FANN is launching a new series of on-farm native plant production workshops starting Friday, January 8, 2016, at Green Seasons Nursery in Parrish, Manatee County, where Roger Triplett and his crew will demonstrate how they produce 3-5 native species for mass market appeal and profitability.

Specific topics of discussion will likely include seeding vs. cutting, methods to increase growth, how seasons, photoperiods and temperature affect timing of planting; fogging, chemicals and integrated pest management in the greenhouse, and trimming and other techniques to improve plant appearance and profitability.

FANN invites new CEU courses for industry professionals with fresh perspectives and information each year. Courses are provided in conjunction with FANN’s annual Native Plant Show. We prefer courses of one hour in length. Our show facility provides professional classrooms equipped with screen, projector and laptop.

FANN is a supporter of the Florida Clean Water Declaration Coalition (FCWD).

The coalition is asking that organizations and businesses sign onto a letter regarding currently fast-tracked water legislation (SB 552 and HB 7005). The letter has been drafted by FCWD Campaign Steering Committee composed of representatives from 17 different water advocacy organizations, trying to create a unified voice on water quality and quantity issues around the state, from the broad public interest perspective rather than special interests.

11/7/2015 update from Pollinator Partnership – amendment seeking to eliminate funding for vegetation management was defeated: 172 (122-R, 0-D) for and 255 (71-R, 184-D) against, strong bipartisan vote against.

Everyone who took action made a difference. Many groups and individuals weighed in against the Hartzler amendmen.

Leadership of Denham (R-CA) was key, as well as Hastings (D-FL). All who support vegetation management that benefits pollinators along rights-of-way owe those two members a big thanks.

FANN member Sandhill Native Growers and Environmental Services of Arcadia received the BEST OF SHOW booth award at the FNGLA Landscape Show held Sept. 24-26, 2015 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. Landscape Show judges noted how distinctive the booth was in representing Florida and the use of native plants for restoration.

Sandhill does a lot of restoration work, particularly in South Florida, and this year, instead of just lining up the plants they have for sale, Sandhill Native Growers opted to use their display to show what the company does – restoration of native Florida ecosystems using Florida native plants.

John Sibley presided over the election of FANN’s 2016 Board of Directors on Nov. 5, 2015, conducted during the annual membership meeting held at McKeithen Growers in Myakka City that afternoon. Jerry Fritz, Nominating Committee Chair, was present and reported during the morning board meeting but was not able to stay for the afternoon membership meeting and election.

Not only do native plants do a better job of hosting and supporting local insect communities than their non-native counterparts, but a University of Delaware study shows that non-native plants are compounding the problem of declining species diversity by supporting fewer herbivores across landscapes.

The research was conducted by UD alumna Karin Burghardt and Doug Tallamy, professor of entomology in the University's College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and published in a recent issue of Ecology Letters.

"We know that exposure to nature enhances our well-being, but we know less about the specific features that create these positive effects," said MaryCarol Hunter, ASLA, University of Michigan, at the ASLA 2015 Annual Meeting in Chicago. A set of fascinating studies by Hunter and Marc Berman, a psychologist and neuroscientist at the University of Chicago, are beginning to converge on what those feature are. The goal is to translate knowledge of these features into design guidelines landscape architects and other designers can apply.

Conservation programs looking to restore monarch butterfly habitat by planting vegetation for butterflies to lay their eggs should pay more attention to local plant varieties and quality soil, according to new research.

"When folks call me up asking how they can help with the monarchs, I tell them to use local sources of milkweed, as many species of milkweed as they can, and to use local, high-quality soils," said Mark Hunter, an ecologist with the University of Michigan and coauthor of a study published recently in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

MPS is an active partner of Bio Base Westland and sees opportunities for the biobased industry in the fresh chain. Earlier, we had switched to paper with tomato stalk fibres and our anniversary magazine was printed on fibre paper. Now, MPS involves its growers support base in the interesting initiative with FloraHolland to use extracts from ornamental plants as green crop protection agents.

Although the project is still in its pilot phase, this could have a positive effect on the future score in the MPS-ABC.