Perennial Plant Association awards five scholarships
The Perennial Plant Association (PPA) named five outstanding horticulture students recipients of the 2014 Symposium Scholarship Program. Each earned a $1,000 stipend in addition to complimentary registration and lodging for the 32nd Perennial Plant Symposium, tours and trade show to be held in Cincinnati, July 28-Aug. 1, 2014.
The scholarship program, now in its 15th year, generously provides students excellent opportunities to attend lectures and tours and to network with members of the perennial industry.
“As president of PPA and as a horticulture professor, I am very proud of the PPA’s continued support to students interested in careers in the perennial plant industry,” said Dave Sanford of Penn State University. “This award enables undergraduate students, who might otherwise not be able, to attend our national symposium, to visit nurseries, garden centers, and tour outstanding private and public gardens. The students can make the most of this opportunity to meet and learn from some of the best experts in the field as well as expand their professional network.”
The 2014 Scholarship Recipients who will be recognized during the symposium are:
- Naoko Seko, a junior horticulture major attending the University of Cincinnati;
- Andrew Guay, a first-year horticulture major attending Niagara Parks School of Horticulture in Niagara Falls, Ont.;
- Michael Davie, a second year horticulture major at Columbus State Community College in Columbus, Ohio;
- James Rockwell, a junior environmental horticulture major attending Virginia Polytechnic and State University in Blacksburg, Va.; and
- Jacob Suissa, a sophomore Sustainable Landscape Horticulture major attending the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vt.
BASF Sultan miticide receives U.S. EPA approval
BASF received U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approval of Sultan miticide, with active ingredient cyflumetofen, for use in greenhouses, nurseries, landscapes, and interiorscapes.
Sultan miticide offers growers:
- Rapid, targeted knockdown of all life stages of mites, with long residual control;
- Practically no toxicity to beneficial insects, including predatory mites and pollinators;
- No observed phytotoxicity in ornamental species teste
- A new mode of action to combat cross-resistance with other commercial miticides;
- A broad label for use in greenhouses, nurseries, landscapes and interiorscapes; and
- Compatibility with Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs.
Sultan miticide will be used as a contact application to key ornamental mites in many annual and perennial crops, including foliage plants; woody plants; and herbaceous plants.
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People Paul Boers Manufacturing of Vineland Station, Ont., manufacturers of commercial production greenhouses and greenhouse equipment, appointed Sam Shroyer as the new sales consultant for the United States. He has a bachelor’s degree in Horticulture from South Dakota State University and internships in Denver and Boston. Schroyer also has 20 years of experience in the greenhouse and horticulture industry. He has also traveled and held a position in Bolivia, aiding a small village in establishing sustainable agriculture practices. Shroyer’s duties with Paul Boers will be to maintain current client relations, establish new clients within the growing industry, manage the complete sales cycle from the first call to project completion, as well as represent Paul Boers Manufacturing at all trade show events.
Carter Kent joins BioWorks with over 20 years of sales experience, including 15 years in the horticulture industry. Kent’s primary responsibility for BioWorks will be to work closely with growers in the Great Lakes Region supporting and promoting the sales of BioWorks insect and disease control, and plant nutrition products as environmentally responsible, safe, and effective solutions.
Mike Tizio has been promoted to president-CEO, while Keith Cable and Scott Crownover are now corporate vice-presidents. Tizio received his BS in Floriculture and Ornamental Horticulture from Cornell University and began with McHutchison in 1981. He previously served as president and on the board since 1996. Cable holds a BA in economics from Denison University, Granville, Ohio. During his career he has focused on sales and sales management positions in several industries, most recently as president of Syngenta Horticultural Services from 2007 to 2012. He joined McHutchison in 2012. Crownover has a BA in Business Administration from Western Washington University. He worked as a sales representative for Vaughan’s Seed Company in Washington state and joined McHutchison in 1997 as a sales representative. He went on to become Western regional sales manager and most recently served as vice president sales and marketing. |
Shafter Research Station selects LumiGrow LEDs
The Shafter Research Station, operated and managed by the San Joaquin Valley Quality Cotton Growers Association, announced its selection of computer-controlled LumiGrow LED greenhouse lights for research greenhouses. The LumiGrow LED systems should hold down energy costs.
Established in 1922 as the USDA Shafter Cotton Research Station, the site faced closure in 2012 when federal funds were withdrawn. A community of growers and elected officials rallied to save the site as a nonprofit research facility. Today, Shafter Research remains a world-leading center for cotton research. Scientists in residence investigate critical challenges facing cotton growers including long-term drought and the soil-borne pathogen FOV4.
Since the change in leadership from the US government to a public-private partnership, a broader scope of research is underway at the 80-acre Shafter facility. This reflects the diversification of crops grown in the region, including carrots, cucumbers, grapes, squash, tomatoes, and zucchini. Shafter Research is also the site of studies on honeybee health, which is of tremendous significance to the region’s almond growers and cross-pollinating crop producers worldwide.
Leading agricultural institutions and agribusinesses lease space at the Shafter Research, attracted by technologies like the LumiGrow LED light system. The LumiGrow solution enables the customization of greenhouse lighting based on factors including region, climate, crop type, and desired crop characteristics. By tuning light levels and spectra in accordance with plant needs, greenhouse operators boost crop yield and quality while they gain electrical cost savings of up to 70 percent compared to conventional greenhouse lighting.
For more info on Shafter: http://www.shafter-research.com/#!home/mainPage
Hoogendoorn launches next generation iSii process computer
Hoogendoorn introduced the next generation iSii process computer GreenTech at Amsterdam RAI.
The next generation iSii delivers the same user-friendly experience as the first generation iSii, with a new clean software interface, new features, and durable hardware. These product modifications should extend the product life span and increase user-friendliness.
During GreenTech, Hoogendoorn introduced the next generation iSii. The computer will officially be revealed on June 10 at 1 p.m. at the Hoogendoorn booth (11.710).
The next generation features a clean user interface that is characterized by a simple configuration, allowing growers to define and display their graphs, summaries, and settings according to their own preferences. The new software includes multiple visualizations that show the current cultivation conditions and allows setting changes.
The next generation iSii comes in a new smooth hardware casing with natural ventilation. The industrial hardware complies with the latest technology and improves performance. Also, the new sensors on the weather station have been carefully selected to face tough circumstances around the world. For example, the active wind sensors are equipped with a heater to help avoid freezing. Combined with modular software, the next generation iSii comprises a long-term investment.
The computer also features controls like pre-control, self-learning heating control, and weather control that anticipates changing conditions. Via intelligent graphical set points (ViP) growers can set their own strategy, using any parameter that they desire such as radiation, wind speed, and outside temperature. With these endless possibilities the next generation iSii seamlessly fits growers’ needs.
The new iSii also features an alarm app. Detailed alarms are sent to smarts phones and tablets to alert growers for deviations – for example, if temperature moves outside the desired boundary values. This enables growers to respond adequately and to have control of their cultivation from any place in the world.
| Calendar August 8-11, Garden Writer’s Symposium, Pittsburgh, PA, http://goo.gl/4Aigdi 21-23, Farwest Trade Show, Portland, Ore., http://www.farwestshow.com/
14-16, GLEE International Garden & Leisure Show, Birmingham, U.K., 1-2, CanWest Hort Show, Vancouver, British Columbia,
Do you have an event to list in the calendar? Contact cmosby@gie.net. |
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