UAC Magazine - Summer 2019

URBAN AG COUNCIL MAGAZINE GEORGIA

Keeping Georgia’s green industry informed

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UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

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SUMMER 2019

Advocate. Educate. Promote.1

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UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

UAC Magazine Official publication of the Georgia Urban Agriculture Council

Board of Directors Todd Jarrett, President

Arbor Hill Nurseries Matt Lowe

Swift Straw Josh Morrow

Athletic Fields, Inc. Ken Morrow

The Turfgrass Group Chris Nelson

Chattahoochee Nature Center Bob Scott

Irrigation Consultant Services Ray Wiedman

Outdoor Expressions Ron White TurfPride

Ex Officio Ellen Bauske

UGA Extension Public Service Assistant Bodie Pennisi

UGA Extension Horticulturist Clint Waltz

UGA Extension Turf Agronomist

Staff Mary Kay Woodworth

Executive Director Kathy Johnson

Marketing Director & Editor Angie Jinright

Executive Assistant

A member of:

Georgia Urban Ag Council PO Box 3400 New phone Duluth GA 30096 Phone: 706.750.0350 number!

Email: info@georgiauac.com Web: urbanagcouncil.com All contents copyright 2019

GEORGIA

SUMMER 2019

UAC NEWS

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Executive Director message Employee benefits study Results and how you can participate Bob Scott joins exclusive group Board member named ASIC Fellow Top 100 companies UAC members make the list GWCCA recognized for irrigation project What did you miss? 2019 World of Landscape & Landscape Construction What did you miss? UAC 2019 Friendraiser A peek inside... WT Digital Agency Looking to grow your team? UAC website job posting feature

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REGULAR FEATURES Me & my mentor Laura Guilmette, Unique Environmental Landscapes Have you met Rick Smith, The Pruning Guru Pest 411 Southern chinch bug Save the date Pro Project FlowerWorx Safety works UAC Safety School What the tech? Getting up to speed with Instagram Directory of advertisers

BUSINESS 28 30 32 34 38

Benchmarking your business How much do you charge?

Out with the old, in with the new 7 strategies that will pay off later Avoiding a mental meltdown How to prioritize what really matters Going up against giants 6 tips for competing for talent with the big guys Explore your options Get the most bang for your equipment buck

INDUSTRY 44 47 48 50 52 56

Sine Die UAC members invest in Capitol relationships Pennisi named UAC faculty fellow Fellowship will develop online training Capitol Connection UAC member survey results New faces at NICH Gordon and Woodworth join NICH leadership Glenn Burton A leader of the "Green Revolution" 73rd Annual SE Turfgrass Conference Pike Creek Turf hosts dinner

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Nitrogen in the soil How it gets lost and how to keep it Spring & summer lawncare tips & tricks Native yuccas Creating landscape excitement The shrub of your dreams This will make you a daydream believer Managing community forests, part 2 Risk hazard and assessment Celebrating history Breathing new life into Tifton's campus

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

Atlanta Botanical Garden Georgia Agribusiness Council Georgia Arborist Association Georgia Association of Water Professionals Georgia Green Industry Association Georgia Urban Forest Council Georgia Water Alliance National Association of Landscape Professionals National Initiative for Consumer Horticulture Southern Nursery Association

URBAN AG COUNCIL MAGAZINE

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UAC NEWS

Dear UAC Members and Supporters, Happy summer - 2019 is breezing by!

1) have adequate and appropriate coverage and;

I hope that you are managing the challenges in front of you daily – labor, traffic, weather – and having a profitable season. At least there’s one thing we don’t have to worry about this summer: drought!

While abundant rainfall is a blessing, we hope that it continues throughout 2019 in a more even pattern.

2) are not over-paying!

Labor is a continuing challenge. I have been appointed to the (Georgia) Senate Agriculture, Forestry, and Landscape Workforce Access Study Committee. This committee, chaired by Senator John Wilkinson, will host hearings across the state to gather input from business and industry leaders as well as state agency heads and state lawmakers to potentially uncover workforce solutions.

Mary Kay Woodworth Executive Director

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

UAC continues to promote the benefits of careers in our industry, and have made an investment in NALP’s Industry Growth Initiative (IGI) so that, collaboratively, we can pool resources to effectively message to the public and policy makers.

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A member benefit we are very pleased to offer through our partnership with Snellings Walters Insurance Agency is a broad range of insurance products. With over 65 years in business, their professionals are thoroughly acquainted with the green industry and understand your needs.

I urge you to contact Snellings Walters regarding the UAC Workers Compensation program and their P&C programs; their advisers can help you analyze your existing policies/products and make sure you:

Snellings Walters can also help you with health care benefits for companies with 50+ employees and provide complete information about the UAC 50+ Benefits Program (they are working on a program for companies smaller than 49 employees, but regulatory and legislative hurdles slow down this process).

How do your organization’s benefits compare? Snellings Walters has partnered with Milliman to offer you a Benefits Benchmarking Survey, where you will receive practical advice to improve your business as you compare your organization’s benefits to those offered by other companies. Please consider participating in this survey as described on the opposite page for this analysis.

Make sure to “save the date” for these upcoming UAC events:

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UAC Education and Networking dinners in August and September;

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Sporting Clays Tournament in October;

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Landscape Pro University in January 2020!

UAC Georgia Sod Producers Field Day in November; and

See page 21 in this issue for more information and contact me today to learn about sponsoring and exhibiting opportunities at these UAC events!

In closing, I’d like to thank Angie Jinright for her time spent at UAC the last 18 months.

Angie is off to a new career, and we wish her the best.

UAC has a new phone number. Please make a note of it:

706.750.0350

UAC NEWS

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

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UAC NEWS

Bob Scott joins exclusive group

UAC board member named ASIC Fellow Bob Scott has joined the exclusive group of Irrigation Professionals

Bob Scott is the owner of Irrigation Consultant Services, Inc., a full-service irrigation consulting firm founded in 1983.

recognized by the Society for their leadership, professionalism and commitment to independent irrigation development, design, and management principles. The induction ceremony was held in conjunction with the 2019 ASIC National Conference Awards Banquet, May 7, 2019, in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

Bob Scott is the owner of Irrigation Consultant Services, Inc, (ICS), a full-service irrigation consulting firm founded in 1983. ICS is a leader in providing irrigation design and consultation on projects in golf, park, recreation, and commercial developments in the United States and internationally.

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Bob and his team have been the recipients of three ASIC Excellence in Irrigation Awards for projects demonstrating expertise in waste water use, reverse osmosis (RO), and water harvesting; plus, two awards for golf and large commercial irrigation projects.

Bob has been immersed in ASIC leadership roles since joining in 1995. He was elected to the Board of Directors from 1998-2013, with the last ten years on the Executive Committee, serving as President 2008-2010. Most recently, Bob is serving as Chair of the 2019 National Conference Planning Committee.

In addition to his work with ASIC, Bob was recently appointed to Irrigation Association (IA) Certification Board of Governors as well as the ASIC/IA golf industry educational session coordinator for the Golf Industry Show (GIS). Bob also serves on numerous boards and advisory committees in his home state of Georgia, including the Georgia Urban Ag Council Board of Directors.

"I would like to encourage the UAC membership to get involved in any way you can to help the Georgia landscape industry grow and prosper. Not only will the industry benefit from your contribution, but it will help you see the big picture and achieve your own career goals." ~ Bob Scott Owner, Irrigation Consultant Services UAC Board of Directors ASIC Fellowship is a high honor that is bestowed on only a few of the most deserving candidates. Fellowship considerations include long-standing service to ASIC; professional and personal conduct that brings credit to the Society; and significant contributions to the industry through organization membership, education, and mentoring.

For the complete list ASIC Fellows, visit asic.org.

About ASIC

American Society of Irrigation Consultants is a society of professional irrigation consultants dedicated to representing the best interest of the client while advocating the responsible use and preservation of water resources.

UAC NEWS

Top 100 Lawn & Landscape companies UAC members make the list The 2019 Lawn & Landscape Top 100 is

based on 2018 revenue from landscape profit centers. Most information is reported by each company listed, and supplemental data are sourced from public records and reporting by L&L staff.

Companies on the list earned a combined revenue of $10,221,735,143 in 2018, which is an increase of $603,045,036, or 6.27 percent, compared to 2017. The average expected growth for 2019 is 10 percent. Companies on the list also reported total employment of 97,269. This year’s list include companies from 27 states and three firms in Canada.

UAC member companies and their Top 100 rankings:

Reprinted with permission from the May 2019 post by Lawn & Landscape.

Visit www. lawnandlandscape. com for more information.

3.......The Davey Tree Expert Company 4.......Bartlett Tree Experts 8.......Ruppert Landscape 39.....Baytree Landscape Contractors 60.....Russell Landscape Group 78.....Gibbs Landscape Co.

View the entire list here: lawnandlandscape.com/article/top-100-lawn-care-landscaping-companies-2019

GWCCA recognized for irrigation project The mission: design and develop a highly-

efficient and reliable irrigation system for The Home Depot Backyard (HDBY) using a nondrinkable water supply.

Oh yeah, and make sure it’s complete before the Atlanta Falcons 2018 regular-season home opener at state-of-the-art Mercedes-Benz Stadium (MBS).

Rising to the challenge was the GWCCA’s Campus Horticulturalist, Steve Ware, and irrigation consultant Bob Scott, of Irrigation Consultant Services, working on behalf of Kimley-Horn, which provided structural, traffic and civil engineering and landscape architecture design for HDBY, which opened to the public in September 2018, less than a year after the Georgia Dome was imploded.

Steve Ware, left, Georgia World Congress Center Authority’s campus horticulturalist, with Bob Scott, irrigation consultant, of Irrigation Consultant Services.

Ware and Scott were recently recognized for their collaboration on this project, receiving an American Society of Irrigation Consultants Excellence In Irrigation Merit Award.

The irrigation system is fed from a cistern next to the stadium that is designed to use recycled rainwater runoff from MBS’s roof as its primary source for keeping HDBY’s natural turf green, backed up by wells underneath the park.

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

That was the task at hand as the 13-plusacre greenspace/tailgating spot was under construction abutting MBS on a portion of the former Georgia Dome footprint, basically fashioning a massive park lawn on top of the imploded stadium’s rubble.

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UAC NEWS

WHAT DID YOU MISS? 2019 World of Landscape & Landscape Construction

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

March 21-22 Georgia International Convention Center Atlanta GA

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For the 4th year, the green industry was represented at the CEFGA Student Career Expo, with the theme “How Do You Want To Change the World?”. Sponsored by UAC, NALP, Downey Trees, Ed Castro Landscape, Greenwood Group, HighGrove Partners, Landmark Landscapes, Outdoor Expressions, Plants Creative Landscapes, Vermeer Southeast, with support of Chattahoochee Tech, Crabapple Landscape Experts, MNI Direct and UGA, students, teachers and guidance

counselors learned about the wide variety of careers available in our industry. The 2019 expo, held March 21-22 at College Park’s Georgia International Convention Center (GICC), drew a record 8,615 total attendees, an increase of 4.5 percent over the previous year and almost 18 percent since 2015. It was the Career Expo’s final year at the GICC, where it has been held since 2009; next year it moves to the Georgia World Congress Center in downtown Atlanta.

UAC NEWS

WHAT DID YOU MISS? Red Hare Brewing Company was the place to be on April 25! Over 200 industry

members registered for the 2019 “Friendraiser” – a vendor-sponsored event to kick-off the spring season. Sponsored by Downey Trees, Howard Brothers, Lumien Lighting, Practical Employee Solutions, SingleOps, Snellings Walters Insurance Agency, Super-Sod and Swift Straw, this networking event included terrific live music, great local beer and delicious Low Country BBQ.

“I have been meaning to let you all know how WONDERFUL the Red Hare event turned out. We all loved it and we’ve heard other positive feedback as well. Thank you all so much for organizing this event, we are hoping for more like it in the near future! “

UAC 2019 Friendraiser April 25 Red Hare Brewing Company Marietta GA

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

Longtime UAC member Steve Ware, Grounds Operations Manager for the GWCC (Centennial Olympic Park), won the raffle for a YETI cooler.

Laura Guilmette, Unique Environmental Landscapes gave us this feedback:

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A PEEK INSIDE UAC NEWS

A peek inside...

WT Digital Agency

What we do Digital marketing

How we got started

Join us as we take a peek inside the operation and the people of UAC member company WT Digital Agency.

Meet our team Mark Itzkovitz Owner

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

Responsibilities: Business development and sales. Favorite part of job: Learning about other businesses and helping them solve key challenges. Building new relationships. Last job before this: I can't remember. What I do when I’m not at work: Binge watch new shows on Hulu and Netflix, DIY Home renovation projects, Travel and recreational league basketball.

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Mark Itzkovitz, Owner: "Rewind about 16 years to 2004 when I partnered with a local SSD attorney to design, develop, and build an online lead generation website for SSD attorneys nationally. After about a year of business, the lead gen website was producing ongoing recurring revenue, which prompted my attorney partner to approach me with a buyout offer. Having completely built and sold a successful online lead generating platform, I was well versed and experienced with SEO and online marketing strategies.

WT started in 2006, when I severed ties with a business partner and franchise owner of a local WSI Franchise, who hired me to run the local operations for his Digital Marketing agency here in Atlanta. We initially went to market and sold a handful of Website projects and had great success coming out of the gate. We soon realized that WSI's production model of outsourcing web development and marketing to small offshore agencies was inefficient and did not meet our needs and my partner released all of the projects we were actively working on to me and we parted ways. Those initial projects became WT's first clients back in 2006."

Kevin Bossons

How we work

Responsibilities: A little bit of everything - from marketing strategy & operations management, to PPC campaign implementation and website mockups. Favorite part of job: Learning about new businesses - audiences, services and what makes them special always fascinates me. Last job before this: Document controller for an industrial mining company. What I do when I’m not at work: Spending time with my wife and kids, watching Netflix and trying to hide from my wife’s honey-do lists.

When we get a new client, we first have them fill out a questionnaire so we can assess their marketing goals. We also want to learn about their business, client demographics, needs, and preferences to create the most effective website, digital ads, emails, or other online presence.

Technology Director

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A PEEK INSIDE Then we move on to the documentation phase where we produce key documents for the client's review, feedback, and approval.

These documents will create a blueprint for us in the next phase.

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After that, we enter the design and development phases where we create the website and/or marketing plan.

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Then in the deployment phase, we launch the website or begin our marketing plan.

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One thing that sets us apart One of the key differences of working with WT vs. most other agencies is that we are small enough to act quickly to solve problems and implement solutions, but big enough to have a full suite of creative, marketing and technology skills all in house. Our solutions are fully integrated so our client's brand is consistent across all channels and platforms. We can provide the resources to execute strategy in whatever capacity best fits our clients needs.

Our focus as an agency is to help our clients realize a measurable ROI on their marketing investment. If we can't add value for our customers in terms of new business opportunities, then we don't deserve the privilege of partnering with them.

Mark Itzkovitz, Owner: "WT first got involved with UAC back when it was called MALTA. Having worked closely with a couple of experienced business owners (landscapers) as mentors, I naturally felt a connection to the industry and started attending MALTA meetings. In fact, WT's initial bidding process was created from landscape bid sheets.

Creative Director, Senior Strategist Responsibilities: I oversee the creative product of the agency, advocate for our clients’ branding and marketing efforts, create and execute overall marketing strategies and plans, design website user experiences and digital advertising, and push our team to exceed our clients’ goals and expectations.

Favorite part of job: The aspect of this job that excites me the most is when a campaign takes hold, gains momentum, and really starts moving the needle for a client’s business. One of my favorite books is Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point.

So, I love it when we’re able to create campaigns that are “sticky.” Last job before this: Prior to joining WT Digital, I was the marketing director for a construction firm that specialized in largescale capital work and renovation for multifamily REITs. What I do when I’m not at work: Beyond being a husband and father, I’ve gone back to school to get a business marketing degree at the Coles College of Business at Kennesaw State. All of my thirty-plus years in marketing and advertising were started through apprenticeship and on-the-job training. It’s been fun to go back to school to solidify my knowledge and interact with people just starting out on their career paths. After home and school, I play bass guitar in an original alternative rock band called Random Access that plays out around Atlanta.

Patrik “CK” Cioc-Kele Lead Developer

Responsibilities: Website development, server maintenance, directing technology. Favorite part of job: Solving technological problems. Last job before this: A sales support manager at a warehouse. What I do when I’m not at work: Make YouTube videos (educational tutorials and tech reviews) for CKTechCheck.

Beverly Knoechel Accounting

Responsibilities: Office Manager, Bookkeeper, Human Resources. Favorite part of job: Working with nice people and having books that balance. Last job before this: I co-owned a junior hockey team and ice arena in Spooner, Wisconsin. What I do when I’m not at work: I enjoy being active. I play lots of tennis, enjoy time with my family, hike, knit, read, and listen to country music.

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

Why UAC is important to us... and why we're important to UAC members

Gary Hopkins

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A PEEK INSIDE UAC NEWS

Jackie Banjoko Project Coordinator

Responsibilities: Coordinating workflows and project task responsibilities. Favorite part of job: Making an exciting project plan that utilizes the teams’ talents. Last job before this: Marketing Materials Coordinator working with tons of exciting startups in the Atlanta area, assisting with branding and social media. What I do when I’m not at work: Read, travel, try to spend as much time as I can with the people I care about.

Sara Crawford Content Strategist

Responsibilities: I create web content -everything from blog posts to website copy -- and I manage the social media. Favorite part of job: I love being creative so I love being able to write so much every day. Last job before this: I worked at The Arlen Agency as a content specialist. What I do when I’m not at work: I’m a young adult author, a playwright, and a singer/songwriter. I also love to read, binge watch TV shows, and hang out with my friends and family.

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

WT Digital Agency proudly supports the Georgia Urban Ag Council and the green industry.

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seed

Diamond Sponsor

support | energize | enable | develop

URBAN AG COUNCIL GEORGIA

Working with green industry consultants as our own consultants gave us great insight into the seasonal nature of the landscaping industry and how to best position landscape businesses for marketing. Understanding the difference between marketing to a residential target audience vs. commercial or how to best position a company in the market for different services offered like design/build/installation vs. maintenance is key to partnering with green industry professionals to build successful marketing strategies and campaigns.

Additionally, understanding unique key industry challenges like workforce-related issues provides WT with the ability to help green industry businesses solve problems through creative marketing and technology solutions that they may not have been in a position to solve otherwise. In today's highly technical, digital marketplace, it's critical to work with a partner who is extremely well versed on digital marketing strategy and understands your industry/business to provide the competitive edge you are looking for."

WT has worked with Georgia UAC to help them build and manage their online presence as an organization for many years and is currently in the process of updating and refreshing their website to make it more user friendly and easily managed by the organization.

To set up a no-obligation consultation with WT, contact us:

Contact: Mark Itzkovitz Phone: 404.348.4921 ext. 101 Email: mark@wtmarketing.com Web: wtmarketing.com

WT FullP4C Urban Ag Ad vFinal.pdf 1 5/16/2019 7:58:13 AM

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Grow Your Business with a Strategic Digital Marketing Plan

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OPTIMIZED WEBSITE & CONTENT

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ENGAGING SOCIAL MEDIA

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HIGHER SEARCH RANKINGS

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EFFECTIVE ONLINE ADVERTISING

All working together seamlessly to build your brand, generate more leads, and grow your business.

LET’S TALK DIGITAL MARKETING

404-348-4921 | wtmarketing.com/urbanag REACH AND ENGAGE MORE CUSTOMERS ONLINE ©2019 Website Technology Services, Inc. All rights reserved.

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

digital agency

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ME &NEWS MY MENTOR UAC

Lessons in H2B

Surviving and thriving

by Laura Guilmette, Unique Environmental Landscapes Our final two H2B workers arrived the last weekend of April, which marked the end of another chapter in the process.

Long, strange trip As previously mentioned, we initially had all applicants scheduled at the U.S. Consulate in their home country near the end of March/ beginning of April. It turned out there were 11 scheduled in Monterrey the day before six were scheduled in Guatamala City.

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

Just to provide further insight to the process, it goes something like this: the day before the 8:00 A.M. interview with the local agent from the agency in Texas, I started checking with our manager in regards to the applicant’s travels to the Consulate. For some of these guys it was up to a ten-hour ride. I needed to be assured they had reliable transportation and they would be in place at 8:00 a.m. for the appointment.

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Across the board, this went fairly smoothly except for one 9:30 p.m. phone call I received stating an applicant cancelled out as they were about to board the bus in their Mexican hometown bound for their 8:00 a.m. interview the next morning. Meanwhile, we had six applicants heading to Guatamala City who were eventually ALL denied at the U.S. Consulate.

This completely caught us off guard. Not only was this a very costly day for Unique, it was back to the recruiting process AGAIN!

No room at the inn Then another situation surfaced: housing! The second wave of recruiting seemed to come to a halt and I found myself almost begging for potential workers from within our pool of employees as well as other landscape company friends.

What was the problem? Through the process I realized there were many people who wanted to come to the U.S. and work, so why had it become so difficult? Well, I started getting feedback: there were “NO VACANCY” signs popping up at our employee’s houses. They were bursting at the seams.

This sent me on a frenzy to figure out the housing situation so we could set up more interviews FAST. The time clock was ticking and not getting all of our visas filled in a timely manner could potentially create negative consequences for next season.

The H2B workers are not in a position to rent an apartment of any type as they have no credit history in the U.S. Plus, they can’t commit to a one-year lease as they are here less than a year.

We considered the possibility of purchasing a house, which could be used as rental for the workers. However, after learning of the

Laura Guilmette graduated from the University of Louisville with a B.A. in communications. She worked in advertising until she was recruited to work with the family-owned landscape business, Unique Environmental about 17 years ago. Like most business owners, she wears many hats including HR, marketing, sales, administrative and field work. Even though the H2B program has presented numerous challenges, she has enjoyed learning about it as well as overcoming these challenges.

ME & MY MENTOR extensive rules and regulations regarding H2B rentals we realized it wasn’t an option to be considered. Not this year anyway!

In the end, the workers worked it out amongst themselves, which is the way our agency suggested was the best way to handle the housing situation anyway.

Beware potential scams The applicants spent about four days, or more if their appointment fell close to the weekend, in Monterrey or whatever their designated city.

They had to find lodging, food, and navigate their way around. If the U.S. agency is hired to assist them, they have a representative for help. However, we were forewarned there is continued potential for scams, which called for caution.

I was only aware of one encounter within our group. It was a driver who offered to bring our 11 workers to Atlanta at a cost of a few hundred dollars over that of the major bus line.

He stated it would be less hassle and a more direct trip. Sounds appealing – but NO! Was this one of those scams we heard about? We considered all the potential problems of this and said absolutely NOT. We stuck with our original transportation plan.

American soil at last

Worth the effort Looking back at various stages of the process over the last month, there have been several gratifying moments.

One of those gratifying moments was the day after our first group arrived. One of our long-time employees came into the office and thanked me for bringing family members to Georgia. It had been over 15 years since the family had been together.

Taking care of details The next round of fun was a field trip to the social security office. Our workers needed to get social security numbers since they were now going to be tax payers.

Three drivers including myself drove the first 13 H2B workers to the social security office.

I’m pretty certain we looked like the circus as we herded our group from one end of the large waiting room to the other as instructed by the government agents. Maybe they were just not sure what to do with us: 13 Spanish-speaking H2Bs, one bilingual manager, the tall American lady (me) who "appeared" to know what she was doing and her sister! Perhaps we served as a distraction for others during their three-hour wait!

Words of advice In summary, if you are considering applying for the H2B program in the future, be sure to do your research ahead of time and have one person dedicated to the process. This person should have a thorough understanding of the rules and regulations.

We originally thought we would apply for just 10 visas our first year and see how it went, but we were advised to request the actual number needed in future years as making changes next year could delay our application.

Applying for 20 was an undertaking for us, logistically and cost-wise, but now we are banging our head against the wall and wondering why we didn’t go for 30!

Oh, and did I ever mention I work best under pressure and yes, even chaotic situations?!

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

Our 20 workers arrived at five different times over the month of April. It seemed like every couple of days we were checking on one group at one "leg" of the trip or another, but they eventually all made it here with a total of seven denials altogether. Not so bad I guess, but costly.

This seems to hold true for many of our H2B workers and we found this to be an unexpected fringe benefit. After that employee walked out of the office that day, the staff and I looked at each other and said, “That makes it worth all the headaches!”

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HAVE YOU MET

Rick Smith

The Pruning Guru The people who have influenced my career include…

Rick Smith, Owner, The Pruning Guru Phone: 678-445-1495 • Email: info@pruningguru.com Address: 1300 Williams Drive • Marietta GA 30066 Web: pruningguru.com

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

My first job in the green industry was...from 1980 –

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From left: Rick, Cheryl, and Forrest Smith, all 2nd Degree Black Belts in Choi Kwang Do International Martial Arts.

From Post Properties: Fred Hooks, John Hooks, Ray Boyer, Todd Tibbitts

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From GCLP (Georgia Certified Landscape Professional): John Strickland

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From Caldwell Tree Care: Kevin Caldwell

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From MALTA (Metro Atlanta Landscape & Turf Association): Mary Kay Woodworth, Kathy Johnson and all the board members who sat on the Board during my tenure as association president from 2009 - 2010.

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From ENVISOR Consulting: Ken Thomas

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From UGA: Bodie Pennisi

My biggest career success so far has been…owning and operating The Pruning Guru, Inc. for 17 years.

One piece of advice I would give to someone entering the green industry today is…work for a professional landscape company that loves to train their employees.

The one thing most responsible for my success is…my training from Post Properties

1982 when I worked with Green Brother’s Landscape, now Gibbs Landscaping.

for 15 years.

The biggest challenge in my career…was starting

If I could change careers, just for a month, I would…work in the aviation

The Pruning Guru in 2002. The first seven years were the most challenging because I was learning how to run a business and trying to establish my reputation.

The thing I like most about my career is…..knowing that I’m making a difference.

My least favorite part of my job is….. traffic!

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If I had it to do over again, I would…have hired a CPA from the beginning instead of an accountant.

industry.

One thing that really annoys me is… landscapers who give customers bad advice.

When I’m not working, I like to…hang out with my son, Forrest.

What most people don’t know about me is…I’m a Assistant Scout Master for the Boy Scouts and working towards my 3rd degree Black Belt.

WHY SHOULD YOU PARTNER WITH THE PRUNING GURU? KNOWLEDGE. Pruning is what we do, so you know the job will be done right.

LESS LABOR. We hire and train the best, so you don’t have to.

INTEGRITY. Your customers remain your customers.

Period.

BOTTOM LINE. We handle the pruning so your crews can spend their time working on other jobs.

Contact us today: 678-445- 1495 | info@pruningguru.com UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

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PEST 411

Southern chinch bug

What you should know about biology and control

by Fawad Zafar Ahmad Khan, Shimat V. Joseph, and Will Hudson, UGA Dept. of Entomology

Southern chinch bug (Blissus insularis) (Fig. 1) is an insect pest of turfgrass, especially St. Augustinegrass, in Georgia.

David Shetlar, The Ohio State University, Bugwood.org

Fig. 1 Adult southern chinch bug.

The development of southern chinch bug can easily go unnoticed because of their small size and darkish-grey color that blends with the thatch.

Bermudagrass, centipedegrass, and zoysiagrass are also attacked by southern chinch bug. They feed on grass using their piercing and sucking mouthparts. Affected turfgrass can develop yellow-to-brown patches, which can be mistaken for disease or drought stress.

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

Populations of southern chinch bug can build up at the edges of these patches to over 100 individuals per square foot, which can kill the affected grass (Fig. 2). The development of southern chinch bug can easily go unnoticed because of their small size and darkish-grey color that blends with the thatch.

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Biology Southern chinch bug is a true bug with three distinct life stages: egg, five nymphal stages and then adult (Fig. 3). The southern chinch bug deposits eggs between the leaf blade of turfgrass and the stem from late March to September. A female can lay about five eggs per day, with up to 100-289 eggs produced during its lifetime.

When air temperatures are 83ºF, eggs can hatch in nine days. But when air temperatures are cooler, it may take 25 days at 70 ºF.

Eggs are oval and elongated, ranging from 0.750.8 mm long and 0.23-0.25 mm wide. The color of the egg changes from white when freshly deposited to orange just before hatching.

Nymphal stages can be differentiated by variations in color and markings on their body. The first nymphal stage has an orangebrown head, brown thorax, and bright orange abdomen with a distinct cream-colored band.

From the second nymphal stage onward, the color on all body segments gradually changes to darker shades. The head and thorax become dark brown. The abdomen color gradually turns from an orange shade to dark grey. The size of the fourth nymphal stage is more than the double the size of first nymphal stage (about 2.0 mm long). The fifth nymphal stage has distinct wing pads and is darker compared to the fourth nymphal stage. The fifth nymphal stage is about 3.0 mm long. An occasional sixth nymphal stage may develop during the cool weather. The abdomen develops darker spots with blue-black color. The size is almost the same as that of the fifth nymphal stage. The nymphal stages can live up to 40-50 days depending on the ambient temperature.

The adult stage can easily be identified through well-developed wings. The female chinch bug is larger in size compared to the male. Females can live for 70 days, whereas males live for around 40 days. It takes 35 and 93 days at 83ºF and 70ºF, respectively, to develop from egg to adult.

Population growth can be rapid in the hot, dry summer months. Because of considerable overlap in generations, all stages are usually found during the summer months in Georgia.

PEST 411

David Shetlar, The Ohio State University, Bugwood.org

Fig. 2. Damaged turfgrass from southern chinch bug feeding.

Populations of southern chinch bug can build up at the edges of these patches to over 100 individuals per square foot, which can kill the affected grass.

Populations of chinch bugs are increased with the amount of thatch. The southern chinch bug is reported to form dense aggregations, preferably under the St. Augustinegrass canopy.

The chemistry within the plant and that produced by the insect play an essential role in aggregation behavior of the southern chinch bug.

Fig. 3. Life cycle of southern chinch bug

Population growth can be rapid in the hot, dry summer months. Because of considerable overlap in generations, all stages are usually found during the summer months in Georgia.

Host plant resistance

The cultivars ‘FX-10’ and ‘Captiva’ are resistant to southern chinch bug based on recent research. A few susceptible cultivars are ‘Floratam,’ ‘Seville,’ and ‘Raleigh’; ‘Raleigh’ is the only commercially available cultivar in Georgia.

Biological control

Bigeyed bugs (Geocoris spp.) (Fig. 4) is an important predator of the southern chinch bug. It has larger eyes and is wider than the southern chinch. Other reported predatory bugs, including (Lasiochilus pallidulus), warehouse pirate bug (Xylocoris vicarious), and some generalist assassin bugs also play a role in keeping check on the chinch bug population.

Predatory earwigs and red imported fire ant also help prevent outbreaks of southern chinch bug populations.

Certain fungi, such as Beauveria bassiana, a fungi that attacks insects, can be used to control southern chinch bugs as long as the thatch and soil remain moist.

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

The southern chinch bug has been successful in overcoming different management tactics including insecticide applications and host plant resistance. Different cultivars of St. Augustinegrass, previously considered resistant, have later shown to become susceptible to varying levels of infestation in certain regions of the southeastern U.S.

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PEST 411

Bradley Higbee, Paramount Farming, Bugwood.org

Fig. 4. The bigeyed bug has larger eyes and is wider than the southern chinch bug.

Fig. 5. Floatation method to determine presence of southern chinch bug.

Bigeyed bugs (Geocoris spp.) is an important predator of the southern chinch bug.

Sampling chinch bugs through the floatation method is an easy way to determine presence of the chinch bug.

The parasitic wasp (Eumicrosoma benefica) is an important natural enemy of the southern chinch bug in other parts of the southern U.S. but yet to be confirmed in Georgia. The year-round activity of this wasp has been reported to check the populations of southern chinch bug in Florida. It is critical to conserve the natural enemies by avoiding broad spectrum insecticides and using proper cultural practices and resistant cultivars.

Chemical management

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

Most of the chinch bug population is found in the thatch area, with few bugs venturing up into the canopy.

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agrilifecdn.tamu.edu/bughunter/files/2012/10/CoffeeCan.jpg

Sampling chinch bugs through the floatation method is an easy way to determine presence of the chinch bug (Fig. 5). For this method, a can with both top and bottom cut out or a 4” PVC pipe is inserted up to 3" deep into the soil at the edge of the dead grass where chinch bugs are suspected. Tap water is added to the can so that chinch bugs, if present, will float to the water surface.

An insecticide application is warranted if more than three chinch bugs are found in the flotation sample. A simple surface view of the grass is not enough to predict population size of this small pest.

The southern chinch bug remains active in all warm months of the year. The pyrethroids, carbamates and organophosphates are generally employed for the management of this pest.

Insecticidal resistance has been problematic with chinch bugs, so rotation of chemistry and avoiding multiple applications of the same insecticide is recommended to slow down development of resistance. According to some reports, a combination of a pyrethroid with neonicotinoid insecticides has resulted in successful management (for example, using bifenthrin, clothianidin and imidacloprid).

Some populations of southern chinch bugs have developed resistance to most commonly used insecticides including imidacloprid, bifenthrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, and deltamethrin.

However, it is less likely that all the southern chinch bug populations have developed resistance to these insecticide classes.

Visit urbanagcouncil.com for updates and to register.

UAC Dinner Meeting

Building a Market-Leading Organization Networking + Education Dinner

Speakers: Ken Thomas and Ben Gandy, Envisor Consulting

DATE: Tuesday, August 27 TIME: 5:30 pm cash bar | 6:30 pm dinner PLACE: Heritage Sandy Springs

6110 Blue Stone Rd. | Sandy Springs GA 30328

SAVE THE DATE

AUG

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Why is it that some companies grow to market leadership while others get stuck along the way? Only a small portion of landscape companies grow beyond a million dollars and of the ones that do, most get stuck never realizing their business dreams. In this presentation Ken Thomas and Ben Gandy of Envisor Consulting will share their insights around organizational development learned through the lens of business ownership and Landscape business consulting throughout the country.

UAC Dinner Meeting Networking + Education Dinner

Topic to be advised

DATE: Tuesday, September 24 TIME: 6:00 pm dinner PLACE: Vermeer Southeast

1320 Gresham Rd. | Marietta GA 30062

7th Annual UAC Sporting Clays Tournament Blast your troubles away | Win prizes | Eat BBQ GEORGIA

DATE: Wednesday, October 23 TIME: 9:00 am - 1:00 pm PLACE: Blalock Lakes

November 6, 2019

Super-Sod Turf Farm | Ft. Valley GA

OCT

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4075 New Corinth Road | Newnan GA 30263

UAC's Georgia Sod Producers Field Day DATE: Wednesday, November 6 TIME: 8:00 am - 3:00 pm PLACE: Ft. Valley Conference Center & Super-Sod Turf Farm

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NOV

6

Fort Valley GA

Landscape Pro University & Expo

The green industry's newest conference and trade show

DATE: Wednesday, January 29, 2020 PLACE: Cobb Galleria | Two Galleria Parkway | Atlanta GA 30339 Learn more on page 8.

JAN

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UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

SOD PRODUCERS GEORGIA

SEP

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SAVE THE DATE PRO PROJECT

Big, bold color for Sandy Springs estate Project by FlowerWorx flowerworx.net

Bold colors are on display in the pathway to the back yard with border plantings of Serena Blue Angelonia, Lucky Flame Lantana and Profusion Mix Zinnias.

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

This estate property in the heart of Sandy Springs has close to 1500 square feet

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of annual beds throughout its four acres of land. The property was installed with a lush landscape design theme with many varieties of trees, evergreens, conifers and blooming plant material and the homeowner wanted this same kind of unique variety with their seasonal color designs as well. The finished product had to have flower power by designing with spectacular hot colors and big, bold accents that would compliment the existing landscape throughout.

The homeowner wanted me to use a variety of bold, hot, colorful plant material that would thrive all summer in full sun and require minimal maintenance since they did not want this additional service. Also, the property was irrigated with drip irrigation only, so I designed with annuals that required comparable sun and

water needs. The combination of Whopper Begonias, Lucky Pot of Gold Lantana and Burgundy Sun Coleus along with Sky Rocket Grass, Persian Palm and Diamond Head Elephant Ears were used in the beds to make a bold statement as you enter the property.

The main challenge was to pair plant material that would thrive all season long and require minimal maintenance and water. Adding water retention product to the container installation was necessary for success as well as applying organic deer deterrent in bed areas due to the small population of deer surrounding the home.

The end result was a bold and flowerful design which thrived all season, meeting and exceeding the customer’s expectations. Although the customer did not pay for flower maintenance, I did check in occasionally to make sure all was well during the summer season.

PRO PROJECT As you go up the driveway, I paired Cora Mix Vinca, Lucky Flame Lantana and Serena Purple Angelonia in the border beds. This combination thrived all season, even dealing with the reflective heat coming off the concrete.

Bamboo Palm containers in pool area.

The backyard is the customers’ sanctuary complete with a “man cave” building and they really wanted me to use colorful mixes throughout this area. So I incorporated Profusion Mix Zinnias, and Whopper Begonias accented with Serena Blue Angelonia. Elephant

Ears are the customers’ favorite plant, so I accented the flower beds with big, bold foliage of Burgundy Sun Coleus and Elephant Ears such as Persian Palm, Illustrus and Diamond Head which were instrumental in completing the customer’s vision of this area.

GEORGIA LANDSCAPE AWARDS

AWARD WINNER: Distinction

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

Driveway entry flower bed.

GALA

GEORGIA URBAN AG COUNCIL

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SAVE THE DATE SAFETY WORKS

UAC Safety School

What do your employees need to know right now?

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

Keep your employees safe this summer.

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Every work day comes with safety concerns.

As a business-level UAC member, did you know that you have ready-to-go safety training available to you through UAC's Safety School?

Sponsored by Snellings-Walters Insurance Agency, Safety School makes it easier to keep your employees - and your company - safe.

Each Safety School topic includes a trainer document, which guides the instructor through the training session, and a slide presentation to show your employees. All of this is available in both English and Spanish. Also included is an attendance sheet so you have a record of who received the training and when. Here are just some of the topics available to you:

Outsmarting mosquitos

Job hazard analysis

OBJECTIVE: To make all employees aware of how and where mosquitos breed, what diseases they carry and how to prevent bites.

OBJECTIVE: To explain a job hazard analysis and encourage employees to recognize and evaluate workplace hazards.

Biting, stinging hazards

Hazard communication

OBJECTIVE: To be able to identify and avoid the hazards associated with poisonous plants, animals, reptiles, and insects in Georgia and know how to administer first aid when necessary.

OBJECTIVE: To inform employees about the chemical hazards they face in the workplace, Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), and labeling requirements.

SAFETY WORKS

Heat stress

Sun and heat exposure

OBJECTIVE: To identify symptoms of heat stroke and exhaustion, and know the emergency procedures for both.

OBJECTIVE: To learn the possible dangers of the sun and high temperatures and how to prevent overexposure.

Get the training Lawnmower safety OBJECTIVE: To instruct employees on how to safely maintain and operate a lawnmower to prevent incidents.

Visit UAC's Safety School to get training materials (training notes, slide presentation, attendance sheets) on a variety of safety topics.

Log in and start your safety training today!

UAC Safety School is available online to all business-level UAC members. Here's how to access: > Go to urbanagcouncil.com > Use the "MEMBERSHIP" menu tab

> Log in as a member > Use the email address and password that is associated with your UAC membership

Hardscape installation safety OBJECTIVE: To identify potential hazards during hardscape installation and provide prevention and protection strategies.

> Need help? Contact us:

Call 800.687.6949 or

email info@urbanagcouncil.com > Scroll to the "Safety" category on that list and click on "Visit UAC Safety School"

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

> Click on "Members-only content" under "MANAGE"

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WHAT THE TECH?

Getting up to speed with Instagram 5 tips for making it work for your business

by Sara Crawford, Digital Content Specialist, WebTech Marketing Services One of the most popular social media platforms today is Instagram. Now

more than ever, small businesses can benefit from having an Instagram account as more and more tools are rolled out that will help these business owners succeed.

Over 25 million companies currently use Instagram, and there are over 200 million users who visit at least one business profile each day.

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

On UAC member Gibson Landscaping's Instagram page, visitors know at a glance what their business is all about.

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Facebook has shifted to focus more on connecting users with content from family and friends while Instagram has become the “new home for brands,” according to Forbes magazine.

1.

Facebook has shifted to focus more on connecting users with content from family and friends while Instagram has become the “new home for brands,” according to Forbes magazine.

So how can you use Instagram to promote your business? Here are five tips to help you get started.

Create an appealing profile.

Filling out your profile is the first step.

There’s not one “right” way to finish your profile, but here are some tips:

profile photo. Using your 4 Your company’s logo for your profile picture will help people identify your brand easily.

account name. This should be your 4 Your company name, and it should be identical to your company name on other social media profiles.

username. This should also be the 4 Your company name except you won’t be able to include spaces.

website. You only get one clickable 4 Your link in your bio so make it count. Some

people link to a “link tree” with all of their links listed on one page.

bio. This is a good place for your 4 Your company slogan or to describe exactly what your business does.

2.

Post content regularly.

The best way to approach this is to figure out your goals for the content you post on Instagram.

you trying to showcase your products or 4 Are services? you looking to attract quality employees 4 Are to join your team? you simply trying to create more brand 4 Are awareness?

Before you come up with a content strategy, focus your attention on your company’s specific goals with Instagram.

Once you’ve discovered your goals, you want to be consistent about the content you are posting.

You will see the best results if you post once or twice a day. It’s helpful to learn when your followers are the most active so you can post during that time.

WHAT THE TECH?

3.

Use Instagram stories.

Instagram has a relatively new feature called stories. This allows you to post content that only exists for 24 hours and is then taken down. There are several tools in Instagram stories that regular posts don’t necessarily have.

For example, you can take polls on stories or post stickers. Your story can be a photo or a video. You can also use hashtags and tag other users.

There are several ways you can use stories to promote your brand. For instance: content. Consider 4 Behind-the-scenes creating a post about one of your landscape projects in progress.

4

Live and timely content. If your company is having a special event, why not post about it on Instagram stories?

According to Instagram, stories are used by 500 million users every day, and one third of the most-viewed stories are from businesses. It’s predicted that Instagram stories will surpass the regular feed later this year.

4.

Tell the story of your brand.

Author, speaker, and viral marketing pioneer Jonah Sachs says, "Your brand is a story unfolding across all customer touchpoints."

Engage with your followers.

5.

UAC member Swift Straw uses their Instagram page to announce job openings.

It’s important that you respond to comments, likes and comment on related posts, and respond to any messages you get from your stories. People are more likely to follow you if you are a brand that regularly engages with its followers. You also might want to run contests and giveaways to increase your engagement. Contests can build up the excitement centered around your brand. You can ask for followers, likes, or comments to enter the contest or a giveaway.

Get creative These are some suggestions for ways to use Instagram for your business, but the only limitations are your own creativity. Tap into the many ways you can use Instagram to promote your company’s brand, gain more followers, and increase your customer base.

About the author Sara Crawford is an author and Digital Content Specialist for WT Digital Agency. In love with the written word, she strives to provide quality content for all of her clients.

People need to be able to glance at your main feed and get an idea of what your business is all about.

E: sara@wtmarketing.com P: (404) 348-4921 ext. 112

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

The best way to capture your followers’ attention is to tell a story, and the thing that the biggest brands on Instagram have in common is that they are excellent storytellers. The best way to do this is to let the pictures and captions that you post do all the talking for you. For example, a brand like Modcloth posts empowering photos that show a bit of attitude because that’s the story of their brand.

You’ll want to decide what your brand’s narrative is going to be before you post on Instagram. Once you have that in place, it will be easier to choose which photos to post by asking yourself whether they fit the narrative of your brand.

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BUSINESS

Benchmarking your business

How much do you charge for your services?

by Kristen Hampshire, Lawn & Landscape that he could lower the hourly rate,” Huston says. Well, that contractor did, in fact, end up adding many more clients because his market was particularly competitive. “If you know your costs, then you can make those decisions,” Houston says.

So, what’s the best way to figure out pricing so you know when to draw the line and know what flexibility you might have to give a customer a break? Huston suggests a bottom-up approach that will give you a minimum price to charge for services. “You’ll have low-ballers in your market that will come up with some ridiculous price and you need to know when to walk away from a job,” he says.

A bottom-up pricing strategy tells you:

Graphic courtesy of Lawn & Landscape

Pricing is a constant pressure for landscape businesses, whether you’re

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

operating a lawn care company, design/build firm or commercial maintenance business.

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Pricing is the one common frustration because no matter the market or economic landscape, you’ll always face low-ballers and feel cornered by clients who try to squeeze the profit out of a contract.

“It’s important to know your numbers, know where you need to be and know when to say ‘when’ on lowering a price,” says Jim Huston, president of J.R. Huston Consulting.

Huston describes a contractor who wanted to lower his hourly labor pay rate by $2 an hour because it would decrease the cost of services by 10 percent and allow him to pick up more work.

“We really dug into the numbers and discovered

> >

How low you can go with pricing

>

The bottom-line price you can build up from, and perhaps generously, depending on the market and economy

How much room you have to valueengineer a contract to retain a client or compete against another bidder

Get your break-even Before you can figure your minimum price, you’ve got to have a solid budget that aligns with industry benchmarks. With an accurate budget, you’ll know the costs for labor, labor burden, payroll (taxes), equipment costs, subcontractors, equipment rentals, vehicles and materials. You’ll also know your indirect costs, including general administrative overhead. your break-even point: Add your 4 Find direct costs and overhead. This is your

break-even point – the money you’ve got to bring in to stay in business.

net profit margin: Now that you 4 Add have the break-even point, apply the net profit margin. For example, in today’s

BUSINESS healthy market, a residential design/build contractor can apply a 20 percent net profit margin to the break-even point. the math: You’re pricing a job where 4 Do materials cost $3,000, labor is $2,000 and

labor burden is $500. Equipment is $1,500.

That’s $6,000 of direct costs. Your general and administrative overhead expense is $2,000 for a break-even point of $8,000.

Apply a 20 percent net profit margin to $8,000 for a price of $10,000.

your pricing minimum: Start the 4 Set price for this project at $10,000. If your

of the jobs you price. “And in the commercial market, you should win 10 to 15 percent of what you price,” Huston says. “If you win more than that, then you really need to look at pricing because you could be too low.”

Maintaining margins Knowing your lowest price can help no matter your market, and applying those industry benchmarks is a way to stay on track toward profitability.

market allows, charge more. But if a competitor offers do to the same job for $8,000, let it go! You’ll make absolutely no profit if you match that low-ball price since your break-even point is $8,000.

At For-Shore Weed Control in New Jersey, a specialty focus on gravel landscape services allows the business to earn a nice margin without too much competition from area businesses. The company has more than 18,000 clients and has been in business for 30 years, growing steadily during three decades.

“In a depressed market or recession, the customer’s primary concern is, ‘How low can you go?’ ‘How you value-engineer this price and come back with a lower number?’” Huston says. “So, you need to know when to say no in a recessionary or tough market.

“We have competition, but that has never been the driving force in any decision we make,” says owner Mike Matthews. When he first started the business, his theory was to make the service affordable for everyone and to focus on doing volume.

“Now, we are not in that market – it’s the other end of the spectrum, and in a robust market, the client’s primary concern is, ‘When can you start?’”

“I was using a simple 10 percent rule – if materials cost $10, I’d charge $100,” he says.

That model wasn’t sustainable, though, because For-Shore took on more expenses as it grew, including health insurance, more equipment and vehicles. “Things got more complicated as we grew, and that’s when we brought a consultant into the picture to help with a budget and our pricing,” Matthews says.

Huston suggests pushing the limit on pricing in a healthy market. “If you are getting every job, your numbers are too low,” he says.

How low are your numbers?

A residential design/build firm should get 70 to 90 percent of bids submitted. However, in the bid-build market, you should win one-third

The pricing now accurately covers the company’s overhead and direct costs, allowing for an appropriate net profit margin while giving the business an edge in the market. For-Shore is still a volume-focused business. “We keep the efficiency high, volume high and density high and that has been our secret to profitability,” Matthews says.

Reprinted with permission from the October 2017 post by Lawn & Landscape. Visit www. lawnandlandscape.com for more information.

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

Huston says labor is such a problem now that virtually all of his clients could do 20 to 30 percent more work if they had the labor to do it. “Labor prices are going up, so now is the time to raise your prices because as you have huge demand and a limited supply of qualified contractors, prices go up,” he says.

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BUSINESS

Out with the old, in with the new

7 strategies to implement now that will pay off later

by Erin Saunders, ON Services Many businesses are cyclical in nature, with periods

Photo by Helloquence on Unsplash

But less client demand doesn’t mean less work. There are things you can be doing during client lulls to ensure you’re set up to be successful when demand is high.

of great activity and workload, followed by periods with less client demand. But less client demand doesn’t mean less work. There are things you can be doing during client lulls to ensure you’re set up to be successful when demand is high.

1.

File cleanup

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

Slower periods are a great time to evaluate employee files, I9 forms, and employment applications. If you don’t do this regularly, look through your employee files and clean out those that no longer belong with the active files. Use this time to pull contact information of any seasonal workers you want to reach out to for the upcoming season.

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Next, evaluate your I9 files. I9s should be kept separately from employee files. You’ll want to pull out any terminated employee I9s and mark them with a shred-by date. I9s must be retained either three years after the date of hire, or one year after employment is terminated, whichever is later.

2.

Mid-year performance review

Do you have full-time staff, or regularly scheduled part-time staff? Slower periods are a great time to give employee feedback. Schedule some time to sit down with them and see how you are tracking to goals for the year. Give and get some feedback from them on things they think are going really well, as well as areas of concern. The feedback provided at the actual year-end performance review shouldn’t be a

surprise to your employee. Providing feedback throughout the year helps ensure you’re on the same page.

3.

Database cleanup

4.

Marketing

5.

Onboarding

Ideally, customer relationship databases are kept updated throughout the year. If your customer database could use some cleanup, now is a great time to focus on that. Consider scrubbing your customer database. Update any contact information, customer history, or notes that are needed. This will ensure when the busy season comes around, you have the best information on your clients.

The busy season is right around the corner and now is a great time to be top of mind for new or existing clients. Check out your existing marketing tools. Do any need to be updated? Now could also be a good time to brainstorm any new or different ways you want to bring your services to market. Consider updating your social media platforms with any of the recent work or highlights from your business. This will help keep you top of mind with clients and former staff.

Now is also a good time to review your onboarding documents and process. Is your paperwork up to date? Are there any updates that need to be made to the handbook, policies, or other onboarding processes? Now is your chance to look at your onboarding process before you are entrenched in hiring. Check out your job descriptions and postings and make sure they are still up to date. Consider the worker pool you’ll be looking to hire from and make sure your job posting language targets that pool. If you use third-party vendors to help with temporary staffing, connect with them to let them know what you think your needs will be during the next busy season.

BUSINESS

6.

Networking events

Attending and/or presenting at industry conferences is a great way to stay up to date on changes in the industry as well as a great way to build your professional relationships.

Networking isn’t about being pushy or making connections with people because you think they can help you in the future. Truly, networking is just about making genuine connections with people. Once you’ve connected with people, a side effect is that it opens up possibilities for you both to be helpful and seek help, but that typically won’t happen without a genuine connection. Making time for networking events can also be a great way to get ideas you can use in your own business.

7.

Recruiting

Do you have seasonal workers you want to have return? Reaching out to candidates now can give you a feel for how many are interested and able to return this year. Look at the business that is in the pipeline to understand what staffing levels may be needed to help support

the organization. Knowing the business that is already booked, as well as understanding what staff are able to return, can help you understand and plan for additional recruiting efforts or resources that may be needed.

Thoughtfully using slower periods in the business is a key part of ensuring you are strategically set up to handle the busiest times.

A little preparation and planning now will help you have everything you need to support and grow your business in the future.

About the author Erin Saunders is Director of Human Resources with ON Services in Norcross, GA.

P: 770-457-0966 E: Esaunders@ONservices.com

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UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

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BUSINESS

Avoiding a mental meltdown

How to prioritize what's really important to you

by Tom Borg This past December, I became frustrated

Photo by Eberhard Grossgasteiger on Unsplash

Consider a space shuttle on its way to the moon. If it’s off course during a majority of its flight, many, many midcourse corrections will be necessary if it’s ever going to reach its destination.

with the number of scheduled events I’d put on my calendar for the month. It seems that I had inadvertently overscheduled myself, not only with workrelated activities but also with social ones to be spent with friends and family.

I felt like my head was in a vise, and I was having trouble breathing. Sound familiar?

In my case, knowing what my primary driving forces are - that is the top four motivators for me doing the things I do - I was able to begin making some choices.

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

Let me explain my process

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One of the testing instruments I’m certified to administer and use with many of my clients is called the Talent Insights Assessment. I’ve also taken it myself. When I did, it revealed 12 motivators that stimulate me to take action.

These 12 motivators are further divided into three groups of four.

first set of four are my primary driving 4 The forces; they’re the reasons I do the things that are most important to me.

second set of four motivators are the 4 The situational driving forces; these are the

things that motivate me to take a particular action, depending on the situation at hand.

last set of four motivators consists of 4 The the indifferent driving forces, things that in

most situations don’t influence me as much.

The assessment revealed that one of my primary driving forces is “intentional.” This means I am driven to assist others to achieve specific purposes and not simply for the sake of being helpful or supportive.

In other words, I like helping others but not just for the sake of feeling like a nice guy. I want to see some return on my energy and effort. It may be that the person follows through on my suggestions and takes some action that improves their situation. This boosts my self-esteem and reinforces my value to myself and to the person I’m assisting.

Putting the process to work Going back to the scenario I laid out in the beginning — overscheduling myself for the holiday season — I asked myself, “How did this happen?” The answer I heard from the voice within somewhat shocked me. It was so simple, yet so hard to implement. It boiled down to two basic principles:

1. I needed to evaluate which activities were truly a top priority for me.

2. I needed to say no to the activities that were not a high priority for me.

Let’s take a deeper look at this. When it comes to evaluating how much of a priority a business or personal activity should be, I had to ask myself three more questions to make it crystal clear which action I should take:

1.

Did the activity support my personal/ professional mission statement?

Was the activity I was considering truly a part of my long-term plan for professional and personal self-actualization?

2.

BUSINESS If it was not, could I postpone it to another day when I had the appropriate amount of time available or simply not do it at all?

Google calendar (which interfaces nicely with Hubspot), form a suite that works fairly well for me. Could it be better? Certainly. I keep striving to improve it.

3.

Follow Pareto’s Principle. When deciding 4 Once I asked myself those three questions, where you should invest your time, try using it became clear to me what my next actions should be. I was finally able to justify my decisions and make intelligent choices.

In this case, I was able to cancel one of the activities, reschedule two of them and go ahead with the rest, confident that they were supported by my four primary drivers and were truly in line with my personal/professional mission statement.

Pareto’s Principle, or the “80/20 Rule.” When you stop to look at just where your time is going, you’ll begin to see patterns. The question you must ask yourself then is, “Are these patterns supporting or detracting from my ability to achieve the important goals in my life?”

your personal and professional 4Revisit goals. A good time to reassess is during the last

It's your turn How about you? What is your personal/ professional mission statement? Got it? Now, answer the three questions above.

When you’re able to implement this simple system for making wiser choices about how to spend your time, you’ll be well on your way to becoming more productive and satisfied with the activities you do pursue. Like the old saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” here are a few suggestions to help you manage your calendar in a more preventative way, avoid a mental meltdown and get more satisfaction from your life. a good time-management system 4Find that fits with your work style. Many good

So, the next time you find yourself having a minor meltdown, just take a break and ask yourself if the way you’ve prioritized your activities is consistent with your personal/ professional mission statement. If not, make some changes. I bet you’ll be glad you did.

Reprinted with permission from Irrigation & Green Industry magazine. Read more: igin.com/article7157-Avoiding-a-mental-meltdown.html

About the author

You may have looked at a few of these systems.

Maybe you’ve even liked certain parts of one of them, but you’ve failed to find the “perfect” one that does it all. Give up this expectation. Find the one that comes the closest; you can meld other features into it as you go.

For instance, I use a customer relationship management system called Hubspot and a hard copy day planner. These tools, along with my

P: 734.404.5909 E: tom@tomborg.com W: tomborgconsulting.com

Tom Borg is a team performance and customer experience expert who works with small businesses and organizations in the green industry to improve customer acquisition and retention. He helps these organizations through his consulting, speaking, training and mentoring.

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

time-management systems are on the market.

I’ve found that the system that works best for the company leaders and presidents I’ve coached over the years is the one that most closely fits their personal preferences.

week of December as you look ahead to the next year. But this shouldn’t be the only time you do it. Experts agree that reviewing goals as the year unfolds is extremely helpful in keeping yourself on track. Here’s the analogy I use for this: Consider a space shuttle on its way to the moon. If it’s off course during a majority of its flight, many, many midcourse corrections will be necessary if it’s ever going to reach its destination.

33

BUSINESS

Going up against giants

6 tips for competing for talent with the big guys

by Kate Kjeell Is bigger always better? Not

Photo by James Pond on Unsplash

Just as David killed the giant with a strategic blow to the head, small companies can beat their larger competition by knowing their strengths — and the competition’s weaknesses.

necessarily when it comes to recruiting talent. Today’s job seeker is looking for more in a new position than just how big a company is. Just as David killed the giant with a strategic blow to the head, small companies can beat their larger competition by knowing their strengths — and the competition’s weaknesses.

A quick scan of job postings will confirm that the competition for talented professionals is fierce.

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

As the saying goes, “The war for talent is over … and the talent won.”

34

With next to full employment, most candidates, including entry-level workers, have more career options than ever before. That means companies have to up their game to fill their open positions.

This represents a unique challenge for the green industry as over half of it is comprised of small businesses. Competing for talent against companies with bigger name recognition and fatter recruiting budgets can feel like a David versus Goliath scenario. But it doesn’t need to be that way.

Savvy small business leaders can create compelling offerings to candidates, but they

need to be proactive and carefully plan their approach. Here are six tips that can help you bag that highly coveted talent.

1.

Maximize your network. Small

businesses are often well connected locally. Don’t underestimate your network — and if you don’t have one start developing one.

You can get the word out about openings through your membership in green industry and other business associations. (See how UAC members can add job postings to UAC's website on the next page.)

Teaming up with other small businesses can be a great way to leverage your efforts, particularly with companies that are hiring in different areas than you traditionally hire in. This allows you to expand your reach.

Always be on the lookout for great talent even if you don’t have a need for it right then and there.

Establish relationships and build a pipeline of talented individuals before you need them.

This requires a longer view and some care and feeding, but it pays off in big dividends.

Encourage your executive team to do the same.

Recruiting is a team sport and everyone needs to play a position to win in this game.

A recent green industry client took this advice to heart. While we were searching for a national sales manager, we found several candidates who were not quite a fit for that position but would be ideal as regional sales managers. By treating them respectfully and providing a great hiring experience they were left with a good impression of the company. The hiring leader kept in touch with these two candidates, connecting with them on social media and occasionally checking in.

Three months later, when they were ready to hire a regional sales manager, there were already two great candidates in the pipeline ready and waiting. This is a great example of hiring for the future in a competitive market.

BUSINESS Another network to cultivate is early-career talent. Consider local schools and universities as a feeder source. A well-planned internship program can provide you with a great pool of candidates who are already familiar with your company. It will give you a leg up when these candidates graduate and enter the job market.

2.

Turn employees into talent ambassadors. Statistics show that

employee referrals are your best recruiting resource, shortening the time-to-hire interval and providing the highest quality potential hires.

Turn your employees into talent ambassadors by equipping them with the right tools for sharing your available openings. Here are a few specific steps to get your employees thinking like talent ambassadors:

Start small and pick a handful of people 4 who are passionate about your company

Quantifying your employee value 4 proposition.

Empower your talent ambassadors to post 4 about your company on social media. A mix of job posting information and authentic content about your company will provide a nice balance.

Once you get some traction with your core 4 team, build on that success. Have your talent ambassadors enlist the support of others in the company in getting the word out.

If you don’t already offer incentives for employee referrals, consider this an opportunity. Studies show that even small forms of recognition, including those that are nonmonetary, get employees excited about referring candidates. After all, who doesn’t want to work with their friends?

and its mission.

Looking to grow your team?

Did you know that UAC's website has a job posting section?

If you're a business-level member you can post there for free.

Just follow the instructions below, enter your job and contact information, then your posting will be listed on UAC's website for 30 days. It will automatically expire, but you can always post it again if the position hasn't been filled.

Here's how to access: > Go to urbanagcouncil.com > Click on "Members-only content" under "MANAGE" > Log in as a member > Use the email address and password that is associated with your UAC membership > Need help? Contact us:

info@urbanagcouncil.com or 800.687.6949 > Under the "Business" category, click on

"Submit a job posting."

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

> Use the "MEMBERSHIP" menu tab

35

BUSINESS

3.

Create a unique social media footprint. A study by recruiting

technology firm iCIMS stated that over 50 percent of job seekers are using social media to learn about potential employers. For a small company, social media is a great tool to highlight your unique culture and stand out from the crowd. Sharing your company’s values and mission can attract candidates that might be drawn to those things.

For example, the green industry is well positioned to compete with other industries that may not be as environmentally friendly.

Sustainability and environmental awareness are values that resonate with candidates and attract a larger talent pool.

On the other hand, small businesses can overlook negative social media reviews and posts due to a lack of resources or an understanding of their impact. Make sure you are proactively managing your social media message. If left unattended, the most negative voices will drive the narrative.

Highlight career and professional growth opportunities. Nobody enjoys a boring

4.

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

job. This has never been truer than with the millennial workforce. A key competitive advantage of a small business over a larger one is the opportunity to wear multiple hats.

Small companies inherently embrace employees playing different roles and stretching themselves in different areas; this is compelling to many job seekers.

36

Make sure you are specific about what this looks like in various roles and provide examples.

This will capture a candidate’s imagination and attention more than the typical vague statement most companies put out there such as, “We encourage employee growth.” Show them what that means.

In addition to having broader roles for their employees, small companies have less bureaucracy and typically make decisions quicker. It’s exciting to a candidate to understand the impact he or she can make

on a business by having the flexibility to make decisions and have visibility across an organization.

5.

Retain the employees you already have. Sometimes the best

defense is a good offense. Companies that do a great job of developing and retaining their employees don’t have to spend a lot of time and effort on recruiting. Retaining and developing employees that are already contributing to your business is one of the best strategies for competing with the big companies.

6.

Move quickly in the hiring process. This is another competitive

advantage that small companies have over larger ones. Big organizations often make a candidate face six or even more interviewers before a decision is made. An organization that is willing to act fast on a good candidate has a big advantage.

If these tips feel daunting, start small and pick one area to concentrate on. But don’t let the week go by without committing to be proactive in your recruiting strategy. With some focus and creative thinking, your company can become a “giant killer” when it comes to competing for great talent against bigger — but not necessarily better — companies.

Reprinted with permission from Irrigation & Green Industry magazine. Read more: https://igin.com/ article-7219-Going-up-against-giants.html

About the author

E: kate@talentwellinc.com

Kate Kjeell is president of TalentWell, a recruiting firm that specializes in helping small and mid-sized businesses find and hire the right people to enable them to thrive.

The firm’s approach can be described in three words: find, fit, flourish.

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

37

BUSINESS

Explore your options

Get the most bang for your equipment buck

by Mary Elizabeth Williams-Villano The term “heavy metal” is used to

describe a genre of ear-splitting, headbanging music. But it’s also a good term for describing the large equipment you must use as a contractor.

Do you remember that first piece of big iron you bought for your business — that first zero-turn mower, dump truck or skid steer? There may have been ““The key is understanding your some head-banging involved there, too, options. List all the pros and cons to depending on how help you see which type of financing the transaction went. would be a better fit for you.”

We hope to give you – Mac Braun some tips on buying, Wells Fargo Equipment Finance leasing or renting equipment so you can do it without banging your head ... unless you want to, of course.

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

Why buy?

38

Many contractors prefer to own their equipment. Jorge Castaneda, owner and president of Arboristas, a tree care company based in Santa Clarita, California, buys the machinery he uses to trim and cut trees. “The heavy equipment, like a wood chipper or a chipper truck, a dump truck, a boom truck, those are hard assets that don’t devalue as fast as regular vehicles,” says Castaneda. “It’s better to buy them new and use them over the long haul.”

Frank Niccoli used to own a large landscape company in the San Francisco Bay Area. He sold his business in 2013 after 35 years in business. Now he teaches contractors what he’s learned. One of his classes covers how to buy equipment.

“One of the first things my students hear is ‘The 50 Percent Rule’ — if a piece of equipment is going to sit idle 50 percent of the time, then it should not be purchased.”

But there are exceptions to that. “It depends on what your goals are,” adds Niccoli. “If you’re planning a growth spurt, you may be able to justify that purchase if your productivity is going to increase because of it.” A good example of this is being able to cut more grass with that new 72-inch zero-turn rider than with your old 21inch walk-behind.

Niccoli advises doing a “true lifetime cost analysis” of the machine or vehicle you’re considering. “That includes the cost of the maintenance and replacement parts it’ll need, the per-gallon cost of the fuel and the sales tax and interest you’ll pay on the financing. That’s how you’ll see that a $30,000 piece of equipment ends up costing you $52,000 over its lifetime.”

A lot of contractors wait until the end of the year to buy equipment. If he finds himself flush with cash at year’s end, his tax advisor may say it’s time to buy something to get the write-off.

But Niccoli says this is not the best approach.

“You really should be able to project what your company’s going to be making in the next three months. When owners are surprised they have all this cash on hand, it just tells me they’re not managing that company, the company is managing them.” He continues, “Ideally, you should be able to say, ‘I’m going to have a

BUSINESS surplus, so I should talk to my division leaders and crews and see what kind of stuff I should be investing in’ — instead of saying ‘Hey, now I can go get a crane!’” He saw a company do just that. “The thing just sat there, rusting away.

They were trying to get other contractors to rent it from them because they couldn’t utilize it.”

Finally, before you buy any piece of equipment, Niccoli says you should have your crew members work with it. Many companies will let you demo something for a week. This helps your people get beyond the “shiny new penny” effect so you can get their honest opinions of the machine. And don’t forget to account for the time it will take to train your crew on the new equipment.

Castaneda stressed the importance of finding a reputable local dealer and establishing a relationship with him. “You need to be able to trust that brand and that dealer and make sure that you like that piece of equipment you’re buying because you’re going to be using it for a good 10 years.”

With a good relationship established, Castaneda says, “If you have an issue, he will go out of his way to resolve it for you. That is critical because for a contractor, time is everything.”

What about leasing?

Joe Areyano is CEO and owner of Olympic Landscape, Puyallup, Washington, a company that does design/build, irrigation, landscape installation and maintenance. It employs around 60 people at any given time and generates around $5.5 million a year in revenue.

When it comes to leasing, there are many different options.

Mac Braun, senior vice president for agriculture, golf and turf markets at Wells Fargo Equipment Finance, explains the most common types available to contractors.

Dollar-out: Similar to a loan, you make payments, and at the

end of the lease ownership is transferred to you. After leasing a $50,000 dump truck for 60 months, having already paid $49,999, you would hand over the $1 buyout fee and the truck is yours.

Purchase-on-termination: The finance company sets a

residual, and you agree that when the lease ends you’ll buy it for that amount. A $10,000 piece of equipment with a 10 percent residual is $1,000. At the end you pay the $1,000 and you own it. The benefit of this type of lease is lower payments during the term.

Fair market value/operating: The finance company sets

a residual, but at the end of the lease you have the option to buy or return the piece of equipment. This type of lease gives a contractor great flexibility with cash flow and is generally less expensive than other leases or conventional financing. The higher the residual the lower the payments.

Terminal rental adjustment clause: These are generally

limited to over-the-road equipment. At the end of the leasing term you can buy the item for the residual, trade it in for a new model, keep the lease going by financing the residual or give it back to the bank. The bank will then sell the vehicle. Should the bank realize more than the residual amount in the sale, you’ll get a check for the difference. But should the bank not get the full residual you’ll have to make up the difference.

Various financing options have been employed over the company’s long history, but the current favorite is leasing. “We’ve been primarily leasing our equipment and assets, everything from our larger mowers, stand-on mowers, skid steers, excavators and even our trucks,” says Areyano.

Considering that a commercial mower typically lasts around 3,000 hours in daily use, mowing eight to 10 hours a day, or the equivalent of about three years, a threeyear leasing arrangement makes a lot of sense.

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

“Having a machine go down on a job site is a big deal — you’re not going to get that job done today. But if you’ve established a relationship with the dealer you bought that piece of machinery from, you could end up getting a loaner. He will even come to your job site and drop it off so you can keep working while he looks into the issue you’re having.”

Types of leases

39

BUSINESS cases, the lease is more advantageous. But that’s something you need to discuss with your tax advisor.”

Would Areyano advise leasing to a contractor just starting out? “Absolutely,” he says. I would say that for any new company leasing is definitely the way to go, especially when you don’t know what projects you’ll have in the future.” “‘Cash is king’ is an old saying for a reason,” he continues. “You want to preserve as much cash as you can as a newer company and as an older one.

Especially in your starting years, you have less access to cash and less experience in using that cash.

Graphic courtesy of Irrigation & Green Industry magazine.

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

“We’ve definitely changed our approach,” he continues. “It’s only been this leasing effort over the last three or four years. Before, we’d take out loans or pay cash for the assets we bought.

Our larger vehicles, like our dump trucks, are primarily on TRAC (terminal rental adjustment clause) leases.”

40

Since taking over the business from his father who founded it 41 years ago, Areyano has expanded it by acquiring several different companies and is looking for others. Leasing helps preserve his cash while he’s in expansion mode. “A good, healthy balance sheet without a lot of debt on it definitely helps when purchasing new businesses, whether it’s with a loan or with cash,” he says. He also finds it easier to write off a leased asset’s purpose on his taxes at the end of the year.

The IRS code allows a lessee to maintain the full deductibility of a leased asset even though there’s a predetermined residual value. Only the bank gets to write off the depreciation, however.

Mac Braun, senior vice president for agriculture, golf and turf markets at Wells Fargo Equipment Finance, says, “There are tax advantages to a lease that may be applicable. What you have to do is compare that to your bonus depreciation to see which is more advantageous. In some

These days, interest rates are so good, so I would take advantage of those special financing programs.”

Another benefit to leasing is that you can prevent buyer’s remorse. You have the ability to change equipment instead of being stuck with something you may not use as much as you thought. You might be one to two years into a lease and determine you need a newer or a different machine. It’s much easier to upgrade that piece of equipment if you’ve leased it versus being tied into a purchase.

There are special programs, too, such as John Deere’s Ultimate Forgiveness Program. “We want to encourage our customers to lease, so we offer a discount on any damage a returned machine has,” says Angie Harms, tactical marketing planner at John Deere Financial. “If you’re over or under hours, we’ll forgive some of those. It’s a benefit you also get for being a return customer.”

Castaneda prefers to lease his pickups and business-developer vehicles, because “it’s better to put a bunch of miles on them, give them back to the dealer and exchange them, so you always have a newer fleet.”

BUSINESS I asked Ed Roberts, senior vice president, specialty markets, transportation for Wells Fargo, if a contractor would pay hundreds or thousands of dollars more for something under a lease agreement versus a purchase plan. “He would,” he admitted, but that’s not the whole story. “He also needs to look at the opportunity cost of that money.”

For example, he explains, “I can drop $100,000 to buy a truck, or I can lease it and put $3,000 to $4,000 down. If I lease it, I still have $80,000 or $95,000 with which I can fund other business options.” It may cost more to lease, he concludes, but ask yourself, “Would it be better for me to invest in a depreciating asset or go after some new business opportunity that comes up, like the chance to buy out my competitor?”

To Roberts, “It’s better to use that cash to grow my business instead.”

But there’s also renting Renting can be a good option when you need a machine for a certain job but won’t need it all the time.

Then, you’d go see someone like Rex Alligood.

He works at Ag-Pro Rentals in Quitman, Georgia, where he rents machinery to contractors in Alabama, Florida and Georgia.

“If it’s something like a mini excavator that they don’t use every day or a tractor with a trencher on it for a big job, they’ll rent it,” Alligood says. “That keeps their overhead down because they’re not making a payment on something they only need a couple times a year that sits idle most of the time in their shop.”

Stan Hoglund, owner of Hoglund Landscape, Fargo, North Dakota, rents equipment from time to time. “If it’s something I don’t have

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BUSINESS Reprinted with permission from Irrigation & Green Industry magazine.

Read more: https:// igin.com/article7158-Get-the-mostbang-for-yourequipment-buck. html

because I hardly ever use it, like a backhoe, I’ll go rent one just for the day,” he says.

understanding your options,” Braun says. “List all the pros and cons to help you see which type of financing would be a better fit for you.”

And some landscape maintenance companies apparently rent everything they use. “We deal with quite a few landscapers that own very little equipment,” says Alligood. “Because they have the flexibility to rent things on a week-to-week basis, some of them feel that nowadays they may not need to own anything.”

He adds, “If you like fresh equipment, keeping things under warranty and lower payments, then leasing is a very good option, but if you typically keep your equipment for a long time, and especially if a manufacturer is running any kind of low-interest special or rebate with a conventional loan, buying may be a better option.”

Don’t forget the “used” option This option can work well, but it’s not like it was during the recession of 2008 when lots of used trucks and equipment were available because landscape companies were liquidating their assets. Some of these were great values.

Whatever options you choose, we hope all of your equipment steers you toward a profitable, headache-free 2019.

Now, the pickings are slimmer and come with higher mileage. You have to consider what a used machine might cost you in downtime, upkeep or repairs versus something brand new.

Your financing decision will depend on your company’s individual circumstances. “The key is

About the author The author is senior editor of Irrigation & Green Industry magazine and can be reached atmaryvillano@igin.com.

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INDUSTRY

Sine Die

UAC members invest in Capitol relationships

by Bryan Tolar, Tolar Capitol Partners After years of working closely with UAC staff and members, I was given the

opportunity to serve as the eyes, ears and voice of UAC members at the Georgia State Capitol during the 2019 session of the Georgia General Assembly. I’m grateful.

A key element to your business success is having insight and engagement with elected leaders from across the state.

All 180 Members in the House and 56 in the Senate need to know about UAC issues and opportunities so we can continue to advance and protect policies that are important to UAC members. It’s an honor to put my experience to work to work for you, Georgia’s leading landscape, turfgrass, and horticulture association.

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

2019 legislative session

44

With the 2019 legislative session behind us, it could best be summarized in one word: Progress. With a new Governor in Brian Kemp, a new Lieutenant Governor in Geoff Duncan, and a long list of over 40 new state legislators, it was important for UAC to cement relationships that will build in the years ahead. Most importantly, we took cues from your member survey responses and kept our eye on the ball. Your feedback focused on labor shortages, water use, advancing agriculture, and state budget priorities.

This input served us well as the session concluded in early April, but our work is just getting started. Here’s a quick look at key issues and what’s ahead for UAC members.

Workforce Senate 4Ag Study Committee To help address our industry workforce challenges, the Georgia Senate approved SR 460, the Senate Agriculture, Forestry, and

Landscape Workforce Access Study Committee.

This effort by Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Wilkinson could help uncover workforce solutions for UAC member companies, among others. Planning is already underway and, starting this summer, this study committee is planning to host three hearings across the state to gather input from business and industry leaders, as well as state agency heads and state lawmakers.

The Committee consists of nine members and includes the Executive Director of the Georgia Urban Agriculture Council, Mary Kay Woodworth. Three Senators, the Commissioner of Agriculture, the State School Superintendent, the Commissioner of Labor, and two appointed citizen members (to be named in the weeks ahead) round out the committee.

Employers in landscape, agriculture, and forestry will have the opportunity to share their struggles to find the necessary workforce to meet production demands.

It’s crucial that this committee recognize the important role of agriculture, forestry, and landscape jobs and the economic benefits provided state wide. Following meetings across the state, the committee will report their findings by the end of the year. We hope you will make time to attend a meeting along the way as UAC continues to engage on this critical challenge of workforce access.

production 4Hemp The "Georgia Hemp Farming Act," HB

213 by Representative John Corbett was signed into law by Governor Brian Kemp on May 10. This sets the stage for Commissioner of Agriculture Gary Black, in consultation with Governor Kemp and Attorney General Chris Carr, to submit a plan to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture for state regulation of industrial hemp production by the Georgia

INDUSTRY Department of Agriculture. Senator Tyler Harper carried it in the Senate and made several helpful adjustments along the way.

Numerous UAC members took an interest in the hemp production process, whether growing seedlings in greenhouses, handling certification, farming of the hemp crop, or plant processing.

Hemp grown for this program has a very low maximum of .3% THC level. This is much different from the medical cannabis oil used for seizures and other approved treatments that contains up to 5% THC. The Georgia Department of Agriculture is working to provide hemp production details soon, but we understand Mike Evans, Program Director of Plant Protection, will be a primary contact.

He can be reached at 404-586-1140 or Mike.Evans@agr.georgia.gov.

reporting exemption 4Pesticide HB 223 by Representative Robert Dickey, a Georgia peach grower near Macon, clarifies that pesticide application practices are not considered a “release of a hazardous

UAC membership benefited from many legislative leaders this year including Senator John Wilkinson (left) and Representative Tom McCall (right). substance.” This is common-sense to most folks, but it was a good move to lock it down in Georgia law moving forward. Senator John Wilkinson carried it the Senate and Governor Kemp signed the bill into law on May 6. Like most new laws, it becomes effective on July 1, 2019.

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

45

INDUSTRY budget 4State Governor Kemp signed the $27.5 billion state

budget, the largest budget in Georgia's history, on May 10. It includes several enhancements to projects of interest to UAC, most notably is the $2.5 million in state bonds for the UGA greenhouse complex project in Athens. We’ll need to keep pushing for additional funding for this project, but this is a good start.

In addition, the Department of Agriculture received $204,000 to add a staff position and funds for managing the Georgia Ag Tax Exemption (GATE) program and UGA Extension received $656,000 to add a dozen new county educators, plus $641,000 to add a couple of precision ag positions and a vegetable breeder.

On the environmental management side, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division got $215,000 to assist with the farm irrigation metering program, $134,000 to add two new compliance specialist positions, and $109,000 for statewide water planning.

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

Our UAC member poll showed there was great interest in school teachers receiving a $3,000 raise, which was also included in this historic budget along with a boost in wages for all state employees. This budget will run July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020. With state tax revenue growth of 5% above the previous year and population on the rise, we could see an even larger budget proposed by Governor Kemp in January 2020.

46

to Farm 4Right Very important policy discussions started this

year regarding enhancements to Georgia’s existing Right to Farm protections. With key legislative champions in House Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom McCall and Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Wilkinson, consideration is being given to changes to would strengthen this important nuisance protection policy. Legal challenges regarding nuisance issues have long been a big potential problem for Georgia farm facilities.

We are seeing legal challenges made to farms in other states – we know the threat is real. As

farm operations change and property swaps hands, we must carefully strike the balance of farm rights and neighboring property rights to be successful. With UAC member input, the leadership of elected leaders, and a strong partnership of all of our agriculture and forestry allies, we will continue our work in the 2020 legislative session. Building the right balance and establishing the best legal protections for these farm operations is the right move for our future.

Support and gratitude UAC membership benefited from many legislative leaders this year and I wanted to highlight just a few: Senator John Wilkinson, Senator Tyler Harper, Senator Jack Hill, Senator Freddie Powell Sims, Representative Tom McCall, Representative John Corbett, Representative Patty Bentley, Representative Robert Dickey, and Representative Terry England. Time and time again, they support UAC issues and I know we are grateful for each of them.

Most of all, thank you for your support of UAC. Your dues, engagement, participation, and encouragement help build our brand. With your continued help, we will further advance our reputation in the public policy arena.

Our issues will lead to a better Georgia and a thriving economic environment for all aspects of our diverse industry. We can’t do it without you – thank you!

About the author Bryan Tolar is principal of Tolar Capitol Partners, Inc. which brings over 25 years of governmental and political affairs experience to best serve clients. They have a long list of legislative and regulatory successes while leading in the government affairs arena.

E: btolar@tolarcapitolpartners.com

INDUSTRY

Pennisi named UGA faculty fellow Fellowship will develop online training

by Sharon Dowdy for CAES News UGA Department of Horticulture Professor Bodie Pennisi has been named a UGA Public Service and Outreach (PSO) Faculty Fellow for 2019-2020.

The PSO Fellowship Program provides UGA professors with an opportunity to apply their research and course curriculum to the needs of a specific PSO unit. The program creates sustained relationships between the designated unit and the Faculty Fellows’ department.

Through the fellowship, Pennisi will work with UGA’s Small Business Development Center to implement online business training designed for landscape business owners and managers.

The training will include essential topics like financials, marketing, cost estimating, employee retention and customer service.

In the future, the online training module will be used across UGA Cooperative Extension and as an online class for UGA undergraduate students. An experienced online educator, Pennisi will be using her horticulture and landscape expertise to help small businesses across Georgia.

Based on the UGA Griffin campus, Pennisi coordinates a statewide program that supports the professional landscape industry. As UGA Extension’s horticulturist and landscape specialist, she also assists UGA Extension agents with landscape troubleshooting, landscape planning and local programming.

She also conducts applied research focused on evaluating wildflowers and ornamental plants for attractiveness to pollinators and natural

"Online learning and online content delivery have become an important part of both outreach programming and the academic process. Not only does this format appeal to younger clientele but also has the potential to reach a wider audience.

Additionally, learning as part of a cohort has been the hallmark of quality education. Supportive peer group is essential in effective training, as peers work together to learn concepts, work as a team, and solve problems. Interaction with successful and established business owners also is important as it gives the new entrepreneurs ample opportunity to ask questions and interact in a small group setting." ~ Bodie Pennisi About the author

Sharon Dowdy is a news editor with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

She currently teaches three online courses at UGA: Plant Physiology, Herbs, Spices, and Medicinal Plants, and Plants, Pollinators, and You.

enemies, as well as other sustainable practices for outdoor and indoor landscapes.

She serves as educational adviser to the Georgia Green Industry Association, Based on the UGA Griffin campus, Bodie the Georgia Pennisi coordinates a statewide program Urban Agriculture that supports the professional landscape Council and the industry. She also assists UGA Extension national nonprofit agents with landscape troubleshooting, organization Green landscape planning and local programming, Plants for Green and she conducts applied research on Buildings. She wildflowers and ornamental plants. also serves on the environmental committee of the National Initiative for Consumer Horticulture, the board of directors of the Griffin Region College and Career Academy, and is a co-editor-in-chief of the journal Scientia Horticulturae.

47

INDUSTRY

UAC works closely with Tolar Capitol Partners, monitoring and reporting weekly during each legislative session through Capitol Connection updates. These e-newsletters also include short surveys to "take the pulse" of

our UAC members on important issues. If you work for a UAC member company and would like to be added to this email list, please contact us at info@urbanagcouncil.com.

Here are some recent survey results from UAC members:

Q

As this legislative session enters the final weeks, which of the following issues would you rank as your highest priority?

RESULTS: Identify programs to gain workers for landscape & farm jobs.................................. 48% Enhance the Right to Farm Act to better protect agriculture & forestry................... 25% Make opportunities for hemp production in greenhouse & farm facilities............... 19% Add state budget funds for research facilities and staff positions...............................8%

UAC's workforce development outreach includes a focus on engaging with students, teachers and guidance counselors and promote the career opportunities available in the landscape, turf and horticulture industry. It's a marathon, not a sprint, as we work together to create the future workforce. Which of the following workforce shortage is impacting your business?

Q

RESULTS: Maintenance................................................................................................................55%:

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

Installation...................................................................................................................22% Farm Labor...................................................................................................................16% Design and Construction...............................................................................................7%

Q

Lawmakers will soon finish their work in Atlanta and head home. What would you like to see UAC do to connect you with the legislative process?

RESULTS: I like to watch from afar, so the legislative updates are just fine............................... 36% Provide opportunities for legislative leaders to engage at UAC events...................... 29% Plan tours for lawmakers so they can better understand our industry..................... 21% Host an event so we can meet with them at the State Capitol.................................... 14%

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SEED sponsorship opportunities support | energize | enable | develop

SEED sponsorships offer our members an additional opportunity to promote their businesses and support UAC at a level beyond the membership dues.

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UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

tree_logotypeUpdateGENERIC.pdf

49

INDUSTRY

New faces at NICH

Gordon and Woodworth join NICH leadership

by Ellen M. Bauske, PhD In November 2018, we added two new members to the National Initiative for Consumer Horticulture (NICH) leadership.

Sylvia Gordon joined the team as Co-Vice Chair. She holds an ornamental horticulture degree from the University of Florida. Sylvia is a landscape designer/garden consultant and has 35 years as a wholesale specialty grower of tropical ornamental plants in her Zone 10b-11 South Florida Nursery.

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

We asked these women three questions so you could get to know them.

This is what they answered.

50

Sylvia Gordon

Designer/Consultant Wholesale Grower

She has served her industry in many capacities over the years. Sylvia has served on local and state boards and committees for Florida’s Nursery and Landscape Association, the Florida Farm Bureau, the Tropical Research and Education Center, the Miami-Dade County Cooperative Extension Service, and the University of Florida’s Wedgworth Leadership Institute – this list is not comprehensive! This work has helped shaped the grower, designer and consultant she is today.

Mary Kay Woodworth

Executive Director Georgia Urban Ag Council

What is the thing you like the most about your job?

“As a grower, I love teaching people about plants; I’m passionate about sharing info about the right plant for the right place, the science about the plant’s care as well as trivia and alternatives to the plants ornamental use.”

“I get to do something different every day; meeting and recruiting new members, advocating and promoting the industry and hanging out in beautiful landscapes and spaces.”

If you could change careers, just for a month, what would you do?

“I would love to work in a botanic garden somewhere in the extreme Southwest or Northwest part of the US. that is a complete contrast to the tropics and the plant material I grow.”

“Something that I did in a previous career – bartending! It’s got a lot of similarity to my current career: meeting interesting people and some real characters.”

When you are not working, what do you like to do?

“Go someplace I have never been; immerse myself in the locale, people, cuisine and of course the plants & gardens of another culture.”

“Relax in my beautiful backyard in Atlanta or at our family house in the New Hampshire White Mountains with my husband, our children and friends. After raising four wonderful children, my husband and I are really enjoying spending time with them as adults (and now with spouses, significant others and grandkids).”

INDUSTRY Sylvia attended the NICH National Meeting in Atlanta in 2018 and was hooked.

“I have always been an advocate for and promoter of using more plant material. For non- industry members, NICH will help create the passion and love for plants that is felt by members of the industry. From a business standpoint, NICH is the vehicle that ultimately puts horticultural product and services into the lives of the end consumer.”

us who live on it. We need to make sure more folks experience these benefits! The NICH marketing committee looks forward to spreading the word.”

Mary Kay is the Executive Director of the Georgia Urban Ag Council, Georgia's premier professional organization for all sectors of the urban agriculture industry: landscape installation, design and maintenance, turfgrass and sod growers, the nursery and horticulture industry, landscape architects, irrigation Mary Kay Woodworth also joined NICH contractors, green wholesalers, retail garden leadership in November. She has taken over centers, floriculturists, athletic field and golf leadership of the Marketing Committee. course management and others. She works “What’s an easier task than promoting the closely with the University of Georgia’s environmental, social, health and economic Cooperative Extension Service and other benefits of horticulture? We’ve got a great Turf,and Inc. all — 1/2 Horizontal Ad and for Deep Southeducators Turf Expo Program turfgrass in the state. industry that does good forMid theTenn planet of Pagehorticultural

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UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

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INDUSTRY

Glenn Burton

A leader of the "Green Revolution"

by James Hataway You may never have heard the name Glenn Burton before, but you’ve almost certainly seen his handiwork.

Glenn Burton examines grass cultivars being grown on the UGA-Tifton campus.

In a career spanning more than six decades, most of which was spent as a professor at the University of Georgia’s Tifton campus, Burton established himself as one of the world’s most prolific agricultural scientists, and you don’t have to search long to find one of his creations.

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

From championship golf courses and international venues like the Olympics and the World Cup to the turf that adorns the playing surface in the University of Georgia’s Sanford Stadium, Burton created new grass varieties that have become the international standard for excellence in the sporting world.

52

But the scientific genius that allowed Burton to create lush green fairways on golf courses and turf capable of withstanding punishment on the gridiron also enabled him to develop new crop varieties that fed millions of hungry people during a time when the world was struggling to produce enough food for a rapidly growing population.

He saved countless lives during the “Green Revolution” of the 1960s, and Burton’s many contributions continue to inspire scientists working to create a more dependable food supply today.

“Helping feed the hungry of the world is my greatest accomplishment,” Burton is quoted as saying. “It was important to me because I saw those hungry people, and I was able to help them.”

In 1982, Burton was awarded a National Medal of Science by President Ronald Reagan “for outstanding contributions to the biological sciences that have helped to feed the hungry, protect and beautify the environment and provide recreation for millions.”

Feeding the hungry Burton’s story began, appropriately enough, on his family’s farm in Clatonia, Nebraska. He was born Glenn Willard Burton in 1910, the only child of Joseph and Nellie Burton, and he worked the land alongside his parents using horse-drawn equipment.

He attended a one-room country school through the eighth grade before graduating from high school in 1927. Burton received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska in 1932 and moved to Rutgers University, where he received his master’s and doctoral degrees in 1933 and 1936, respectively.

Burton and his wife, Helen, moved to Georgia following his graduation, where he would spend the remainder of his career on the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Tifton campus developing new and innovative plant varieties for agriculture and recreation.

“I don’t think I’ve ever met a person or known a person that was more dedicated to research than he was,” said Wayne Hanna, a professor of

INDUSTRY crop and soil sciences who worked closely with Burton for a number of years. “He didn’t watch television, he only read scientific literature and his only real hobby was gardening.”

Burton spent almost every waking hour thinking about ways to improve plants, and he would happily share his love of science with anyone willing to listen.

“He was sitting at a table next to me at a wedding, and I overheard him telling guests the details of reciprocal recurrent phenotypic selection,” Hanna said. “I don’t think they had a clue what he was talking about, but that’s just how passionate he was about his work. He would talk about it nonstop if you let him.”

And his was a passion that changed the world.

By 1960, Burton became one of the most sought-after experts on plant genetics, breeding and development. He traveled to more than 50 countries, where he would consult with researchers and students about crop improvement.

It was also a time of great concern. The world’s population was growing at an unprecedented rate, and scientists issued dire warnings about the possibility of mass starvation unless farmers could find a way to produce more food.

Burton gave Rockefeller scientists a packet of pearl millet seeds that he had developed in Tifton, a cross between U.S. versions of the crop and Indian cultivars, which could grow in climates once considered too arid for grain production.

Indian farmers began experimenting with his seeds, and the results were nothing short of astonishing.

Burton’s work on pearl millet and Nobelist Norman Borlaug’s work on wheat are credited with helping to prevent famine in India, according to Arnel Hallauer, Burton’s biographer and Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Iowa State University.

From farmland to fairways

Glenn Burton displays his Tifton 10 grass at a turf conference. From the USGA: “In 1974, Dr. Burton left his office at the Coastal Plains Experiment Station for a trip to China to collect interesting bermudagrass plants. He found a clone in a home lawn in Shanghai that looked interesting to him. This plant remained one of many in his collection until he and colleague Dr. Wayne Hanna learned that some of its unique characteristics would make it ideal for use on athletic fields and other low-input locations where bermudagrass is desirable. The variety that emerged from Dr. Burton’s China sample was named Tifton 10 upon commercial release in 1988.”

While helping to feed the hungry of the world may be Burton’s greatest legacy, it is not his only one. He led an extraordinarily productive laboratory at UGA’s Tifton campus, which celebrates its centennial this year, and his discoveries proved invaluable for the region’s agricultural industry.

When he arrived in Tifton, he quickly realized that the cattle industry in the Southeast suffered from a lack of quality forage grass, and he began experimenting with bermudagrass around 1936 to help solve the problem.

Bermudagrass was a controversial choice, because at the time it was considered an invasive weed that plagued crop farmers. Seeds from bermudagrass would blow into fields and, if not dealt with quickly, could overtake farmland and destroy crops.

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

Burton had been working on different varieties of pearl millet, a grain crop grown in many parts of Asia and Africa, and he developed a partnership with scientists from the Rockefeller Foundation who were working to increase crop yields in developing countries.

Pearl millet production increased from 3.5 million metric tons in 1965 to 8 million metric tons by 1970.

From the seeds Burton provided, Indian scientists were able to produce new hybrid plants that yielded 88 percent more grain than other varieties.

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INDUSTRY

Glenn Burton with his Tifton 85 bermudagrass, which remains one of the top forage grasses in the world.

But in just a few years, Burton managed to create a hybrid grass that was a mixture of local grasses and grasses taken from South Africa. It had to be propagated by planting sprigs, not seed, so it was unlikely to invade neighboring fields.

The grass more than doubled forage production in the American South, and farmers planted millions of acres with Burton’s creation.

“He completely revolutionized the cattle industry in

the Southeast,” said Hanna. In effect, Burton had taken one of the region’s worst weeds and turned it into one of the world’s best forage grasses.

Burton would continue his research on grasses, releasing newer and better varieties, including Tifton 85, which remains one of the top forage grasses in the world.

News spread quickly about Burton’s expertise, and he was approached by the United States Golf Association, which offered him $500 a year to research new grasses for golf greens, tees and fairways. Never one to shy away from an opportunity to conduct more research, Burton agreed.

Things weren’t so great for southern golfers at the time. Many putting greens were nothing more than compacted sand that were painted green to give the illusion of a traditional putting surface.

But Burton’s ingenuity quickly remedied that situation. He produced a number of hybrid

Glenn Burton: Honors and Awards 1949: American Society of Agronomy Stevenson Award Fellow, American Society of Agronomy 1955: Honorary D.Sc. degree from Rutgers University 1962: Honorary D.Sc. degree from University of Nebraska 1968: Agricultural Institute of Canada Recognition Award 1973: DuPont Foundation Medal for Distinguished Service to Man 1975: Elected to the National Academy of Sciences 1979: DeKalb Crop Science Distinguished Career Award UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

1980: USDA Distinguished Service Award

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1980: Southern Turfgrass Association Honorary Member Award 1981: President’s Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service 1983: National Medal of Science from President Reagan 1984: Elected into University of Georgia Agricultural Alumni Hall of Fame 1985: Fellow, Crop Science Society of America 1988: The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Award 1994: Inducted in Georgia Turfgrass Hall of Fame 1995: Inducted into Georgia Golf Hall of Fame 1997: Inducted into Georgia Cattlemen’s Hall of Fame 1997: Crop Science Society of America Presidential Award

INDUSTRY bermudagrasses that still adorn courses throughout the South.

something better, something stronger, something that would help more people.

“He was looking for specific characteristics [in grass] that would enable the golfer to play a better game of golf,” said Earl Elsner, an agronomist who worked for more than 30 years at UGA. “I don’t think Dr. Burton ever played a game of golf, but he studied it, he talked to people, he discussed it with superintendents to the point that he understood what the golf game required.”

Before his death in 2005, he and his wife established the Glenn and Helen Burton Feeding the Hungry Scholarship, which is awarded to doctoral students at UGA whose research involves the development of food crops.

A life of service His tireless work ethic combined with his insatiable scientific curiosity made Burton a giant in his field, but you’d never know it.

“I remember him talking with local farmers on the phone at night … trying to help them figure out a problem or giving them advice,” said Glenn Burton’s son Robert Burton. “Dad always had time for anyone.”

It was the work that ultimately gave Burton the greatest satisfaction – the never-ending quest for

Content and photos courtesy of the University of Georgia.

“He loved what he was doing and he wanted to share that with students,” Robert Burton said.

“He was happy doing research and he wanted to live a hands-on way of life.”

Georgia Groundbreakers

This story is part of a series, called Georgia Groundbreakers, that celebrates innovative and visionary faculty, students, alumni and leaders throughout the history of the University of Georgia—and their profound, enduring impact on our state, our nation and the world.

Learn more about the outstanding UGA men and women in the Georgia Groundbreakers series. https://news.uga.edu/groundbreakers

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

55

INDUSTRY

73rd Annual Southeast Turfgrass Conference Pike Creek Turf hosts tour and dinner

“In the past, the prettiest turf with the most input was fine, but now people are really leaning towards an acceptable turf with little to no input,” he said. “A grass doesn’t need to be the most beautiful thing if people don’t have to do much to it.”

Schwartz spoke about UGA’s efforts to develop the right hybrids for homeowners, golf course superintendents and sports field managers. He will also discuss the progress on creating a more resilient zoysia grass.

Participants visited a variety of turfgrass fields on Pike Creek Turf's 1800-acre farm, which is described as the largest producer of fumigated, Georgia Certified Turfgrasses in the southeastern United States.

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

Conference attendees for the 73rd annual Southeast Turfgrass Conference were

56

invited to arrive a day early for a tour of Pike Creek Turf in Adel, Georgia on Wednesday, April 24. The tour was led by Jaimie Allen, owner of Pike Creek Turf. Participants visited a variety of turfgrass fields on the 1800-acre farm, which is described as the largest producer of fumigated, Georgia Certified Turfgrasses in the southeastern United States. Allen showed off Pike Creek’s state of the art International Sprig Washing facility, which enables them to rapidly grow their international sales. The tour closed with a barbeque dinner at their beautiful “barn,” hosted by the Allen family and Pike Creek Turf.

The conference was held on Thursday, April 25, at the University of Georgia Tifton campus Information presented during the conference highlighted the latest trends in turfgrass breeding, according to Brian Schwartz, turfgrass breeder at UGA-Tifton. A key issue right now is cost efficiency, he added.

“Often zoysia grass doesn’t recover after wear from sports or dogs, or infection from diseases,” he said. “My focus is making it more disease tolerant, and hopefully, more injury resilient.”

David Jespersen, a turfgrass physiologist based on the UGA Griffin campus, discussed the importance of understanding plant physiology in order to improve turfgrass performance, and Jing Zhang, a turfgrass research scientist at UGA-Tifton, discussed the use of drones and cameras in turfgrass research and how they could help turfgrass breeders produce droughtresistant varieties in the Southeast.

Paul Raymer, a turfgrass breeder based at UGAGriffin, spoke about a non-GMO herbicideresistance system for seashore paspalum. The method improves the management of Bermuda grass and other grassy weeds. Raymer’s team is currently evaluating their advanced lines to determine which will be released as new varieties.

UGA scientists were joined by researchers from North Carolina State University and University of Florida. New to the 2019 conference were presentations at the morning session by technical reps from industry providing science-based talks about products from their companies. Schwartz’s goal for the conference is that attendees will leave having learned something new. “It’s a continuation of work that’s been going on here for more than 73 years,” he said.

INDUSTRY

Take your Lawns to the

Level

Concentrate Concentrate

Directions For Use

SHAKE WELL!

CONTAINS NON-PLANT FOOD INGREDIENT(S): 6.0% Humic Acid (Derived from Leonardite) 3.0% Sea Kelp Extract (Derived from Ascophyllum Nodosum) Information regarding the contents and levels of metals in this product is available on the internet at http://aapfco.org/metals.html

Manufactured and Guaranteed by Greene County Fertilizer Company, Inc. P.O. BOX 1346, Greensboro, GA 30642 1-855-606-3378 ▪ greenecountyfert.com F2735

1.0 gal = 8.7 lbs

□

net volume 2.5 gal (9.5 l)

The mixed product should be agitated prior to and during application.

Do not exceed 3 ounces when daytime temps are above 85 degrees.

Tank Mixing: Apply at a minimum rate of 3 ounces per 1,000 sq. ft. and a maximum rate of 6 ounces per 1,000 sq. ft. Dilute with enough water to cover 1 acre. Do not apply with less than a 7:1 dilution with water. wate Product is safe for use on all turf types and ornamental plants.

Product is intended to be used as an additive to current fertilizer program.

The mixed product should be agitated prior to and during application.

MIXING WITH FERTILIZERS: N-Ext RGS™ can be mixed with liquid fertilizers.

Apply in this order: 1) Water, 2) N-Ext RGS™, 3) Water Soluble or Liquid Fertilizer.

Mixing with Pesticide, Herbicide or Fungicide: N-Ext RGS™ can be mixed with pesticides, herbicides and fungicides and applied. We recommend the following: Use the product within 24 hours of mixing products (especially with fungicides). Do not over-apply pesticides, ove herbicides or fungicides as they can have an adverse effect on the populations of soil organisms.

Store in a cool dry place away from direct sunlight. Product will store for 2 years under warehouse conditions.

Compatibility: These concentrated materials are compatible with most fertilizers and chemicals but should not be mixed directly with other chemicals. Conduct a jar test as needed to ensure compatibility before tank mixing. Mix in spray tanks with water and proper agitation. Apply in accordance with best management practices (BMP’s) established by your Cooperative Extension Service.

Observe any State or Local fertilizer application regulations.

Caution: Apply only to turf, plants, and soil. If plants are flowering, apply to base of the plant to avoid staining of blooms.This product may stain concrete, wood and other pervious and impervious surfaces.

Keep out of reach of children. If product comes in contact with skin or eyes flush with water immediately.

□

net volume 5 gal (18.9 l)

□ net volume 275 gal (1041.0 l)

CONDITIONS OF SALE Seller warrants that this product consists of the ingredients specified and is reasonably fit for the purpose stated on this label when used in accordance with directions under normal conditions of use. No one, other than the officer or Seller, is authorized to make any warranty, guarantee, or directions concerning this product. Because the time, place, rate of application and other conditions of use are beyond Seller’s control Seller’s liability from handling, storage and use of this product is limited to replacement of product or refund of purchase price. Buyer assumes all responsibility for safety and use not in accordance with label instructions. The product names are registered trademarks of Greene County Fertilizer Company, Inc.

0-0-5

GUARANTEED ANALYSIS SOLUBLE POTASH (K2O)..............5.0% Derived from: Potassium Hydroxide ALSO CONTAINS NON-PLANT FOOD INGREDIENT(S): 8.0% Humic Acid (Derived from Leonardite) Information regarding the contents and levels of metals in this product is available on the internet at http://aapfco.org/metals.html

Manufactured and Guaranteed by Greene County Fertilizer Company, Inc. P.O. BOX 1346, Greensboro, GA 30642 1-855-606-3378 ▪ greenecountyfert.com F2735

1.0 gal = 8.1 lbs

□

Directions For Use

SHAKE WELL!

Tank Mixing: Apply at a minimum rate of 6 ounces per 1,000 sq. ft. and a maximum rate of 9 ounces per 1,000 sq. ft. Dilute with enough liquid to cover 1 acre. Do not apply with less than 7:1 dilution with water. Apply in spring or fall; however, liquid aeration can be done anytime during the growing season. Product is safe for use on all turf types and ornamental plants.

Product is intended to be used as an additive to current fertilizer program.

The mixed product should be agitated prior to and during application.

MIXING WITH FERTILIZERS: N-Ext AIR-8™ can be mixed with liquid fertilizers.

Apply in this order: 1) Water, 2) N-Ext AIR-8™, 3) Water Soluble or Liquid Fertilizer.

Mixing with Pesticide, Herbicide or Fungicide: N-Ext AIR-8™ can be mixed with pesticides, herbicides and fungicides and applied. We recommend the following: Use the product within 24 hours of mixing products (especially with fungicides). Do not over-apply pesticides, herbicides or fungicides as they can have an adverse effect e on the populations of soil organisms.

Store in a cool dry place away from direct sunlight. Product will store for 2 years under warehouse conditions.

Compatibility: These concentrated materials are compatible with most fertilizers and chemicals but should not be mixed directly with other chemicals. Conduct a jar test as needed to ensure compatibility before tank mixing. Mix in spray tanks with water and proper agitation. Apply in accordance with best management practices (BMP’s) established by your Cooperative Extension Service.

Observe any State or Local fertilizer application regulations.

Caution: Apply only to turf, plants, and soil. If plants are flowering, apply to base of the plant to avoid staining of blooms. This product may stain concrete, wood and other pervious and impervious surfaces.

Keep out of reach of children. If product comes in contact with skin or eyes flush with water immediately.

net volume 2.5 gal (9.5 l)

□

net volume 5 gal (18.9 l)

□ net volume 275 gal (1041.0 l)

CONDITIONS OF SALE Seller warrants that this product consists of the ingredients specified and is reasonably fit for the purpose stated on this label when used in accordance with directions under normal conditions of use. No one, other than the officer or Seller, is authorized to make any warranty, guarantee, or directions concerning this product. Because the time, place, rate of application and other conditions of use are beyond Seller’s control Seller’s liability from handling, storage and use of this product is limited to replacement of product or refund of purchase price. Buyer assumes all responsibility for safety and use not in accordance with label instructions. The product names are registered trademarks of Greene County Fertilizer Company, Inc.

MAXIMIZE YOUR FERTILIZER PROGRAM’S POTENTIAL High Performance Plant Nutrients • Fertilizers • Specialty Products • Soil Amendments 1.855.606.3378 greenecountyfert.com Field/Tech Support Buy Direct/Ship Direct/Pick-up Corporate HQ/MFR: Greene County Fertilizer Company • 1490 Airport Road • Greensboro, Georgia 30642

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

Liquid Aeration

Soil & Plant Formula

57

URBAN AG

Nitrogen in the soil

How it gets lost and how to keep it

by Rivka Fidel, University of Arizona If you garden, do lawn maintenance, or farm, you’ve probably added nitrogen fertilizer

the Southwest. In wetter areas, about 30% of nitrogen fertilizer is lost due to leaching. This leached nitrogen contributes to pollution in groundwater, lakes, rivers, and even the ocean.

Nitrogen is the most common nutrient to limit plant growth – because plants need quite a lot of it (10-60 g per kg of plant mass, to be exact). It also doesn’t stick around very long in the soil. Instead, it ends up in places where we don’t want it: in groundwater, water bodies, and even the atmosphere.

How can I reduce leaching?

to your soil.

But, why? And how can we get nitrogen to stay in the soil, where plants need it?

To answer that question, we need to take a closer look at the nitrogen cycle. The nitrogen cycle, in which nitrogen moves through soil, water, air, and organisms, is one of the most complex element cycles. Luckily, keeping nitrogen in the soil simply involves reducing the losses of nitrogen from the soil. Losses are ways that nitrogen exits the soil.

UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

To keep nitrogen in soil, we need to reduce four key losses:

58

1 Leaching 2 Ammonia volatilization 3 Denitrification 4 Harvesting

What are leaching losses?

Leaching happens when water travelling through the soil dissolves nutrients from the soil, and carries them downwards into the groundwater table. Leaching losses are largest in wet climates, especially regions with enough rainfall to support plant growth year-round.

In the United States, for example, wetter regions east of the Mississippi River have much higher leaching losses than drier regions in

Leaching losses are greatest following rainfall or irrigation. So, reducing them is mostly a matter of timing. If rain is in the forecast, wait until after it rains to apply nitrogen fertilizer (a little drizzle won’t matter, but watch out for steady rain or thunderstorms). If rain is a long way off, say a week or more, it is ok to apply fertilizer ahead of time. The type of fertilizer also matters. Nitrate doesn’t “stick” well to soil, and so it is lost very easily. To reduce leaching losses, avoid nitrate (NO3–) fertilizers, and instead choose ammonium (NH4+) or organic fertilizers (including urea, composts and manures).

What are ammonia volatization losses?

Ammonia volatilization happens when ammonium (NH4+) loses a hydrogen (H+) and becomes ammonia (NH3). Ammonia is a gas, and so it can rapidly leave the soil to pollute the atmosphere. Ammonia volatilization is most likely to happen in alkaline soils (pH > 7) and when the soil is warm.

How can I reduce ammonia volatilization?

Avoid applying ammonium fertilizers, composts, and manures on warm to hot days – especially if your soil is alkaline.

What are denitrification losses?

Denitrification is a multi-step process where microbes convert nitrogen (in nitrate form, NO3–) into various nitrogen gases. One of these gases is nitrous oxide, N2O, a potent greenhouse gas. The other is nitrogen gas, N2, which is harmless and comprises 79% of the atmosphere. Denitrification happens when the

URBAN AG This article was originally published at soilsmatter.wordpress. com/2019/05/01/ how-do-i-keep-more-ofthe-nitrogen-in-my-soil.

Reprinted with permission.

soil gets very wet and stays wet for several hours to days. In very wet soil, microbes can’t get enough oxygen (O2). So, microbes “breathe in” nitrate instead of oxygen, and “breathe out” nitrogen gases (N2O and N2) instead of carbon dioxide (CO2).

How can I reduce denitrification?

Similar to preventing leaching losses, avoid applying nitrate fertilizers before rainfall, and when the soil is very wet.

Instead, use nonnitrate fertilizers, especially if the soil is saturated. When using any kind of nitrogen fertilizer, apply when the soil is dry to somewhat moist, and when the forecast is rain-free for the next few days. This will give the nitrogen time to be taken up by plants and “stick” to the soil before it rains. That way, denitrifying microbes growing in wet soil won’t have as much nitrate to “breathe in.”

What are harvest losses?

How can I reduce harvest losses?

You can reduce harvest losses by only harvesting the part of the plant you need to eat, and turning the rest into mulch or compost. You can also collect the non-edible plant parts after harvesting, and return those to the soil. For example, instead of throwing green been stalks and trimmings in the trash, compost them first, and then add them to the soil.

Generally, increasing soil organic matter is a great way to improve nitrogen retention in the long term. Nitrogen “sticks” to organic matter, reducing both leaching and denitrification.

Read the Soils Matter blog to learn how to keep more carbon – organic matter – in your yard: https://soilsmatter.wordpress.com

About the Soil Science Society of America The Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) is a progressive, international scientific society that fosters the transfer of knowledge and practices to sustain global soils. Based in Madison, WI, SSSA is the professional home for 6,000+ members dedicated to advancing the field of soil science.

It provides information about soils in relation to crop production, environmental quality, ecosystem sustainability, bioremediation, waste management, recycling, and wise land use.

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Harvest losses are exactly what they sound like – nitrogen that is lost when crops are harvested.

Plants take up nitrogen from the soil, and when the plant is harvested and removed from the soil, the nitrogen is removed with it.

Are there other ways to keep nitrogen in soil?

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Native yuccas

Creating landscape excitement

by Norman Winter, Horticulturist, Author and Speaker You want to plant with begonias? Do it. Red spider lilies? That works, too. Whatever the season, or the possible partnerships, all will look dazzling beyond your dreams when grown with these showy variegated yuccas.

In the winter, in Columbus, GA, professional landscapers are using them as pansy pals which looked stunning even before the pansies kicked in to gear, so to speak. But its not just pansies.

Another landscaper planted them with Citrona and Black Pearl heuchera as well as juncus and pansies.

These Color Guard yuccas seem to be the perfect foliage partner for this newly planted bed of pansies.

Look out America, Color Guard and Golden

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Sword are changing landscapes in dramatic fashion. Believe it or not these two selections of our native Yucca filamentosa are crushing the cookie cutter, look-alike landscapes, no matter the season.

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Now when I say our native, I’m not talking the desert southwest but the east from Texas to New York. That’s correct: these evergreen yuccas are cold hardy from zones 4 through 10. Color Guard and Golden Sword create excitement by virtue of being an unexpected plant in the flower border, enticing all visitors to be mesmerized and thus bringing out the camera.

Both varieties will reach 24-inches tall and perhaps a little wider showing of their green and gold variegation. While you might possibly be thinking, "I don’t want to grow a garden of yucca, cactus and agave," just know the palette of colors and partnerships is only limited by your imagination.

Typically, everyone thinks of cabbage, kale, mustard and chard as foliage plants to be pansy partners, which is certainly appropriate. They are treated as annuals to be replanted ever year. With the Color Guard or Golden Sword, however ,you will be growing one that is essentially an evergreen perennial.

In addition to creating excitement by being an unexpected plant, they also stand out by virtue of rising above the horizontal plane. If you are unfamiliar with this term, think of a bed of pansies, marigolds or even petunias. You could conceivably draw an imaginary line across the top of the bed. When you rise above this with spikey flowers or in the case of the yucca, sword -ike foliage, then there is a tremendous amount of added interest.

As you might expect from a native, it is an extremely drought-tolerant plant that requires good drainage. If your soil is clay or muck that holds water, then by all means improve your soil and plant on raised beds. They will produce offsets which can be separated to confine to allotted area or design and of course they can be planted elsewhere in the garden.

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I may be raving about the foliage and architectural aspects in the garden, but each spring to early summer, another amazing site takes place as creamy white, lightly fragrant blooms are borne on 6-foot-tall stalks.

These blooms are found to be a most delectable source of nectar for hummingbirds.

It is a rare week that someone doesn’t ask me about deer-resistant plants. If you find yourself the proud owner of a roving herd, then rejoice.

The Color Guard and Golden Sword yuccas will not become Bambi’s salad.

Hairy Soapwort and Adam’s Needle are common names associated with these yuccas and certainly not ones that even Madison Avenue could market. One look at the bright gold and green variegation of these tough-asnails plants however, will steal your heart in a "New York Minute,"and that is pretty darn fast.

This poolside bed is filled with architectural plants and the two Color Guard yuccas stand out in dramatic fashion.

These Golden Sword yuccas create a dazzling cool season border with Citona and Black Pearl heuchera, juncus and pansies.

Variegated yuccas like Color Guard and Golden Sword can make a dazzling partnership with any other flower including angel's trumpets.

Photo by Susan Evans

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The shrub of your dreams

This loropetalum will make you a daydream believer

by Norman Winter, Horticulturist, Author and Speaker Purple Daydream will capture your heart and probably

The Purple Daydream loropetalum has dark year round foliage and reaches 3-feet tall and up to 4-feet wide.

make you forget all other varieties of loropetalum.

I’m growing it with October Magic orchid camellias, Autumn Jewel azaleas and Gold Mound chamaecyapris and its graceful and elegant habit just screams, "look at me."

Purple Daydream reaches about 3-feet tall with a slightly pendulous spread to 3 to 4-feet wide. The deep purple foliage is ever present and of course loads up with a bounty of iridescent purple flowers in the spring, repeating throughout the year.

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I remember 18-years ago as a horticulturist with Mississippi State University where we selected Burgundy as a Mississippi Medallion Award Winner. While this variety was superior at the time it longed to reach 12-feet in height. If we could have dreamed then it would have been for Purple Daydream.

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While I was at the Coastal Georgia Botanical Garden in Savannah, I also fell head over heels for Purple Diamond loropetalum that is semidwarf pushing to 5-feet. Whether it was flanking a bridge or reflecting at the Water Garden it was a show stopper. Dark purple foliage and hot pink flowers demanded visitors get out their cameras.

Consequently, when Red Diamond hit the market I had to have it for my own landscape. It will reach a little taller, pushing to 6-feet, but has darker leaves and what I might call hot lipstickred flowers. It will electrify the garden.

Botanically speaking, they are all known as

Loropetalum chinense with a lot of gardeners knowing them as Chinese fringe flower. These selections are all part of the Southern Living Plant Collection and are really what gardeners and landscaper want versus those that reach skyscraper status. It was always hilarious to see visitors faces when they saw a burgundy loropetalum the size of a tall redbud at the gardens.

If you need a selection even shorter or for an ornate container then Purple Pixie is the choice for you. To be honest, if it never bloomed, I would still love it for its habit and texture. It is remarkable, however, in a large European style container where its dark purple foliage tumbles over the edge. It reaches about 2-feet in height with a spread of 4-feet. So, while in a container you may want to do a little tip pruning, rest assured in the landscape it is a superb groundcover.

All of these are cold-hardy from zones 7-10, meaning they can take zero. Those of you plagued by deer will be delighted to know these are not on the menu. No matter what loropetalum you choose, they perform best in full sun, but can tolerate partial shade. Plant them in well-drained, organic-rich beds that are slightly acidic. I like to emphasize the part about planting in beds. When planting loropetalums, or any other shrub, put them in a well-prepared bed instead of sticking them in a patch of turf.

Like we suggest with azaleas, plant then high, 1 to 2 inches above the soil surface.

In the spring landscape consider planting them with white blooming trees like Yoshino cherries, or dogwoods and with informal drifts of daffodils. Obviously, they would be great in informal clusters with white, purple or pink azaleas. I love them with yellow to gold shrubs like Sunshine Ligustrum and Gold Mound chamaecyparis. You, are the artist, let your imagination run wild.

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The Red Diamond loropetalum has darker foliage and flowers that are a hot red lipstick.

Though beautiful, some of the older varieties of loropetaum can get quite large.

The Purple Diamond loropetalum reaches 5 feet in height and produces iridescent pink blooms.

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Managing community forests, part 2 Tree risk and hazard assessment concepts

by Dr. Kim D. Coder, Professor of Tree Biology & Health Care, Warnell School, UGA

Did you miss part 1 of this article?

Check out the Spring 2019 UAC Magazine. Past issues can be accessed by UAC members at any time. Just log in as a member at urbanagcouncil.com.

Professional observations The amount of tree damage visible while still allowing a tree to remain is a professional judgement. Several systems and rules have been developed to assist professionals. Some standards have suggested when 1/2 the stem circumference is damaged, a tree should be considered for removal. From a mechanical structure standpoint, this is not risk-conservative enough. Once circumferential damage reaches 1/3 or more, removal should be considered.

Err on the side of safety.

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Examining trees must concentrate on determining structural integrity, not surface appearance. Small faults lay-people might consider significant should be examined for structural consequences, but discarded if

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found to be only a blemish. Find what is the most limiting structural component in the tree and then estimate risks associated with its failure. Experience of the assessor is critical to risk management evaluations. Do not send inventory counters to make risk assessments without training, practice, and spot-checking their performance.

Structural failures in trees can generally be summarized as 40% in branches, 30% in stems, and 30% in root crowns and roots.

This near-even distribution suggests several things to a tree professional. The first is trees are structurally designed not to fail at any given point more than any other. Trees are well equipped to handle stress and strain in their environments. The second suggestion is common failure patterns need to be learned and expectations developed for prudent management. Careful observation is needed over all parts of a tree to effectively summarize risk levels.

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Target risks Once structural concerns have been reviewed, determine the second piece of a potential hazard tree assessment, which is presence of a target(s). Risk assessment targets are people and property. Anywhere people would walk, drive, stand, lay, run, recreate, etc. could be a target area. Sidewalks, streets, parking lots, ball fields, golf courses and parks are all prime target areas.

Property targets most often damaged by trees are cars, fences, buildings, roofs, pavement, yards, and gardens. Personal injury targets and property targets are usually interrelated. At the very least, minimize risk to all personal injury targets.

There are many types or classes of targets.

Some risk management systems try to prioritize management activities by target risk class. This type of target classification is dangerous in community forest risk assessment. Because of legal views of prudent and reasonable behavior by a manger, the only reasonable means of prioritizing by target are people vs. property.

The more people, or the more valuable the property, the more target exposure. Figure 5 shows how non-static (usually people/animals and their conveyances) risk components change over time. Figure 6 combines structural and target risks. Note there is usually an inverse relationship between these two risk sources. At specific times when trees are most likely to fail (heavy wind loads), targets have departed or have been minimized.

Legal responsibilities

For community forest managers, actions (and non-actions) will be judged for prudence, (which is the wisdom to look ahead and

Negligence In a general sense, negligence is composed of four features which must all be true for negligence to be proved. These four features of negligence are:

1 You have a duty to exercise reasonable care; 2 You failed in that duty; 3 Failure in duty caused injury; and, 4 Injury caused real harm to people and /or property.

The critical first step is determining your duty under the law.

Duty concepts Case law and common law has delineated a difference between duty principles in rural versus urban settings. Traditionally in rural settings, an owner/manager had a duty to correct or remove known hazards. Duty principles continue to evolve, but generally suggest a greater level of duty in urban/ suburban areas. In urban areas, duty has included removal of known hazards and, in addition, inspection for hazards.

Inspection for hazards is a burden which must be met to prevent a failure in duty and charge of negligence.

The heightened duty in urban/suburban areas carry over into areas where tree failures could impact roads and trails.

Failure in duty can be substantiated by expert testimony and/or by not following customary practice without clear and substantial reasons.

This suggests failing to follow ANSI-type national consensus standards and associated BMPs would play a part in determining negligence. Ignorance by the manager or

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The legal framework for working with tree risks and structural failure varies by location. A community forest manager should always seek professional legal advice when needed. The framework of negligence, injury, and legal tests for prudence and reasonableness are important for understanding implications of risk. Here will be a brief review of general legal components of risks management and hazards assessment in a community forest.

develop expectations about what can happen), and reasonableness, (which is the lack of negligence). A manager’s decisions must meet both of these tests under risk management programs, with the major point of contention being negligence.

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URBAN AG inspector is always challengeable. The action or lack of action can be questioned and supported by expert testimony for examining negligence.

One defense which falsely seems to comfort managers and owners is “act of God.” This defense used with hazard trees is challengeable and dependent upon two tests.

To use the act-of-God concept in denying liability, a tree must be a native tree planted by nature, and a tree must never have been significantly influenced by humans. Few trees in community and yard settings meet these two tests. Act-of-God has not proven to be an effective defense for negligence determinations.

Court recommendations As a manager, the court asks two basic questions after a catastrophic tree structural failure:

1 “Were the managers negligent or was the tree a nuisance?” and,

2 “Would the hazard have been recognized upon inspection?”

As a resource manager, you should be prepared to answer and support your answers, for any actions or inactions, you may have taken.

What do the courts recommend managers do to minimize liability risks? Three action items arise continually:

1 perform a timely systematic inspection and UAC MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2019

keep it current;

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2 develop written documentation of risk management concerns; and,

3 use risk assessment inspection results in current and future management.

In many circumstances, a lack of a systematic inspection could be considered negligence.

Systematic inspection Systematic inspection demands observational discipline. The inspector must carefully examine a tree and make cumulative decisions about tree defects and associated target attributes. An

inspection process should ideally include a root collar excavation, an aerial examination, and soil probing. Usually, some form of groundbased observation is used for cost-effectiveness.

Only tree professionals experienced in risk assessment should perform these evaluations. General tree inventory crews may not be technically or experientially qualified to examine trees and sites for risk levels.

To fulfill legal aspects of a systematic inspection for risk factors, a precise and accurate methodology must be used. A training system is presented here which has been proven to assist risk assessors and new students unfamiliar with tree risk assessments in five steps. Figure 7 provides the five steps used. Appendix 1 following this article provides an assessment form.

The basic tenet of this training system is concentrated around structural integrity observations which begin where stress and strain on a tree are greatest. Figure 8 and Figure 9 provides tree risk examination zones identified

URBAN AG by number. Inspections begin at the tree base in zone 1 and expand outward and upward in zone order.

No drive-by assessments!

An inspection should begin with a general overview of tree structural integrity to provide for the personal safety of the inspector, and the people and property in the immediate area at the time of inspection. From a distance, and as the inspector approaches a tree and site, any immediately hazardous conditions should be noted. The assessment should not continue until these conditions have been corrected.

have accumulated enough structural faults to put the tree at risk of failure. Identifying major structural faults which could lead to catastrophic failure is the point of this assessment. Finding simple major faults, or compound faults where simple structural faults have coalesced into a combination of problems, is the goal of this assessment system. Of course, the extent and seriousness of a structural fault remains the professional decision of the assessor.

Fault recognition

The next step in a risk assessment process is to survey a tree from at least three sides, close enough to a tree to notice subtle structural reactions by a tree over years. At each of these observation sites, examine a tree looking for major simple or compound structural faults. On each side of a tree begin the assessment where stress and strain is the greatest and structural faults could have the greatest impact on tree integrity and target safety.

For training people to use this assessment system, a tree removal decision point must be set after which the risk of catastrophic failure becomes too great. This point of recommended removal is dependent upon management regime, site history and species, in addition to structural integrity. For general purposes in this training system, the value of three major simple faults or one compound major fault potentially leading to catastrophic loss are used. Assessors count faults in zone order until a tree removal point is reached, and then cease further risk assessment and move onto the next tree.

One way of thinking about this assessment process is to start at the ground and build a good tree. Go up and out from a tree base until you

The zones for observation correspond to critical junctures or structural components in a tree.

Zone 1 is the stem and root base four feet up the

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URBAN AG stem and four feet out from the stem.

Zone 2 is the main stem from four feet above the ground up to where the main living branches begin. Zone 3 is the primary root support region extending out to 1/2 the drip line.

Zone 4 is the primary branches out to l/3 their length. Zone 5 is the remainder of the structural roots. Zone 6 is the remainder of the crown.

Zones Zone 1 comprises the bottom four feet of the stem and the roots holding a tree erect under compression out to the edge of the root plate or a minimum of four feet. In this zone there should never be a compromise. If in doubt, take it out!

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If the base has multiple structural faults, it does not matter if the rest of a tree is perfect.

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Zones 2 - 4 are areas of a tree where structural faults can be correctable with large inputs of time, money, labor, materials and technical maintenance. Any corrections inserted to aid in the structural maintenance of a tree may call attention to a preexisting structural condition.

Correction activities may decrease failure risks, but increase chances of successfully determining negligence.

Zone 5 and 6 in a tree are areas where structural faults are not significant problems because they do not involve catastrophic tree loss and massive weights. Faults identified in this area are usually easily corrected. This does not mean these zones should be ignored. A small branch falling from a long way can still provide life-threatening risks.

Level of risk acceptance Once you have identified three major simple faults which could lead to catastrophic loss, accumulated in zone order for a tree, this tree is considered a tree at risk and a candidate for risk mitigation activities or removal. This is the last of three hazard criteria determinations. There could be historic, social significance, biological and/or aesthetic reasons for accepting more risk.

Risk acceptance is a management decision which must be woven into assessment processes.

Under some management regimes (and under some resource managers) more risk can be accepted than others. This is called the risk acceptance threshold level or RAT. When RAT is exceeded, with target and structural faults already accounted for, a tree is a hazard and should be immediately removed.

Figure 10 provides three example risk acceptance levels to consider with tree risk assessment systems.

first line is a constant RAT over time.

4 The second is an increasing RAT suggested 4 The by growing trees becoming more valuable over time and more risk accepted to reap these increasing large/old tree benefits.

third line represents a radical change 4 The in RAT at one point in time. This can occur due to manager change or political concerns.

Overnight RAT can change in an organization and on a site for a variety of reasons. The assessor must communicate closely and often with resource managers/owners to continually ascertain the RAT level with which they feel comfortable.

For legal advice or clarification of any of these general guidelines, always seek the assistance of an attorney.

Stay tuned!

This article is the second of a three-part series. Watch for part 3 In the Fall 2019 issue.

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Celebrating history

Breathing new life into Tifton's campus

by Bryce Ethridge for CAES News The addition of the Centennial Garden will celebrate the history of the University of Georgia Tifton campus while breathing new life into the heart of the campus, according to Joe West, assistant dean of the campus.

The two-acre garden, which is under construction behind the Tift Building at the center of campus, is a recreation of a garden that existed in an earlier era, when the campus was known as the Coastal Plain Experiment Station. The new garden will be dedicated as the community celebrates UGA–Tifton’s centennial.

“It just seemed very appropriate to recreate the garden at this time. It’s part of our history and will continue to be as we move forward with the campus’ next 100 years,” West said. “I think our faculty, staff and students are very excited to see what the garden will look like when it is completed.”

The original garden was very symmetrical with beautiful plant materials, however, as the automotive age kicked into gear, the garden took a backseat.

West stumbled onto records of the original garden and thought, “It would be really cool if we recreated that.” The project was quickly approved and construction ensued.

The completed formal garden will contain 100 percent UGA-generated genetic plant releases.

'October Glory' maple, 'Pink Damsel' serviceberry, 'Sweet Frost' tangerine and 'Green Shadow' magnolia trees will be planted within the garden, with oaks and magnolias framing the garden’s outer areas and flowers and fruits comprising the garden’s interior.

“We are dedicated to research here, so for the Centennial Garden to be filled with plant materials developed by UGA scientists is exciting,” West said.

UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Dean Sam Pardue, West and members of the Tift family attended the dedication ceremony on May 3. Captain H.H. Tift helped Tifton win the bid for the then-Coastal Plain Experiment Station when it opened in 1919.

For more information about the UGA-Tifton centennial events, see http://tifton.caes.uga.edu/ about/campus-overview/history/centennialcelebration.html.

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“There’s an old song (‘Big Yellow Taxi’) that says, ‘They paved paradise and put up a parking lot,’ which is exactly what happened,” West said.

The Centennial Garden is currently under construction and is located behind the Tift Building in the middle of the UGA Tifton campus.

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