June 26th, 2008 Field Day: Call To Sponsors & Vendors

The Missouri Landscape and Nursery Association is having our annual Field Day on Thursday, June 26th from 9:00 am until 3:00 pm at Forrest Keeling Nursery in Elsberry, Missouri.

MLNA Field Day is FREE
For all our Members & Guests!
Please Join Us!

We plan on having many events throughout the day, including a hands on pond building classroom as well as brick paver patio building classroom. We will have areas for vendors to set up and display their products and services to our members and guests. Forrest Keeling will demonstrate the installation of a Rain Garden and offer guided tours of their facility.

We would like to invite you to participate in MLNA’s Field Day as a Vendor or an Event Sponsor. As a vendor you will be able to set up a display of your products and have the valuable opportunity to visit one- on -one with MLNA members and guests about what your company and products can offer. As an Event Sponsor, in addition to your display area, you will be highlighted during the Field Day as providing one of the many services that makes the day’s events possible.

The cost to set up a booth as a Vendor will be $150. You will need to bring your own setup materials, such as a pop up tent if needed and a table and chairs if you need them. The cost to be an Event Sponsor will be $500 and you will receive a vendor slot as well as being featured during the event you choose to Sponsor, such as lunch, coffee and doughnuts or entertainment sponsor.

If you would like to attend this event as a Vendor or an Event Sponsor please contact MaryAnn Fink, Executive Director, at 636-939-9079 or maryannfink@mlna.org. MaryAnn can give you more details on the event and arrange for your arrival on the 26th of June. A link to the Vendor/Sponsor .pdf file and an R.S.V.P. Form is at http://www.mlna.info/.

The MLNA is a non-profit organization and this event is used to help fund our operating costs for the year so we can continue to provide valuable benefits to our members and future members in the Green Industry. We appreciate your support with our organization and our member events!

Registrations are rolling in for native plant workshops

Landscape Design with Missouri in Mind is coming to the northwest and southeast corners of the state with in-depth information on how to use native plants in landscapes large and small. Grow Native!, a joint program of Missouri Department of Conservation and Missouri Department of Agriculture, along with local partners, is sponsoring the day-long workshop Friday and Saturday, Feb. 22, and 24, in St. Joseph and Friday, March 7, in Cape Girardeau. Landscape professionals are encouraged to attend the Feb. 22 or March 7 sessions and homeowners the Feb. 24 session in St. Joe. A naturescaping symposium for homeowners will take place Saturday, March 8, in Cape Girardeau.

The workshops include sessions on natural communities, how to match plants to property conditions, how to establish a prairie planting and how to select trees for your landscape. The day begins with a presentation by Dave Tylka, author of Native Landscaping for Wildlife and People, who will set the stage for the rest of the day by helping attendees understand the benefits of native plants for both landowners and wildlife. MNLA’s MaryAnn Fink will wrap up the day by describing outstanding native plant combinations and how use them in a landscape.

Complete details are available at http://www.grownative.org/. Click on Workshops and Events, then the day of the event. You will find more details and downloadable registration forms.

TODAY"S GARDEN CENTER MAGAZINE FEATURES HILLERMAN NURSERY

POSITIVE NEWS FOR INDEPENDANT GARDEN CENTERS!

Hillermann Nursery & Florist recieves recognition and is featured on cover of Today's Garden Center magazine! http://www.todaysgardencenter.com/pdf/tgc_cover_story200802.pdf

A recent survey of 1,382 independent retailers found that consumers’ desire to support independent, locally-owned businesses appears to be growing, Retail Merchandiser reports. Retailers in all 50 states were included in the survey, which found that "even in a difficult economic climate, many independent retailers are holding their own and even seeing sales gains by emphasizing their local ownership and community roots," the story says. Locally-owned retailers in cities with Buy Local campaigns saw bigger increases in holiday sales compared with those without campaigns. The study also found that 82 percent of those surveyed believe the fact that they’re locally-owned matters to customers. "We’re seeing the beginnings of a shift in people’s shopping choices, particularly in places where ‘buy local’ campaigns have brought this to the forefront of public consciousness," says Stacy Mitchell, author of "Big-Box Swindle" and senior researcher for the Institute For Local Self-Reliance. "‘Locally-owned’ is following in the footsteps of ‘organic’ as people look for ways to support a more sustainable economy and revitalize their communities." The Independent Business Forum, a new network of organizations that represent independent businesses, conducted the survey. Read the full story here.

USA Today Features Green Industry Immigrant Issue

A recent USA Today cover story described experienced immigrant workers packing up and leaving Oklahoma for less hostile places. Those immigrants are not returning to home countries either, but rather relocating to other states, in response to H.B.1804 a tough anti-business immigration enforcement law passed in the state late last year.
The story that ran on January 10, "Strict immigration law rattles Okla. Businesses " featured quotes by Greenleaf Nursery Co. president Randy Davis, as well as a front page color photo of workers at the nursery. ANLA worked with the paper and with Greenleaf to facilitate the story as part of a broader effort to educate the American public on the need for immigration law reform.
USA Today has been following the issue and highlighted nursery businesses and immigration reform topics. In 2006 it ran a story entitled 'Guest workers' at core of labor dispute highlighting how Ohio industry leader Tom Demaline of Willoway Nurseries was affected. A more recent story focused on Rhode Island landscape professional Jonathan Zeyl, whose H-2B guest workers are unable to return to the U.S. legally this year because Congress has failed to renew a visa provision. For more:
http://capwiz.com/anla/utr/1/HZRLIBTZQA/AAVTIBTZWM/1729272176

To All Members of the Garden Center Industry

2008 Gateway Wholesale Flower Grower Expo

Wednesday, February 27th 9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.


Meet the local growers of annuals and perennials, discover what they have in store for Spring 2008! Find new sources or strengthen current relationships!

Featured Panel Discussion Topics: “How To Go Green & Make Green” “Why Buy Local?” “What’s Hot In Retail?”


FREE TO ATTEND

FREE HOT LUNCH

Location: The Columns Banquet Center 711 Veterans Memorial Parkway St. Charles, MO 63303 (Located near the intersection of I-70 and 5th St.- just across the Blanchette Bridge) RSVP to Chris Nejelski by Wednesday, February 20th at chris.nejelski@mobot.org