Two floral and plant trade shows to be staged in Moscow under one roof this year
Organizers of two Russian horticulture trade shows announced an agreement Jan. 15 in Moscow to hold their two fairs on the same dates in the same building to cover the complete span of Russian floriculture, gardening and landscaping in one event.
Fair Flowers Fair Plants combines with MPS on trial run in United States in 2013
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — Fair Flowers Fair Plants is coming to the United States on a trial basis in the coming year in cooperation with MPS certification company, according to Arthij van der Veer, MPS international coordinator.
With immigration at top of its list, floral group holds lobbying day in DC
With comprehensive immigration reform gaining momentum in Washington, DC, floral industry professionals will be making visits to Capitol Hill March 12 in an attempt to make sure members of Congress clearly understand how immigration policy affects flower growers and floral wholesalers and retailers.
The Society of American Florists was scheduled to meet March 11 in Alexandria, VA, for its annual Congressional Action Days, which includes speakers and briefings March 11 and visits to Congressional offices March 12.
John Nevado wins Innovation in Action award
John Nevado, president of Nevado Roses in Ecuador, won the 2012 Innovation Pioneers One Wish Award for “exceptional ideas and outstanding actions” in transforming the rose-farming industry, according to a news release. The award was presented recently at the 2012 Innovation in Action symposium held late last year in Stockholm, Sweden.
JMB is back in green bean business for a strong spring
JMB Distributing Inc. in Nogales, AZ, which specializes in green beans, was receiving no product at all, at a time volume would normally have been strong and steady, when The Produce News talked to Harry Sbragia, the company’s president, Feb. 4.
“We had some sizeable freeze damage” from the mid-January cold snap that resulted in a loss of “a sizeable acreage,” he said. It happened to be a field that was just about to come into production.
GlobalGAP to create FSI technical benchmarks
GlobalGAP has been named to create technical benchmarking assessments for sustainability for the new Floriculture Sustainability Initiative. The announcement last month noted that GlobalGAP has been a reference and benchmarking standard for good agricultural practices in the floral and plant sector for more than 10 years.
The FSI group, based in Holland, was formed last summer to create “an international, sector-supported vision on sustainability by aligning global and local interests in the sector in a precompetitive way,” according to a news release from the group.
New Quito airport to aid flower shipments to U.S.
A new airport in Ecuador located a 23-mile drive east of Quito, opened for business Feb. 20 with one of the longest runways in South America, facilities to handle up to 6 million passengers annually, and plans for improved cargo facilities for shipments of cut flowers. The new airport, called Mariscal Sucre International Airport, the same name held by the old airport in Quito proper, will be served by 21 cargo airlines, 12 of them serving Miami.
O’Hare Airport perishables center is now on the drawing board
Franklin D. Roosevelt used to say that dealing with the U.S. State Department was like watching an elephant get pregnant: “Everything takes place at a very high level, there’s a great commotion, and then nothing happens for 22 months.”
Calavo Growers continues to expand Roma and red Bell programs
Calavo Growers Inc., which is headquartered in Santa Paula, CA, continues to work on improving quality and consistency in its tomato program “inside of this 2012-13 season,” according to Javier (J.J.) Badillo, director of diversified products in the company’s Nogales, AZ, office.
The company is also expanding the Roma side of its tomato business as well as its red bell pepper program, which is now in its second year.
Thai Blooms, Mrs. Bloom’s new division, fires up for Valentine’s Day
It was a little like building an airplane while trying to fly it. Mrs. Bloom’s Direct, an Elmsford, NY, importer, opened a West Coast office last fall that also will be home for its new mass-market division, Thai Blooms. The office experienced its baptism by fire during the Valentine’s Day holiday.