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May 2014 

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Contents
The 13th Annual Open House
Scholarship Announcement
Quarterly Meeting
Calendar

 

May

22 - Steering Meeting  

 

June

19 - Quarterly Membership Meeting 

 

   2014
CCGGA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
 
PRESIDENT

Layci Gragnani,  

Greenheart Farms

 
VICE PRESIDENT

Sandra Fischbein, Speedling Nursery

 
SECRETARY

Eric Djafroodi, Clearwater Nursery

 
TREASURER

Julie Hoyt, Crop

Production Services

 
DIRECTORS AT LARGE:

Dave Pruitt, iHort 

Ben Trogdon, Pacific Sun Growers

Butch Yamashita, Corey Nursery

Toni Kavaky, Viva Farms

                   
2014 Top 100 List Shows Growers Are Expanding
      

Follow the link to find out which of our growers made the list!
SPOTLIGHT

 

The California Women for Agriculture held a Field Day for the Boys & Girls Club of Guadalupe.  
Ball Tagawa Growers provided flower starts for the children to plant and give to their mothers on 
Mother's Day.

 

Thank you for supporting youth in the community!   

Do you know someone who would benefit from becoming a member of CCGGA?

We're always looking to expand our membership, so please spread the word about our organization!
 
Good Neighbor Policy
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Good Driver Award
 
December-2013
 Robert Mann Packaging

January-2014
Mario Gonzalez,
Rancho Harvest Inc.

February
Keith Kennel,
West Coast Refrigerated Trucking

March
 Tim McLaughli,
Jessup Transportation Inc.
 
April
 Omar Enciso,
Greenheart Farms

  The University of California Nursery and Floriculture Alliance (UCNFA) aims to serve the educational needs of the various agricultural production industries in California that produce greenhouse ornamental crops and outdoor nursery products.UCNFA News is a periodic publication focusing on issues and new research in subject areas of interest to the nursery and floriculture industry.  

                   
Why We Grow
Reason #2:

 

Plants provide affordable food.
       

How did this beginning gardener's ingenuity turns $75 into 6 months of fresh vegetables? Click the photo to find out! 
 
Please take this short survey and let ihort know about how you are protecting your employees while working from heights on your greenhouses.  Also, if you have a solution and wouldn't mind sharing it we are very interested in speaking with you about it. 
Agra Tech Job Opportunities!
 Click to find our more!
                

Message from the President

 

Dear Members,  

 

I hope that everyone has been having a successful spring season so far! It's hard to believe that summer is right around the corner.  

 

I want to personally give a big thank you to everyone who helped and/or participated with our annual open house last month, especially Krista Herlihy and Amy Spence. Without the hard work of these two individuals, we wouldn't have been able to raise $17,000 for scholarships this year!

 

This summer we are revamping our membership package, so if there is something that you'd like to see the CCGGA offer, please share your ideas. We want your membership to be of value to you, so we want to hear from you and what you'd like in your membership from us.  

 

Hope to see you all at our next meeting in June! 

 

Cheers!

 

Layci Gragnani, President

Greenheart Farms

 

The 13th Annual Open House       

 

   The 13th Annual Open House was help April 12, 2014. The public enjoyed tours and premium plant sales directly from the nursery at  BallFlora Plant, Cal Coast Palms, Eufloria Flowers, Holland America and Native Sons. Pacific Sun Growers also held tours and plants sales including a wonderful selection of flowers donated by Corey Nursery. Cal Coast Palms, our newest member, was a show stopper at the event. Music, free hot dogs, and their amazing selection of palms and trees made them a must see!    

The Edwards Barn served as the hub of the Open House activities including plant sales and unique demonstrations. 

Dave Pruitt from iHort shared how small scale hydroponics and miniature greenhouse kits can give your plugs and seeds a strong start in the garden. Ingrid Hilton, Master Food Preserver provided a family friendly demonstration on how to make the most of your garden by preserving some of your favorite fruits and veggies.  Also, Tracy Cole Labastida, Chef/Owner Field to Table Catering along with Registered Dietitian Maggie, gave insights and fresh ideas on how to turn your salad into the most delicious part of  your meal!

 

 

 

 

We would like to thank:

 

Rabobank

Agra Tech Inc.

American Horticulture Supply

Ball Horticultural

Ball Tagawa

Cal Coast Palms

Cal Seedling

Clearwater Nursery

Corey Nursery

Crop Production Services

Eufloria Flowers

Farm Credit West

Field to Table Catering

Greenheart Farms

Holland America Flowers

iHort International

 McConkey Company

Native Sons Wholesale

Nipomo FFA

Nipomo Rotary

Pacific Sun Growers

Premier Tech Horticulture 

Robert Mann Packaging

Speedling Nursery  

Sun Land Garden Products

and the Edwards Barn!

  

 

 

This year's Open House raised $17,000 for scholarships!   

Thank you to our sponsors and our community for helping fund the future in our industry.

Scholarship Announcement
 

  The Central Coast Greenhouse Growers Association (CCGGA) is proud to announce that they will award nineteen scholarships to college and high school students this year. CCGGA member nurseries throughout Nipomo and Arroyo Grande opened their doors on April 12th to the general public to develop relationships with community members and to raise money for their scholarship fund. Each participating nursery proudly donated a portion of that day's sales to the CCGGA Scholarship Fund, which is open to all students that are currently enrolled in college for the following year. The Scholarship program is also available to students of employees who work at CCGGA member nurseries. 

 

One of the organizations goals is to continue encouraging future generations to enter the horticulture field and to promote higher education within the families that work in the local nursery business.  

 

2014 CCGGA scholarship recipients are:

  • Aidan Williams - Currently attending Bishop Garcia Diego High School
  • Beatriz Barajas - Currently attending Arroyo Grande High School
  • Cristine Vana - Currently attending Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
  • Ismal Jr. Barajas - Currently attending UC Santa Barbara
  • Jorge Rivera - Currently attending Santa Maria High School
  • Jose Manuel Ortiz - Currently attending Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
  • Kasey Lorance - Currently attending Nipomo High School
  • Katrina Dobbe - Currently attending Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
  • Kirk Wilenius - Currently attending Loyola Marymount University
  • Lane Luis - Currently attending Santa Ynez High School
  • Lauren Mocettini - Currently attending Salinas High School
  • Mackenzie Rich - Currently attending Alta Loma High School
  • Maddie Yolar-Groppetti - Currently attending Righetti High School
  • Nelly Guerra - Currently attending Pioneer Valley High School
  • Rachel Maiorino - Currently attending Cal Poly, SLO
  • Samantha Fischbein - Currently attending Arroyo Grande High School
  • Sergio Lopez - Currently attending Allan Hancock College
  • Yuliana Carrillo - Currently attending Nipomo High School
  • Zane Smiley - Currently attending Cal Poly, Pomona

 

One of the scholarships are named with the local sponsors for the event - Kasey Lorance, who currently attends Nipomo High School, was named the winner of the Rabobank/CCGGA Scholarship. Thank you to our supportive community and sponsors!  

 

 Nipomo High School FFA Spring Banquet (Below)

Upcoming Quarterly Membership Meeting 
Hosted by: Cal Coast Palms
June 19th 4:30-6:30pm 

BBQ and Refreshments 

 

Guest Speakers

 

Caren Ray

San Luis Obispo County District 4 Supervisor 

 

Karen Lowerison

San Luis Obispo Deputy Agriculture Commissioner

 

John Snyder

Koch California & represents the Land Owners Group

 

Tour of Cal Coast Palms

 
The  Central  Coast  Greenhouse Growers Association (CCGGA) was founded to provide a cohesive organization that acts as a good neighbor within the local and regional community, providing information and education to neighbors; other community groups or businesses; and county, state, or federal agencies.
 
The CCGGA acts on behalf of its members in resolving issues that may arise with neighboring communities, as we work to coexist and enjoy the numerous benefits the Central Coast provides for both living and growing high-quality plants.