Western n Edition
Section One of One
GROWER
October 2011 Volume e5 r 11 Number
$2.50
Serving All Aspects of Commercial Horticulture
Greenhouse • Nursery • Garden Center • Fruit & Vegetable • Farm Markets • Landscapers • Christmas
Passion for plants ~ Page 2
Stardig Christmas Trees Page 10
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Christmas . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Melissa Piper Nelson
Today’s Marketing . . . . 19
Page 2 - Section A • COUNTRY FOLKS GROWER WEST • October 2011
The Garden Corner: Passion for plants by Kelly Gates Jonn Karsseboom is nothing if not passionate for hanging baskets. In 2000, he turned his intense interest in suspended plants to the next level, opening his own company, “The Garden Corner,” in Tualatin, OR. By founding a business centered on what he loves to do, Jonn managed to do what so many others only talk about — live his passion. “I am crazy for hanging baskets and somehow, I found a way to create and sell them full time,” he told Country Folks Grower. “We don’t call them hanging baskets though. They’re ‘passion baskets’ here.” Jonn quickly settled into a niche, catering to customers who like rare varieties that can’t be found at just any garden center. Some of the more obscure items that he carries are African impatiens, Lemon Wave hydrangea, Pineapple Lillies and Iochroma Indigo, just to name a few. Shoppers can also find distinctive combinations of colorful containerized flowers at The Garden Corner. The company’s Spring Meadow hanging planter is filled with petunias, heliotrope, geraniums, sanvitalia, and swan river daisies. A single variegated sedum, a zonal geranium, and a dwarf chamaecypari are staked with an actual tea cup and saucer to form the Summer Tea Planter. Jonn and his staff put together the planters in house. Since most of the plants they use are uncommon, they are brought in from local suppliers who grow certain species just for The Garden Corner. The ultimate aim, said Jonn, is to offer unique, highly colorful annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees that make people stop and think, “Well, that’s different.” “We actually have a section on the Web site that’s called just that, ‘Well,
that’s different,’” he noted. “I select one cool variety for each video segment and talk about what makes it special, how to use it in a garden or landscape, and how to care for it. They are quick, fun informational videos meant to educate our customers about some of the harder-to-find plants that we offer.” Along with online video entries, Jonn also hosts an array of classes and seminars at his store. Topics include everything from Lawn Care for the 21st Century and Floral Arranging from the Backyard to Fall Containers, Fall Veggies and Pruning Basics. Special tools sold at The Garden Corner are frequently used to demonstrate proper techniques during these events. Attendees are also taught how to select the right instrument for use in their own yards. “We carry all top-of-the-line products like 100 percent rubber hoses and professional grade fertilizing and watering tools made of aluminum,” explained Jonn. “At the seminars, I talk to people about the importance of investing in equipment for their plants. We also discuss different ways to sharpen pruners, sheers and other tools.” As Jonn interacts with his customers, he is always paying attention to the subjects that interest them the most. One recent trend he has noticed is the demand for plants and flowers that aren’t just aesthetically pleasing, but functional as well. Younger generations in particular, he said, have begun intermixing vegetables and medicinal plants with traditional landscape or garden plants. Tomatoes, peppers, echinacea and aloe, for instance, might be planted amidst black-eyed susans, boxwoods and bluebells in a home owner’s back yard. “Landscaping is getting very personal. It’s becoming functional, rather than just pretty to look at,” he explained.
Barista Tracy Karsseboom is ready to help customers. Photos courtesy of The Garden Corner
Jonn Karsseboom places the stainless steel balls in the large fountain.
“People want gardens and landscapes that they can interact with, to live with.” With this in mind, the purveyor has been prompting people to express their personalities using plants. He also encourages them to add statuaries and fountains for extra ambiance. His store has a wide selection including traditional round fountains, cast stone wall fountains and all sorts of ornamental items that create sound, visual appeal
and an added layer of appeal to any landscape. In the future, Jonn plans to continue inspiring shoppers to showcase their own styles. He also hopes to maintain his passionate production of all things plant-related. “I’m 11 years into this business and I feel like I’ve only just begun,” he said. “The way I see it, as long as I keep living my passion, I can’t go wrong.”
Celina Gomez checks on nursery stock by one of the planted garden roofs.
Ela Family Farms has grown and evolved
Steve Ela pruning peach trees to the Kearney Perpendicular V system. Photos courtesy of Ela Family Farm
In response to the changing times, the Elas decided to revamp their entire business model. They also added to the farm’s infrastructure. A new packing shed was constructed on site, complete with coolers and all the necessary amenities. Eleven wind machines were also installed throughout the property to prevent frost from damaging the crops. The farm began selling its fruit at six farmer’s markets in metropolitan areas throughout Colorado, including Fort Collins and Denver — a six hour drive from Hotchkiss. “About 40 percent of our sales is from produce sold at farmer’s markets and around 20 percent of sales is from a wholesale delivery route to
Antonino Cruz-Rubio sorting Fuji apples.
restaurants, farm stands, fruit coops and select other markets,” said Steve. “We offer CSA shares and partner with vegetable growers to add our fruit to their CSA offerings as well.” Diversifying further, Ela Family Farms delivers to Whole Food stores throughout the region. And, approximately 10 percent of sales is generated by fruits that are sent to processing operations. According to Steve, by spreading out the farm’s income base, the company is
protected from major market swings that at one time, could have crippled a growing business. While managing so many different channels is challenging enough, there are plenty of seasonal tasks to keep the farm’s staff busy year round. Steve’s mother and father, both 88 years, still lend a hand. Shirley helps with bookkeeping. William fills a variety of roles ranging from supervising to assisting with pruning, spraying and other laborious chores.
Shirley Ela in block of old Golden Delicious trees.
“We have a small crew of four people who prune virtually all winter long. We have 35,000 trees, so it takes a while,” noted Steve. “In March, we’re usually finishing pruning and planting any new trees and by early April, we’re into our bloom sequence.” Organic sprays are applied to the fruit throughout the year to prevent pest populations from getting out of control and to ensure a bountiful harvest. Drip irrigation and micro-sprinklers keep everything well watered while conserving natural resources — the average annual rainfall is 10 inches there. Managing such a wide array of marketing channels and 100 acres of pears, peaches, apples, berries and tomatoes is quite a challenging task. But the efforts are well worth the rewards, said Steve. “Running a growing operation the way we do exponentially increases the amount of time and energy spent managing everything,” he said. “We used to be able to pick, take everything to a packing shed and be done. But after we changed to our present way of doing things, the past five years have been our most profitable ever.” With things running so smoothly, the farm’s owners have no plans to make major changes again soon. However, they are reluctant to say that no adjustments will be made as any business must shift and adjust to cater to the ever-changing times, said Steve.
October 2011 • COUNTRY FOLKS GROWER WEST • Section A - Page 3
by Kelly Gates In Colorado, the Rocky Mountains make it challenging to grow fruit. But some experts, like those at Ela Family Farms, have found small microclimates that enable them to not only cultivate such challenging crops, they produce some of the best certified organic produce around. “We’ve been growing fruit in Colorado for four generations, since my great grandfather planted his first peach trees in Grand Junction in 1907,” Steve Ela, current coowner of Ela Family Farms, told Country Folks Grower. “As the city grew up around that farm, my parents bought our current 100 acre property in Hotchkiss and we’ve been operating from here ever since.” Over the years, nearly every tree on the land was replaced. Only 12 acres of original peach trees remain, added Steve. Today, Ela Family Farms has a wide variety of peach trees, apple trees, pear trees and sweet cherry trees. The company grows plums, blackberries, raspberries and heirloom tomatoes too. As the family worked to renovate its orchards and overall fruit production, special care was also taken to readjust the farm’s market focus. “When we first started, we had a small retail stand on the farm, but nearly everything we sold was wholesale,” explained Steve. “We would harvest, take everything to a packing business that would pack and sell for us. But when the price of certain commodities, like apples, declined in the late 1980s, we knew that it was not going to be economically feasible for us to stay the same for very long.”
More vibrant farmers' markets transforming Alaska
Page 4 - Section A • COUNTRY FOLKS GROWER WEST • October 2011
by Tim Bradner Alaska Journal of Commerce ANCHORAGE, ALASKA (AP) — Arthur Keyes is proof that farming has a future in Alaska, and that an enterprising young person can make a good living at it. Keyes, 40, has been growing and selling vegetables and fruits commercially from his Glacier View Farm near Palmer since 2003. He grows a variety of vegetables and strawberries, most of it on 3 acres. Keyes is full-time at it and while his wife, Michelle, works in farming elsewhere, the family does well. The business plan is instructive. It’s niche agriculture, with products sold at retail directly to consumers, mostly at the various farmers’ markets around Anchorage. At these booming markets, farmers can command higher prices than local grocery stores can pay. Keyes sells zucchini at the markets for twice what he can get from local grocery chains. Customers don’t seem to mind.
They’re willing to pay the premium for freshness and superior taste of l o c a l l y grown vegetables and fruits. Keyes likes getting to know his customers, many of whom have b e c o m e regulars. Whatever he can’t sell at the farmers’ markets, Keyes can sell to the grocery chains, which typically buy all the locally grown produce they can get during the summer. Keyes said about 85 percent of his production is now sold at farmers’ markets with the rest sold to local chains. Just a few years ago those percentages were flipped, he said. Keyes sells all he can produce, he said.
“There’s an enormous potential for growth,” Keyes said. “We’re importing 95 percent of the food we eat, and what we grow right here is fresher and better -tasting.” T h e ~ Arthur Keyes c o m p e t i tive advantage is freshness. Vegetables are sold in the farmers’ markets a day after coming out of the ground, where vegetables from the Lower 48 are sometimes two weeks in the supply chain, Keyes said. Amy Pettit, marketing manager at the Alaska Division of Agriculture, said Keyes is an example of a new breed of Alaska farmers riding the wave of consumer enthusiasm for locally grown foods. The sharp growth of the farmer’s markets in communities is transforming the state’s small agriculture industry, she said. There are now 33 farmers’ markets operating seasonally around the state, up from 13 in 2005, Pettit said, and more are starting up every year. There is even a small greenhouse in Bethel, Meyer’s Farms, that supplies local consumers and shipped cabbage to Anchorage groceries last winter. Keyes is driving some of agriculture’s transformation himself, at least in the Anchorage and Palmer areas. Not only does he raise and sell strawberries, zucchini and other produce at farmers’ markets in Anchorage, but he manages most of those as well, leasing spots in parking lots at several retail malls and sub-leasing spots to vendors, including his own Glacier Valley Farm. His company, South Anchorage Farmers Market LLC, started in 2006 and is owned jointly with Ben VanderWeele, a long-established potato grower in the Mat-Su. What is happening in Alaska fits the national trend in agriculture, said Danny Consenstein, Alaska director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency. “This isn’t unique to Alaska. A lot of new, smaller farmers are finding niches and being successful. There’s a lot more consumer interest in knowing where a family’s food is coming from,” Constantine said. Statistics show that in a typical year, 40,000 large farms go out of business on a national level but they are replaced by 100,000 new, smaller farms, Consenstein said. Other small market niches are emerging. Several Alaska farms grow and sell sod to landscape firms or directly to customers. “They are selling to people who want instant lawns,” said Pettit. Another niche is the market for plants and flowers grown in greenhouses, again mostly small operations. Craige and Kathy Baker, near
“We’re importing 95 percent of the food we eat, and what we grow right here is fresher and better-tasting.”
Cover photo Courtesy of The Garden Corner
Toby Wolfe, an employee of the Garden Corner for 4 years, is busy restocking fresh plants.
Country Folks The Monthly Newspaper for Greenhouses, Nurseries, Fruit & Vegetable Growers (518) 673-3237 • Fax # (518) 673-2381 (ISSN # 1065-1756) U.S.P.S. 008885 Country Folks Grower is published monthly by Lee Publications, P.O. Box 121, 6113 St. Hwy. 5, Palatine Bridge, NY 13428. Periodical postage paid at Palatine Bridge, NY 13428. Subscription Price: $22 per year. Canada $55 per year. POSTMASTER: Send address change to Country Folks Grower, P.O. Box 121, Subscription Dept., Palatine Bridge, NY 13428-0121. Publisher, President ....................................Frederick W. Lee V.P., General Manager ........................Bruce Button, 518-673-0104 ..................bbutton@leepub.com V.P., Production ....................................Mark W. Lee, 518-673-0132 .......................mlee@leepub.com Comptroller .........................................Robert Moyer, 518-673-0148 ..................bmoyer@leepub.com Production Coordinator ....................Jessica Mackay, 518-673-0137 ................jmackay@leepub.com Editor ...............................................Joan Kark-Wren, 518-673-0141 .............jkarkwren@leepub.com Page Composition ..........................Michelle Gressler, 518-673-0138 ................mmykel@leepub.com Classified Ad Manager ......................Peggy Patrei, 518-673-0111 .................classified@leepub.com Shop Foreman ..............................................Harry DeLong
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Palmer, have developed a good plant and flower business at their Gray Owl Farm near Palmer. Kathy works to ensure her perennials will survive the winter, which is something large retail chains which sell plants can’t do as well. As Alaska industries go, agriculture is small. There are 680 farms operating in the state but more than half are very small. Only 320 farms have incomes greater than $10,000 a year, said the agriculture division’s Pettit. According to U.S. Department of Agriculture, the total value of all agricultural production in 2010 was $30.7 million, with hay, potatoes and vegetables being the major crops. Historically, cool weather crops like lettuce and cabbage, as well as potatoes, have been grown in Alaska for local markets, and recently the development of farmers’ markets and improvements in using greenhouses has allowed growers to expand into other vegetables. Farming in Alaska has special challenges, mainly the short growing season. This has led Arthur Keyes to do everything he can to make his operation as efficient as possible. When he started, it took two weeks to plant his strawberries, for example, but with the aid of special equipment, he has been able reduce this to three days. This is important because getting plants like strawberries exposed to the sun early in the short season is crucial. “One day in the spring is worth two or three days later,” Keyes said. Keyes has mechanized as much as possible — he has about $100,000 invested in machinery, all of it paid for in cash — and he employs about 12 people seasonally, a mixture of full- and part-time, adults and teenagers. Keyes’ Glacier View Farms is small. Keyes and his wife own about 20 acres, a few are devoted to commercial crops. Keyes is largely self-taught — he didn’t grow up on a farm, nor has he had formal training in agriculture. He was raised in Anchorage, graduated from South Anchorage high school and attended the University of Alaska. He learned the food business as a produce manager for Carrs supermarket, but had a passion for gardening. His wife, Michelle, has family roots in farming, though, and Keyes got interested in raising and supplying vegetables to his former employers. Eventually the family moved to the Matanuska Valley and Keyes started farming. It wasn’t easy. Local farmers were helpful with advice but Keyes said it took a while for him to comprehend what he was being told. “They would tell me things but I didn’t really understand what they were saying until I started doing it myself,” he said. Keyes has also come to appreciate the complex science behind agriculture. “Farming is rocket science. It really is,” he said.
BUYER’S S GUIDEE INDEX AGTOURISM/AGRITAINMENT Maize Quest Corn Mazes & Attractions Produce Promotions Rockford Package Supply Inc. TokensDirect BARNS AND BUILDINGS Four Seasons Tools GGS Structures, Inc. Growers Supply Tasco Dome BERRIES AGRI-SC / D&D Farm Service Awald Farms BioSafe Systems Cool Bot Northwoods Nursery Nourse Farms Inc. CARTS AND WAGONS Rogan Inc. W.W. Manufacturing Co., Inc. Waldo & Associates Inc.
CHRISTMAS TREES AGRI-SC / D&D Farm Service L & H Enterprises Needlefast Evergreens Inc. Produce Promotions Silver Mountain Christmas Trees Tate’s Tree Company Wheatland Ferry Nursery EDUCATION Empire State Fruit & Vegetable Expo EMPLOYMENT/HUMAN RESOURCES Florasearch, Inc. Virtual Assistant Staffing EQUIPMENT-FRUIT & VEGETABLE BioSafe Systems Cool Bot Crop Care Equipment Four Seasons Tools Frontier Technology Inc. Haines Equipment, Inc. Kennco Manufacturing, Inc. KoolJet Refrigeration Inc. Mechanical Transplanter Co. LLC Nolt’s Midwest Produce Supplies Quick Industries, Inc. Robert Marvel Plastic Mulch LLC Roeters Farm Equipment, Inc. Rogan Inc. Stokes Ladders, Inc. Tallman Ladders Inc. EQUIPMENT-GREENHOUSE Agri of Virginia, Inc. Bamboo Supply Co. BioSafe Systems Farm Wholesale Ag Four Seasons Tools Golden Pacific Structures Growing Systems, Inc. Quick Industries, Inc. Randall Tool & Manufacturing Rogan Inc.
EQUIPMENT-NURSERY & LANDSCAPE Bamboo Supply Co. BioSafe Systems Dosatron International Inc. Emerald Screening and Crushing Gourmet Seed International, LLC Growing Systems, Inc. KoolJet Refrigeration Inc. Mechanical Transplanter Co. LLC Quick Industries, Inc. Randall Tool & Manufacturing Rogan Inc. Stokes Ladders, Inc. Tallman Ladders Inc. True Source Enterprises Inc. W.W. Manufacturing Co., Inc. Weaverline, LLC FARM MARKET ITEMS Cool Bot McCutcheon Apple Products, Inc. Page Seed Company Produce Promotions Putnam Plastics Inc. Roof Basket Works, Inc. Southern Specialty Foods, LLC TokensDirect FENCING AND TRELLISING Orchard Valley Supply Inc. Wayside Fence Co. FERTILIZER AGRI-SC / D&D Farm Service Acadian AgriTech BioOrganics Dyna-Gro Nutrition Solutions Good Earth Grimes Horticulture JRM Chemical NaEx Corp. - Poulenger USA Ohio Earth Food, Inc. Page Seed Company USA Gypsum FRUIT TREES AGRI-SC / D&D Farm Service BioSafe Systems Harris Seeds Northwoods Nursery Page Seed Company Shur Farms Frost Protection GREENHOUSE PLANTSFINISHED Harris Seeds Maier Farms GREENHOUSE PLANTS-YOUNG PLANTS Maier Farms Vis Seed Co. Inc. GREENHOUSES AND SUPPLIES AGRI-SC / D&D Farm Service Advancing Alternatives, Inc. Anderson Die & Manufacturing A-V International BioOrganics BioSafe Systems Cool Bot Farm Wholesale Ag
Four Seasons Tools GGS Structures, Inc. Good Earth Growers Supply Harnois Industries, Inc. Ludvig Svensson, Inc. Nolt’s Midwest Produce Supplies Quick Industries, Inc. Roof Basket Works, Inc. W.W. Manufacturing Co., Inc. GROUND COVERS Good Earth Ludvig Svensson, Inc. Page Seed Company Vantage Partners HEATING Golden Pacific Structures HYDROPONICS A.M.A. Plastics, Ltd - Al’s Flower Pouch II A.M.A. Plastics, Ltd - Ellepots A.M.A. Plastics, Ltd - Hydroponics Dyna-Gro Nutrition Solutions NaEx Corp. - Poulenger USA HYDROSEEDING BioOrganics Page Seed Company IRRIGATION Anderson Injectors BioSafe Systems Discount Hydraulic Hose.Com Growing Systems, Inc. Harnois Industries, Inc. Robert Marvel Plastic Mulch LLC Toro LANDSCAPE PRODUCTS AGRI-SC / D&D Farm Service BioOrganics BioSafe Systems Good Earth JRM Chemical Landservices, Inc. Page Seed Company Quick Industries, Inc. Tallman Ladders Inc. True Source Enterprises Inc. USA Gypsum W.W. Manufacturing Co., Inc. MULCH PLASTIC Harris Seeds Mechanical Transplanter Co. LLC Page Seed Company Robert Marvel Plastic Mulch LLC MULCH-LANDSCAPE Good Earth Page Seed Company NATIVE PLANTS Grimes Horticulture NURSERY YOUNG PLANTS Awald Farms D&B Plants, LLC Harris Seeds Harris Seeds Needlefast Evergreens Inc. Vis Seed Co. Inc. NURSERY STOCK - FINISHED Awald Farms Mathisen Tree Farms, LLC Nourse Farms Inc.
Tate’s Tree Company Wafler Nursery Wheatland Ferry Nursery NURSERY SUPPLIES AGRI-SC / D&D Farm Service Anderson Die & Manufacturing BioOrganics BioSafe Systems Bond Manufacturing Company Orchard Valley Supply Inc. Page Seed Company Quick Industries, Inc. W.W. Manufacturing Co., Inc. ORCHARD SUPPLIES AGRI-SC / D&D Farm Service BioOrganics Orchard Valley Supply Inc. Quick Industries, Inc. Shur Farms Frost Protection Stokes Ladders, Inc. Superior Fruit Equipment Tallman Ladders Inc. Wafler Nursery ORGANICS Acadian AgriTech BioSafe Systems Four Seasons Tools Good Earth Harris Seeds Marrone Bio Innovations NaEx Corp. - Poulenger USA Ohio Earth Food, Inc. Page Seed Company Shur Farms Frost Protection PACKAGING Page Seed Company Putnam Plastics Inc. Quick Industries, Inc. Rockford Package Supply Inc. Weaverline, LLC PEAT MOSS AND GROWING MIXES BioOrganics Good Earth Harris Seeds Page Seed Company PERENNIALS Vis Seed Co. Inc. PLOWS AND CULTIVATORS Discount Hydraulic Hose.Com Kennco Manufacturing, Inc. Roeters Farm Equipment, Inc. W.W. Manufacturing Co., Inc.
PEST CONTROL BioSafe Systems Dyna-Gro Nutrition Solutions Harris Seeds Marrone Bio Innovations NaEx Corp. - Poulenger USA Orchard Valley Supply Inc. ORO AGRI Inc. Wayside Fence Co. POTS - CONTAINERS Anderson Die & Manufacturing Harris Seeds Stuewe and Sons, Inc. Vantage Partners PRODUCE AGRI-SC / D&D Farm Service Frontier Technology Inc.
Four Seasons Tools Good Earth Page Seed Company SOIL MIXERS AND BAGGERS Page Seed Company SPECIALTY FOODS Dillman Farm, Inc. Good Earth Granny Blossoms Specialty Foods & Marketing McCutcheon Apple Products, Inc. San Francisco Herb & Natural Food Co. Southern Specialty Foods, LLC
PRUNING Fanno Saw Works Orchard Valley Supply Inc. Superior Fruit Equipment Tallman Ladders Inc.
SPRAYERS Crop Care Equipment Jacto, Inc. Kennco Manufacturing, Inc. Roeters Farm Equipment, Inc.
PUMPKINS AND HALLOWEEN Awald Farms Produce Promotions
STAKES Bamboo Supply Co. Orchard Valley Supply Inc.
REFRIGERATION Cool Bot KoolJet Refrigeration Inc.
TAGS, LABELS & SIGNS Putnam Plastics Inc. Rockford Package Supply Inc.
SEED-FLOWER Harris Seeds NESEED Olds Garden Seed Page Seed Company Stokes Seeds Inc. Vis Seed Co. Inc. SEED-VEGETABLE Bejo Seeds, Inc. DPSEEDS Gourmet Seed International, LLC Growing Systems, Inc. Harris Seeds NESEED Olds Garden Seed Page Seed Company Rupp Seeds, Inc. Stokes Seeds Inc. Vis Seed Co. Inc. SOIL AND COMPOST AGRI-SC / D&D Farm Service BioOrganics Emerald Screening and Crushing
TRACTORS Roeters Farm Equipment, Inc. TRADE SHOWS Empire State Fruit & Vegetable Expo Page Seed Company Penn Atlantic Nursery Trade Show (PANTS) TRAILERS Advantage Trucks & Salvage, Inc. W.W. Manufacturing Co., Inc. TRUCKS Advantage Trucks & Salvage, Inc. WEED CONTROL AGRI-SC / D&D Farm Service ORO AGRI Inc. Page Seed Company Weed Badger
TEW VEGETABLE SEED PLANTERS TEW JR. TM MODEL # HH-SP LIST PRICE $450.00
CAST IRON & STEEL CONSTRUCTION BASED ON TIME TESTED DESIGNS ALL PARTS ARE INTERCHANGEABLE WITH PLANET JR & COLE/POWELL MX SEEDERS
TEW MX. TM MODEL # HH-LP LIST PRICE $895.00
CALL OR WRITE FOR CURRENT DISCOUNTED PRICES AND MORE INFORMATION
TEW MFG. CORP. PO BOX 87 PENFIELD, NY 14526
1-800-380-5839
TEL: 585-586-6120 FAX: 585-586-6083 E-MAIL: tewmfg@aol.com
October 2011 • COUNTRY FOLKS GROWER WEST • Section A - Page 5
CHRISTMAS ITEMS, OTHER Deer Run Greenery, Inc. JRM Chemical L & H Enterprises Produce Promotions Rockford Package Supply Inc.
Schaefer Ventilation Equipment Stuewe and Sons, Inc. Tasco Dome TrueLeaf Technologies Waldo & Associates Inc.
Find the product category you are interested in on this index and then refer to the expanded company listing on the pages that follow.
BUYER’S S GUIDEE COMPANY Y LISTINGS A-1 MIST SPRAYERS RESOURCES, INC. Ponca, NE 68770 Phone: 402-755-4230
Page 6 - Section A • COUNTRY FOLKS GROWER WEST • October 2011
AGRI-SC / D&D FARM SERVICE Contact: Doug Wood 2067 Long Hollow Rd. Millerstown, PA 17062 Phone: 717-694-3648 Fax: 717-694-0171 www.agri-sc.com dwood@countryilink.net Agri-SC is a commercial anionic liquid soil amendment that assists in reducing hard pan, water run-off, erosion, crusting and poor root growth. Agri-SC’s unique chemical formulation mixes well, applies easily, is low rate and has been proven in extensive research and successful field results worldwide.
ACADIAN AGRITECH Contact: Greg Nichols 30 Brown Ave. Dartmouth, Nova Scotia CN B3B 1X8 Phone: 800-575-9100 Fax: 902-468-3474 www.acadianagritech.com info@acadian.ca Acadian AgriTech is the world’s leading supplier of crop input products derived exclusively from Ascophyllum nodosum seaweed. With over three decades of scientifically proven results, Acadian understands and addresses grower needs to ensure the production of healthy, productive plants. ADVANCED BIOFUELS USA Frederick, MD 21701 Phone: 301-644-1395
A.M.A. PLASTICS, LTD - AL’S FLOWER POUCH II Contact: Lisa Janzen 1367 Oxford Ave. Kingsville, Ontario CN N9Y 2S8 Phone: 519-322-1397, 800-338-1136 Fax: 519-322-1358 www.alsflowerpouch.com ljanzen@amaplas.com Al’s Flower Pouch. A burst of beauty in a bag. Now degradable.
A.M.A. PLASTICS, LTD ELLEPOTS Contact: Lisa Janzen 1367 Oxford Ave. Kingsville, Ontario CN N9Y 2S8 Phone: 519-322-1397, 800-338-1136 Fax: 519-322-1358 www.amasplas.com ljanzen@amaplas.com Ellepots by A.M.A. Fast, healthy rooting for your cuttings. Vegetative, nursery, fruit trees, perennials, grapes and more.
A.M.A. PLASTICS, LTD HYDROPONICS Contact: Lisa Janzen 1367 Oxford Ave. Kingsville, Ontario CN N9Y 2S8 Phone: 519-322-1397, 800-338-1136 Fax: 519-322-1358 www.amaplas.com ljanzen@amaplas.com Hydroponic growing mediums (plugs, blocks, slabs), Stonewool nuggets, Deleco tomato clips & truss supports, Lankhorst twines. Ask us about degradable twines & clips.
ADVANCING ALTERNATIVES, INC. 717 Schuylkill Mountain Rd. Schuylkill Haven, PA 17972 Phone: 570-739-1034, 877-546-2257 Fax: 570-739-1258 www.advancingalternatives.com Providing natural ventilation for straight sided and ground to ground structures with our innovative Roll up/Lock Down Curtain Systems. Offering a wide range and variety of parts and supplies for growers and the greenhouse industry. ADVANTAGE TRUCKS & SALVAGE, INC. Contact: Joe Stearns 933 Ransom Rd. Lancaster, NY 14086 Phone: 716-685-6757 Fax: 716-685-6272 www.advantagetrucks.com joe@advantagetrucks.com AGRI OF VIRGINIA, INC. Broadway, VA 22815 Phone: 540-896-6378
ANDERSON DIE & MANUFACTURING Contact: Rick Anderson 2425 S.E. Moores St. Portland, OR 97222 Phone: 866-950-POTS (5629) Fax: 503-654-5655 www.andersonpots.com info@andersonpots.com World famous Anderson pots for nursery and greenhouse use. Anderson bands, polycans, flats and biodegradable Eco Choice pots.
ANDERSON INJECTORS 2100 Anderson Dr., P.O. Box 1006 Muskogee, OK 74403 Phone: 800-331-9620 Fax: 918-682-3342 www.heanderson.com sales@heanderson.com Offering a wide range of chemical injection systems that will provide many years of accurate and dependable service. Large and small systems. Acid and fertilizer injection as well as many other chemicals. Since 1956. A-V INTERNATIONAL Contact: Jim Showalter P.O. Box 336, 401 Broadway Ave. Broadway, VA 22815 Phone: 540-896-6378 Fax: 540-896-7079 www.a-vinternational.com agriavint@aol.com A-V Lifetime Bench Systems utilize fiberglass frames with polypropylene bench tops. Benches available in single tier, multi-tier display and rolling designs. Bench tops may be purchased separately: 18” x 36” and 24” x 48” available. AWALD FARMS Contact: Edward Awald 2195 Shirley Rd. North Collins, NY 14111 Phone: 716-337-3162 Fax: 716-337-3600 www.awaldfarms.com awaldfarm@aol.com Awald Farms grows and sells quality red, black and purple raspberry plants as well as blackberry plants and grapevines. Call us to receive a catalog. BAMBI’S NURSERY Silverton, OR 97381 Phone: 503-873-6774 BAMBOO SUPPLY CO. Contact: Ron Reycraft P.O. Box 5433 Lakeland, FL 33807 Phone: 800-568-9087 Fax: 866-211-6131 www.bamboosupply.com ron@bamboosupply.net Bamboo stakes, poles and fencing. Staking supplies. Fiberglass stakes. Bamboo and Coco square hanging baskets. Bamboo plant tag holders.
BEJO SEEDS, INC. Contact: Jeff Trickett 1972 Silver Spur Place Oceano, CA 93445 Phone: 805-473-2199 Fax: 805-473-0897 www.bejoseeds.com j.trickett@bejoseeds.com Bejo, a name that stands for
quality.... Our focus is quality, market specific vegetable seed. As part of a worldwide Bejo team, we engage in breeding, seed production, marketing, sales, trials, product development and customer support. BIOORGANICS Contact: Don Chapman P.O. Box 5326 Palm Springs, CA 92263 Phone: 888-332-7676 Fax: 760-322-0146 www.bio-organics.com moreinfo@bio-organics.com BioOrganics offers mycorrhizae inoculants for all types of growing situations - nurseries, farms, orchards, landscaping or home gardens. These beneficial fungi boost root uptake of nutrients and water and create extremely vigorous plants with minimal fertilization. BIOSAFE SYSTEMS Contact: Mike Larose 22 Meadow St. East Hartford, CT 06108 Phone: 888-273-3088 Fax: 860-290-8802 www.biosafesystems.com mlarose@biosafesystems.com BioSafe Systems offers bactericides, fungicides, algaecides, microbiocides and sanitizers to protect growing crops, water, nursery stock, greenhouse material and harvesting produce. BOND MANUFACTURING COMPANY Antoch, CA 94509 Phone: 800-359-8665 COOL BOT P.O. Box 96 Gardiner, NY 12525 Phone: 888-871-5723 www.storeitcold.com info@storeitcold.com CoolBot converts a standard window air conditioner to run a walk-in cooler down to 34 degrees. Thousands sold to farmers, flourists and hunters.
CROP CARE EQUIPMENT Contact: Eric Burkholder 50 Wood Corner Rd. Lititz, PA 17543 Phone: 717-738-7365 Fax: 717-738-7369 www.CropCareEquipment.com info@cropcareequipment.com CropCare’s dealer network carries high pressure produce sprayers from 110 to 500 gallons, shielded sprayers for between row applications, smaller sprayers from 25-60 gallons and other produce equipment such as our innovative Picking Assistant and plastic mulch lifter wrap.
D&B PLANTS, LLC Contact: Bob Kuszmaul 27550 School Section Rd. Richmond, MI 48062 Phone: 810-392-3393 Fax: 810-392-3397 DandBplants.com info@DandBplants.com For over 25 years, we have produced vigorous starter plant material that is well branched and thoroughly rooted. Our product line includes flowering shrubs, conifers, evergreens and 2-3 year grafts. Licensed grower of several woody ornamental lines including Proven Winners. DEER RUN GREENERY, INC. Contact: Mike McMahon P.O. Box 743 Graham, WA 98338 Phone: 866-706-9865 Fax: 360-893-2269 www.christmaswreathsales.com cwreath@centurytel.net Produces fresh Christmas wreaths, garlands, cut greens and pine cones for garden centers and fundraising groups throughout the United States and Canada.
DILLMAN FARM, INC. Contact: Cary Sillman 4955 W. St. Rd. 45 Bloomington, IN 47403 Phone: 812-825-5525, 800-359-1362 Fax: 812-825-4650 www.dillmanfarm.com carydillman@dillmanfarm.com Manufacturer of all natural apple butter, fruit butters, fruit preserves, salsas, mustards, sucrose free spreads and hot apple products. Private labeling available. DISCOUNT HYDRAULIC HOSE.COM Philadelphia, PA 19124 Phone: 215-744-2828 Fax: 215-744-1045 rfrye@discounthydraulichose.co m
Committed to providing the highest quality seed from around the world. We are a hybrid vegetable seed company dedicated to providing seeds of the highest quality to commercial vegetable growers worldwide. Give us a call!! DYNA-GRO NUTRITION SOLUTIONS 2775 Giant Rd. Richmond, CA 94806 Phone: 800-396-2476 Fax: 510-233-0198 www.dyna-gro.com info@dyna-gro.com Dyna-Gro manufactures a complete line of superior plant nutrient solutions containing all 16 essential minerals. Great for use in any medium, from soil to hydroponics. Pro-TeKt The Silicon Solution reduces environmental stresses such as heat, cold and drought. EMERALD SCREENING AND CRUSHING Contact: Keith Kimmerle 125 S. Pioneer Ave. Trucksville, PA 18708 Phone: 570-971-4520 Fax: 570-696-2519 www.emeraldscreening.com mobilescreen31@aol.com Distributor for Powerscreen screening plants, trommel screens and box screens. Catering to topsoil, compost and mulch producers. Rentals, sales, parts and service.
EMPIRE STATE FRUIT & VEGETABLE EXPO Contact: Jeanette Marvin P.O. Box 267 Macedon, NY 14502 Phone: 315-986-9320 Fax: 315-986-8534 jmarvin@rochester.rr.com New York State trade show for the fruit and vegetable growers and marketers. Education and trade show January 24, 25 & 26, 2012 in Syracuse, NY.
DOSATRON INTERNATIONAL INC. Clearwater, FL 33765 Phone: 800-523-8499
FANNO SAW WORKS Chico, CA 95927 Phone: 530-895-1262
DPSEEDS Contact: Yvonne Higgins 8269 S. Hwy. 95 Yuma, AZ 85365 Phone: 928-341-8494 www.dpseeds.com info@dpseeds.com
FARM WHOLESALE AG Contact: Phil Edmunds 3740 Brooklake Rd. NE Salem, OR 97303 Phone: 877-234-1595 Fax: 503-393-3119 www.farmwholesaleag.com
BUYER’S S GUIDEE COMPANY Y LISTINGS info@farmwholesale.com Featuring corrugated plastic Solexx greenhouse coverings, tree guards, grow tubes and harvesting and shipping totes. FLORASEARCH, INC. 1740 Lake Markham Rd. Sanford, FL 32771 Phone: 407-320-8177 Fax: 407-320-8083 www.florasearch.com search@florasearch.com Key employee search firm serving the nursery, greenhouse, landscape and greater horticulture industry and allied trades, nationally and internationally. Only industry search firm endorsed by the National Assoc. of Executive Recruiters. Candidate contact encouraged, confidential, always free.
GGS STRUCTURES, INC. Vineland Station, Ontario CN L0R 2E0 Phone: 905-562-7341
m.vatenos@goodearth.org Producer of quality bark and peat moss mixes for commercial growers - in bulk, bags and compressed bales. Supplying retailers with peat moss, organic potting/specialty soils, plant foods, soil, conditioners, barks/mulches, soil covers, ice/snow melters, etc. - for over 70 years. GOURMET SEED INTERNATIONAL, LLC Tatum, NM 88267 Phone: 575-398-6111
GOLDEN PACIFIC STRUCTURES Contact: Gary Baze 313 Jesse Way Redlands, CA 92374 Phone: 909-389-7613 Fax: 513-242-0816 gpstructures.com gbaze@gpstructures.com Quality greenhouse structures and related products including stand alone cold frames, economical gutter connect ranges plus a full variety of coverings, doors, environmental controls systems including fresh air vents, exhaust fans, heat, shade systems and benching solutions.
GOOD EARTH Contact: Monika Vatenos 5950 Broadway Lancaster, NY 14086 Phone: 716-684-8111 Fax: 716-684-3722 www.goodearth.org
GRANNY BLOSSOMS SPECIALTY FOODS & MARKETING West Pawlet, VT 05775 Phone: 806-639-1515 GRIMES HORTICULTURE Concord, OH 44077 Phone: 440-352-6600 GROWERS SUPPLY Dyersville, IA 52040 Phone: 800-476-9715 GROWING SYSTEMS, INC. Contact: Dana V. Cable, Sr., President 2950 N. Weil St. Milwaukee, WI 53212 Phone: 414-263-3131 Fax: 414-263-2454 www.growingsystemsinc.com info@growingsystemsinc.com Manufacturers of plastic propagation trays, Vandana tubeless seeder, convertible tube seeder, convertible plug dislodger, dual rail traveling irrigator, boomless mono-rail irrigator, mono-rail trolley carts, spring lock poly fastener, channel and wire.
HAINES EQUIPMENT, INC. 20 Carrington St., P.O. Box I Avoca, NY 14809 Phone: 607-566-2234 Fax: 607-566-2240 www.hainesequipment.com hainesinc@aol.com Manufacturer of agricultural equipment for over 60 years, specializing in fruit and vegetable equipment. Baggers, conveyors, box filler and movers, brushers, buckets, hoppers, loaders, graders, flumes, sizers, water pumps and washers. HARNOIS INDUSTRIES, INC. St. Thomas, Quebec CN J0K 3L0 Phone: 888-427-6647
HARRIS SEEDS Contact: Richard Chamberlin 355 Paul Rd., PO Box 24966 Rochester, NY 14624-0966 Phone: 585-935-7015 Fax: 585-259-3609 www.harrisseeds.com rchamberlin@harrisseeds.com Full line vegetable and flower seed distributor. Plugs and liners, growing supplies, organic and untreated seeds. Serving professional growers for 130 years. HASH TREE COMPANY Princeton, ID 83857 Phone: 208-875-1000
JACTO, INC. Contact: Dan Shumaker 19217 SW 119th Ave. Tualatin, OR 97062 Phone: 800-522-8610 Fax: 503-691-4380 www.Jacto.com info@jacto.com Jacto offers both 3pt and trailed cannon and airblast sprayers as well as backpack sprayers. With 7 cannon, 10 airblast and 4 models of backpacks, Jacto has the right sprayer for your fruit and vegetable needs. JRM CHEMICAL Cleveland, OH 44128 Phone: 216-475-8488 KENNCO MANUFACTURING, INC. Ruskin, FL 33575 Phone: 813-645-2591
KOOLJET REFRIGERATION INC. Contact: Gene Stampfer 261 Tillson Ave. Tillsonburg, Ontario CN N4G 4G4 Phone: 866-748-7786 Fax: 866-748-7760 www.kooljet.com info@kooljet.com KoolJet designs and builds custom chillers, blast freezers, deep cold freezers, air chillers, process cooling equipment and hydro-coolers for agricultural applications and processes. L & H ENTERPRISES Lowgap, NC 27024 Phone: 336-352-4048 LANDSERVICES, INC. North Plains, OR 97133-1777 Phone: 503-644-8575
MAIER FARMS Webster, NY 14580 Phone: 585-265-3273
MAIZE QUEST CORN MAZES & ATTRACTIONS Contact: Hugh McPherson 251 E. Maple Lawn Rd. New Park, PA 17352 Phone: 717-382-4878 Fax: 717-685-3682 www.mazecatalog.com hughmc@cornmaze.com Maize Quest creates corn mazes, games for mazes, maze attractions and hayride audio systems to make your fall harvest season memorable for your guests and easier for you to manage. Call now to learn more. MARRONE BIO INNOVATIONS Davis, CA 95618 MATHISEN TREE FARMS, LLC Greenville, MI 48838 Phone: 616-754-3200
MCCUTCHEON APPLE PRODUCTS, INC. Contact: Wholesale Sales 13 S. Wisner St., P.O. Box 243 Frederick, MD 21705 Phone: 800-888-7537 www.mccutcheons.com info@mccutcheons.com Complete selection of home recipe Apple Butter, preserves, pickles, relishes, ciders and juices, chips, honey and more. Perfect for farm market, garden center or country store. Private labeling available. Fast selling High quality - Shelf stable.
LOOKOUT RIDGE CONSULTING Kalamazoo, MI 49009 Phone: 269-382-0539
LUDVIG SVENSSON, INC. Contact: Kurt Parbst 535 Griffith Rd. Charlotte, NC 28217 Phone: 704-357-0457 Fax: 704-357-0460 www.svenssonglobal.com sales@svenssonamerias.com Svensson screens are designed to improve the success of professional greenhouse growers by enhancing the greenhouse climate. Screen solutions are engineered for the greenhouse to conserve energy, moderate temperature, extremes and fluctuations, control day length and reduce pesticide and herbicide usage.
MECHANICAL TRANSPLANTER CO. LLC Contact: Dan Timmer 1150 Central Ave. Holland, MI 49423 Phone: 800-757-5268 Fax: 616-396-3619 www.mechanicaltransplanter.com mtc@egl.net Mechanical Transplanter Co. is the leading U.S. manufacturer of transplanting equipment. We also have the most complete line of plastic mulch equipment.
October 2011 • COUNTRY FOLKS GROWER WEST • Section A - Page 7
FOUR SEASONS TOOLS 9615 Grandview Rd. Kansas City, MO 64137 Phone: 816-444-7330 www.smallfarmtools.com info@smallfarmtools.com Four Season Tools builds year round organic vegetable farms. We’ve developed and offer efficient systems for small scale food production. We offer farm consultation, season extending movable greenhouses and uniquely designed farm implements to increase the flexibility and economic viability of your farm.
FRONTIER TECHNOLOGY INC. Allegan, MI 49010 Phone: 269-673-9464
BUYER’S S GUIDEE COMPANY Y LISTINGS
Page 8 - Section A • COUNTRY FOLKS GROWER WEST • October 2011
NAEX CORP. - POULENGER USA Contact: Don Taylor P.O. Box 421177 Houston, TX 77242 Phone: 281-879-0932 Fax: 281-879-1081 www.poulengerusa.com, www.poulenger.com info@poulengerusa.com NaEx Corp. is a manufacturer of agricultural inputs including organic fertilizers, nematicides and pesticides. Also offering wetting agents, surfactants, biostimulants, salt damage prevention products and moisture management. NEEDLEFAST EVERGREENS INC. Ludington, MI 49431 Phone: 231-843-8524
NESEED Contact: Maureen 3580 Main St. Hartford, CT 6120 Phone: 800-825-5477 www.neseed.com feedback@neseed.com Vegetable, flower and herb seed store for commercial and home growers. Seeds available in bulk and packets. Order by phone or online. Request our free catalog online. Flat rate shipping, free USA seed shipping over $99.99, 10% discount over $999.99. NORTHWOODS NURSERY Molalla, OR 97038 Phone: 503-651-3737
NOURSE FARMS INC. Contact: Nate Nourse 41 River Rd. South Deerfield, MA 01373 Phone: 413-665-2658 Fax: 413-665-7888 www.noursefarms.com info@noursefarms.com We have made our variety listings & descriptions available for you to review on our Web site. Free catalog and strawberry plasticulture guide available. OESCO, INC. Conway, MA 01341 Phone: 800-634-5557 OHIO EARTH FOOD, INC. Hartville, OH 44632 Phone: 330-877-9356 OLDS GARDEN SEED Madison, WI 53704 Phone: 800-949-5017
ORCHARD VALLEY SUPPLY INC. Harrisburg, NC Phone: 888-755-0098 www.orchardvalleysupply.com info@orchardvalleysupply.com America’s choice for vineyards, wineries, orchards and nurseries. Supplies for trellising, training, wildlife control, harvesting and so much more. ORO AGRI INC. Roanoke, TX 76262 Phone: 817-491-2057
PAGE SEED COMPANY 1A Green St. Greene, NY 13778 Phone: 607-656-4107 Fax: 607-656-5316 www.pageseed.com Retail, wholesale, bulk & packaged flower & vegetable seeds, ag & farm products such as grains, silage corn, grass, turf & landscape support - fertilizers, mulch, fabrics, nursery stock, bulbs, etc. PAIGE EQUIPMENT SALES & SERVICE INC. E. Williamson, NY 14449 Phone: 315-589-6651 PENN ATLANTIC NURSERY TRADE SHOW (PANTS) Contact: Sally O’Shea 1707 South Cameron St. Harrisburg, PA 17104 Phone: 717-238-6304 Fax: 717-238-1675 www.PANTSHOW.com soshea@PLNA.com PANTS is a trade show for nurseries, greenhouse growers, independent garden centers and landscape contractors. PANTS is an association produced event by PLNA. Join us July 31 - August 2, 2012 at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA. PRODUCE PROMOTIONS Contact: Karla Wise 2811 U.S. 31 Plymouth, IN 46563 Phone: 888-575-4090 or 574-784-2188 Fax: 574-784-2468 www.producepromotions.com superbservice@mchsi.com Eye catching preprinted signage to help bring the customers to your farm market! We offer many designs in 10-foot feather flags, 3x8-foot banners, slipover poly marketeers, road signs, postcards, balloons, so much more!
PUTNAM PLASTICS INC. 255 So. Alex Rd. West Carrollton, OH 45449 Phone: 800-457-3099 Fax: 937-866-9365 www.putnamfarm.como packaging@putnamfarm.com Roadside and farm market packaging solutions for any season. QUICK INDUSTRIES, INC. 2728 Erie Dr. Weedsport, NY 13166 Phone: 800-356-7354 Fax: 315-834-9220 www.quickstring.com sales@quickstring.com Quick String is a time saving string dispenser that can clip to your belt or wall and allow you to dispense and cut with one hand. The tub will hold the twine, string or plastic tying ribbon in half pound balls, spools or rolls.
preparation, planting, cultivating, harvesting and packing line equipment.
ROGAN INC. Contact: Rick Rogan 400 S. Devils Glen Rd. Bettendorf, IA 52722 Phone: 563-355-2647 Fax: 563-355-8333 www.roganinc.com rick@roganinc.com Scales and material handling products. Visit our Web site or call to receive special pricing for Country Folks Grower’s readers. ROOF BASKET WORKS, INC. Lexington, SC 29072 Phone: 800-368-8425
RANDALL TOOL & MANUFACTURING Jenison, MI 49428 Phone: 616-669-1260 ROBERT MARVEL PLASTIC MULCH LLC Contact: Tara Marvel 2425 Horseshoe Pike Annville, PA 17003 Phone: 717-838-0976, 800-478-2214 Fax: 717-838-0978 www.robertmarvel.com info@robertmarvel.com Your source for all your plastic mulch and drip line needs. Call for your free catalog or visit our Web site for more information.
RUPP SEEDS, INC. 17919 Co. Rd. B Wauseon, OH 43567
Phone: 800-700-1199 Fax: 419-337-5491 www.ruppseeds.com feedback@ruppseeds.com From asparagus to zucchini with everything in between for professional growers of any size and with over 1,100 vegetable varieties from all the major vegetable breeders. Rupp Seeds is uniquely able to help farm families feed their friends and neighbors at home and around the world. SAN FRANCISCO HERB & NATURAL FOOD CO. Fremont, CA 94538 Phone: 800-227-2830 SCHAEFER VENTILATION EQUIPMENT Sauk Rapids, MN 56379 Phone: 800-779-3267
SHUR FARMS FROST PROTECTION 1890 N. 8th St. Colton, CA 92324 Phone: 877-842-9688 Fax: 909-825-2611 www.shurfarms.com info@shurfarms.com The powerful Shur Farms Cold
Air Drain is the most fuel efficient, quiet and cost effective method of active frost protection for trees and vines. A computerized frost analysis is available at no charge! SILVER MOUNTAIN CHRISTMAS TREES Contact: Joan Merrell 4672 Drift Creek Rd. SE Sublimity, OR 97385 Phone: 503-769-7127 Fax: 503-769-3549 www.silvermtnchristmastrees.com joan@slvermtnchristmastrees.com Noble fir, Douglas fir, Grand fir, Nordman fir Christmas trees. Wholesale quantities or individual boxed trees. Top quality, fresh from the Northwest. Wreaths and Garland. SOUTHERN SPECIALTY FOODS, LLC Contact: Phil Haines 737 Byne Sunshine Rd. Millen, GA 30442 Phone: 706-554-5560 Fax: 877-340-1611 www.southernspecialtyfoods.com phil@southernspecialtyfoods.com We private label jams, pickled items, salsas, dressings, BBQ sauces and whipped honey. We are a small family owned business offering fast turn around
TRADE SHOW OPPORTUNITIES • KEYSTONE FARM SHOW •
January 3, 4, 5, 2012 • Tues. 9-4, Wed. 9-4 & Thurs. 9-3 York Fairgrounds • York, PA
• VIRGINIA FARM SHOW • Jan. 19, 20 & 21, 2012 • Thurs. 9-4, Fri. 9-4 & Sat. 9-3 Augusta Expoland • Fishersville, VA
• BIG IRON EXPO • ROCKFORD PACKAGE SUPPLY INC. Contact: Lynn Drown 10421 Northland Dr. N.E. Rockford, MI 49341 Phone: 616-866-0143, 800-444-7225 Fax: 616-266-4921 www.rockfordpack.com ldrown@rockfordpack.com Farm market and produce packaging cartons, bags, banners, labels, agritainment supplies.
February 8 & 9, 2012 • Wed. 10-7 & Thurs. 9-4 Eastern States Exposition • West Springfield, MA
• MATERIAL HANDLING & INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT EXPO • February 8 & 9, 2012 • Wed. 10-7 & Thurs. 9-4 Eastern States Exposition • West Springfield, MA
• EMPIRE STATE FRUIT & VEG EXPO • Jan. 24, 25 & 26 2012 Oncenter Convention Center • Syracuse, NY
• HARD HAT EXPO • March 7 & 8, 2012 • Wed. 10-7 & Thurs. 9-4 New York State Fairgrounds • Syracuse, NY ROETERS FARM EQUIPMENT, INC. Contact: Mark or Tim Roeters 565 E. 120th St. Grant, MI 49327 Phone: 231-834-7888 Fax: 231-834-8655 www.roetersfarmequipment.com roeters.eq@att.net Specializing in new and used vegetable equipment. From soil
• MATERIAL HANDLING & INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT EXPO • March 7 & 8, 2012 • Wed. 10-7 & Thurs. 9-4 New York State Fairgrounds • Syracuse, NY FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HOW TO EXHIBIT AT OR ATTEND ANY OF THESE SHOWS
CALL 800-218-5586 www.leetradeshows.com • mwhite@leepub.com
BUYER’S S GUIDEE COMPANY Y LISTINGS and free shipping. No typesetting or printing charges for our standard private label program.
STOKES LADDERS, INC. Contact: Jerry Hook P.O. Box 445 Kelseyville, CA 95451 Phone: 707-279-4306 Fax: 707-279-2232 www.stokesladders.com info@stokesladders.com Manufacturer of top quality professional grade orchard ladders for growers, arborists, landscapers and homeowners. Made in the USA.
STUEWE AND SONS, INC. Contact: Eric Stuewe 31933 Rolland Dr. Tangent, OR 97389 Phone: 541-757-7798 Fax: 541-754-6617 www.stuewe.como info@stuewe.com We sell nursery growing containers used for propagating and growing tree seedlings. SUPERIOR FRUIT EQUIPMENT Contact: Jeff Martin 200 S. Columbia St. Wenatchee, WA 98801 Phone: 509-662-6065 Fax: 509-662-1661 www.sfequip.com sales@sfequip.com Manufacturer of Hickok and Vaca pruning tools and Wells and Wade picking bags and baskets. Distributor of Fanno, ARS, Manzana clippers and Silky saws. Serving the professional fruit industry since 1918. TALLMAN LADDERS INC. Contact: Bob Tallman 1460 Tucker Rd. Hood River, OR 97031 Phone: 541-386-2733 Fax: 541-386-4862 www.tallmanladders.com tallman@tallmanladders.com Quality built aluminum tripod orchard ladders. Serving fruit growers and homeowners since 1954. Step up to quality, step up to a Tallman!
TATE’S TREE COMPANY Contact: Bill Tate 900 Buffalo Ridge Lane Waupaca, WI 54981 Phone: 715-213-5051 Fax: 800-826-3622 www.tatestrees.com sales@tatestrees.com Tate’s are one of Wisconsin’s premier growers of Christmas trees and nursery stock. Nursery grown in the rich, clay soils near Madison, WI. Christmas trees in central part of Wisconsin. No minimums. TOKENSDIRECT Cincinnati, OH 45225 Phone: 800-514-6312
TORO Contact: Bill Wolfram 25108 Custis Neck Rd. Accomac, VA 23301 Phone: 757-710-0320 Fax: 757-787-4433 www.toro.com bill.wolfram.com Advanced irrigation technology for improving yields and conserving precious resources. TRUE SOURCE ENTERPRISES INC. Contact: David Pratson 7607 Rancho Amigos Rd. N. Bonsall, CA 92003 Phone: 760-545-8163 Fax: 760-749-8310 trueflexkneepads.com truesource@hughes.net TRUELEAF TECHNOLOGIES Cotati, CA 94913 Phone: 707-794-9660 USA GYPSUM Reinholds, PA 17569 Phone: 717-335-0379 VANTAGE PARTNERS Statesville, NC 28625 Phone: 704-871-8700 VIRTUAL ASSISTANT STAFFING Tacoma, WA 98422 Phone: 253-653-2280
VIS SEED CO. INC. Contact: Hans J. Vis PO Box 661953, 153 La Porte St. Arcadia, CA 91066 Phone: 626-445-1233 Fax: 626-445-3779 www.visseed.com hvis@visseed.com Specializing in flower, vegetable and herb seeds from around the world. We also are a broker for your plug and liner needs. Contact: us today for your FREE catalog.
W.W. MANUFACTURING CO., INC. Contact: Ingrid Hawk 60 Rosenhayn Ave. Bridgeton, NJ 08302 Phone: 856-451-5700 Fax: 856-451-4985 www.wwmfg.com info@wwmfg.com Originators of USA made, professional grade, all steel spades and shovels (King of Spades), rakes (Dura Rake), and assorted tools, carts, trailers for nurseries, landscaping, contractors, forestry, groundskeeping and metal detecting.
WAFLER NURSERY Contact: Bill Pitts or Susan Wafler 10748 Slaght Rd. Wolcott, NY 14590
Phone: 315-594-2399 Fax: 315-594-6829 www.waflenursery.com info@waflenursery.com WALDO & ASSOCIATES INC. Perrysburg, OH 43551 Phone: 800-468-4011 WAYSIDE FENCE CO. Bay Shore, NY 11706 Phone: 800-847-7789 WEAVERLINE, LLC Narvon, PA 17555 Phone: 877-464-1025 WEED BADGER Marion, ND 58466 Phone: 800-437-3392 WHEATLAND FERRY NURSERY Contact: Jeff Silva 22350 Magness Rd. NW
Salem, OR 97304 Phone: 503-932-2396 Fax: 503-868-7876 hihopes2000@yahoo.com No. 1 4-8-foot Grand fir contoured Christmas trees. Easy harvest and hauling. $1 per foot stump price. Assistance with harvest. Also Emerald Green arborvitae plants. WISCONSIN CHRISTMAS TREE PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION Contact: Cheryl Nicholson W9833 Hogan Rd. Portage, WI 53901-9279 Phone: 608-742-8663 Fax: 608-742-8663 www.christmastrees-wi.org info@christmastrees-wi.org Christmas trees, wreaths, nursery stock, supplies and more. Find it all on our Web site or contact us to get a list. October 2011 • COUNTRY FOLKS GROWER WEST • Section A - Page 9
STOKES SEEDS INC. Box 548 Buffalo, NY 14240-0548 Phone: 800-263-7233 Fax: 888-834-3334 www.stokeseeds.com stokes@stokesseeds.com Supplier of high quality vegetable seed since 1881. A sales team of 18 professionals research and evaluate trials year round for the newest and best. Their knowledge assists growers to plant the most productive crop possible.
TASCO DOME Vineland Station, Ontario CN L0R 2E0 Phone: 905-562-7341
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Page 10 - Section A • COUNTRY FOLKS GROWER WEST • October 2011
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C H R I S TMA S S E CTI O N Stardig Christmas Trees
Becky and Bill Stardig have been in the Christmas tree growing business for 24 years in Beavercreek, OR. Photos courtesy of Stardig Christmas Trees
people could come and have a happy holiday experience rather than just swing by any old lot to pick a pre-cut tree. According to Becky, seeing the joy on customers’ faces makes all the hard work worthwhile. “There’s a lot of labor that goes into making a
Helpers bale a tree.
choose-and-cut business that would enable them to interact with the public face-to-face. “We bought our 22 acre farm and had the soil tested to see what would grow well here. Then, we created a farm management plan, plotting where we would put the Grands, Nobles, Douglas and Nordmans.” After around six years, the first plantings were ready to harvest and Stardig Christmas Trees was officially up and running as a ucut business. Customers quickly learned that the firs at the Stardig’s farm were high quality. Some also came for the low-priced trees that Becky handselects for families that
may not be able to afford to pay a higher amount. “As we thin some of our trees, we pick a handful of trees and mark them at $5 for people who don’t have as much money,” she said. “We are also actively involved in the Trees for Troops program.” Stardig Christmas Trees allows customers to donate money to Trees for Troops. They can also purchase a tree that is later sent to a military family stationed at a base in the United States or overseas — Trees for Troops chooses where each one is shipped. Becky recalled one sentimental exchange with a soldier whose family had received a tree from her farm. “One day, a soldier who had been serving overseas stopped by to thank us for the tree we grew that ended up being donated to his family,” she said. “He wanted to let us know how much it meant for him and other military personnel to know that companies like ours cares about them. It was a very moving experience.” Like the soldier, many of Stardig Christmas Trees’ customers have a sentimental reaction to the farm. Many come back year after year to enjoy some hot choco-
late and cookies, take photos by a stationary sleigh, pick out their family tree and purchase decorations and gifts from the company’s onsite retail shop. The farm even has a staff of workers who will help cut and carry the trees out of the fields for customers. They shake and bale each one. Then, load them onto cars as an added service. “Some people like to do everything themselves, but others would rather have the help, so we always have people here to lend a hand if needed,” said Becky. The same care is taken when harvesting trees for the farm’s wholesale division. Helicopters are brought in to air lift the trees from the fields rather than using trucks which would mar the soil around the trees. Such attention to producing clean, quality trees and presenting customers with a heartwarming experience are what have made Stardig Christmas Trees so successful all of these years. And these same attributes are what will undoubtedly make the business thrive for many more to come. For further information about Stardig Christmas Trees, please go to www.stardigtreefarm.com.
Call For Confidential Wholesale Price Sheet
Sorbco, LLC.
226-10 Jamaica Ave. Floral Park, NY 11001 Our Website: www.sorbco.com Attention: Charles Rick 800-240-5288 or charles@sorbco.com
October 2011 • COUNTRY FOLKS GROWER WEST • Section A - Page 11
by Kelly Gates Stardig Christmas Trees of Beavercreek, OR is about the people. The trees. The gifts. The experience. Becky and Bill Stardig started the Christmas tree growing business 24 years ago with these things in mind. They wanted a place where
u-cut Christmas tree farm work,” she told Country Folks Grower. “But when we open each year and we see our customers arrive with their families to have an on-the-farm experience, there’s just nothing like it.” During the early years, the Stardigs didn’t get to work directly with the end consumer. They grew a wide variety of trees that ended up in peoples’ homes. However, they sold them wholesale to customers who resold on small lots throughout Oregon, California, Arizona, Hawaii and other states. After several years of doing that, the couple decided to buy a new property and start a
C H R I S TMA S S E CTI O N
Page 12 - Section A • COUNTRY FOLKS GROWER WEST • October 2011
Ways to promote your Christmas tree farm by Sanne Kure-Jensen Do you remember watching your customers trekking across your snow-covered fields with excited children last year? As the families zigzagged through your rows searching for the perfect tree, they were building lasting memories. Today’s busy American family craves Quality Time. If your farm provides a magical experience, those happy families will not only return for many years to come, they will recommend your farm to their friends. By the time you read this, there will be less than 60 days until your first customers drive into your parking lot on Thanksgiving weekend. To help ensure your farm’s success this season, and to bring you new customers, pull out your Marketing Plan, update it and begin implementation right away. If you don’t have a Marketing Plan, here are some ideas to get you started. Marketing efforts drive success Plan special events or promotions such as: Photos with Santa, Scavenger Hunt, Bring your Grandparents Day, Solstice Celebration, Farm Anniversary Party or other theme days. Consider offering sleigh or hay rides or a bonfire for an evening adventure. Consider a “Back to Basics” promotion where customers
trade in an old artificial tree for money off a real Christmas tree. Perhaps you could participate in a local Festival of Trees or invite a scout troop or civic group to decorate themed trees. For helpful marketing handouts and templates, go to the National Christmas Tree Association (NCTA) Web site at www.christmastree.org. Your success will depend on multiple forms of outreach. Be sure your events get listed on local,
regional, newspaper and online calendars and reach out to your audience through the media with press releases and personal contact. Your event press releases should include a description and time of events, your farm name, general farm hours, address, phone number, logo and contact information. Include photos from a previous year’s event, if available, or photos from your tree farm. Consider reserving space in your
local newspaper’s Holiday Shopping Guide and time on local radio station broadcasts. As your budget and computer skills allow, create some of these: print ads, post card mailers, newsletters, Valpak inserts, Chamber of Commerce mailers/emails, posters, brochures, business cards and/or coupons. If you need assistance, think about hiring outside help. Develop a
Tree Farm 13
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Tree Farm from 12 printing, mailing, emailing and poster delivery schedule. If you decide to use post card mailers with bulk rate postage, send them as much as a month early due to slow holiday mail processing. Posters can be hung at local markets, libraries, churches, day care facilities or dance and sports centers. Consider reaching out on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. (Enlist a teenager if needed.) Offer to give a talk on the history of Christmas trees to local clubs, libraries and organizations like Rotary Club, Elks Club, Chamber of Commerce, school PTAs, etc.
Offer to share the podium with a well-known local decorator who could demonstrate holiday trends with a colorful slide or PowerPoint presentation. Be sure to display your brochures, business cards and/or coupons from your farm. Before things get hectic this November, review and update your local media contact lists. Phone or e-mail every media contact with your event plans; offer an interview and farm photo opportunity. Keep in touch; send another press release a week after Thanksgiving and again after Christmas. You could include human in-
terest stories with photos of happy families in your fields and describe Christmas tree pickup and recycling options in your area. Your early and midseason press releases should include the following great reasons to use a real Christmas tree. The NCTA Web site lists these and many more benefits over artificial trees. • Real Trees are a renewable, recyclable resource. • Christmas tree farms stabilize soil, protect and improve water quality and offer wildlife habitat. Christmas Trees thrive in soils that cannot easily support food crops.
Do You Need to Sell Christmas Trees & Products? Country Folks Grower Readers Need Product to Sell! Advertise Now to Reach — • Garden n Centers • Farm m Markets s • Nurseries
• Landscapers • Christmas s Tree e Growers • Greenhouses
Your Ad Now Starts the Process Toward a Good Christmas Season Deadline For The Nov. Issue — Oct. 20
Contact Dan Wren or your sales representative at 800-218-5586 dwren@leepub.com www.cfgrower.com
If your farm provides a magical experience, those happy families will not only return for many years to come, they will recommend your farm to their friends. Photos by Sanne Kure-Jensen your lighting works; days mas tree farm, be sure are getting shorter and you farm is listed on your daylight savings time will local Department of Agriend on Nov. 6. Clean your culture Web site and conoffice and Visitor Center. sider joining a state or Sharpen your saws. Make national growers associasure your baler is work- tion and/or a Chamber of ing and that you have Commerce. Many associenough netting in stock ation and Chamber of for the season. Consider Commerce Web sites covoffering hot chocolate er neighboring states and and warm spiced cider to allow users to search by your customers. town, farm name or state. When Thanksgiving Some association and looms: verify you have chamber Web sites offer adequate staff, small bills members an individual for your change box and page displaying events, cord for tying trees to car promotions, coupons, adroofs. Be sure keep good dress, phone number, daily sales records. Take products, services and photos and videos of cus- hours. tomers and special As a Christmas tree events. Post these images grower, you are not alone. on social media and state Across the country, nearassociation Web sites and ly 15,000 Christmas tree use them for future mar- farms grow 350 million keting efforts. Christmas trees and over Get your farm listed 100,000 people work in To help potential cus- the industry in 47 states tomers find your Christ- according to the NCTA.
October 2011 • COUNTRY FOLKS GROWER WEST • Section A - Page 13
• After Christmas Trees are harvested, farmers replant fields with seedlings the next spring. • Tree farms support complex ecosystems including birds, mammals, insects and more. • Trees are carbon neutral. While they grow, trees absorb carbon dioxide, filter our air and give off oxygen for us to breathe. When decomposing, carbon, nitrogen and other elements return to soils. • Across the country, over 4,000 communities offer Christmas tree recycling, pick-up and/or chipping programs. Be sure to take a break and walk among your trees to remind you why you’re spending all this time in the office rather than outside on a beautiful, fall day. Fall site preparation Ready your site for visitors. Clean your signs and ensure they list accurate farm hours and prices. Clear any brush or branches that may obscure your signs. Grade your parking lot and have your snow plow in working order. Consider setting aside a covered area for pre-cut trees and greens for sale during bad weather. Be sure
Page 14 - Section A • COUNTRY FOLKS GROWER WEST • October 2011
Anderson Pots: The first is still the best Anderson Die and Manufacturing was founded In Portland, OR by George Anderson in 1954. Originally the firm was a custom die-maker and the manufacturer of various injection molded plastic products. Only a few years after its founding, it began to market the first Anderson nursery container — a 2 inch square pot with drainage holes. Then, Anderson’s attention turned to replacing the nursery field containers of the day — typically used food cans or heavy clay pots. Growers had difficulty in securing enough metal cans from prisons and cafeterias for their needs. Even when they could get enough metal cans, they still had to punch the holes in each can by hand. Plastic pots with the holes already in place were George Anderson’s answer. A new industry was born. Growth in the nursery pot business lead to a move to a new larger plant complex off McLaughlin Avenue in Milwaukie, OR, just below the Portland city limits in 1965. Many additional plastic pot designs were soon in full produc-
tion and it wasn’t long before Anderson Pots were known throughout the world. Anderson Pots have always been prized for innovative designs, thick walls, and superb injection molded quality. Anderson pots are reusable — they are not one time use throw-aways, but excellent long-term investments for growers. Today, Anderson Die and Manufacturing’s sprawling manufacturing plant includes a large number of high quality injection molded machines including more than a dozen new Husky Hylectric machines, known for rapid cycle times and consistent quality. They make nursery pots of many sizes
and styles, including: Anderson’s unique cross-bottom tree bands, flats, heavy duty saucers and unique bio-degradable plastic pots in the Eco Choice line. Anderson pots are shipped across North America and, occasionally still, overseas. Anderson sells its line of pots through various nursery supply firms as well as direct (wholesale sales only) from its Oregon headquarters. With the growing concern about throw-away plastics going into landfills, Anderson’s long-standing reputation for long field life and for their pot’s water saving qualities, suggest the company’s future is bright in its sixth decade as a nursery supplier.
Everything they sell is made in the U.S.A. in Oregon, not China or South East Asia. Look for the Anderson Die & Manufacturing name prominently displayed on the bottoms of the plastic pots wherever quality plants are sold. Anderson’s motto is “Quality Plants Deserve an Anderson Pot.” In addition to being a quality, reusable investment that can be justified economically in terms of long term value, Anderson’s recycled polyethylene and polypropylene pots are innovative designs that offer growers: • Higher survival rates • Excellent root development
• Stacking ribs to inhibit root circling • Improved root protection from the sun’s rays • Improved root protection from cold temperatures • Water saving drainage designs • Ease of handling in potting and grafting Anderson’s strives to always offer competitive prices on quality injection-molded plastic nursery products; prices that are truly bargains for what you get. But, the company says Anderson is never going to be the cheapest container supplier for nurseries who look only at lowest cost without considering quality and service. If you are looking for the cheapest initial price on pots, you should proba-
bly buy elsewhere. On the other hand, if service and long term value drive your decision making, Anderson Pots may be exactly what you seek. Anderson’s customers tell them their pots last and last. It is not uncommon to find Anderson pots more than a decade old still in use. This company has gone against the grain by emphasizing long term value in an age defined by short-cuts and inexpensive plastic throw-always. In its sixth decade Anderson’s strategy is still working. For more information call 866-950-POTS (7687) or 503-654-5629, email info@andersonpots.com or visit www.andersonpots.com
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Anderson Die and Manufacturing was established in 1954 and today the company’s sprawling manufacturing plant includes a large number of high quality injection molding machines.
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Using less water to grow more potatoes Research conducted in part at the U.S. Department of Agriculture
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potatoes in flat beds can increase irrigation water use efficiency. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) agricultural engineer Bradley King, who works at the ARS Northwest Irrigation and Soils Research Laboratory in Kimberly, Idaho, was one of the scientists who led these studies. ARS is USDA’s chief intramural scientific research agency, and this research supports the USDA com-
mitment to enhancing sustainable agriculture. When potato production started in Idaho more than 100 years ago, farmers seeded their crops in ridged rows and watered their plants by channeling surface irrigation to flow through the furrows between the rows. Even though most commercial potato producers in the Pacific Northwest now irrigate their crops with sprinklers,
ARS research has found that planting potatoes in flat beds instead of ridged rows can improve irrigation efficiency because the configuration allows more water to reach the plant root zone.
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October 2011 • COUNTRY FOLKS GROWER WEST • Section A - Page 15
Section One
Wine and Grape Grower will offer features, news and information on growing grapes, and making and selling wines. As readers of Country Folks and Country Folks Grower you know the value of our publications as you run and improve your business. If your current business or future plans include grapes or wine you can now have a publication with those same benefits for that branch of your business. Subscribe today and don’t miss a single issue. If you have friends or family who would be interested please feel free to share with them also.
they still typically use ridged-row planting systems. But this planting configuration allows irrigation runoff to collect in the furrow and percolate below the crop root zone. This means that the water is unavailable to the crops, and can also lead to increased nitrate leaching from the soil. King and his partners conducted a series of studies on planting potatoes in flat beds instead of ridged rows. One two-year study compared ridge-row planting systems, a five-row planting configuration on a raised bed where the plant rows were 26 inches apart, and a seven-row planting configuration on a raised bed where the plant rows were 18 inches apart. Another five-year study on approximately 6,900 acres only compared ridged-row systems and five-row raised-bed systems. The researchers found that using the flat bed system increased yields by an average of 6 percent, even though 5 percent less water was used for irrigation. This meant that using flat beds instead of ridged rows for potato production led to an overall 12 percent increase in irrigation water use efficiency. The gains were attributed to several factors, especially the probability that planting potatoes in flat beds improves water and nitrogen use efficiency because more water reaches the potato roots. These findings, which were published this year in the American Journal of Potato Research, could help commercial farmers increase yields and profits, save valuable water resources, and reduce nitrate leaching.
Page 16 - Section A • COUNTRY FOLKS GROWER WEST • October 2011
Lawson Mills Biomass Solutions Ltd In a world of higher costs and less profit, Lawson Mills Biomass Solutions Ltd has developed a system that actually gives back to business owners. This system takes a raw material and by means of a series of integrated components, allows a producer to take a single or multiple products, combine them, create pellets and then cool them to create a finished, useable pellet. Using cold-press and floating roller technologies, the mills provide a level of versatility previously unheard of in the pellet-making world. One of the challenges that face businesses from all sectors is that of waste disposal. Many companies, whether in agriculture, forestry, feed production or manufacturing, have to deal with trying to dispose of a by-product after processing their primary material. In many cases, this is costly and time
consuming. Through use of the LM-72 series of pellet systems, Lawson Mills Biomass Solutions provides a means to turn waste materials into useable, often saleable products. While many people associate pellet mills with the creation of wood pellets, these systems are much more versatile, allowing one to produce fuel pellets from wood waste, fuel crops, straw, hay, paper, commercial crop residue … virtually any biomass. But fuel pellets are just the tip of the iceberg. Because the LM-72 series of mill are designed to produce minimal heat and are able to combine multiple ingredients, the Lawson Mills systems are used by feed producers to create specialty, value added feeds and fertilizers. Farmers and others can produce bedding that can be used in farm and pet applications. Compost compa-
nies and recycling companies use the systems for creating a wide variety of products. Universities and research facilities can do batch testing without needing tons of material. Some businesses even use the mills strictly for the purpose of densifying materials for easier shipping, as is done by hops producers. Lawson Mills Biomass Solutions Ltd has devel-
FUEL oped an industry leading technology, and is dedicated to helping clients all over North America find ways to maximize their profits by using what is often at their fingertips. With the continued education of biomass producers everywhere and the ongoing distribution of the LM-72 pellet systems, business-
Through use of the LM-72 series of pellet systems, Lawson Mills Biomass Solutions provides a means to turn waste materials into useable, often saleable products.
Design-build composting and heat recovery systems ClearSpan™ Fabric Structures has partnered with AgriLab® Technologies to offer a complete composting and heat recovery system to the rural, horticultural and agribusiness communities. AgriLab Technologies develops, designs, and manufactures heat transfer solutions that are environmentally friendly and significantly reduce dependency on fossil fuels. These systems are designed for heat transfer efficiency, ease of use, safety and cost effectiveness to construct and operate. Due to increasing energy and fertilizer costs, AgriLab’s technology will play a key role in managing recyclable organic materials, which need to be returned to farm soils and diverted from landfills, reducing methane and CO2 emissions. A reliance on compost and its benefits will help lower the carbon footprint of global food production, while also supporting local economic activity.
The AgriLab system extracts thermal energy through aerobic decomposition (composting). Steam vapor is produced through this process and then pulled through air channels built into a specially designed, insulated composting pad
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Recovery 17
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For more information contact Paul Lawson at 888-313-9424, email info@makepellets.ca or visit www.makepellets.ca
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A U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) soil scientist in Colorado is helping farmers grow crops with less nitrogen-based fertilizer. The fertilizers are a major reason why agriculture is a significant source of both greenhouse gas emissions and pollution in estuaries like the Gulf of Mexico and the Chesapeake Bay. If growers apply too little fertilizer, it reduces crop yields. But if they apply too much, the excess can be released into the atmosphere as nitrous oxide or leach into waterways as nitrate. Jorge Delgado, with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Soil Plant Nutrient Research Unit in Fort Collins, CO, conducts research to help growers determine exactly how much nitrogen to apply to a field, when to apply it and what alternatives might work best. The right approach can vary from one location to the next and one crop to the next. ARS is USDA's princi-
pal intramural scientific research agency, and this research supports the USDA priorities of responding to climate change and promoting agricultural sustainability. Delgado helped develop a tool designed for fledgling “environmental trading” credit programs that reward growers for reducing nitrogen losses. Known as the “Nitrogen Trading Tool” (NTT), it can be used to determine how much a proposed management practice may be able to reduce nitrogen losses, and how much “trading credit” could be earned by switching to it. The concept of trading nitrogen credits is in its formative stages, but efforts have been established in Pennsylvania and Ohio, with municipalities and state environmental agencies in several states and watersheds studying the concept. Delgado has distributed the NTT and other tools to hundreds of
users, including farmers, agribusinesses, scientists, extension agents, state and federal agencies and international users. He also has used them to convince growers to improve soil-management practices by using conservation tillage, crop rotation and cover crops such as wheat, rye and other grasses. Such practices not only prevent nitrates from leaching into waterways, but prevent soils from eroding and keep carbon and nutrients sequestered in the soil. Delgado also has published a peer -reviewed report in Advances in Agronomy showing how the NTT may be used to calculate the potential for nitrogen trading on a Virginia no-till operation, an Ohio farm where manure is applied, and irrigated barley and potato fields in Colorado. His efforts to reduce nitrogen losses in Mexico also have been published in the journal Terra Latinoamerica.
a controlled environment. ClearSpan’s Hercules Truss Arch Buildings are the key component for environmental control with an AgriLab system. The exceptional height and wide open space of fabric structures allow easy access for equipment such as skid steers, conveyors, turning machines and pay loaders. The USAmade, triple-galvanized steel frames are extremely durable and corrosion resistant. Superb air quality allows for better moisture control and limits condensation to produce highquality compost. Ener-
gy costs are far lower in a ClearSpan structure because the abundant natural light eliminates the need for artificial daytime lighting. ClearSpan’s durable, all-weather fabric covers protect the compost from rain, reducing run-off. This protection increases nutrient retention, producing a higher quality product overall.
Recovery from 16 a reservoir which increases the temperature of the water used for farm heating and process water applications. This system is able to maintain tank temperatures of 120˚ to 130˚F. The energy captured through this process can be used to heat water for your home, business, greenhouse or stable, potentially saving thousands of dollars a year in propane and diesel fuel costs. It is critical that the compost bays used in these systems are covered as the heat capture must take place in
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October 2011 • COUNTRY FOLKS GROWER WEST • Section A - Page 17
Monthly Equine Publication covering New York, New England, Northern Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Reaching the horseowners in this market area as the official publication of over 25 Associations.
Tools that will help reduce nitrogen pollution
Scientists point to precarious state of U.S. Pesticide Safety Education Program
Page 18 - Section A • COUNTRY FOLKS GROWER WEST • October 2011
LAWRENCE, KS — Scientists with the Weed Science Society of America (WSSA), the American Phytopathological Society (APS) and the Entomological Society of America (ESA) recently expressed concern about the precarious state of the U.S. Pesticide Safety Education Program (PSEP). Funding for the program has plummeted in recent years and is now in danger of evaporating completely. As the nation’s primary pesticide applicator training and education program, PSEP is responsible for ensuring
the safety of applicators, other workers and the public, for protecting the environment and for providing guidance in the proper use and security of pesticides. “In addition to certifying applicators and delivering education on the safe use of pesticides, the program today is tasked to provide guidance on a wide range of pesticide-related topics — from avoiding spray drift and minimizing development of pest resistance to protecting endangered species,” says Lee Van Wychen, science policy director for
WSSA. Collectively, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) are responsible for ensuring that the nation’s pesticide training needs are met. Since 1965, federal funds to support PSEP and its coordinators have been provided annually by EPA through USDA’s Cooperative Extension System. In fiscal year 2000, for example, EPA provided $1.9 million for PSEP, but in fiscal year 2011, EPA funding has been eliminated. The only remaining
USDA expands export opportunities for American cherry producers WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on Sept. 12 that after 10 years of negotiations, U.S. cherries can now be exported to Western Australia, making cherries the first U.S. fresh fruit to gain access to that market. The market opening positions Australia as the seventh most valuable export market for U.S. cherries. “The market opening in Western Australia is great news for American sweet cherry producers of the Northwest and even better news for American agricultural exports, which are forecast to set records this year and next thanks to the dedication of American producers,” said Michael Scuse, Acting Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services. “In fact, U.S. horticultural exports are expected to surge going into 2012, thanks to the high-quality of American-grown fruits and vegetables.” U.S. cherries from California have had access to the eastern states of Australia since the late 1990s and Washington and Oregon have been permitted to export to the eastern Australian states since 2001. Since that time, negotiations have been ongoing between Biosecurity Australia and USDA to gain access for U.S. cherries
to Western Australia, which maintains its own regulations. A final push by importers in Western Australia resulted in the first cherry import into that Australian state last month, and Washington State Fruit Commission/Northwest Cherry Growers used USDA Market Access Program funds to showcase the products as they arrived in Perth, in Western Australia. The Australian market is a rapidly growing market for U.S. cherries. In 2009, a record 2,334 metric tons of cherries valued at $15.6 million were shipped to the Australian market, compared with $1.4 million in 1999 when the market first opened. Over the years, USDA and the California and Pacific Northwest cherry industries have worked together to develop the scientific research needed to support the phytosanitary negotiations between USDA and Biosecurity Australia. These efforts, along with
strong industry market development, have nurtured and maintained exports to this market. U.S. cherries are sold in Australia at a competitive price, close to that of Australian product, as the Australian dollar has strengthened considerably in the last two years, making imports more affordable. Since U.S. cherries are counter-seasonal to the Australian crop, the products do not compete directly in the marketplace. USDA recently forecast fiscal year 2011 and 2012 exports will reach a record $137 billion, $22 billion higher than the previous record set in 2008 and $28 billion above 2010.
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source of federal funding for PSEP is $500,000 mandated by the Pesticide Registration Improvement Renewal Act (PRIA II), which translates to only $10,000 per state. However, this funding will end in fiscal year 2012 when the statutory authority of PRIA II expires. To compound the problem, most states have significantly reduced their funding for the personnel and basic services needed to support pesticide education through the Cooperative Extension System. Statistics show close to 900,000 private and commercial applicators holding PSEP certification in 2010, including more than 100,000 new certifications and more than 225,000 applicators pursuing recertification. In addition, the program has educated more than a million other pesticide users.
“With nearly a 75 percent reduction in federal support for PSEP over the past decade, there is no question that states will not be able to deliver the same quality of PSEP training or to certify the same number of individuals,” says Carol Ishimaru, APS president. Earlier today, WSSA released a technical paper on PSEP that addresses its history, goals and funding. The paper also discusses proposed ideas for ensuring more stable financial resources for PSEP in the future.Examples include: • Allocating additional dollars from federal and state pesticide product registration fees to cover education on the proper use of pesticides. • Pursuing grants from pesticide companies, commodity groups, conservation groups and others with an interest in pesticide
safety education. • Changing policies, regulations and statutes to better support funding. For example, most states direct fines for improper use of pesticides into their general funds. These dollars would be an especially appropriate source of support for pesticide safety education. “There is no one solution to the increasingly precarious state of the Pesticide Safety Education Program,” Van Wychen says. “A grassroots effort is needed by stakeholders at the state and national level to overcome policy and regulatory impediments and to ensure the program’s sustainability and focus.” The WSSA technical paper on pesticide safety education is available on the WSSA Web site: www.wssa.net.
Bill Mann of Star Roses talks with Chris Pellett of New Flora about his large selection of premium roses, including the fabulous Knockout and Drift series at the Farwest Show held Aug. 25-27 in Portland, OR.
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Today’s Marketing Objectives By: Melissa Piper Nelson Farm News Service News and views on agricultural marketing techniques. sources wisely, and preserving biodiversity in farming. In 1997, the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) organization defined it as, “Sustainable agriculture does not refer to a prescribed set of practices. Instead, it challenges producers to think about the longterm implications of practices and the broad interactions and dynamics of agricultural systems.” Today we know that consumers react favorably to production systems they feel are following sustainable methods. The definition that consumers use remains broad: Organic, naturally-grown, ecoganic, or natural. What consumers are saying with their dollars is that they care about how foods and fibers are
grown and how that impacts the environment for future generations. What has followed is called “green” marketing or “sustainable” marketing promoting a product, and the idea of how the product contributes to an environmentally-sound and ecologically-balanced world. Many producers have already integrated the story behind their product into marketing techniques with story boards, farm photos, farm history-based brochures, informational labels and certifications. While sustainable agriculture means a host of different things to consumers, buyers use the term to seek out operations actively pursuing agriculture that strives for longterm stability and
thinking about it and seeking out non-verbal clues from how you present yourself and your product. Without a standard definition for sustainability, producers must interpret how green and sustainable marketing ideas are developed for their own operations. This type of do-it-yourself marketing has been featured in several USDA and other publications that describe sustainable farming and agricultural innovations. Sustainable agriculture has rocketed from mere terminology into national policy and will likely be incorporated into future farming programs and research efforts. While there is a difference in how to ultimately define what sustainability means to agriculture as a whole, direct marketing has channeled sustainability into a marketing function that signals specific philosophic considerations to the buyer. In 1999, the Union of Concerned Scientists noted, “Sustainability
builds on current agricultural achievements, adopting a sophisticated approach that can maintain high yields and farm profits without undermining the resources on which agriculture depends.” Sustainability marketing opens a dialogue for farmer and consumer to discuss these approaches to farming. The back story creates the avenue for agricultural marketing which shows the process of how a product was planted and harvested. Ultimately, the story is yours to develop and present to the buying public. For additional information on how sustainability and agriculture has developed together, a number of sources are noted through the USDA’s Alternative Farming Systems Information Center at www.nal.usda.gov. The above information is presented for educational purpose only and should not be substituted for professional legal or business counseling.
Oriental fruit fly infestation triggers quarantine SACRAMENTO, CA — The California Department of Food and Agriculture is preparing for quarantine and eradication measures in response to the Oriental fruit fly (OFF) infestation detected in the Stockton Area of San Joaquin County. “Our statewide array of pest traps has worked precisely as designed,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “In cooperation with local agricultural commissioner’s offices, we set and check traps daily across the state to detect these infestations when they are still
small, enabling a focused, fast response. We already have crews on the ground preparing for a quarantine and working to eradicate the infestation.” The first two OFFs were detected in a trap in the Stockton area on Thursday, Sept. 8, prompting crews to increase the trapping density in the region over the weekend. The additional traps have since picked up enough flies to confirm the presence of a breeding population and trigger preparations for a quarantine. The quarantine will restrict the movement of
crops, plants and related materials that could harbor or spread the OFF. Quarantine boundaries and specific restrictions will be formally announced once agricultural officials have analyzed trapping results and determined the extent of the infested area. Crews have already begun notifying growers, nursery owners and other agriculturerelated businesses of the pending quarantine. Eradication efforts are already under way — beginning with a larval survey in which crews pick and cut into host fruits and vegeta-
bles within 200 meters of the sites where OFFs were trapped, as well as treatment of trees and plants on properties within 200 meters with the organic-approved product spinosad. Following the principles of integrated pest management, CDFA uses “male attractant” treatment as the mainstay of its eradication measures for this pest. This approach has successfully eliminated dozens of fruit fly infestations from California since the 1970s. Workers squirt a small patch of fly attractant mixed with a very small dose of pesticide approximately 8-10 feet off the ground on street trees and similar surfaces; male flies are attracted to the mixture and die after consuming it. Preparations are under way to begin this phase of the response. The
male attractant treatment program will be carried out over several square miles surrounding the sites where the insects were trapped. Eradication activities may also include removal of susceptible host fruit and vegetables within 100 meters of the infested sites. Residents’ questions about the program may be directed to CDFA’s Pest Hotline, 800-4911899. Stockton residents who have fruit trees are also encouraged to call to report any maggots that they find in backyard fruit, and to refrain from moving homegrown fruit off of their property or giving it away. Homegrown fruit may be consumed or processed (canned, juiced, etc.) on-site. The Oriental fruit fly is known to target over 230 different fruit, veg-
etable and plant commodities. Damage occurs when the female lays eggs inside the fruit. The eggs hatch into maggots that tunnel through the flesh of the fruit, making it unfit for consumption. While fruit flies and other pests that threaten California’s crops are sometimes detected in agricultural areas, the vast majority are found in urban and suburban communities. The most common pathway for these pests to enter the state is by “hitchhiking” in fruits and vegetables brought back illegally by travelers as they return from infested regions around the world. The OFF is widespread throughout much of the mainland of Southern Asia and neighboring islands including Sri Lanka and Taiwan. It is also found in Hawaii.
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October 2011 • COUNTRY FOLKS GROWER WEST • Section A - Page 19
Sustainability marketing Although the modern usage is debated, the global term “sustainability” is generally thought to have been introduced at a United Nations Conference in 1987. It was chosen to define thinking and acting in a balanced way for the present, while planning for the future. Some agricultural historians note, however, that U.S. producers were using the term in the early 1970’s to refer to a way of farming that protected natural ecosystems. In 1990, the idea of sustainability was introduced into the U. S. Farm Bill and since then sustainable agriculture has become a popularized theme for being ecologically sound, socially equitable, using natural re-
sound uses of natural resources. While buyers may not always follow through with this in purchasing from large grocery chains (a bag of apples, is a bag of apples), direct agricultural marketing unites farmer and consumer on a closer basis. Producers are noting the importance of the back story — what takes place to make the product or service in the first place. Green or sustainable marketing then becomes as important as the product itself. Consumers ask about the farming method, if packaging is environmentally-friendly, how far the product has traveled from farm to point of sale, if the farm is certified, by which group, and how employees are hired and their working conditions. If you haven’t already encountered these types of questions, you probably will in the near future. Even if consumers don’t overtly ask the questions while speaking with you, you should be aware that they are
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Page 20 - Section A • COUNTRY FOLKS GROWER WEST • October 2011
Get the best response from your advertisements by including the condition, age, price and best calling hours. Also we always recommend insertion for at least 2 times for maximum benefits. Call Peg at 1-800-836-2888 CHECK YOUR AD - ADVERTISERS should check their ads. Lee Publications, Inc. shall not be liable for typographical, or errors in publication except to the extent of the cost of the first months insertion of the ad, and shall also not be liable for damages due to failure to publish an ad. Adjustment for errors is limited to the cost of that portion of the ad wherein the error occurred. Report any errors to Peg Patrei at 518-6733237 ext. 111 or 800-8362888.
Number / Classification 35 Announcements 50 Applicators 80 Auctions 110 Bedding Plants 120 Bees-Beekeeping 130 Bird Control 155 Building Materials/ Supplies 165 Business Opportunities 210 Christmas Trees 235 Computers 330 Custom Services 415 Employment Wanted 440 Farm Machinery For Sale 445 F a r m M a c h i n e r y Wanted 470 Financial Services 500 For Sale 505 Forklifts 510 Fresh Produce, Nursery 515 Fruit Processing Eq. 530 Garden Supplies 535 Generators 570 G r e e n h o u s e Plugs/Cuttings 575 Greenhouse Supplies 580 Groundcover 605 Heating 610 Help Wanted 680 Irrigation 700 Lawn & Garden 805 Miscellaneous 820 Nurseries 840 Nursery Supplies 855 Orchard Supplies 910 Plants 950 Real Estate For Sale 955 Real Estate Wanted 1035 Seeds & Nursery 1040 Services Offered 1130 Tractors 1135 Tra c t o r s, Pa r t s & Repair 1140 Trailers 1155 Tree Moving Services 1165 Trees 1170 Truck Parts & Equipment 1180 Trucks 1190 Vegetable 1205 Wanted
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( 800 ) 836-2888 PO Box 121, 6113 State Hwy. 5 ( ) Fax: 518 673-2381 Palatine Bridge, NY 13428 E-mail: classified@leepub.com Vegetables PRECISION PLANTER for planting seeds through plastic. The Poly Planter Does It All, www.ferrisfarm.net
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Calendar of Events E-mail announcements of your regional event(s) to: jkarkwren@leepub.com We must receive your information, plus a contact phone number, prior to the deadline that’s noted under the Announcements heading on the 1st page of these Grower Classifieds. *** SEP 29 - OCT 1 The Landscape Show Orange County Convention Center near Orlando, FL. The show’s theme this year is “Full Sail Ahead.” Some 7,500 visitors are expected. For complete details and to register, visit www.fngla.org. OCT 24-28 AgroNomics - Vision 2012 Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort, Phoenix, AZ. Contact Cheryl Cooley, 303-6921215 or e-mail ccooley@asfmra.org. NOV 4 Organizing Agritourism Support in California Robert J. Cabral Agricultural Center/UC Cooperative Extension, 2101 Earhart Ave., Stockton, CA. 8:30 am - 4:15 pm. Explore the relationships and benefits involved in both statewide and local/regional agritourism programs. Workshop fee is $20 and includes continental breakfast, lunch and handouts. Contact Penny Leff, 530-752-7779 or e-mail paleff@ucdavis.edu. On Internet at http://ucanr.org/agtoursummit.2011 Statewide Agritourism Summit Robert J. Cabral Agricultural Center /UC Cooperative Extension San Joaquin County, 2101 Earhart Ave., Stockton, CA. 8:30 am - 4:15 pm. Workshop fee: $20 (includes continental breakfast, lunch and handouts). To register: http://ucanr.org/agtoursummit.2011. NOV 10-12 OAN Annual Convention Alderbrook Resort, 7101 East SR 106, Union, WA.
Call 360-898-2145. On Internet at www.alderbrookresort.com. NOV 11 Growing Your AgriTourism Business Workshop Tulare Co. Board of Supervisors Chambers, 2800 W. Burrel AVe., Visalia, CA. Registration required. Contact Geno, 559-877-8663. NOV 14-15 7th Annual Sustainable Ag Expo Paso Robles Event Center, Paso Robles, CA. For more information visit www.sustainableagexpo.org. JAN 8-9 2012 National Green Centre Overland Park Convention Center,6000 College Blvd, Overland Park, KS. Call 888233-1876 or info@nationalgreencentre.org. JAN 24-26 43rd Annual Northwest Agricultural Show Portland Expo Center, 2060 N. Marine Dr., Portland, OR. Call 503-769-7120. FEB 14-16 45th Annual World Ag Expo International Agri-Center, 4450 South Laspina St., Tulare, CA. The Expo is the largest annual agricultural show of its kind with 1,600 exhibitors displaying cutting edge agricultural technology and equipment on 2.6 million square feet of show grounds. On Internet at www.WorldAgExpo.com FEB 15 WGGA Annual Conference & Trade Show Ramkota Best Western, Casper, Wyoming. Call 307234-7583.
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If you have used equipment for sale, ask about our group of weekly farm newspapers that cover from Maine to North Carolina.
ON-LINE- Go to www.cfgrower.com Name:(Print)______________________________________________________________________ and fol ow the Place a Classified Ad Address:_________________________________________________________________________ button to place your ad 24/7! City:__________________________________________________St.:__________Zip:___________
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October 2011 • COUNTRY FOLKS GROWER WEST • Section A - Page 21
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Farwest Show Portland, OR, Aug. 25-27, 2011
Page 22 - Section A • COUNTRY FOLKS GROWER WEST • October 2011
A.M.A. Plastics Ltd. — John Vezina likes to ask customers, “Have you tried Ellepots yet?” He carries a large highly recommended selection of pots. Also on display was A.M.A.’s own “Al’s Flower Pouch, a new and improved oxodegradable vertical gardening bag.
Van Klaveren’s Nursery — Alyssa and Jacob Van Klaveren proudly display samples from their wholesale nursery, which supplies landscapers and garden centers with general broadleaf ornamentals and topiaries.
Fry Road Nursery — Ann Detweiler is the proud winner of the 2011 Farwest Show’s Best in Show award for her colorful display of beautiful exotics, including Hardy Bananas, Palm Agave and many unusual tropicals and marginals, many of which are winter hardy. The nursery also offers more than 500 Fuchsia varieties and custom propagation. Fry Road is a one-third retail and two-thirds wholesale nursery.
Siebring Manufacturing — Warren Tiedeman stands with his quality line of heating and spraying equipment, which includes custom spraying of all kinds. Also available are steam generators for pasteurizing soil and pots.
Growing Systems — Dana Cable and Connie Gratz had a lot to show attendees with their boomless Monorail Traveling Irrigator, the Vandana Tubeless Seeder, Convertible Plug Dislodger and their many sizes and styles of growing trays available to match a wide variety of needs.
Blooming Nursery — Cherie Bouley and June Condruk enjoy a visit with Casey Van Vloten. The nursery boasts nearly 1,900 environmentally grown varieties of perennials, grasses, shrubs, herbs and ground covers. They won the show’s Best Perennials/Grass with their “Blond Ambition Blue Grama Grass.”
McConkey — Stina McConkey was excited to tell everyone about their new recyclable eco-friendly “Our Earth” line of pots and six-packs. These products are made from recycled plastic bottles to create sustainable, marketable and cost-neutral ecology-minded items. McConkey also displayed the Quantum Boom Irrigation System, the latest technology with user friendly programming, a flexible system to irrigate multiple crops.
DeVroomen Garden Products — Teresa Kendig and Roland Van Den Bergh are happy to talk about their increased U.S. production of plugs and bare-root perennials. They sell bulbs for summer and fall landscaping and feel very positive about the market’s future. They pride themselves on filling the needs of their customers with great service.
Farwest Show Portland, OR, Aug. 25-27, 2011
Columbia River Carbonates — Joerg Bleeck and Gudran Mahrt discuss the manufacturer’s new EARTH MIX 14M for potting soils that add calcium to adjust and stabilize PH.
GARDENWARE — Scott and Dennis Saulsbury talk about their inexpensive means of producing descriptive plant labels and signs, which are waterproof and weather tough, and can be printed on an ordinary laser printer.
Northwoods Nursery — Jim Gilbert offered lucky attendees samples of his delicious Dessert King Figs ... a real treat! The nursery specializes in unusual hardy fruit varieties as well as ornamentals.
Fairdale Nursery — Ted Mast displays this wholesale grower’s large, high quality line of specialty ornamentals including Japanese Maples, Dwarf Conifers and flowering trees.
Hopper Brothers — Dennis and Joni Hopper showed off their distinctive booth. They specialize in a wide variety of conifers, including true firs, and they ship throughout the U.S.
Advanced Ornamentals — Jay Sanders and supplier Graham Harris discuss the many varieties of exotic shrubs which Advanced Ornamentals orders from Africa and New Zealand.
Parker Davis — Roman Davis shows off his patented line of nursery markers, which are an inexpensive and durable alternative to other systems.
The Exhibitor’s Reception — Hosted by the OAN, a continental breakfast was served to show participants who also had the opportunity to socialize and discuss the upcoming changes for next year’s Farwest Show.
October 2011 • COUNTRY FOLKS GROWER WEST • Section A - Page 23
Farm Wholesale AG — Phil Edmunds and Jessica Dusek told attendees about Solexx superior insulated twin-wall greenhouse covering that can reduce energy costs for farms and nurseries, while providing highly diffuse light, the best for exceptional plant growth.
Page 24 - Section A • COUNTRY FOLKS GROWER WEST • October 2011
Light at the end of the tunnel for floral businesses PALM SPRINGS, CA — Resilience in the face of ongoing economic pressures and weather woes were among the topics bantered about recently during a lively discussion among floral industry leaders in Palm Springs, CA. Retailer, wholesaler and grower members of the Society of American Florists councils and committees gathered with their respective segment groups to talk about the biggest trends in their markets. The discussions were a precursor to a day and a half of meetings during which SAF volunteer leaders map out SAF programs. Council chairs summarized the trends at a Sept. 13 luncheon before the start of SAF Palm Springs 2011, the association's 127th Annual Convention. In addition to the state of the economy, immigration, social media marketing and technology tools
were among the highlighted trends. Retail Council Chairman David Boulton, AAF, of Flowers by George in Arlington, WA, said the general consensus among trend luncheon attendees is that everyday business is up for the first time since pre-recession days, as well as wedding work. Some also mentioned seeing increases in funeral business and event work though they reported mixed news about corporate sales being either up or flat. Other highlights from retailers: • Retailers appreciate and rely on their local wholesalers who come through on last-minute or special requests. • Standing orders have, for some, given way to multi-boxed prebooking (seven to 10 days in advance). • QR codes, or Quick Response codes — those black and white boxes you scan with your
smartphone — are “everywhere” and florists are taking notice and joining in. Several florists mentioned putting the codes on everything from stationery to business cards to delivery vans, bringing customers to various sections of their Web sites. • Interest in iPads and Square credit card scanners is growing, as a way to conveniently check out customers when you’re not at a conventional register. • Jury is out on the do-it-yourself market; a source of growth for some, but “waning” in interest for others, perhaps due to consumers returning to the fullservice experience. Wholesalers must be nimble, adaptable and redefine themselves, such as by branching out to sell to nontraditional florists including event planners, said Wholesale Council Chair Eric Levy of Hillcrest Garden Inc. in Paramus,
NJ. Other trends and challenges among the wholesale segment: • Describing the last year as a “jobless recovery,” Paul Fowle of Delaware Valley Floral Group in Sewell, NJ, said sales are up, but that many companies have not been able to rehire workers they laid off, leaving remaining staffers with more duties than they can handle. Surviving without getting some things done is part of the “new normal” conditions under which companies must operate. • The number of flowers imported from Colombia is down by double-digit percentages each month, said Jim Daly of Floralife Inc. in Walterboro, SC, because of tariffs and the exchange rate. • Wholesalers want to balance the risk of offering new and novelty products with the reassurance of pre-booked
Wine industry finds new use for Alka-Seltzer by Amanda Garris Alka-Seltzer has been soothing human indigestion and heartburn for years. Now, it’s helping out the wine industry. Elemental sulfur is wine’s “frenemy” — it effectively keeps the ubiquitous powdery mildew disease in vineyards at bay, but excessive residues carried over into wine can result in a rotten egg aroma. Now a new, inexpensive method developed by Cornell scientists gives the wine industry a way to protect both vines and fermentations by monitoring residues — using Alka-Seltzer tablets to make a wineryfriendly protocol. The same protocol may be useful for such industries as construction, wastewater management, petrochemicals and forensic analysis, say the researchers. Elemental sulfur has been used for centuries to control fungal diseases. “Because it’s cheap, effective and certified for organic production, sulfur is the material of choice to control powdery mildew in the summer,” said project collaborator Wayne Wilcox,
professor of plant pathology and plant-microbe biology based at Cornell’s New York State Agricultural Experiment Station (NYSAES) in Geneva. “Growers want to know how close to harvest they can spray sulfur-based fungicides without affecting wine quality. With no real data on how long the residues persist, there is a tendency towards extreme conservatism in sulfur use.” Differences in weather and spraying conditions make providing blanket recommendations difficult, so Wilcox teamed up with Gavin Sacks, assistant professor of food science who specializes in the chemistry of grape and wine aromas at NYSAES, to develop a way to easily measure elemental sulfur so winemakers and growers could test grapes themselves. Misha Kwasniewski, a doctoral student in the field of food science, was tasked with working out a method to convert elemental sulfur into the more easily measured hydrogen sulfide gas. The final hurdle was devising a way to remove
all oxygen from the flask and flush the hydrogen sulfide into a detection tube. A research lab would use nitrogen from gas cylinders for this task, but finding a winery-friendly solution took Kwasniewski to the drug store. “I recalled a water testing kit that used Alka-Seltzer to generate carbon dioxide,” Kwasniewski said. “When I tested it in our system, it actually solved three problems: It cleared the oxygen, it buffered the solution at the ideal pH for the reaction, and the carbon dioxide bubbles pushed the newly formed hydrogen sulfide gas into the detection tube.” The resulting protocol takes less than half an hour to perform, requires equipment that costs about $50, uses consumables that cost only about $5 per analysis and could save growers thousands of dollars, says Wilcox. “Elemental sulfur generally costs $10-$20 per acre less than other powdery mildew controls,” said Wilcox. “A grower with 50 acres of wine grapes who is able to use
elemental sulfur in place of more expensive sprays five times during the growing season could realize savings of several thousands of dollars.” Kwasniewski found that the method works just as well on drywall, which can also be contaminated with elemental sulfur. Microbial digestion of sulfur has been suggested as a source of rotten egg smell and corroded pipes in homes afflicted by “Chinese drywall syndrome.” Sample sulfur detection kits have been distributed to interested growers and winemakers across New York and extension agents in Oregon, Ohio, Virginia and North Carolina for testing during the coming harvest. The project was funded by the Canandaigua Wine Endowment Fund, federal formula funds provided to state land grant universities in support of agricultural research and the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. Amanda Garris is a freelance writer in Geneva, NY.
orders. New offerings appeal to certain clients, they said. • Although somewhat late to adapt to it, more wholesalers are marketing through Facebook and other social media, as a way to generate orders, not just provide a communication outlet. Labor and weather joined forces with the economy to dampen growers’ sales, said Growers Council Chair Michelle Castellano of Mellano & Co., in San Luis Rey, CA. Also, according to growers in the trends discussion: • The U.S. labor market continues to tighten, largely due to Congressional inaction on immigration reform. “Nobody has access to labor,” Castellano said. “It’s kind of a desperate cry.”
• A wet, cold spring stymied more than half of the Midwest’s 60-day selling season for bedding plants. In Texas, drought and wildfires devastated landscapers. But the group acknowledged, “Blaming the weather is the easiest way to avoid changing,” Castellano said, adding that growers realize they must change. • Growers used the terms “caution” and “just OK,” to describe business, but added they can’t sustain that for more than a year because it’s tough to build a future that way. Problems have extended even to obtaining credit, they said. • A fairly strong Mexican economy increased demand for plants there.
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A.M.A. Hydroponics’ JS Hook System reduces labor costs Hydroponic tomato growers can reduce installation costs of prewound tomato hooks by using the very efficient JS Hook System, available through A.M.A. Hydroponics, part of A.M.A. Plastics Ltd., of
Kingsville, ON. The JS Hook System reduces tomato hook installation time by as much as 30 percent, meaning significant labor savings. Pre-wound tomato hooks save growers
time and allow consistent twine adjustments as the crop develops. Hooks are unwound regularly to allow the crop to drop as the vines grow longer. Installing traditional hooks takes time, par-
steel, with accurate bending. A.M.A. uses only the finest horticultural twines from Lankhorst Yarns, in 1/1,000; 1/1,200; or 1/1,500 qualities and several colors including: white, yellow, green, red, blue, and black. Lankhorst’s Elite Horti Twine is the softest in the business making it easier on the tomato plants and because there is much less “ziz-zag” as it unwinds, freefalls fall faster and straighter when hanging hooks. A completely sustainable tomato crop growing option is available from A.M.A. Hydroponics. Lankhorst compostable Bio Twine on the JS Hook System or traditional hooks, combined with Deleco’s BioClip and compostable truss support, offers the opportunity for the most sustainable and efficient end-of-crop
disposal — 100 percent compostability — crop, twine, clips, truss supports. Combine this with The New Substrate, BVB Sublime, also from A.M.A. and you have crop and media disposal handled in an environmentally sustainable way. We even offer an eco-friendly footbath solution called Bio-San. BVB Sublime offers increased control to the grower, increased production in the crop and becomes fuel at the end of the crop, lowering disposal and fuel costs. You can see the JS Hook System being installed, and our leading edge line of hydroponics growing supplies at www.A.M.A.hydroponics.com . A.M.A. Hydroponics ships across North America. Contact Shawn Mallen at 800338-1136 or smallen@ A.M.A.plas.com .
California walnut industry expects exceptional, high quality crop FOLSOM, CA — On Sept. 2, the USDA NASS California Field Office released the an-
nual crop estimate for walnuts, predicting the annual walnut yield to be 485,000 short tons.
Slightly lower than last year’s record breaking crop of 503,000 short tons, the 2011 estimate suggests the second largest crop on record and will be confirmed in February 2012. According to California Walnut Commission
Chairman Charles Crain, “We are delighted not only with the crop size but also with the high quality kernels we are expecting thanks to the mild spring and summer weather. This excellent crop will help us con-
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tinue to meet the growing consumer demand for nutritious walnuts both domestically and around the world.” California walnuts account for 99 percent of the commercial U.S. supply and 78 percent of world supply. In the past year, approximately 40 percent of available product was shipped domestically and 60 percent was shipped to export markets, making California walnuts the fifth largest California export. Since 2002, domestic shipments have increased 24 percent. “People have made eating walnuts a part of their daily routine because they are convenient, taste good and offer proven health benefits,” explained Dennis A. Balint, executive director of the California
Walnut Board. “With 45 scientific studies published over the past 18 years, the health benefits of walnuts have extended well beyond cardiovascular health. Recently published studies show walnuts may be beneficial for stress management, cognitive function and cancer risk reduction.” Walnuts are a nutrient dense whole food, and the only nut that contain a significant amount (2.5 grams per ounce) of alphalinolenic acid (ALA) the plant based omega-3 essential fatty acid required by the human body as well as antioxidants, protein and fiber. For more industry information, health research and recipe ideas, visit www.walnuts.org
October 2011 • COUNTRY FOLKS GROWER WEST • Section A - Page 25
Pre-wound tomato hooks save growers time and allow consistent twine adjustments as the crop develops. Hooks are unwound regularly to allow the crop to drop as the vines grow longer.
ticularly due to the “freefall” having to be unwound as the hooks are installed. With the JS Hook System, from The Netherlands, there is already an unwound freefall so the entire hook hanging process moves quickly and efficiently, automatically dropping exactly the amount of freefall twine specified by the grower. There are no rubber bands or clips with the JS Hook System, so there is no waste on the ground from these. Hooks can be shipped with one of two colors of twine in a single case, for example, all white or alternating a white hook and a green one. Growers can specify the amount of twine they want on the hook and the length of the freefall. Hooks are available in 18 cm and 22 cm lengths, made from quality, galvanized
Agritourism training slated for farmers and ranchers University of California Cooperative Extension farm advisors, County Farm Bureaus, and other partners are teaming up to offer interactive and resultsdriven agritourism planning classes for farmers and ranchers in both the Central Sacramento Valley region and the Fresno/San Joaquin Valley region.
Are you considering agritourism or nature tourism on your farm or ranch? Would you like to build your agritourism or nature tourism business? Then this class is for you. • Local pioneering agritourism operators will share their experiences and will be part of a supportive network of advisors as you plan and start
your new enterprise. • You will learn from experts in business planning, regulatory compliance, risk management, hospitality and cost-effective marketing, including social media. • The hands-on, interactive class activities will guide you as you assess your own farm or ranch for agritourism potential and
develop your own business, risk management and marketing plans. • Each participant will receive a free copy of the extensive handbook, “Agritourism and Nature Tourism in California,” which will be used as a text for the class. Registration is open — sign up for either class series: Glenn County These sessions will be
held at the Glenn County Farm Bureau, 831 5th Street, Orland on Wednesdays, Nov. 30, Jan. 18 and March 28, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., followed by networking social. The cost for the program is $25 prior to Nov. 23 and $30 thereafter. Fresno County These sessions will be held at the Fresno County Farm Bureau, 1274
W. Hedges Ave, Fresno on Thursday, Dec. 8, and Wednesdays, Jan. 25 and March 14, from 8 a.m. to noon, followed by networking social. The cost is $25 for the threesession course prior to Dec. 1 and $30 after that date. For more information about either course, contact Penny Leff, UC Small Farm Program, at 530-752-7779.
Page 26 - Section A • COUNTRY FOLKS GROWER WEST • October 2011
American Academy of Floriculture adds new members Eight dedicated industry members were accepted into the prestigious ranks of the Society of American Florists American Academy of Floriculture (AAF) in September. “The stringent requirements of the Academy make AAF an achievement recognized throughout the industry,” said SAF Awards Committee Chairman Chuck Johnson of Smithers-Oasis North America. “Only those individuals who have demonstrated the highest levels of service ... are
selected to receive the AAF professional designation.” Since 1965, AAF has encouraged, measured and recognized professionals from all parts of the floral industry for the time and energy they dedicate to the floral industry and the communities in which they live. On Sept. 15, at the Industry Awards Dinner held during SAF’s 127th Annual Convention in Orlando, FL, the following individuals became AAF’s newest members: Jenny Behlings, AAF, PFCI, SDCF, of Jenny’s
Floral, Custer, SD; Don Coleman Jr., AAF, of Mayfield Florist, Tucson, AZ; Greg Coleman, AAF, of Mayfield Florist, Tucson, AZ; James Daly, AAF, of Floralife Inc., Walterboro, SC; Kimie Miyamoto, AAF; of Flora Design Inc.; New York, NY; Shelley Pease, AAF; of Shelley’s Flowers & Gifts, Waldoboro, Maine; Susan Wilke, AAF, PFCI, of Karthauser and Sons Wholesale Florist, Franklin, WI; Robbin Yelverton, of Blumz ... by JRDesigns Floral & Event Professionals, Ferndale, MI.
Date set for Washington’s 4th annual Wine Economic Forum The only Washingtonfocused seminar on the economics of wine this year branches out to target owners, general managers, CFO’s, COO’s, controllers and bookkeepers. The Washington Wine Industry Foundation is teaming up with Moss Adams LLP to present the fourth annual Washington Wine Economic Forum, focused on all things financial. Topics include strategic accounting and tax planning, consumer behavior trends, and benchmarking. This
year’s forum will provide two tracks. The first is for the owner/executive with topics on varietal analysis and price points, valuing your business, creating and following a meaningful strategic plan, and key employee retention. The controller/bookkeeper track will address inventory and cost accounting, "good" bookkeeping, basic financials, internal reporting, and software trends. The Wine Economic Forum is Thursday, Dec. 8 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Three
Rivers Convention Center in Kennewick, WA with a tasting reception following. Cost to register is $125 per person and includes copies of all presentations, continental breakfast, lunch and networking reception. The Wine Industry Foundation is managing registrations for the seminar. CPE credits are available. Register online at www.regonline.com/wwi fandmossadams4thannu alwineeconomicsforum For more information, call 509-782-1108.
New members of the AAF inducted at the SAF’s 127th Convention are (L-R) Kimie Miyamoto, Greg Coleman, Susan Wilke, James Daly, Shelley Pease, Robbin Yelverton, AAF, and Jenny Behlings, AAF. Absent from the photo is Don Coleman Jr.
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Scientists develop new potato lines to wage war on wireworms by Jan Suszkiw When wireworms feast on potatoes, the results aren’t pretty: The spuds’ surfaces are left punctured, pitted and unappealing. For
the past few years, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists and their colleagues have sought a solution in the form of spuds with genetic resistance
to the worms, with special attention focused on two wild potatoes from Chile and Bolivia: Solanum berthaultii and S. etuberosum. Previous studies
ARS scientists have developed potato lines with the genetic ability to resist wireworms, which feed on the tubers. with the Agricultural The researchers susnatural comResearch Service (ARS) pect Small Grains and Pota- pounds called glycoalto Germplasm Research kaloids may be protectUnit in Aberdeen, Ida- ing the breeding clones. ho. However, the con- Fortunately, the total glycoalkaloid concentinued registration of trations in many of the some of these insectiresistant clones are cides is uncertain. Also, well below levels the chemicals don’t al- deemed harmful to conways eliminate the sumers. slender, brownish-orRead more about this ange pests, which can research in the Septemsurvive beneath the soil ber 2011 issue of Agrifor as long as five years cultural Research magaonline at before emerging as zine www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr adults.
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October 2011 • COUNTRY FOLKS GROWER WEST • Section A - Page 27
showed that the wild potatoes resisted Colorado potato beetles and green peach aphids, two very different pests. Given this broadspread resistance, the researchers decided to see how the spuds fared against wireworms, which are the click beetle’s larval stage. To do this, the researchers crossed germplasm derived from the wild potatoes with a cultivated variety, and then selected 15 top-performing plants from three generations of progeny. Their next step was to plant the progeny lines, called “breeding clones,” in wireworminfested field plots and compare the damage they sustained with that seen in flanking rows of Russet Burbank potatoes—some treated with insecticide and some that hadn’t been treated. The results showed that the resistant clones fared just as well, and in some cases better than, the insecticide-treated Russet Burbank potatoes. The research has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Economic Entomology. Growers now use organophosphate- and carbamate-based insecticides against wireworms, notes Rich Novy, a plant geneticist
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