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November 15, 2006
The use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is becoming more prevalent as many different industries — from pharmaceutical to airline companies — adopt the technology and experiment with its uses, but can it be used to improve your greenhouse...
September 14, 2006
Media-active plant growth regulators (PGRs) are very important in the production of many greenhouse crops. Unfortunately, all of them have potential residue issues that can cause problems later in production.
Residue problems arise when PGRs are...
September 14, 2006
If you think an 8-year-old, 20-acre operation is not a “big grower,” just take a look at Hampshire, Ill.-based Hamp-shire Farms. In the company’s brief history, it has become Home Depot’s number-one perennial vendor in the Midwest’s major markets,...
September 14, 2006
On Aug. 14, Hines Horticulture Inc., the self-described leading operator of commercial nurseries in North America, filed its second-quarter earnings statement with the Securities And Exchange Commission (SEC). As soon as the news got out that Hines...
September 14, 2006
To achieve “Low Prices Everyday,” as its slogan declares, Wal-Mart has historically taken a no-frills, bare-bones approach to retailing, an approach that can certainly be seen in its garden centers. The company has held its stance against...
September 14, 2006
Have you ever wondered how your company would be affected if something happened to you? What would happen to your business if your production manager suddenly fell ill and couldn’t work for several weeks, months or ever again? What if the illness...
September 14, 2006
Even though use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology started as early as World War II, many people are still unaware of its possibilities. From tracking products to employee identification to fighting counterfeiting, RFID is being...
September 14, 2006
At the risk of sounding too trite, things are certainly changing in our industry right now. I know everyone feels like they have been through a lot the past few years, such as the rise of merchandising, supplier consolidation and pay by scan, just...
June 15, 2006
To provide a current and detailed assessment
of the floriculture industry, GPN magazine
and OFA — an association of floriculture
professionals — teamed up to produce the
2006 GPN/OFA State of the Industry Survey. The survey
highlights grower...
June 15, 2006
Though it is a topic few
want to discuss, succession
is inevitable for family-
owned businesses. The
benefit of realizing this is that current
owners can prepare their heirs
and plan for the transition.
Thorough preplanning can assure a
smooth,...
June 15, 2006
With so many new
i n t roductions
shown each year
at the California
Pack Trials, it can be pretty tough
to identify the few that will work
under large growers’ special conditions:
small containers, tight
spacing and fast turns.
This year, Big...
June 15, 2006
Big growers face big risks every day. For
some companies, relying on contract growers
is one of those risks not worth taking —
not so for Masterpiece Flower Co. For the
Byron Center, Mich.-headquartered company, using
contract growers is an...
June 15, 2006
In May, the Senate began considering health legislation
that would allow small businesses to band together
in insurance pools to offer health insurance policies
to workers. If passed, the measure would override
state health benefit and cost...
June 15, 2006
Over the past few years,
we have heard people
raving about the fantastic
research developments
in the world of plant biotechnology.
Proponents of biotechnology
(including myself) have dreamed of
markets filled with biotech flowers
that are produced...
June 15, 2006
As we were finishing up
this second edition of
Big Grower, I made a
trip to north Florida to
the landscape trials at
University of Florida (UF). The start
of the annual performancetrial
pilgrimage, the UF trial
marks the first opportunity to
see...
May 03, 2006
If you or someone you know has a successful marketing program, let us know, and they might be eligible to win the 2006 GPN/John Henry Company Creative Marketing Award.
The winner will be featured in the cover story of the June 2006 issue of GPN and...
May 02, 2006
Over the past few years, we have seen post-patent fungicides enter the ornamental marketplace. They are sometimes less costly and usually have a very similar label to the brand-name fungicides we are familiar with. We have also started seeing...
May 02, 2006
Large-volume poinsettia growers are facing a number of issues that are different from growers supplying independent garden centers. I have heard from several large growers who are seriously considering dropping poinsettias or planning to greatly...
May 02, 2006
Being a big box vendor often means undertaking product merchandising in the store or allowing store employees to handle it, but now many stores are requiring merchandising be handled by an outside company. These third-party merchandisers are not...
May 02, 2006
Where do you get your fuel?
“We work with a broker who deals with other area nurseries. He has five or six growers that actually hedge natural gas. The rest just buy through their utility or they may nominate gas through him. When you get to the...
