ohio universal marking standards on record with the Ohio utilities protection service. Positive Response: To close a communications gap, the new legislation implements an automated system by which a utility communicates to the excavator the presence or absence of conflict between the existing underground facilities and the proposed excavation site. (The utility must respond to the one-call center; the excavator can request an update or check status online.) Limited Basis Participants: Beginning July 1, 2013, each protection service shall notify limited basis participants, rather than refer their info to the excavator. For more: bit.ly/XcQmeY. Source: ONLA The report titled Global Greenhouse Horticulture Market 2012-2016 forecasts the world greenhouse horticulture market to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 10.1 percent over the period 2012-2016. One of the key factors contributing to this market growth is the rising demand for food. The Global Greenhouse Horticulture market has also been witnessing growing research and development in the greenhouse horticulture sector. However, the lack of cold storage facilities could pose a challenge to the growth of this market. The 32-page report has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market. The report was published by TechNavio and can be purchased by visiting bit.ly/Yg1PcC. For a man surrounded by Exotic Angels, Wolfgang Engelmann remained surprisingly down to earth. His warmth and ability to connect with other people defined his life and the way he did business. On March 30, he lost his life to the cancer he fought with bravery, humor and the support of friends and family. Wolfgang Engelmann leaves behind his wife, Amy, daughter Lauren, son Andrew, mother Anneliese, stepfather Joe, brother Hermann, sister Victoria and extended family in the United States and Germany. His family thanks everyone at MD Anderson Cancer Center Orlando, especially Dr Omar Kayaleh and Dr Naren Ramakrishna, and Vitas Innovative Hospice Care. In lieu of flowers, make a donation to the Cancer Research Institute at MD Anderson Cancer Center Orlando in his name: www.GetInvolvedOrlandoHealth.com. Source: Hermann Engelmann Greenhouses EVENTS JUNE
Canadian Natural gas prices hit four-month high
New website offers prescription for confusion over healthcare law 
Determining whether you are a “large” or “small” employer — as ACA defines it — is the starting point from which to identify your business’ specific obligations under the new law. “Being a large or small employer for the purposes of the ACA is not subjective. You need to do the math to fully understand what your requirements will be under the law in order to make informed decisions,” said SAF’s Corey Connors, senior director of government relations. A Business Size Calculator is included in the Resource Center’s Planning Tool.
Syngenta offers Goldsmith scholarships
This strain was first discovered from soil collected in California by one of MBI’s employees. The chemistry and genetic profiles appear to be unique from other known Bacillus species. In addition, the anti-fungal compounds produced by this new strain are different than the current commercial Bacillus biofungicide products.
New York firm announces plans to build greenhouse
Updated law impacts Ohio’s green industry
Report indicates growth for greenhouse market
Owner of Hermann Engelmann Greenhouses passes away at 55 
Born in Germany, Wolfgang moved to the United States with his family in 1961. He thrived in the family business and was proud to represent the sixth generation of Engelmanns in horticulture. He saw the greenhouse his father founded in Apopka, Florida, in 1971 grow into one of the largest producers of houseplants in the world. Today, Hermann Engelmann Greenhouses, Inc. operates more than 3 million square feet of glass greenhouse and employs 350.
19, Darwin Perennials Day, West Chicago, Ill.,
www.ballperennialday.com
JULY
13-16, OFA Short Course, Columbus, Oh.,
www.ofashortcourse.org
17-Aug. 30, Raker Trial Gardens, Litchfield, Mich.,
trialgardens.raker.com
29-Aug. 9, Michigan Garden Plant Tour, Lower Michigan,
planttour.hrt.msu.edu
AUGUST
1-3, Bloomapalooza, Litchfield, Mich.,
www.bloomapalooza.com
7, Michigan Plant Trial Field Day, East Lansing, Mich.,
planttour.hrt.msu.edu/fieldday
12-14, AAS Summer Summit, Ontario, Canada,
www.all-americaselections.org/meetings
22-24, Farwest Show, Portland, Ore.,
www.farwestshow.com
Explore the May 2013 Issue
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