Market buzz

AmericanHort announces SHIFT initiative

AmericanHort and its research endowment affiliate, the Horticulture Research Institute (HRI), have announced the SHIFT initiative. SHIFT is a multi-year research project that aims to discover the industry’s true potential and how to capitalize on opportunities based on changing consumer demographics and behavior. The project will be unveiled at Cultivate’15, July 11 to 14 in Columbus, Ohio.

The field-research phase began in 2014 in conjunction with the MindMarket program at the Columbus College of Art & Design (CCAD). The research digs deep into the horticulture industry’s current business and retail models and how they can effectively evolve.

“It’s important to our industry because a shift in marketing and retailing of our products is critical in giving thought to our customers, and how they interpret what we do. They don’t see it the way we do,” says Mark Foertmeyer, owner of Foertmeyer and Sons Greenhouse and Chairman of the AmericanHort board of directors.“We are utilizing design thinking because it’s a great way to get into the minds of our customers, figure out where they’re at, and then move them to a place where they can see the benefits of what we offer. Then, they can quit looking at the ‘plant in the pot’ as a commodity but see rather what the plant can do for them. It’s a really important shift, and our industry has a lot to look forward to. We have a bright, bright future.”

Like many industries in the post-2008 economy, the horticulture industry is actively looking for new perspectives and business models. With a shrinking Baby Boomer population — formerly the industry’s bread-and-butter at a population of 75.4 million in its prime and expected to only be 16.6 million by 2050 — and a rising Generation X and Millennial generation (total population 140.6 million by 2018), the handwriting is on the wall: Consumer shopping and lifestyle habits at-large are changing across generations and demographics.

The resulting data, insights and recommendations paint a clear picture of opportunity for all industry businesses to capitalize on trends and even get ahead. By providing insights and recommendations for businesses at all stages and sizes, SHIFT aims to offer small steps and big changes to help the industry evolve and thrive for the future.

While it was once announced as the organization’s “future of retail” research project, AmericanHort says SHIFT isn’t just about retail anymore — it’s about the future of our industry and how to meet modern and future consumers’ expectations.

In the coming months and years, AmericanHort members will see insights and recommendations of this continuing research in several ways. These will include training pieces for employees, webinars, educational sessions at various AmericanHort events, content in industry and association publications, and marketing and communication strategies. 

Learn more about the initiative at the SHIFT website http://bit.ly/1BS2KpC

Find out what hot button issues will be discussed at Cultivate’15 with Garden Center’s preview in our June issue, http://bit.ly/1BYsVKP

For more Cultivate’15 information, visit http://bit.ly/1BS2KpC

USDA announces $150 million partnership to support California water quality and quantity

SUNOL, Calif.  — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack joined Interior Deputy Secretary Mike Connor and California Secretary for Natural Resources John Laird to announce a new partnership focused on conserving and restoring the Sierra-Cascade California Headwaters as part of President Barack Obama’s Resilient Lands and Waters initiative on June 24, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA).

Over the next two years, USDA, Forest Service (FS) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will invest $130 million in the partnership, which also includes the Interior Department, the State of California, non-profits, and private landowners. In total, the partnership will yield a minimum investment of $210 million by all partners. The Sierra-Cascade California Headwaters provides 25 million Californians with drinking water and much of the water for irrigated agriculture in the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys.

In addition to the partnership, USDA is announcing $13.7 million is available to California producers and ranchers through NRCS’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), and approximately $6 million remains available to drought-stricken communities through Rural Development’s Emergency Community Water Assistance Grants (ECWAG), making nearly $20 million available to drought-affected communities.

“As several years of historic drought continue to plague parts of the Western United States, there is a significant opportunity and responsibility across federal, state and private lands to protect and improve the landscapes that generate our most critical water supplies,” said Vilsack. “Healthy forests and meadows play a key role in ensuring water quality, yield and reliability throughout the year. Looking beyond this particular drought, resources announced today will help us add resiliency to natural resource systems to cope with recurring drought and changing climate patterns.”

The Resilient Lands and Waters initiative is a key part of the Obama Administration’s Climate and Natural Resources Priority Agenda, a first of its kind, comprehensive commitment across the Federal Government to support the resilience of America’s vital natural resources. Through this partnership under the Resilient Lands and Waters initiative, USDA, DOI, the State of California, and local partners will direct a minimum of $210 million in combined resources towards restoration that will help improve water quality and quantity, promote healthy forests, and reduce wildfire risk in the Sierra-Cascade California Headwaters region.

“Climate change affects every corner of our nation from the Sierra-Cascades to the Everglades. The deepening impact of the ongoing drought is just one example of how it influences all of us,” said Deputy Interior Secretary Michael L. Connor. “In collaboration with other governmental agencies and partners, we are taking a comprehensive, science-based long term view of how to best make our treasured lands and precious waterways more resilient to the impacts of climate change.”

The federal partnership dovetails with Gov. Jerry Brown’s California Water Action Plan, a suite of short- and long-term goals to put California on a path to more resilient and reliable water systems and healthy ecosystems over the next five years. Over the next year, California will commit as much as $81 million in ecosystem restoration in the Sierra Nevada.

“California’s Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ecosystems are the lifeblood of water for 25 million Californians, our agricultural industry, and the health of downstream estuaries and species,” said Secretary Laird. “Trying to maintain this ecosystem health, in the face of a changing climate, requires that all those responsible — especially the state and federal governments — work together to meet this challenge.”

Last month, USDA announced the availability of $21 million through EQIP to help farmers and ranchers apply science-based solutions to mitigate the short and long term effects of drought. Today, Secretary Vilsack announced that 65 percent of the available funds, or $13.7 million, are being reserved for California producers and ranchers. Applications are currently being accepted at local NRCS offices.

Read more about the California drought in our cover story.

IGC Show announces IGC East keynote speaker

BALTIMORE, MD – Everyone talks about capturing the young consumer — and now horticultural trailblazer Lloyd Traven will set a game plan for doing just that during his IGC East keynote Wednesday morning, one of three free keynotes at IGC East, August 4-6 in Baltimore, Md. 

“Plants are emotional. Yes, they’re a product, but it’s an emotional reaction that people have to what we do,” Traven says. “We need to leverage that and make it our bailiwick. Hitting young people in the gut with ‘wow factor’ is the thing we independents do that the boxes will never do. It’s our ace in the hole.”

During his keynote, “Bring Your Best ‘Awesome’ to Her Every Day,” Traven will show the audience how to capture the Generation Y by engaging with in the ways millennials are expecting to be engaged, and how to become that go-to place garden centers want to be — the one store the young consumer has to go to for the “coolest” shopping experience.

“If we don’t provide a multifunction, multi-benefit solution for what they’re looking for, young consumers just don’t have time for it. A pretty flower just doesn’t cut it,” Traven says. “We are so product-centric that we think they’re coming to our store looking for a specific plant. But they’re not. They’re looking for success and the benefits of a finished garden.”

Traven, president of Peace Tree Farm, Kintnersville, Penn., is a USDA-certified organic grower providing unusual starters to growers around the world, as well as specialty plants for local garden centers, botanical gardens and museums. He was a regular guest on The Martha Stewart Show, bringing exciting new varieties to her audience. More than 30 years ago, Traven and his wife and business partner, Candy, were among the first to emphasize edibles and herbs, and now they’re leading the industry in biocontrols and sustainability. The Travens are introducing their own plant varieties to the market under their Garden Geek and One Earth Edibles lines.

For more information about the IGC Shows and to register, visit www.IGCshow.com.

2015 AmericanHort HortScholars announced

COLUMBUS, OHIO – AmericanHort has selected six students to serve as this year’s HortScholars, according to a press release from the association. This rigorous and competitive application process identifies some of the industry’s brightest professionals and helps to launch their careers in horticulture by providing education and networking opportunities. The goal of the HortScholars program is to provide students with an enriching professional development experience that increases their knowledge, industry awareness, and career enthusiasm. 

2015 HortScholars

• Sarah Leach Smith, University of Delaware
• Bobby Nance, Virginia Tech
• Madeline Olberg, Purdue University
• Nick Sobecki, Ohio University
• Emily Teng, University of Hawaii
• William Yoho Jr, Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute
   

HortScholars will be on-site at Cultivate’15 (July 11 to 14 in Columbus, Ohio) and receive complimentary Cultivate registration, lodging and meals. They will also receive a complimentary one-year AmericanHort membership. On-site at Cultivate’15, HortScholars will assist the Generation Next Community with events, conduct presentations that share their insight into industry issues, attend the exhibitions and educational sessions, meet with industry mentors, and network at various social events.

More information on this year’s HortScholars, including biographies and photos, are available at www.AmericanHort.org/HortScholars.

Background information
The HortScholars Program is open to undergraduate and graduate students attending two- and four-year colleges and universities throughout the United States who are majoring in horticulture or a related field and have a minimum GPA of 3.0. Up to six students are selected each year.

Difference Makers

Capital Roots
Troy, N.Y.

By Michelle Simakis

Capital Roots, a 40-year-old non-profit that provides communities with access to nutritious food through gardens, “Veggie Mobiles” and other initiatives, couldn’t do its work without donations. The Troy, N.Y.-based organization has helped launch 51 community gardens in four capital-area counties, giving about 4,000 people the space, materials and education needed to grow their own food.

When it comes to donations, normally Capital Roots does the asking. But Amy Klein, executive director, said that Bentley Seed Company initially contacted her and offered to donate various seed packets to the program.

“It’s been several years now that we’ve been working with Bentley; it’s been quite a resource for us. And these seeds are so important to our community gardeners because many of our community gardeners have low incomes, so it’s very important for us to be able to provide those resources, seeds, education, tools, so all they need to do is put in that physical labor,” Klein says, adding that’s not to say the work involved in gardening is easy. “We really want to be able to provide all of those other resources, so to have a partnership like this with a seed company is incredibly important.”

In 2014, Bentley donated more than 10,000 packets of seeds to community gardens across the country and hopes to add a zero to that figure this year. The company recently launched the Give & Grow one-to-one program, which donates a seed packet to those in need with every packet purchased on the website. The program draws inspiration from TOMS shoes, which donates a pair of shoes with every pair purchased. Millennials are often drawn to companies with strong philanthropic roots, and Bentley hopes the program will attract young people to gardening in addition to giving back.

“We as an organization wouldn’t be able to buy these seeds and provide them to our community gardeners. If our gardeners had to go out and buy seeds, it might preclude certain people from being able to participate in the garden,” Klein says. “Seeds are really key and it allows people to provide sustenance to their families. We estimate a gardener can grow about $1,500 worth of food in a growing season.”

Capital Roots started its community garden programs back in 1975 in low income areas with limited access to grocery stores long before the term “food desert” was coined.

Klein says the fact that community gardens are “in vogue” has helped increase the organization’s momentum. Normally Capital Roots helps establish one community garden per year, but this year they were able to launch three.

“Back then there wasn’t as much interest. I think this heightened interest has definitely been a blessing,” Klein says. “Food access is a critically important issue, and good food should be a right and not a privilege.”