Industry experts announce trends for 2013
Five industry experts announced what they consider to be the Top Five Trends for 2013.
One trend is sustainability. Frank Mariani, owner of Mariani Landscape, said customers are tuning into how their plants are produced and their impact once they’re brought home. He also said that businesses that employ sustainable business practices, such as bio-diesel fueled trucks, are the ones driving the future of the green industry.
Employees hiring for business owners is another trend. Tom Shay, owner of Profits Plus, said candidates are more forthcoming with peers, and employees are less likely to overlook a candidate’s potential weaknesses. Employees can also gauge whether a new employee will be a cultural fit, and can help a new employee become acclimated to the new job.
Pursuing customer research is a third trend. Bridget Behe, professor of horticultural marketing at Michigan State University, said business owners need customer research to drive their businesses. Behe has recently determined that consumers prefer diverse types of planting pots.
A fourth trend is embracing challenges and people to change outcomes. Jim Paluch, president of JP Horizons Inc., said that businesses that choose to take a proactive approach by facing challenges, looking closely at business and sales strategies, employee growth, financial management and evaluating details will dominate a changing marketplace. He said the results can be profound, and the key is to know where to cut back and where to invest.
The final trend is embracing new technology. Author, Professor and Horticulturalist Michael Dirr said that technology fuels business by better connecting consumers and green providers. An example includes encouraging the use of social media tools by giving best customers free products and encouraging them to talk about them.
For more: www.onla.org
Dallas Arboretum trials African marigolds
The Dallas Arboretum released its fall variety trial summary on the African marigold. The arboretum trialed 32 cultivars last fall, and 34 this spring and summer. Jenny Wegley, Dallas Arboretum’s senior manager of trials and greenhouse, wrote that all of the varieties did very well, but three stood out the most: the Perfection series, Marvel series and Moonsong Deep Orange.
The Perfection series is a taller series available in gold, orange and yellow. It can be used in the landscape or as a thriller in a container. The Marvel series comes in the same colors as Perfection, and is a good pick for the middle of the landscape or border, or as a filler for containers. For those wanting a slightly deeper orange with a larger flower, Moonsong Deep Orange looks like a “pumpkin on a stick,” and is ideal for the middle of the landscape, border, or as a container filler.
For more: bit.ly/SYpirk
BASF to acquire Becker Underwood
BASF plans to acquire Becker Underwood for a price of $1.02 billion. The company is one of the leading global providers of technologies for biological seed treatment, seed treatment colors and polymers, as well as products in the areas of biological crop protection, turf and horticulture, animal nutrition and landscape colorants and coatings. Becker Underwood has 10 production sites worldwide and 479 employees. BASF came to an agreement with Norwest Equity Partners (NEP) to acquire Becker Underwood, which has been a portfolio company of NEP since 2004. The purchase is subject to approval by the responsible authorities, and legal closing of the transaction is expected by the end of 2012.
For more: www.basf.com
Three-day California Spring Trials tour announced
Floriculturists Mark Bridgen and Neil Mattson of Cornell University, and Roberto Lopez of Purdue University, announced that they will again organize a tour of several of the main stops of the 2013 California Spring Trials. The guided excursion allows attendees to attend the trials without having to plan their own stops, hotels and transportation.
The tour is not finalized, but the tentative itinerary is as follows:
Saturday, April 6: Syngenta Flowers, Garlic World, Speedling Inc., Golden State Bulb Growers, Sakata
Sunday, April 7: Dümmen USA, Ball Horticultural Co., commercial production greenhouse
Sunday, April 8: Skagit Gardens, GroLink Plant Co., Fides-Oro (including Ecke Ranch)
The cost is not finalized, but will approximately be $550 per person, which will include hotels, bus travel, lunches and some breakfasts. Attendees will need to arrange their own transportation to and from California. All greenhouse growers, floriculture professionals and academics are invited to attend. Those interested may contact Mark Bridgen at mpb27@cornell.edu or (631) 727-3595.
For more: www.ofa.org/springtrials
People Berger announced Benoît Corbeil as sales director – Americas. Since joining the company, Corbeil has managed sales in both Canada and Latin America. The company says his responsibilities extended to the U.S. due to his decades of experience in horticulture and commercial growing. Barry Yinger joined Star Roses and Plants/Conard-Pyle as the new products and sourcing manager. A graduate of the University of Maryland where he studied plant science, Japanese and Chinese, Yinger will travel the world in search of new woody ornamental plants. He also holds a master’s in horticulture from the University of Delaware. Yinger’s work experience includes managing a retail garden center, heading new plant development for Hines Nursery for 15 years, and working for several botanic gardens in the U.S. and South Korea. Scott Thompson will head Nexus Greenhouse Systems’ new product group as its director of sales. Thompson is a graduate of Monmouth University and was previously the executive vice president of sales and marketing for a greenhouse manufacturer. He has more than 32 years of experience in designing, selling and developing greenhouse products. Peace Tree Farms added John Story and Alex Traven to its team. Story joined the company in September as its general manager and education director. He is a graduate of Cornell University and his previous work includes managing greenhouses at Meadowbrook Farm and Robertson’s Flowers, and developing the perennial plug business at Gro-n-Sell. Traven will return to Peace Tree Farm in January 2013, joining the production team and developing an organic produce, cut flower and herb program. The son of owners Lloyd and Candy Traven, he graduated from Cornell University in May 2012 with a degree in plant sciences. During his time at Cornell, he managed the student-run organic farm, Dilmun Hill. |
New England’s farm cash receipts for horticulture grew
The USDA’s New England Agricultural Statistics Service reported that farm cash receipts for horticulture grew 2.6 percent last year over 2010 figures, to a total of $235 million. The Connecticut Nursery & Landscape Association (CNLA) reported in its Sept. 14 newsletter that the green industry places at 42 percent of Connecticut’s total farm cash receipts of $560 million. Of the six New England states, Vermont has the most agriculture in dollars.
For more: www.flowersplantsinct.com, or 1.usa.gov/PSieOy
Canadian company partners with Philips
Commercial Lighting Products Ltd. and Philips are now official partners for horticulture LED lighting. CLP will market and develop Phillips Horticultural LED lighting products in Canada.
CLP signed the partnership contract and agreement October 3 at the Canadian Greenhouse Conference in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Commercial Lighting Products Ltd. is a Canadian-owned and operated organization.
For more: www.philips.com/horti
Certificate program established for growers
StandPoint Inc. has partnered with Texas A&M University to create a one-year educational experience for progressive nursery and greenhouse growers, culminating in a continuing education Certificate in Applied Horticultural Business Management from Texas A&M University.
The Executive Academy for Growth & Leadership (EAGL) is a one-year executive education program, developed specifically for business leaders in the nursery and greenhouse production industry. It is the product of a multi-year design collaboration between program principals Kip Creel of StandPoint and Charlie Hall of Texas A&M University.
For a full year, attendees will collaborate with like-minded contemporaries to put world-class research and dynamic educational resources to work improving their companies’ competitive position and profitability.
For more: www.eaglpro.com
Company awarded for green innovation
Plantagon International, a Swedish-American company, announced that it was awarded the 2012 SACC New York-Deloitte Green Award for its breakthrough “green” innovation within the food chain, the Plantagon Vertical Greenhouse for urban agriculture. The award was presented by H.M. King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden at a Royal Gala Award Dinner on Oct. 3 in New York.
The SACC New York-Deloitte Green Award is annually presented to a Swedish company with a breakthrough green innovation or technology within the food chain. The award is valued at $25,000.
Plantagon was awarded the Green Award in recognition of its vertical, space-efficient greenhouse solution for urban areas. Its automated greenhouses are more profitable and have crop yields of four to 120 times more per ground area used than traditional greenhouses.
For more: www.plantagon.com
Funds from hydrangea to support breast cancer research
Funds raised from Invincibelle Spirit, a pink-flowered ‘Annabelle’ hydrangea from Proven Winners ColorChoice Shrubs, in partnership with The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF), will support the work of Dr. Carey Anders of the University of North Carolina for all of 2013.
BCRF offers partners the opportunity to fund a researcher if they donate $250,000 within BCRF’s fiscal year. Proven Winners ColorChoice suggested a North Carolina-based researcher in homage to the state where Invincibelle Spirit hydrangea was developed by Tom Ranney and Richard Olsen at North Carolina State University’s Mountain Horticultural Crops Research Center.
Anders’ BCRF-funded research focuses on new therapies for triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), an especially aggressive form of the disease associated with a high rate of recurrence and low survivorship. Her work shows encouraging results for women who have experienced brain metastasis, a common occurrence with TNBC diagnoses.
More than $472,000 has been raised since Proven Winners ColorChoice Shrubs introduced the plant in 2009. One dollar from every Invincibelle Spirit hydrangea sold has been donated to BCRF.
For more: www.colorchoiceplants.com or www.springmeadownursery.com
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