Around the Industry
Golf Outing to Benefit Industry Figure
Larry Houser, a longtime industry friend and colleague, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in September 2008, and he continues his battle against the disease today. To help defray the staggering costs of his treatment, Houser’s friends have organized a benefit golf outing that will take place June 18 at Sycamore Golf Club in North Manchester, Ind. The cost for the outing is $50 per person, which includes a picnic dinner. To reserve a spot – or request a hole sponsorship at $100 per hole – contact Bernie Ferringer at bernie.greenhouse@gmail.com.
The outing will also feature a raffle for $1,600 worth of golf equipment. From now until the event, Houser’s friends will be selling raffle tickets for $20 each; the winner of the drawing will receive a full set of TaylorMade clubs, including Burner XD irons, a 19-degree fairway hybrid iron, a Burner driver and a lightweight stand bag. To purchase raffle tickets, contact Ferringer, Sonny Mosley at smosley@ehrnet.com or Dean Bemis at dean@goldsmithseeds.com.
Houser’s long list of industry accomplishments includes owning and operating his Indiana greenhouse and garden center for 20 years. He has been active in installing and maintaining commercial interior and exterior plantings for a national shopping center developer and consulting for many greenhouse and garden centers as an area sales manager for a national horticultural company. The U.S. Army awarded Larry several medals for heroism during his service, including two Bronze Stars, a Silver Star and two Purple Hearts for his service in Vietnam.
Selecta Offers Free Retailer Listings on MiniFamous Website
With Selecta’s MiniFamous calibrachoas in the news and in demand, now’s the time for retailers to let gardeners know they’re the best source. To help spread the word, Selecta is offering participating retailers a free listing on the MiniFamous Club website. The MiniFamous Club site will soon feature a “Find a Retailer” section designed to be consumers’ main resource for finding garden centers that sell the calibrachoa, which is known for its uniform growth habit across the series, unique and brilliant colors, strong root system, early flowering, flowers all over the plant and excellent summer performance.
Retailers can get listed by visiting www.minifamousclub.com, clicking “Add Your Business” in the upper-right corner and completing the form.
For more information on Selecta, visit firstclassplants.com.
BioWorks Adds New Product to Line
BioWorks recently added a new product, SuffOil-X Spray Oil Emulsion, to its product line. SuffOil-X controls insects, mites and fungi – including powdery mildew – in a broad range of greenhouse, nursery and vegetable crops. It works by suffocating eggs, larvae, nymphs and adult soft-bodied insects and mites.
SuffOil-X is an EPA-approved, unique concentrate of pre-emulsified, highly refined, high-paraffinic, low-aromatic oil. Its pre-emulsification breaks down the oil particles to 1/14th of its original size. The small oil droplets are designed to ensure application of a thin, uniform coating of oil to smother and kill pests without causing burn or stress to plants. “The pre-emulsification advantage enables the product to dilute easier with water and more thoroughly than other horticultural spray oils, without requiring rigorous agitation to keep the mix in suspension,” said John Francis, BioWorks’ director of technical services.
This product has excellent compatibility with pesticides labeled for use with oil and has a four-hour restricted entry interval (REI). SuffOil-X will be available in 1- and 2½-gallon sizes for vegetable, nursery, ornamental and greenhouse production in approved states beginning April 30. For more information, visit www.bioworksinc.com.
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