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US (PA): Applications for Longwood Gardens Fellows Program now open

Applications are now available for the Longwood Gardens Fellows Program, a 13-month residential learning experience focused on building the leadership capacity of high-potential public horticulture professionals. Interested individuals should visit longwoodgardens.org/fellows-program for program and.....

Construction to start in spring 2019

NL: Naktuinbouw to construct new lab facilities

In 2020 Naktuinbouw will be working in a completely new laboratory that will house all laboratory equipment for various types of research. This is due to the rising demand for plant disease tests, the use of DNA technology, more efficient design of the accommodation and to be able to continue to meet the.....

Piet Kuivenhoven, Kuivenhoven Potplanten

"Passion is the icing on the cake of the company"

According to Piet Kuivenhoven, passion and innovation are the distinctive values ​​of Kuivenhoven Potplanten in Poeldijk, The Netherlands. Although the pot plant grower has only just passed 50, he is already working hard to secure the future of his company and those core values. To realize this,.....

Netherlands: VDE plant reaches 70 year milestone

Family run company VDE plant blows out 70 candles this year. To celebrate this milestone, the company has issued a magazine in which it reflects on its history and looked forward towards the future."VDE stands for Van Der Eijk. Our grandfather started with the cultivation of vegetables. After a number of.....

All InSeason introduced preserved roses into New Zealand

After introducing preserved roses to Australia in 2015, Diana Carolina, Managing Director of All InSeason Pty Ltd, announces that the company has now expanded its preserved rose operations into New Zealand, with the very first shipment of All InSeason’s preserved roses landing in New Zealand in July of this.....

Fluence appoints David Cohen as COO

David Cohen has joined Fluence as chief operating officer. Cohen will lead the Fluence Marketing, Sales and Operations teams, and he will focus on the creation and execution of the global growth strategy along with defining and executing the digitization strategy for Fluence.“David will be an integral part.....

Bayer starts Monsanto integration

The seed shift has started

It has been 100 weeks since September 14, 2016, when Bayer signed an agreement with Monsanto to acquire the company for $66 billion, or $128 per share. Yesterday, BASF closed the acquisition of Bayer’s global vegetable seeds business Nunhems, opening the door for the integration of Monsanto into the Bayer.....

UK: Horticulture specialist joins AHDB Board

UK Ministers have appointed a new member of the Board of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, who will also chair its Horticulture Sector Board.Hayley Campbell-Gibbons will take up her post from 1 November 2018. Her appointment will run until 31 October 2021.This appointment has been made.....

US (NC): Hoffman Nursery promotes Brice Davis to production manager

Hoffman Nursery has promoted experienced supervisor Brice Davis to production manager. He joined the nursery in 2016 as production supervisor and immediately advanced the department. Having led distribution centers for several major companies, his experience proved invaluable in revising production layout,.....

UK: Bransford Webbs reaches a decade of environmental accreditation

The Bransford Webbs Plant Company has achieved the BS8555 accreditation for environmental management for the tenth consecutive year, having first achieved this important certification back in 2008.Among other targets, they have reduced their peat usage in both the liner unit and on the nursery, continue to.....

UK: Assessing financial needs of your horticultural business

Finding the time to properly assess the financial status of your business and knowing where the cash pinch points will be in the future could be the difference between success or failure. The points to consider are as follows: 1. Be realistic and budget honestlyThe first imperative is to budget honestly and.....

Illumitex expands to Canada

Illumitex recognizes the importance of Canada to the science and business of Controlled Environment Agriculture. As such, the company has created a subsidiary to increase access to Canadian innovation of new large-scale greenhouse technologies and crops.To further personalize the support the Canadian.....

Aircargo.nl talks about AEO certification

"Trust from customs will improve customer relations"

The AEO license allows customs officials, together with the business community, to ensure that all international trade securely enters and leaves Europe's borders. The AEO license, which stands for Authorized Economic Operator, has two varieties: the Customs Simplification permit AEO-C (Customs) and the.....

NL: Visser Chrysanten joins VannoVa

Visser Chrysanten from Maasdijk, the Netherlands, joined the VannoVa partnership on August 8th. This brings the number of master growers to nine.The brothers Ferry & René Visser have two greenhouses with a total of 2.2 hectares on the Oosterlijk Slag in Maasdijk. “Because they are two slightly smaller.....

David van Mechelen new CFO at Royal FloraHolland

David van Mechelen (1973) will be the new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and member of the Management Board of Royal FloraHolland. David van Mechelen starts 1 October 2018.With the appointment of David van Mechelen, Royal FloraHolland is getting an experienced and expert CFO. Van Mechelen worked for 19 years.....

Biobest shortlisted for Export Lion 2018

FIT (Flanders Investment & Trade) presents its Export Lion award to companies that excel in the field of export. Now in its seventeenth year, Biobest is competing to bag the annual prize.Stiff competitionDuring the first round, candidates from the medium and large enterprise category (50 or more.....

NL: Sion reinforces management board with Ewout van den Dool

Sion Young Plants has appointed Ewout van den Dool as Managing Director with effect from 1 September. He will join director/owner Eric Moor to form Sion's management board. The company’s current financial director, Hans Olsthoorn, will switch to a part-time role and will retain responsibility for financial.....

Kenya: How Karuturi lost its flower empire

Karuturi is a Kenyan company that was operating a 134-hectare rose farming business in Naivasha. It is fully owned by Karuturi Global, an Indian company listed on the Bangalore stock exchange.The firm was originally set up and operated by a Dutch family who sold it to Karuturi Global in 2007.It set its first.....

Jaap van der Meij new production manager at Armada Young Plants

Jaap van der Meij is the new Production Manager at Armada Young Plants. He will focus on strengthening all quality aspects of year round produced cuttings of the Armada assortment. Besides that he is the main contact for all AYR production sites of Armada in the Netherlands and abroad.Jaap brings a lot of.....

Phenospex to expand with €2 million funding

Phenospex announced the successful closing of the Series "A" round led by Future Food Fund, an early stage venture capital fund. LIOF, already an investor since 2013, also participated in this round. Phenospex will use the investment to fund the company’s further global expansion and drive product.....

Ecuador: 82 ha farm in Cotopaxi for sale

The Cotopaxi region in Ecuador is known for its agriculture. The climate conditions make it perfect for growers of roses, but also a lot of cattle farmers are located here. One of them, Diego Leíva, is selling his farm in Latacunga (Cotopaxi, Ecuador). “The 82 hectare farm is 55 miles away from the capitol.....

Growing peonies in the French sun

At Valentinfleurs the three Valentin brothers grow peonies. My Peony went there to check it out which resulted in some great insight into this originally Dutch horticultural company now turned fully French.Since 2006 they have been growing peonies in as many all natural ways as possible. In the open ground.....

SBM Company hires Gilles Ravot as global head of R&D

In keeping with their development strategy, SBM Company entrusts the management of Innovation, Research and Development of the Group to Mr Gilles Ravot.As an Engineer specialized in industrial and applied microbiology and PhD in cell and structural biology and microbiology, Gilles Ravot (48 years old) has.....

ForemostCo to acquire Orcosa

Orcosa, a producer of ornamental plants in Costa Rica, will be joining the ForemostCo family. Orcosa is a subsidiary of Handelskwekerij van der Velden in Holland, which has over 75 years in the business of ornamental plants in Europe.“Our plans are to combine Orcosa’s capabilities with our existing.....

Freight Waves paying a visit to Dutch auction Royal FloraHolland

"Flowering the world requires freight and financial expertise"

Freight movement is the art of moving cargo from one-point to another, without damage or corruption, during a specific time window. A properly running commodity market requires a transparent marketplace with a method for establishing price transparency, uniformity, and a method for trading.One location has.....

Monafleur taken over by Van der Plas

Starting July 1ste the activities of Monafleur will continue under Van der Plas. Monafleur is a perfect addition to the service provided by Van der Plas in Germany.Monafleur is located in East- Germany and has been in the flower business for nearly thirty years. They also buy flowers and plants on the.....

Henk Spoon new chairman of Flower Council of Holland

Henk Spoon (62), whose roles include being a partner at Brandwatch Consultancy, has been appointed as chairman of the Flower Council of Holland with effect from 1 June 2018. He succeeds Boy van Droffelaar, who during his twelve years as chairman has shown great commitment in piloting the Flower Council of.....

Silicon Valley executive Craig Elliott joins Autogrow

Entrepreneur and technology expert Craig Elliott has joined global agtech company Autogrow as an Independent Director. “We are incredibly excited to welcome Craig to the Autogrow family and our Board of Directors. His wealth of experience will be an asset to the company as we continue our global expansion,”.....

NL: Esperit Plants joins ComfortPlantGroup

ComfortPlantGroup will expand their growers' offer because from 1stof SeptemberEsperitPlants will become a member of this growers organisation. This brings their total to 27 growers.Esperit Plants is involved in the production of potted plants, namely Ficus. The company has 5.5 hectares of production grounds.....

JMP Flowers

"During the placement of outdoor screens we've had all types of weather conditions"

At the moment, Huisman is converting 5 hectares of outdoor screens for JMP Flowers in Poland to be in line with the techniques that are also applied in Greentop outdoor screens.The installation of the screens is being executed by supervisors of Huisman and mechanics of JMP. “We have encountered all types of.....

Video of David Austin packaging roses in Kenya reached 2 million people

Parfum Flower Company puts a lot into their marketing: blogs on websites, social selling by employees, Instagram, but especially Facebook. The current highlight of this according to them is a video of David Austin packaging roses at a company called Tambuzi in Kenya. With 13,000 likes and being shared.....

US (FL): White Sands MMJ facility revenue exceeds expectations

Future Farm announces an update with respect to the estimated revenue and EBITDA generated by White Sands Nurseries, the 10-acre operating greenhouse business acquired by the company in early 2018.At the time Future Farm purchased White Sands in January 2018, the estimated financial results for the business.....

New faces at American Floral Endowment

In the past few months, AFE has had two new employees join their staff. The new members include Candice Musgrove (pictured on right) as Program Coordinator and Ashley Alexander (pictured on left) as Communications Specialist.Candice Musgrove has been with AFE since March of this year and serves as Program.....

Uganda: Breeder offers employees perspective with microcredit

Royal Van Zanten, a breeder operating in Uganda (among other countries) has made many successful microloans in recent years. Doing so has made it possible for the employees to buy their own land or a house and to pay school tuition. ‘It gives us both more security and more opportunities’, said one employee.....

Bloom/Greenex/e-Flora

NL: Dutch Flower Group expands with 10,000m2 processing, office space

Dutch Flower Group has expanded with 10,000 m2 of processing rooms and offices on Betula 11 in De Kwakel in business park Zuid.At the festive opening, which culminated in the ceremonial cutting of a ribbon decorated with the company logos of Bloom, Greenex and e-Flora. CFO Harry Brockhoff announced that the.....

US (NJ): Phillipsburg farm and greenhouse to close after 70 years

The flowers have bloomed one last time at Piazza Farms and Greenhouses, a a Phillipsburg-area institution that will close Saturday after 70 years of operation.Christy Piazza Krouse, who runs the business with her parents, said the farm has been a family affair since her great grandfather opened shop seven.....

Modiform’s EcoExpert declared innovation winner of the year

Modiform recently won two awards with EcoExpert. At HortWeek’s Horticulture Business Awards EcoExpert came out on top in the category ‘Best Business Innovation of the Year’. Last week the company received this award in London during a gala evening. In Nantes (France) EcoExpert won the Golden award of the.....

From the floor to the business cards: everything is bamboo

From the floor of the stand to the business cards on the desk. At Van Nifterik they are enthusiastic about bamboo as a raw material. "The material is 100% biodegradable and therefore sustainable," says representative Martin Cromwijk during the Greentech in Amsterdam. "An additional advantage is that it grows.....

Wim van Os, Sproeibedrijf W van Os:

Sun moves Dutch chalk market

"I started alone and have been able to do that for a couple of years. Then I could not go on like that anymore, because there was simply too much work coming to me. In a period of 6 years I had to buy 2 cars and a warehouse full of equipment and last year I also purchased my own chalking machine. And now,.....

Andermatt Biocontrol becomes majority shareholder of Biofa

The Swiss company Andermatt Biocontrol will increase its shareholding stake to a majority position in the German company Biofa. Both Andermatt Biocontrol (58 %) and Trifolio-M (22 %) have taken share options which will strengthen the long-term partnership between Biofa, Andermatt Biocontrol and.....

Bas van der Elst, Hendic

"A well maintained silo can last at least 15 years"

Since recently buyers of the Hendic galvanized silos have received ten years warranty. This was told by Bas van der Elst during Greentech last week. “Actually, we thought it was strange that the warranty of steel silos wasn’t common. It is an expensive product. And when the water silo is rejected by.....

Belgium: PCS opens new greenhouses and green offices

Flemish Minister of Environment, Nature and Agriculture Joke Schauvliege, deputy of East Flanders for Agriculture and Countryside Alexander Vercamer and president of the Belgian farming and horticultural association Boerenbond Sonja De Becker attended the formal opening of the new greenhouses and green.....

Kenya: Karuturi requests court to end receiver managers’ deal

Troubled Naivasha-based flower farm Karuturi has asked the High Court to terminate the services of receiver managers appointed in 2014 to run its operations.In papers filed before the Milimani law court's Commercial and Admiralty Division, Karuturi claimed that the failure of CFC Stanbic to advance loan and.....

BioWorks celebrates 25th anniversary

BioWorks is celebrating its 25th anniversary – and a quarter century serving progressive operations in the horticulture and commercial agriculture markets. As a founding member of the Biological Products Industry Alliance (BPIA), BioWorks is a voice and advocate for safe and effective biological products.....

Denmark: Knud Jepsen dedicates 200,000 sq.ft. to cannabis

The Green Organic Dutchman has signed a letter of intent for a 50/50 joint venture with Queen Genetics/Knud Jepsen A/S based in Hinnerup, Denmark. The JV will initially consist of 200,000 sq. ft. located within Knud Jepsen’s 1.3 million sq. ft. state-of-the-art automated greenhouses in Denmark. The.....

NL: Armada names new varieties after racing cyclists

In week 25, two new varieties from breeder Armada were introduced by Zentoo: Anquetil and Nibali.On the left the Anquetil and on the right the Nibali"Anquetil is a dark pink decorative chrysanthemum with a good shelf life. With the fresh color Anquetil makes every bouquet beautiful." Anquetil is currently.....

Veiling Rhein-Maas:

Mark Rooijendijk new Head of Quality Control

On June 1, Mark Rooijendijk took on the position as Head of Quality Control at Veiling Rhein-Maas. Mark Rooijendijk brings with him extensive experience in quality control and supervising suppliers. Directly before he started in Straelen-Herongen, he worked as an account manager for Royal FloraHolland, where.....

Diaz-Saavedra named Home and Garden Account Manager at Certis USA

Gabe Diaz-Saavedra is named Home and Garden Account Manager for the biopesticide company Certis USA. In his new position, Diaz-Saavedra will call on key accounts in the consumer market for home and garden products, as well as the ornamental nursery, greenhouse, turf and mushroom markets. Diaz-Saavedra will.....

US (ME): New greenhouse business opens in Greenville

Lately there’s been a lot of good news about young people moving to Maine to start a new business and a new life, all the while being engaged in their local community. Such is the case with Backwoods Harvest Company, a family organization who bought the former Autumn Brook Farm on East Road in.....

ChemChina celebrates Switzerland Theme Month with Syngenta flowers

On June 25, ChemChina held the opening ceremony of “The Switzerland Theme Month” among a series of country themed cultural month activities. His Excellency Switzerland Ambassador Mr. de Dardel and Mr. Sun Qixin, the Principle of China Agricultural University were present at the event and delivered.....

Floricultura Brasil officially opened

Two years ago, the construction of Floricultura Brasil took off, and last Friday, after Hortitec in Holambra, glasses were raised to the opening of this new greenhouse.It is the third location of Floricultura that is based outside the Netherlands, next to Floricultura Spacific in Salinas, USA and Futura.....

Sakata Seed acquires minority interest in Van Egmond Lisianthus

Sakata Seed Corporation, of Yokohama, Japan, announces that they have acquired a minority interest in Van Egmond Lisianthus, of Rijnsburg, The Netherlands. Sakata Seed Corporation is a major breeder of Lisianthus cultivars, and Van Egmond Lisianthus is one of the world’s largest producers of Lisianthus Young.....

Foundation Chryson has 4 new faces

The board of Foundation Chryson has 4 new faces. Jan van Ruyven succeeds the recently passed away chairman Jan Borst. The board has expanded with 2 growers, Martien Borst and Richard van Schie. Henk Jacobs succeeds Cees Dekker. The board consists of 4 representatives on behalf of the growers, 4.....

Pastini: a new type of gerbera with curvy petals

Soon a new type of gerbera will hit the market: Pastini. The Pastini is a brightly colored gerbera flower with a curly petal. Six types Koolhaas Natuurlijk will bring out six different types of Pastini. Pastinis with a green center; Venezia (pink/green), Roma (fuchsia) and Modena (red wine colored). And.....

NL: Growers sell first flowers via Floranti

On June 8, at 8:38 the first orders were made via the Floranti platform. Tom de Ridder, who is in charge of purchasing at J. van Vliet Bloemenexport, was the first to buy a cart of Sweet Avalanche from Meijer Roses who is located in Pijnacker. After months of preparations, Floranti has now officially gone.....

Evanthia Seeds&Plants expands management team

Since 1 June, Ron de Lange (50) joined the management team of Evanthia B.V. “Due to the growth of the company we needed to reinforce the organisation’s management team,” says Nico Grootendorst.In his new role, Ron de Lange is responsible for all operational matters to further develop this growing and.....

Digna van Zanten takes over as Managing Director at WPS

As of 1 August this year, there will be a change in the composition of the WPS board and Digna van Zanten will officially take over as Managing Director from Marc Knulst and from her father, owner and founder, Eef van Zanten.Marc has found a new opportunity as director at Perfectkeur. He will ensure a smooth.....

CAN (ON): Ag Energy Co-operative turns 30

On May 30th, Ag Energy turned 30. Ag Energy Co-operative was founded in 1988 by vegetable and flower greenhouse growers looking for a better way to purchase natural gas. The growers saw an opportunity to unite and formed the co-operative that grew into the modern day Ag Energy.Ag Energy has changed.....

US (FL): Will Womack takes the helm at the FNGLA

FNGLA President-elect Will Womack initially considered being a prosecutor before turning his sights on the nursery and landscaping industry. In 2002, he started Tampa Bay Landscaping and has since been active in the Tampa Bay Chapter of FNGLA and the Hillsborough County Farm Bureau serving in a variety of.....

Flower Council of Holland appoints Ivo van Orden as Activation Manager

A familiar face in a new role: Ivo van Orden, formerly Marketing Manager Netherlands at the Flower Council of Holland, has been appointed as the new Activation Manager within the organisation. In his role he will bring growers, traders and consumers closer together.Ivo van Orden has been working at the.....

UK: Lovania adds 10 acres under glass

Adding to its production portfolio and bringing its total production area to 42 acres across 16 sites, Lovania have acquired the 10-acre former Mahood site at Moss Lane, Hesketh Bank. The increased glass production is an important step to add to the existing developments at Nook Farm where Phase 2 of.....

Richard McKenna steps down as IPPS president

Following Richard McKenna's decision to step down as President of the IPPS, Tim Lawrance-Owen, Past (now caretaker) President IPPS Europe, has issued the following statement:"In the last week Richard McKenna, who is the President currently has, with regret, had to take the decision to step down from his.....

Kenya: Appeal court puts off Karuturi auction till July 9 hearing

The Court of Appeal has suspended auctioning of Karuturi flower farm's property until July 9 when the parties will appear in court for hearing of an ongoing case on the matter.This is a reprieve for the owners who have been fighting in court to save the flower firm from the auctioneer’s hammer.“Counsel have.....

Pieter Lips on cut Phalaenopsis from Ichtus Flowers

NL: "There is still a huge market open to us"

Ichtus Flowers in Waddinxveen (NL) is one of the market leaders when it comes to cut Phalaenopsis. Pieter Lips, co-owner since 2010, explains why this cut flower is a real must-have in every flower shop.Walking through the greenhouse, Pieter explains: "These Phalaenopsis plants have been specially bred for.....

Vestaron appoints Anna Rath as Chief Executive Officer

Vestaron has appointed Anna Rath as Chief Executive Officer. With more than a decade of experience across multiple venture-backed ag-tech companies, Anna will lead the transformation of Vestaron from the R&D phase of its development through its commercial phase.“In order to preserve and improve the.....

UK: Co-op signs three-year deals with flower suppliers

The Co-op brought together its flower growers and suppliers on 19 June at the home of Lincoln’s Naylor Flowers in celebration of British Flower Week and an industry that is “in bloom”.The retailer, which signed the NFU’s Fruit and Vegetable Pledge in 2016, has applied many of the same principles to its.....

Grow-Tech, Quick Plug and Omni Growing Solutions unite as Quick Plug Global

Quick Plug BV, Grow-Tech Inc. and Omni Growing Solutions Inc. are continuing their work under a completely rebuilt Quick Plug brand. The new company identity was revealed at the recent GreenTech exhibition, where we caught up with Managing Director, John van der Maarel, who updated us on the ambitious growth.....
"Together the largest auction platform in Europe"

NL: Troostwijk and BVA merger

Auctio, with BVA Auctions as the most well-known label, and Troostwijk Auctions & Valuations are merging and together will form the largest online auction platform in Europe. "A logical step", according to CEOs Ghislaine Duijmelings (Troostwijk) and Herberth Samsom (Auctio). "We combine technology,.....

"Renewed recipe is well received"

NL: Plants from SV.CO in a new, durable packaging

Last October, flower grower SV.CO changed their appearance. The changes are becoming increasing more visible, and the company reports positive reactions."The new design is more illustrative with natural colors. Almost all SV.CO products are currently being packaged in the new look and the reactions from the.....

NL: Nieuwkoop Europe builds an additional 2.5 ha

On Wednesday 13 June, the first pile of Nieuwkoop Europe's new construction project was driven in. The company, which both imports, cultivates and trades in hydroponics, pot plants and planters, is going to expand its floor area by approximately 25,000m2, adjacent to the current location of 75,000m2 in De.....

US: Justin Wisniewski joins Must Have Perennials as General Manager

Must Have Perennials announces the hiring of Justin Wisniewski as General Manager effective immediately.Justin has had a wealth of experiences preparing him for this position, which includes operating his own consultation firm. He has a B.S. in Education and holds teaching certificates in both Pennsylvania.....