January 2007

New Opportunities In The New Year By Tim Hodson

Happy new year from everyone at GPN! It seems like 2006 is already a distant memory, and 2007 is ready to roll.

The start of a new year is always a great time to stop and reflect about what has happened during the past year, but better yet, it is a great opportunity to look forward to what could happen. I know how hard it is to predict what will happen this year, but we asked a group of industry experts to look into the crystal ball and make their prognostications. You can find what they think is on the horizon on page 18.

One resolution I have for 2007, which I know I will keep, is to stay in touch with you and let you know what we are doing here at GPN. So to start the year off right, I thought I would take this opportunity to fill you in on a few things that are going on in the magazine. In this issue, you will notice a couple of things — a new column and a new communication tool for you to provide the editorial staff with some extremely valuable feedback.

Presenting Pests And Diseases

On page 16, you will find the debut of our new Pest & Disease page. Authored by industry expert and regular GPN contributor A.R. Chase at Chase Research Gardens, this page will take a look at a specific pest or disease that may be prevalent during or close to that month. The Pest & Disease page is designed to provide you with some quick insight into the specific symptoms and solutions you and your employees might need to know about when dealing with pests and diseases in the greenhouse.

The information you will find on this new page serves as a great launching pad for learning about greenhouse pests and diseases. As Chase says, “full-length research and review articles are the best way to become really familiar with a problem,” but this page can help you start learning about these complex issues. You may want to tear the Pest & Disease page out of the magazine or copy it and put it up in your greenhouse or post it on the bulletin board in your employee break room. It is a great learning tool, and our thanks goes out to Chase Research Gardens for helping us create it.

What Do You Think?

We also are introducing another new tool this month. At the end of each feature article and column, you will now notice a Reader Interest Review box. We want (and need) your feedback. After you read an article, we want to know what your level of interest is on that topic. So we would really appreciate it if you could let us know by writing in the appropriate number on the Reader Service Card located after page 26 and then dropping the card in the mail. Please tell us what you think of that article. Did it really help you solve a problem? If it did, write in the “High” number so we know. We will use this information to develop future article topics and editorial products that will help you do your job so you can be more successful in this competitive marketplace.

Also, don’t forget to use the Reader Service Card to get additional information on the products and advertisements that you see in GPN.

Remember, you can always shoot me an E-mail at thodson@sgcmail.com, too. I’d love to hear from you.

Oh, and one more thing. Are you getting our weekly electronic newsletter? If you’re not, you should. With the first issue of 2007, we have done a little freshening up and given GPN Weekly a new look.

Each week, the GPN editorial staff reports on the latest industry news to keep you up to date on what is happening.

If you aren’t receiving the newsletter and would like to, just go to www.gpnmag.com and click on “Sign up for GPN Weekly” in the right-hand column.

It’s a new year, and I am really excited about the possibilities. You can count on GPN and GPN Weekly to keep you informed on ALL the technical information and latest news the floriculture industry has to offer.Stay tuned!