Are you a member of OFA?
If you're not a member, you should join today! OFA - The Association of Horticulture Professionals is the leading horticulture educational association in the United States.
It is a membership-based, not-for-profit organization with a mission "to support and advance professional horticulture." Industry segments served include garden centers, greenhouses, nurseries, landscapers, florists, interior plantscapers, emerging professionals, and allied trade.
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Message from the President
Dear Members,
It's been a busy spring for all of us on the Central Coast this year and most importantly, other parts of the country have been busy too! The industry is off to a great start this season and I hope that these positive vibes continue throughout the year.
Our 12th annual Open House event was held just a few weeks ago and we raised over $18,000 in scholarship funds! A big thank you to all of the nurseries and suppliers that participated in this annual event and a special thank you to Krista Herlihy for organizing such a successful, flawless fundraiser!
The spring membership meeting is quickly approaching and I hope that everyone will be able to join us at Speedling on May 16th. This is a perfect time to network and mingle with other members. We have also invited the 14 scholarship recipients to join us at this meeting as well, so don't miss out on this great opportunity to interact with the future of horticulture.
Hope to see you all in a few weeks!
Cheers!
Layci Gragnani, President
Greenheart Farms
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Spring Membership Meeting, May 16th
Speedling Nursery
1040 N. Thompson Avenue, Nipomo, CA 93444
4:30 - 6:00pm
Our guest speakers for the evening will be:
Richard Quandt
Grower-Shipper Association
Marty Settevendemie
San Luis Obispo Agriculture Commissioner
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| Thank you to everyone that donated to our Open House Event!
 | | Corey Nursery - Nipomo, CA |
American Horticulture Supplies Greenheart Farms
Ball FloraPlant Matt Donovan
Brassica McConkey
Cal Seedling Nipomo Rotary Club
C&M Nursery Robert Mann Packaging
Crop Production Services Rabobank
DoVer Enterprises Speedling
Eufloria SunGro Horticulture
Farm Credit West Talley Farms
**Check out our facebook page for more images from Open House.
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California Bountiful Magazine
One of our nursery members is featured in the May/June 2013 issue of California Bountiful!
Way to go Greenheart!
To read the article, click here:
Planting Pride
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Marketing Your Business Without Selling
Google "content marketing" and your search will return over a billion results. Why so many? It's one of the latest trends in the marketing world.
Basically put, content marketing is communicating with your customers by either sharing or creating useful content to acquire new customers without directly selling products; ever heard of a blog? It's a great idea, but if you're like most people getting started can be a daunting task.
Click here for tips on how to kick-off your content marketing campaign.
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Harvesting Rainwater Where It's Needed Most
Last month, a team of Aquascape Foundation volunteers installed a 15,000-gal. rainwater harvesting system in the Dominican Republic at FilterPure Filters, a nonprofit organization committed to providing safe drinking water to at-risk populations of the developing world.
The captured and stored rainwater will be used to aid production of FilterPure's ceramic water filtration devices distributed throughout the region.
For more information on the Aquascape Foundation or their next trip to Ghana, West Africa in January 2014, visit www.aquascapefoundation.org.
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Hazardous Waste Program Started
Recently the city of Santa Maria announced a new hazardous waste program for businesses. Any non-household entity generating 27 gallons or 220 pounds of hazardous waste per month, can dispose of the waste with the Santa Maria Regional Landfill Hazardous Waste Collection Facility.
For more information, visit http://www.ci.santa-maria.ca.us/3120.shtml.
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2012 Crop Statistics Released
An increase of nearly 18 percent in gross values over 2011 was reported for 2012. Totals are estimated at a record-breaking value of $861.8 million (2012) compared with $736.2 million (2011). For the second year, strawberries remained the top crop, with wine grapes coming in second. Read a news release here and five pages of statistics here.
Published copies of the 2013 crop report will be available in June; call (805) 781-5910.
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Where do you go for your local Ag news?
San Luis Obispo Farm Bureau provides several sources for local information about issues, events and matters of importance to agriculturalists.
Ag Update E-Newsletter
E-mailed to you eight times a year with news you need to know! Please help us sign up your friends and associates to receive it: click here and then e-mail the page to them.
Farm Bureau Website
slocountyfarmbureau.org
SLO Country Magazine
Mailed to Farm Bureau members or read it online.
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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!
Krista Herlihy
Central Coast Greehouse Growers Association
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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.
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