Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

http://www.s290.org/minutes%20March%2003.pdf

Obj 1: May 23, sedum plugs (72‘s that were 1.5" w x 3" d)were planted into circular pots in a highly porous, expanded clay-based med.(dry bulk density = 42lbs/cubic ft.) suitable for green roofs. Pot dimensions were 14" wide & 5" deep & were originally designed as hanging basket containers. After the plugs were transplanted, each pot received 10 g of surface applied Osmocote 14-14-14 and were watered in. There were 10 plant varieties, each w/ 3 replicates. Pots were arranged in a completely randomized experimental design. On May 20, & at 2-week intervals each pot will be photographed. Photos were transferred to Adobe Photoshop, sized, printed, & the outline of each plant cut out & weighed to determine a relative growth rate for each taxon. Phase II: On 20 Sept. 2002 all pots were moved into a Penn State Hort Dept greenhouse for controlled drought stress. Initially, all pots were brought up to pot (field) capacity. Every pot was weighed daily for 19 days. At the end of this cycle, all pots were immersed in water until fully saturated, drained for 3 hours, then re-weighed. 24h later pots were again immersed, drained for 3 hours & weighed. Pots were then weighed daily for 19 days & the saturation procedure described above was repeated.

Researchers at University of RI installed a computer-controlled microirrigation system w/12 independent irrigation zones. All irrigation water applied in this system is recaptured & allows for water quality analysis. This facility will be used in 2003 & future years to evaluate irrigation methods & container media to optimize low-water use container culture in the NE. RI continues to evaluate the growth & marketing requirements of new, sustainable plant species for introduction to the nursery industry. More than 100 accessioned trees & shrubs were planted in 2002.

Individual studies on 48 pesticide crop combinations were initiated in 2002. The studies were selected from the IR-4 high priority list that was developed at the Ornamentals Workshop in Houston. The workshop results represent input from pesticide manufacturers, formulators, ornamental crop producers, & ARS & land grant university scientists. These projects included insecticides, herbicides & plant growth regulators. The pesticides studied represent new chemistries & compounds that have a lower use risk than currently labeled products.

Analysis of survey data collected from nurserymen in several states continues to be fruitful. Because there is limited information currently available regarding the economics of producing nursery crops using the pot-in-pot production system, 2 case studies were used to compare the costs of producing 3 species with
in-ground, above-ground, & pot-in-pot production systems. A compendium of
up-to-date guidelines that will assist greenhouse managers in making more informed decisions regarding their production & marketing-related business practices was developed. A section discussing major driving forces affecting the greenhouse industry is followed by sections specifically addressing marketing, personnel management, portfolio (product mix) management, materials handling & distribution, equipment procurement, cost accounting, pricing, & financial
management. The financial opportunities associated with distribution of
university-patented nursery products was simulated in a cooperative game created to estimate a fee & predict the behavior of nursery growers & nursery product retailers.

Obj 2: A greenhouse business analysis instrument in Excel format was designed by Uva & Richards in October 2000 to collect financial information & perform business analysis for greenhouse operations. Our goals are to establish financial performance benchmarks & trends for the greenhouse industry, providing education to improve the record keeping & financial management skills of greenhouse managers, & to use the collected data to analyze factors important to profitability of greenhouse businesses. An enterprise budget program designed in Excel format has been developed to help greenhouse growers analyze the costs of producing a specific crop & can be downloaded from the Cornell Hort Business Management & Marketing web-site at http://hortmgt.aem.cornell.edu/. Results of this project were presented at numerous extension & research meetings in 2002. The project expanded to include 47 greenhouse businesses from NY & PA in 2002. An annual report analyzing industry financial performance benchmarks and trends will be completed in March 2002. A searchable web-based database is being developed to collect data & present results in 2003, & additional greenhouses are being recruited in NJ & MI for future studies.

Data to support analysis of adjustments in marketing & management practices of
wholesale & retail firms will continue to be obtained by mail survey techniques. A review of the survey instrument was initiated in 2002. Final changes will be made in 2003 with planned distribution in January, 2004.

University Poinsettia Trials were organized by LSU. This study measured the performance of 25 cultivars in multiple states. Several states participated in this study.

A survey of technical Information requirements for Hispanic nursery employees
conducted in OR & OH was completed in 2002. In OR & OH 375 & 250 surveys, respectively were distributed to Sanish-speaking nursery employees. In OR 193 & in OH 127 were completed. The purpose of these surveys was to determine the backgrounds, experience level & work activities of nursery workers, their technical information interests, & what resources are available to these workers. Differences were discovered between the Hispanic work force in OR & OH in backgrounds, yrs of experience, work activities, technical topics of interest & current resources available.

Obj 3: Analysis of survey data collected from nurserymen in several states continues to be productive. Growers may utilize this information in making decisions regarding the type of market outlet they will emphasize in attempting to develop sustainable competitive advantage in the marketplace. Recognition of structural shifts in regional demand is imperative in today‘s dynamic green industry. As growers respond to the dynamic market place where they are competing for sales with growers in other regions, the ability to satisfy the needs of the targeted outlets becomes increasingly critical. Nurseries focusing on landscapers & garden centers will need to emphasize plant quality & convince buyers that the higher quality is present & worth the higher price usually necessary in these outlets versus the mass merchandisers. Because of the limited information currently available regarding the economics of producing nursery crops using the pot-in-pot production system, 2 case studies were used to compare the costs of producing 3 species with in-ground, above-ground, & pot-in-pot production systems. A compendium of up-to-date guidelines that will assist greenhouse managers in making more informed decisions regarding their production & marketing-related business practices was developed. A section discussing major driving forces affecting the greenhouse industry is followed by sections specifically addressing marketing, personnel management, portfolio (product mix) management, materials handling & distribution, equipment procurement, cost accounting, pricing, & financial management.

Research programs on horticultural economics includes business analysis of
ornamental plant nurseries in Florida, analysis of economic structure &
development, marketing, & evaluation of technologies for plant production. This work involved survey research to collect economic information from businesses. Research activities for the horticulture industry: Economic impact of horticulture & other sectors of agric using primary survey data & the Implant input-output modeling software; Market survey research for turfgrass, ornamental plants, & related hort products. Research, client service, & ext educ on business analysis for hort production were provided. Market expansion strategies for turfgrass producers in the western US Economic impact of FL‘s nursery industry was completed. Economic impact of FL‘s golf course industry was completed. Operating cost study of the FL hort industry is underway. Under the Economic Impact Analysis Program in the UF Food and Resource Economics Dept, we conducted studies on the impact of hort & other FL agric industries. An economic impact study of FL‘s environmental hort industry in 2000 was completed in 2002. An economic impact study of the FL golf industry was also completed in 2002. A 3-year project, Market Expansion Strategies for Turfgrass Producers in the US, funded by Int‘l Turf Producers Foundation, was completed in 2002.

Work continued with collecting price & plant data from nurseries. Using catalogs on file at the Bailey Hortorium, Cornell Univ & the Andersen Library, Univ. of MN & several nurseries were selected which had been in operation in excess of 50 yrs. In a few cases catalogs were available for over 100 years. A few diverse species were selected which were available over this entire span. Price data were collected at 5-yr intervals over this period of time except for recession years when it was collected annually for a period. The data collected from 2001 and 2002 are currently being analyzed. Initial observations indicate recessions have a definite impact on the price of nursery stock.

Obj 4: One alternative to traditional Christmas trees could be developed from popular firs & pines. This study was initiated to determine consumer preferences & marketability for 6 evergreen tree species, using 3 decoration themes, & 3 price points. Conjoint software generated 27 alternatives from the 6 x 3 x 3 orthogonal design. A web-based survey was conducted using a sample of 5000
potential participants purchased from a national survey sampling firm. The 230
participants were compensated with a $5 e-coupon. The conjoint model accounted
for 91.2% of the variance, indicating it accounted for most of the variation in
consumer preferences. Consumers valued species as the most important attribute
(61% of the consumer‘s preference) with decoration color/theme the 2nd most
important feature (27%) &, lastly, price (12%). When consumers were divided into age groups, we discovered their preferences for price point varied. In a separate study designed to investigate consumer perceptions of new flowering woody shrubs positioned as potted flowering plants, we chose 15 flowering plants based on their differences in use, plant habit or form, & flower-color for a web based study conducted in May 2002. Consumer perceptions were measured with a semantic differential scale, which consisted of bipolar adjective pairs that anchor either end of a set of numbers. We asked participants to evaluate perceived similarities in pairs of flowering plants.

A protocol was presented for the introduction of new plants that have patents,
copyrights, or trademarks into the marketplace. The potential of a market, its growth rate, & the shape of the product life cycle provide key insights into current & future market demand, the foundation of a successful plant introduction. A market share index related to promotion, product, price, & place was developed to: identify important sources of lost market share opportunity, provide a mechanism to assess changes in market share & trace the change to 1 of the 4 P‘s, & estimate market share potential. Pricing issues were addressed as they related to price sensitivity, product positioning, & the competitive environment.

Barton et. al. 2002. Establishing and Operating A Garden Center: Requirements and Costs, 2nd Edition, NRAES.

Barton, S., B. Behe, R. Brumfield, C. Hall, R. Harkess, C. Safley, and P.J. van
Blokland. 2002. Enhancing profitability in greenhouse firms. So. Coop. Ser.
Bull. 401.

Behe, Bridget, Art Cameron, Kathy Kelley, Elizabeth Moore, Erin Nausieda,
Beth Fausey, Royal Heins, and Will Carlson. 2002. Turning Perennials Inside
Out. Nursery and Landscape Research Projects and Educational Programs
Booklet 2001. Published by Michigan State University. Diane Brown-Rytlewski
editor. p14-17.

Behe, Bridget, Kathleen Kelley, Jim Heilig, and Rachel Walden. 2002. Survey
of Southern Growers of Annuals and Perennials. Southern Nursery Association
Research Conference Proceedings. 45:516-518.

Behe, B.K., R.M. Walden R. D. Lineberger, M. Duck, B. Cregg. 2002. Consumer Preferences For Table-top Christmas Trees. Abstract Number: International Society of Horticultural Science, Toronto, Canada.

Behe, Bridget and Susan Barton. 2002. Consumer Perceptions of Product and
Service Quality Attributes in Six U.S. States. Nursery and Landscape Research
Projects and Educational Programs Booklet 2001. Published by Michigan
State University. Diane Brown-Rytlewski editor. p46-48.

Behe, Bridget, Elizabeth Moore, and Art Cameron. 2002. Examining Consumer Perceptions About Selected Flowering Perennial Plants. Nursery and Landscape Research Projects and Educational Programs Booklet 2001. Published by Michigan State University. Diane Brown-Rytlewski editor. p48-50.

van Blokland, P., A. Hodges and J. Haydu. 2002. Using Probabilities to Make
Budgets More Realistic. Proceedings of the Hawaii Conference on Business,
Honolulu, HI.

Brooker, J. and C. Hall. 2002. Interstate Trade Flows of Nursery Sales by
Market Outlet and Destination: Five Selected States. Proceedings of Research
Conference, SNA, Atlanta, GA, 2002.

Gardner, J., D. Eastwood, J. Brooker, J. Riley, and B. Klingeman. 2002.
Consumers‘ Willingness-To-Pay for Powdery Mildew Resistant Flowering
Dogwoods. Research Series 02-02, Department of Agricultural Economics,
February, 2002.

Gardner, J., D. Eastwood, C. Hall, and J. Brooker. 2002. How Much Should I
Charge? Applying Decision Analysis Tools to the Pricing of Flowering
Dogwood Trees that are Resistant to Powdery Mildew. Research Series
07-02, Department of Agricultural Economics, July, 2002.

Hall, C. and J. Brooker. 2002. Structural Changes in the Distribution of Nursery
Sales by Market Outlet for Five Selected States. Proceedings of Research
Conference, SNA, Atlanta, GA, 2002.

Hall, C., J. Haydu, and K. Tilt. 2002. The Economics of Producing Nursery
Crops Using the Pot-in-Pot Production System: Two Case Studies. Southern
Cooperative Series Bulletin No. 402, November 2002.

Hall, C. 2002. Editor, Enhancing Profitability in Greenhouse Firms. Southern
Cooperative Series Bulletin No. 401, May 2002.

Hardy, Jill, Bridget K. Behe, Thomas J. Page, Robert E. Schutzki, R. Thomas
Fernandez, D. Bradley Rowe. 2002. Consumer Preferences for Plant Size,
Type of Plant Material and Design Sophistication in Residential Landscaping.
Nursery and Landscape Research Projects and Educational Programs Booklet
2001. Published by Michigan State Univ. Diane Brown-Rytlewski editor. p50-51.

Haydu, J.J. A.W. Hodges, L.N. Satterthwaite and J.L. Cisar. 2002. Market
Expansion Strategies for Turfgrass Producers in the Central U.S., Part 2. Turf
Dollars and Sense, 14, pp. 1-4.

Haydu, J.J. A.W. Hodges, L.N. Satterthwaite and JL Cisar. 2002. Market
Expansion Strategies for Turfgrass Producers in the Central U.S., Part 3. Turf
Dollars and Sense, 14, pp. 1-4.

Haydu, J.J. A.W. Hodges, L.N. Satterthwaite and JL Cisar. 2002. Market
Expansion Strategies for Turfgrass Producers in the Central U.S., Part 4. Turf
Dollars and Sense, 14, pp. 1-4.20.

Hodges, A. Outlook for Ornamental Plants. 2001. Food & Resource Economics Newsletter, University of Florida.

Haydu, John J., Alan W. Hodges, and Ronald W. Ward. 2002. Market Analysis
of the Capillary Mat Irrigation Technology in the Southeastern United States.
EDIS Document FE 334, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Univ of Fl

Haydu, J.J., R.C. Beeson, A.W. Hodges, J. Carron, and PJ van Blokland. 2002.
Cost-Benefit Analysis of Alternative Irrigation Technologies for
Container-grown Landscape Plants. Proceedings of the Hawaii Conference on
Business, Honolulu, HI.

Haydu, J.J., A.W. Hodges, and J.L. Cisar. 2002. Container-grown Nursery
Crops as a Solution to Small Farm Profitability. Proceedings of the Hawaii
Conference on Business, Honolulu, HI.

Haydu, John J. and A.W. Hodges. 2002. Economic Dimensions of the Florida
Golf Course Industry. EDIS document FE 344, Florida Cooperative Extension
Service, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.

Haydu, John J. and Alan W. Hodges. 2002. Market Analysis of the Capillary
Mat Irrigation Technology in the Southeastern United States. Economic
Information Report, EIR 02-1, University of Florida, 22 p.

Haydu, John J. and Alan W. Hodges. 2002. Economic Impact of Floridas Golf
Course Industry. Economic Information Report, EIR 02-4, University of Florida,
30 p.

Haydu, John J. and Loretta Satterthwaite and John L. Cisar. 2002. An
Economic and Agronomic Profile of Floridas Sod Industry in 2000. Economic
Information Report, EIR 02-6, University of Florida, 25 p.

Haydu, John J. and Alan W. Hodges. 2002. Summary of Florida Sod Production. TPI Turf News, Vol.26, No.1, p. 34.

Haydu, John J. and Alan W. Hodges. 2002. Contribution of Floridas Golf
Course Industry to the States Economy. Florida Turf Digest, Vol.19, No.4, pp.
8-14.

Haydu, John J. and Alan W. Hodges. 2002. Contribution of Floridas Golf
Course Industry to the States Economy. The Florida Green, Summer Edition,
pp. 40-46.

Hodges, Alan W.and J.J. Haydu. 2002. Economic Impacts of the Florida
Environmental Horticulture Industry, 2000. Economic Information Report, EI
02-3, IFAS, University of Florida, 79 p.

Hodges, Alan W. and John J. Haydu. 2002. Floridas Nursery and Landscape
Industry Soars to Record Economic Heights. Farm Credit Leader, Winter,
2002. Farm Credit of Central Florida, pp.4-7.

Hodges, Alan W. and John J. Haydu. 2002. Demographic Trends in the United
States Relevant for Sod Producers. TPI Turf News, Vol.26, No.1, pp. 36, 38,
40-41, 44-45.

Hodges, Alan W. and John J. Haydu. 2002. Florida Green Industry Makes
Enormous Economic Impact. Ornamental Outlook, Vol.11, No.9, September,
pp. 38-40.

Hodges, Alan W. and John J. Haydu. 2002. Competition in the Market for
Manufactured Horticultural Containers in the Southeastern United States. EDIS
document FE 336, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, University of
Florida, Gainesville, FL.

Hodges, A. and J. Haydu. 2002. Economic Impacts of the Florida
Environmental Horticulture Industry. EDIS document FE 338, Florida
Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.

Hodges, Alan, W and J.J. Haydu. 2002. Competition in the Horticulture
Container Market in the Southeastern United States. Southern Nursery
Association Research Conference, Atlanta, GA.

Hodges, Alan W.and J.J. Haydu. 2002. Economic Impacts of the Florida
Environmental Horticulture Industry, 2000. Southern Nursery Association
Research Conference, Atlanta, GA.

Hodges, A.W., J.J. Haydu, and P.J. van Blokland. 2002. Competition in the
Horticulture Container Market in the Southeastern United States. Hawaii
Conference on Business, Honolulu, HI.

Kelley, Kathleen M., Bridget K. Behe, John A. Biernbaum, and Kenneth L. Poff.
2002. Combinations of Colors and Species of Containerized Edible Flowers:
Effect on Consumer Preferences. HortScience 37(1):218-22.

Mathers, H.M. 2002. Tackling Heat Stress in Container Stock. OSU Special
Circular 186: 97-102.

Mathers, H.M. and Zondag, R. 2002. Nursery Stock Production Using
Pot-In-Pot Technique. The Buckeye. February 2002:14-15, 20.

Mathers, H.M. 2002. Nursery Irrigation Management Part I: Waste Not, Want
Not. The Buckeye. March 2002:14-16.

Mathers, H.M. 2002. Nursery Irrigation Management Part II: Efficiency and
Water Conservation. The Buckeye. April 2002:14-17.

Mathers, H.M. 2002. Achieve optimum fertility: Why it‘s Important to Watch pH,
Macros and Micros. Nursery Management & Production 18(3):65-66, 68-71, 73-74.

Mathers, H.M. 2002. Nursery Irrigation Management. Part 3: Plant-Driven
Irrigation. The Buckeye. May 2002:14-15, 18.

Mathers, H.M. 2002. Nursery Irrigation Management. Part 4: Do you have a
Plan? The Buckeye. June 2002:14-16.

Mathers, H.M. 2002. Choosing the Right Herbicide. Part 1. The Buckeye. July
2002:14-16.

Mathers, H.M. and Zondag, R. 2002. Top 5 Pot-in-pot Problems. What to
Avoid, and Quick Solutions to Ease Production and Improve Crops. Nursery
Management & Production 18(7):61, 62, 65, 66, 68, 70.

Mathers, H.M. 2002. Choosing the Right Herbicide. Part II. The Buckeye.
August 2002:14-15, 17.

Mathers, H.M. and Quigley, M. OSU Editors. 2002. Ohio State University News
for the Green Industry / Noticias para la Industria Ecologia. Issue 2, Volume 2.
August 2002: 1-8.

Mathers, H.M. 2002. Uncovering the Truth about Mulches. The Buckeye.
September 2002:14-15,17-18.

Mathers, H.M. 2002. Herbicide Treated Mulches. The Buckeye. October 2002:14-17.

Mathers, H.M. 2002. The First Year. Field Planting of Caliper Trees. The
Nursery Book 2002-2003. October 2002:18-19, 26, 50.

Mathers, H.M., Struve, D. and Stoven. A. 2002. Cracking the Liner Market.
November 2002:14-17.

Mathers, H. and Case, L.T. 2002. Herbicide Treated Mulches for Ornamental
Weed Control. SNA Proceedings 47:

Phares, Meredith, Kathleen Kelley, and Bridget Behe. 2002. Telephone Survey
Results Show that Home Landscapes and Important to Consumers. Southern
Nursery Association Research Conference Proceedings. 45:516-518.

Phares, Meredith, Kathleen Kelley, and Bridget Behe. 2002. Telephone Survey
Results Show That Home Landscapes are Important to Consumers. Nursery
and Landscape Research Projects and Educational Programs Booklet 2001.
Published by Michigan State University. Diane Brown-Rytlewski editor. p45-46.

Pinel, R., R. Hinson, D. Hughes and R. Navajas. 2002. Establishing the
Economic Impact Of the Green Industry on Louisianas Economy. Paper
accepted for presentation at annual meeting of Southern Agricultural
Economics Association, Mobile, AL.

Posadas, Benedict C., Patricia Knight, Richard Harkess and Jeff Kuehny.
2002. Poinsettia Consumer Survey in Coastal Mississippi. Poster presented at
the 30th Horticulture Field Day, South Mississippi Branch Experiment Station,
Poplarville, Mississippi, November 1, 2002.

Posadas, Benedict C., Patricia Knight, and Richard Harkess. 2002. National
Nursery Surveys in Mississippi. Poster presented at the 30th Horticulture Field
Day, South Mississippi Branch Experiment Station, Poplarville, Mississippi,
November 1, 2002.

Stegelin, F.and S.C. Turner.An Example Protocol for a New Plant Introduction.
Proceedings of the Southern Nurseryman‘s Association Research Conference
Forty Fourth Annual Report 2002,p. 543-548.

Uva, W.L. and Richards, S. 2002. New York Greenhouse Business Summary
and Financial Analysis, 2000. E.B.2002-03, Dept. of Applied Economics and
Management, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.

Uva, W. L. 2002. Managing Marketing Risks. Cornell Focus on Floriculture
1(2):2,3. October. Dept. of Horticulture, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.

Uva, W.L. 2002. Marketing Horticultural Services. Smart Marketing Newsletter
Series. August. Dept. of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell
University, Ithaca, NY.

Uva, W.L. 2002. Growing for Profit - Managing Crop Mix to Enhance
Competitive Edge and Increase Profitability. Cornell Focus on Floriculture
1(1):2,3. July. Dept. of Horticulture, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.

Williams, D.J. 2002. Commercial Landscape and Turfgrass Pest Managenment Handbook. Chapter 1 Guidelines for managing weeds in landscape and nursery plantings.

Williams, D.J. 2002 University of Illinois all American selections trial garden. In: Miles C. Hartley Selections Garden at the Arboretum. Arboretum Series 02-1,
Universuity of Illinois Arboretum.