AmericanHort Connect June 2017

2017:June

An AmericanHort Member Benefit

IN THIS ISSUE

Cultivate’17: It’s Here!

Make time to make money at the industry’s preeminent event.

Cultivate’17 connects the entire supply chain, offers education from the leading experts, and brings you strategies and connections that lead to better business and healthier bottom lines. It’s an event that delivers.

Every time.

BUSINESS / pg 4

CULTIVATE’17 / pg 10

KEYNOTES / pg 12

Cultivate Business

Did You Know…?

Discover the Secrets

Discover strategies that will save you headaches, time, and money in day-to-day operations.

Key points that make Cultivate the great event that it is.

Approach life & work with the kind of positive thinking that leads to true accomplishment.

HELLO

About AmericanHort

The Power of Knowledge A LETTER FROM GINA ZIRKLE New knowledge is essential to growth. It’s one of the things that I love most about my job at AmericanHort. There’s never a shortage of truly fascinating people that I get to interact with on a day-to-day basis. Whether they’re experts in plant physiology, pest management, or personnel development, there’s always something to learn and a different perspective to understand.

It’s these people and experts that make Cultivate so remarkable. We have over 130 speakers this year (!!), and the lineup is phenomenal. From industry disruptors like Justin Bogardus (be sure to read more about him later in this Connect issue), Brie Arthur, and Lloyd Traven to the tried-and-true and immensely valuable experts like Dr. Charlie Hall, Dr. Erik Runkle, Dr. Bridget Behe, and Dr. Marco Palma, Cultivate has a breadth of speakers covering a variety of topics that are relevant to pretty much everyone in the industry.

Sometimes it can be hard to find a moment to sit down and learn new things. Whether you’re a business owner, manager, sales rep, or production worker, it’s easy to be busy doing what needs done and solving immediate problems. There just never seems to be any time to take a step back, look at the big picture, and assess things from a different angle.

Cultivate is your moment to do that.

The Cultivate tagline this year has been “Make Time to Make Money.” What we mean by that is that there is real, profitable value in taking time to expand your knowledge. You don’t know what you don’t know until you learn it, and our goal is always to give you as much information as possible so you can in turn make better, stronger decisions for your business and employees.

Your employees will also appreciate the opportunity to engage more deeply in their jobs and sharpen their expertise.

Every year, the cost of lost productivity is an estimated 483 billion dollars, much of which is from disengaged employees. In the same vein, 87% of younger employees rate professional development as important to them and their careers. By offering professional development 2 | AmericanHort.org

AmericanHort is the national association of horticulture businesses and professionals across the spectrum of the industry. Without you there is no us, so AmericanHort undertakes the critical task of protecting, preserving, and promoting the national horticulture industry so that people like you can do what you love in an industry that thrives.

Plants are what we do, but people are why we’re here.

Supporting AmericanHort with your membership creates a healthier industry that’s driven to share the necessity of plants in everyday lives—which means better business for everyone.

Connect

With Us...and Your Peers AmericanHort.org/KC

opportunities like attending Cultivate, businesses can keep employees actively engaged in developing your company, strengthening its assets, and growing the bottom line. In fact, companies that actively worked on employee engagement saw 21% increase in profitability as a return on their investment. (Stats are from Gallup’s “State of the American Workplace” 2017 report).

So I hope you’ll join me, the 20+ person AmericanHort team, our dedicated Board, 130+ speakers, and 10,000 other professionals who have found lasting and impactful returns on participating in Cultivate. We’re saving a seat for you and your team—all you have to do is register and be ready to learn!

All Industry

AmericanHort represents the entire horticulture industry.

No matter your specialty, we have the resources you need to cultivate a successful business.

Business Plus

Floral

Greenhouse

Interior Plantscape

Landscape

Garden Retail

Generation Next

Nursery

Research

Gina Zirkle AmericanHort GinaZ@AmericanHort.org Register online at Cultivate17.org/Reg. Purchase an All-Access Pass to have access to the 100+ professional development sessions.

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you

Professional Development A Stronger Career

CareerUP Hello@AmericanHort.org 2130 Stella Court Columbus, Ohio 43215-1033 USA (614) 487-1117 Main

AmericanHort Connect 2017:June

© 2017 AmericanHort. All rights reserved. This material June contain confidential information and it is for the sole use of AmericanHort members.

The information contained herein is for general guidance and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. It cannot be distributed, reprinted, retransmitted, or otherwise made public without prior written permission by AmericanHort. Please contact the editor at (614) 487-1117 for permission with acknowledgment.

Define Your Future A one-day workshop + inspiration series tailored to Emerging Horticulture Professionals to help you expand your skills, define your future, and navigate the career ladder. Connect with other young professionals who are ambitious about growing their careers and passionate about revolutionizing the way we promote horticulture.

Join the movement at Cultivate17.org/CareerUP Saturday, July 15

AmericanHort.org 2017:June | 3

BUSINESS

Better Business is Our Business Whether your business is a landscape company, retail, nursery, greenhouse, or interior plantscaping, there are practical strategies that lead to success.

These Cultivate’17 sessions cover the breadth of business issues that the industry

Saturday Learning Outside of the Box | Seth Reed & Mason Day, GrowIt! Saturday, July 15 9–10 a.m.

B130-B131 Seth Reed and Mason Day team up to offer you a look at what is revolutionizing the future. Explore top non-horticultural trends that will impact your business and outside examples of industry disrupters. Take away key strategies for operating more like these trendsetters and ideas for pushing the limits of potential.

faces. There are dozens more available at Cultivate17.org/Knowledge and cover topics like pest management, customer insights, plant care and selection, trends, and more.

Sunday Family Business: Best Practices, Potholes & War Stories | Jeffrey Scott, Jeffrey Scott!

Sunday, July 16 9:30–10:30 a.m.

A220-A222

Consistency in Crop Cost Accounting | Lloyd Traven, Peace Tree Farm Saturday, July 15 1:30–2:30 p.m.

A220-A222 Learn how to take the “whims” and “that’s how we’ve always done it” out of your accounting practices to implement critical analysis and real-world costs. You’ll be able to finally use alegbra again to start getting accurate, reproducable answers that reflect true costs and that allow you provision for adequate returns. This might just become the most important thing you do on a regular basis to strengthen your business.

Family businesses can outperform the competition if all synergies are realized.

They can also under-perform if they are mismanaged. While statistics will say that most family businesses fail when handed to the next generation, Jeffrey Scott will share his extensive experience in ensuring the opposite—unbelievable success. Protect and grow your family business by learning how to increase the speed of growth and company morale; define and stay in your lane; increase profitability and productivity; and shift focus from inputs to outputs.

Enjoy more success and increase your confidence that both family and non-family employees can carry on your family business legacy.

Attracting Pollinators AND EcoFriendly Homeowners | Hayk Khachatryan, University of Florida Sunday, July 16 10–10:20 a.m.

Knowledge Center Learn strategies to incorporate pollinatorrelated attributes into residential landscape 4 | AmericanHort.org

designs, marketing strategies, and product offerings. Discover insights into consumer preferences for pollinator-friendly landscapes and the trade-off between maintenance requirements, economic benefits, and eco-friendly characteristics.

These principles are relevant for garden centers, nurseries, and landscapers.

Understand the various opportunities pollinator-friendly landscapes present and how working together across all fronts can successfully aid pollinator health in urban environments.

Beyond the Paycheck: Creating a Company Culture That Sticks | Leslie Halleck, Halleck Horticultural Sunday, July 16 10:45–11:45 a.m.

A220-A222 Your employees’ happiness and dedication to your company depends on more than wages… and unhappy employees are costly. Poor morale can destroy teams, erode profit, and ultimately destroy your business. Learning how to manage better in the workplace and be a better employee requires you to determine where you fit within the generational dynamic and how each team member approaches work and life.

Bring your team together in this session to address managerial tactics, incentive strategies, and inter-generational team communication to help build a dynamic company culture. more on page 6…

2017:June | 5

Find Your NICH and Help Grow the Industry | Susan McCoy, Garden Media Group

Finding Labor: Where We’re Headed | Craig Regelbrugge, AmericanHort

Sunday, July 16 1:30–1:50 p.m.

Knowledge Center NICH (sounds like pitch) is the National Initiative for Consumer Horticulture (consumerhort.org).

It’s a big title for an even bigger grassroots movement to stimulate sales and grow the horticultural industry. Our goal is to get more people to garden and buy more plants and garden products. All aspects of the green industry benefit, from university research scientists and extension agents to breeders, growers, nurseries, garden centers, and ALL horticultural companies. Learn how you can be part of this united front to stimulate economic growth and increase the number of people who garden and spend money in the industry. #FindYourNICH

The Next Generation of Horticulturists—Seed Your Future | Susan E. Yoder, Seed Your Future Sunday, July 16 1:30–2:30 p.m.

A220-A222 As American interest continues to grow for plant-based movements such as farm-totable, field-to-vase, and school gardens, the same growth isn’t being seen in young people pursuing horticulture careers.

University programs are shrinking, and horticulture companies are challenged to fill their open positions despite 58% of graduating college seniors being unable to find work in their field. Seed Your Future is a collaboration of leading horticulture companies, public gardens, and affiliated organizations. Through focus group research completed in early 2017, we tested imagery and language that will be used to create a national outreach campaign to reverse the trend. Learn about the research findings and hear newly developed resources and tools to help horticulture businesses attract qualified applicants and ensure a robust pipeline of future talent.

6 | AmericanHort.org

Sunday, July 16 4–5 p.m.

A220-A222 Too little labor was once only a nagging worry, and now the very real lack of labor is driving decisions. From the Heartland to the Coasts, our industry is not the only one wondering where our workers and employees will come from. Join this fast-paced session to cover the challenges, the outlook, reports from the field, and some creative ideas to maintain a strong workforce.

Mysteries of the Cloud: Solved | Greg Lafferty, Practical Software Solutions Inc Monday, July 1 10:45–11:15 a.m.

Knowledge Center Cloud-based computing isn’t as mystical as some would have you believe. Chances are, you’ve been using cloud-based products for some time in business and at home. In this session, learn what the cloud is and what it’s not, its benefits and pitfalls, and the future of this technology and how it will impact your business operations.

Great Purpose: The Missing Ingredient | John Stahl-Wert, Newton Institute Monday, July 17 2:45–3:45 p.m.

A220-A222 Discover the power of defining your organization’s Great Purpose and how it will increase employee engagement, organizational results, and customer satisfaction. Through the moving stories of real-world leaders, you’ll hear how this strategy results in the gift of meaningful work for your employees and a purpose worth serving.

Turning Common Sense into Common Practice | John StahlWert, Newton Institute

Monday HR Regulations & Changes: What You Need to Know | Tricia Pokosh, ADP Monday, July 17 9:45–10:45 a.m.

A220-A222 HR regulations can change quicker than the weather it seems. It’s easy to think you have everything in order...until you don’t. Stop in on this informative session to get a comprehensive overview of the latest changes to HR regulations and what you need to know to protect yourself and take care of your employees.

Through the Eyes of the Plant Shopper | Bridget Behe, PhD, Michigan State University Monday, July 17 9:45–10:45 a.m.

B130-B131 Ever wonder what consumers notice while they’re shopping in your garden retail center? Recent consumer research using eye-tracking shows how consumers shop for plants. Get fresh insight about signage, prices, and merchandising from new consumer research. Findings can help you enhance the shopping environment to improve sales and profitability.

Monday, July 17 11 a.m.–12 p.m.

A220-A222 The best leadership advice and strategies seem simple and straightforward—until it’s time to implement them. Discover the Serving Leader Model that is transforming individuals and organizations worldwide. Its success, which is soon to be your success, is found in small, practical changes that produce big results. Hear how leaders are applying “serving leadership” principles and changing their industries, improving bottom-line results, and making a difference in the world of their employees, clients, and communities.

Hiring and Retaining Quality Employees | Mark Sellew, Prides Corner Farms

More sessions on plant care & selection, growing techniques, merchandising, marketing, & more.

Cultivate17.org/Knowledge

Monday, July 17 1:30–2:30 p.m.

A220-A222 The horticulture industry offers meaningful employment, but it can be challenging to find the right people for the job, hire them, retain them, and help them grow into their careers. Hear creative and common sense solutions to the industry’s labor challenges with a focus on hiring the right people and keeping them on-board and engaged.

2017:June | 7

SPEAKER F E AT U R E

sent their videos to over 50 film festivals where the awards and attention started piling up. Supported by individual donations and collaborations with national parks and other like-minded non-profits such as Green Plants for Green Buildings, Justin has a new campaign in development targeting kids, including ”Wild On Humans” with the legendary conservationist Jane Goodall.

A Man on a Mission Kathy Fediw, LEED AP ID+C, CLP, CLT, Green Plants for Green Buildings

Justin Borgardus is a man on a mission—to get us off our butts and outdoors in nature.

The creator of NatureRx will be speaking at Cultivate’17 on Monday, July 17 from 1–3 p.m. and from 3:30–4 p.m. as part of the “Your Brain on Nature” series sponsored by Green Plants for Green Buildings.

Bogardus will be speaking about the benefits of bringing nature indoors—and people outdoors—and how we can better market nature to people who now spend up to 90% of their time cooped up inside office cubicles and urban homes.

Bogardus, who has a master’s degree in psychology and currently owns a film production company, remembers his dad 8 | AmericanHort.org

taking him hiking when he was 6 years old—even though his dad had no idea what he was doing. A couple years later, father and son went on a journey of a lifetime, touring the national parks crosscountry. The experience changed his life, and Bogardus is committed to making nature more appealing to those who have never experienced the great outdoors. He pokes fun at the “bro camping culture” with his award-winning satires on big pharma commercials, Nature Rx, which have gone viral and become a social media phenomenon.

Bogardus’ college friend, Jed Lazar, posted a video spoof he starred in on Facebook, and the rest is history. Justin contacted him and a couple of other friends, Joseph Victorine and Cassandra Ellis, to collaborate on the Nature Rx series of faux-mercials. The group

Justin also poses the question “Does Nature have a PR problem?” Perhaps it does.

Justin’s solution to this is to bring the “sexy” back to nature. Justin’s advice is to make nature appealing with 4 key strategies he outlined in a recent TEDx talk: 1. Use personal and relatable images 2. Be novel and empowering to catch interest

In addition, a recent national survey by Mission Australia shows that kids ages 11-24 years old are actually afraid to go outdoors, citing fears for their own personal safety. Most disturbing, the children surveyed don’t care about nature, perhaps because their exposure to nature has been so limited.

Justin Bogardus and his team at Nature Rx are doing their part to turn this around.

Find out more about how the horticulture industry can help and bring the sexy back into Nature at Cultivate’17 and by visiting Nature-Rx.org and Cultivate17.org. To find out more about Green Plants for Green Buildings and their mission to communicate the aesthetic, wellbeing, and economic benefits of nature in the built environment, go to GPGB.org.

3. Emphasize “Join the party—don’t miss out!”

4. Emphasize the value because emotions are what drive us.

Recent research proves what we’ve known all along—nature provides us with energy and focus, and benefits us physically, mentally, and emotionally. According to Nature-Rx.org, children who spend more time outdoors can lower their risks of obesity, depression, osteoporosis and myopia, since seeing long distances helps our eyes to develop.

2017:June | 9

EVENTS

J U LY

15-18

CULTIVATE’17 Presented by AmericanHort. The premier all-industry event in North America.

AmericanHort.org/Cultivate

COLUMBUS OHIO, USA

DID YOU KNOW… Cultivate has attendees from every state and over 30 countries.

Many professional development sessions include pesticide recertification and LA CES credits.

Several in-depth tours and workshops are offered on Saturday, July 15 before the trade show opens, including:

Cultivate debuts hundreds of new products and new plant varieties from dozens of companies.

•

CareerUP: Workshop + Inspiration Series

•

Succession Planning Workshop

•

Garden Retail Tour

•

Plant Production & Nursery Research Learning Tour

•

Floriculture Learning Tour

•

Hands-On Biocontrols Workshop: Practical Skills

•

Urban Farm Tour

Cultivate17.org/Recert

Cultivate17.org/WhatsNew

The Cultivate trade show is 8 acres— that’s a lot of products, services, and vendors ready to help you work smarter.

Cultivate17.org/Business

IMPACT WASHINGTON: Advocacy & Leadership Summit Presented by AmericanHort. The unifying organization representing the voice of the horticulture industry.

AmericanHort.org/Impact

SEPTEMBER

17-22

NIAGARA FALLS O N TA R I O , CANADA

12-13

WASHINGTON D.C., USA

IGCA Congress 2017 Canada Hosted by the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association.

IGCACanada2017.ca

Production & Technology Conference Presented by AmericanHort to help advance the industry and bring the latest technology to the forefront.

AmericanHort.org/ProTech

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

9-11

DALLAS TEXAS, USA

Cultivate17.org/DoMore

Learn everything you want to know about Cultivate at AmericanHort.org/Cultivate.

10 | AmericanHort.org

2017:June | 11

KEYNOTES

PRESENTS

Cultivate’17: Bringing You Two High-Impact, High-Energy Keynotes State Of The Industry Monday, July 17 A wind of change has been sweeping the country since last year’s November elections, and much of it will impact our businesses.

In this State of the Industry Keynote, we will hear perspectives from AmericanHort’s leadership team on this new and rapidly changing policy environment.

Ken Fisher, AmericanHort President and CEO, will discuss key, green industry trends and efforts from AmericanHort to navigate this new environment for our members.

Jon Gordon & The Energy Bus Sunday, July 16 Jon Gordon, bestselling author and business consultant, shares the secrets for approaching life and work with the kind of positive thinking that leads to true accomplishment—at work and at home.

Everyone faces challenges. And every person, organization, company, and team has to overcome negativity and adversity to define themselves and create success.

No one goes through life untested, and the answer to these tests is positive energy—the kind of positive energy consisting of vision, trust, optimism, enthusiasm, purpose, and a spirit that defines great leaders and their teams. You will learn how to create more success in your career, workplace, teams, and home and enjoy the ride of your life!

12 | AmericanHort.org

We're six months in and counting with a new President, new administration, and new Congress, and Craig Regelbrugge, Senior Vice President, Advocacy and Research, will give his “Inside Washington” perspective on the new political order and outlook on horticulture industry policy priorities from workforce to tax and small business issues.

Finally, AmericanHort Chief Economist Charlie Hall will report and explain current economic indicators, policy implications, and help set the stage for our best strategic thinking for the rest of the year. This Keynote presentation promises to provide valuable insights to help you manage and grow your business.

Cultivate’17 is the industry’s outstanding event for business, professional development, and networking.

You + New Opportunities = Unimaginable Success 675+ exhibitors New products, innovative technologies, new varieties, and more

100+ professional development sessions Merchandising, marketing, finances, employee training

10,000 colleagues Network, swap ideas, and share experiences

Make time to make money.

July 15–18, 2017 | Columbus, OH USA AmericanHort.org/Cultivate

2017:June | 13

FROM THE HILL

A D V O C A C Y U P DAT E S

Milkweeds and Systemic Insecticides? Please Don’t!

Craig Regelbrugge, AmericanHort

EPA Delays Pesticide Worker Protection, Certified Applicator Rules Jill Calabro, PhD, AmericanHort

The EPA recently announced a further delay in the implementation of the Certification and Training of Pesticide Applicators rule. This time around, implementation is extended a full year.

The original effective date of March 6, 2017, had been extended twice already by the Trump administration. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt acknowledged the need for additional time to enable states to come into compliance with the new rules. The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) cited education, training, and guidance on the new rules as being particularly burdensome for states. The new effective date is now May 22, 2018.

As a reminder, the proposed new rules update licensing requirements for pesticide applicators. Changes include: • Enhanced applicator competency standards • Minimum age for certified applicators • Maximum recertification interval of five years • Training program requirement for noncertified applicators using restricteduse pesticides (RUP’s) • Eliminates the special process to allow non-readers to gain certification In late-breaking news, implementation of EPA’s revised Worker Protection Standard (WPS) will also be put on hold. However, this rule will be delayed indefinitely. EPA granted NASDA’s request to postpone the revised 14 | AmericanHort.org

WPS, again citing a financial burden on the states to meet the revised WPS requirements in the time allotted.

Some of the WPS changes had included the following: • Minimum age of 18 for all pesticide handlers • Expanded training, including training to minimize exposure to children in farmworkers’ homes • Required no-entry buffer zones around treated areas

Jill Calabro, PhD AmericanHort JillC@AmericanHort.org

There’s a chain email making its way around the country. It’s being forwarded by garden enthusiasts up in arms over the allegation that Home Depot is selling Asclepias spp., milkweeds, bearing a label indicating that the plants have been treated with a neonicotinoid.

Yikes! Leaf-feeding caterpillars and systemic insecticides probably aren’t going to get along very well.

Of course, many milkweed species attract an array of pollinators and other beneficials, and some are obligate hosts for the iconic monarch butterfly caterpillar. The migratory monarch faces habitat loss where it overwinters in Mexico and is the focus of a massive restoration effort across North America. In this instance, our industry can be part of the problem or part of the solution.

I asked our pollinator task force members and our own in-house scientist Dr. Jill Calabro for perspective. They suspect one of two things is going on.

On one hand, the plants perhaps were treated with a neonicotinoid as labeled.

This could be a problem for leaf-eating caterpillars and perhaps other pollinators and beneficials depending on treatment details and possible insecticide residues. It’s also a public relations black eye for the industry.

Or, maybe the plants were NOT treated at all, but an overly cautious grower inserted the standard Home Depot

label anyway.

If this is the case, pollinators won’t be harmed, but our industry still gets the black eye, and activist groups pushing for outright pesticide bans will reload their grenade launchers...

Regardless, we know that many Asclepias varieties are susceptible to aphid infestations. However, effective neonicotinoids should not be used here.

Alternatives include horticultural oils, pyrethroids, pymetrozine (Endeavor), and several biological controls. As always, check labels before making applications.

Thrips, on the other hand, have fewer alternatives, including a predatory mite and planting Asclepias varieties that are resistant to thrips. Dr. Dan Potter, University of Kentucky, is evaluating thrips resistance in Asclepias varieties, which is research that is partially funded by our Horticultural Research Institute. One final thrips control strategy is to simply move the plants outside as soon as the frost-free date has arrived; thrips typically become a non-issue in the field.

It’s important for the industry to have tools in the toolkit to effectively manage invasive pests. Equally important that we use them wisely. Under Jill’s guidance, our Horticultural Research Institute recently published a set of best management practices for protecting bee pollinators.

The BMPs will be refined and expanded as research results come in.

But please be aware that the BMPs focus on flowering plants and bee pollinators. Leaffeeding larvae merit special consideration, too, especially for plants we are explicitly growing to attract and sustain butterflies.

Let’s be part of the solution!

Craig Regelbrugge AmericanHort CraigR@AmericanHort.org

2017:June | 15

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2,900 Companies

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Trends, marketing, management, growing, plant care, and technology

100+ Sessions

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July 15–18, 2017 | Columbus, OH USA

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