HortiTrends Weekly Comment & News Digest March 29th

We start with good news this week and it comes in the form of the spoken word of Dave Ryan who is happy with his lot in New Office & Positive Outlook for Dave Ryan Landscape Architects. In it he talks about "it's a sign of small businesses to come, those of us that started in the middle of the recession." We come across many examples of this including the Flower Power garden centre in Kilkenny." Open now for 3 years it was originally a Sunday market stall for many years and is now a thriving business in a prime location. There are many examples of this new breed of business that do not have the prolonged headache of the capital and staff investments of the 'Celtic Tiger' era. They like Dave are happy with their lot too and see many opportunities ahead.

Read more: HortiTrends Weekly Comment & News Digest March 29th

Graduation Ceremony at An t-Ionad Glas

Minister affirms future for Organic Food Producers. In a wide ranging address to graduates of An tIonad Glas the Organic College, Dromcollogher recently, Minister of State with responsibility for Horticulture, Mr Shane McEntee said that Organic Food Production was a good news story and the skills that the graduates learned will be in demand even more so in the future as a growing population will need more and better quality food.

Read more: Graduation Ceremony at An t-Ionad Glas

New Service For IEA Members - Supply Chain Management Audits

The IEA recently announced a new Supply Chain Management Review and Evaluation Service for exporters. The new IEA Supply Chain Evaluation service will be delivered by Alba Consulting, with whom the IEA have formed a strategic alliance.

Read more: New Service For IEA Members - Supply Chain Management Audits

Yields From Organic Crops Are 20% Lower

Globally speaking, the yield from crops from organic farming is on average twenty percent lower than from crops grown according to conventional farming methods. This is the finding of a so-called meta-study carried out by researchers at Wageningen University, part of Wageningen UR.

Read more: Yields From Organic Crops Are 20% Lower

Collect Tokens to Win Great Prizes for Your School - The Incredible Edibles 2012 Collecting Challenge

The Incredible Edibles characters are hitting the shelves in shops nationwide in 2012. For the 2012 Incredible Edibles challenge,the Incredible Edibles characters will start to be incorporated on the packaging of various Irish potatoes, fruit and vegetables.

Read more: Collect Tokens to Win Great Prizes for Your School - The Incredible Edibles 2012 Collecting...

IOFGA Calls on Teagasc to be Held Accountable For Reckless Public Spending on GM Trials

In light of the fact that Teagasc has lodged an application with the EPA for a licence to grow GM potatoes at its headquarters in Oakpark, IOFGA are demanding that Teagasc be held accountable for their decision to waste taxpayers money on this project.

Read more: IOFGA Calls on Teagasc to be Held Accountable For Reckless Public Spending on GM Trials

Minister MeEntee Announces Continuation of the Organic Farming Scheme

Shane McEntee TD, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine announced recently that applications are now being accepted for the 2012 Organic Farming Scheme.

Read more: Minister MeEntee Announces Continuation of the Organic Farming Scheme

John Lord Believes the Anti-Peat Lobby has Too Much Sway

It seems to me that the anti peat movement, particularly across the water, has gone way over the top, almost to the point of religiosity. They have swept all before them, and there appears to be little in the nature of rational debate. To question in any way the rationale behind this movement, puts you beyond the pale - the medieval equivalent of, say, questioning the Trinity, which might have got you burned at the stake.

Read more: John Lord Believes the Anti-Peat Lobby has Too Much Sway

Even In These Difficult Times There Is A Market For Organic Food At Home And Abroad

Fifteen innovative Irish seafood and food companies took part in Biofach, the world’s largest and most prestigious organic food fair in Nuremburg, Germany. Biofach attracts more than 2,500 international exhibitors and 50,000 trade visitors from 128 different countries.

Read more: Even In These Difficult Times There Is A Market For Organic Food At Home And Abroad

Attwood Launches ‘Be Plant Wise’ Campaign to Tackle Invasive Aquatic Plants

Environment Minister Alex Attwood today launched ‘Be Plant Wise’, a campaign to urge all gardeners to help stop the spread of invasive aquatic plants.

Read more: Attwood Launches ‘Be Plant Wise’ Campaign to Tackle Invasive Aquatic Plants

Global Seaweed Market Growing Strongly

According to CEVA, the French study centre for algal development, world production of seaweed has been increasing constantly since 1950, reaching 14.7 million tonnes in 2009. Almost all of this production comes from Asia with Europe representing just 0.01%. Most of this production occurs in France and Russia.

Read more: Global Seaweed Market Growing Strongly

Exporters Call for Trade Policy for Africa to Compliment Aid Policy in a Rapidly Growing Continent

Rencently the Dept. of Foreign Affairs and Trade  consultation meeting on Irish Aid Policies in Africa, the Irish Exporters Association (IEA) called for a radical Review of the current practices, stating;

Irish Government policy so far has shown;

Read more: Exporters Call for Trade Policy for Africa to Compliment Aid Policy in a Rapidly Growing Continent

RHS Signs Up 15,000th School To Campaign

The 15,000th school to sign up to the RHS Campaign for School Gardening is Berryhill Primary School in North Lanarkshire, meaning that the charity is now helping almost half of all UK schools to garden.

Read more: RHS Signs Up 15,000th School To Campaign

Innocent and GIY Sow & Grow Schools Campaign

This year at GIY we're doing a campaign with innocent to try and get kids growing in schools and at home, so they can understand where food comes from and enjoy the taste of home-grown food.

Read more: Innocent and GIY Sow & Grow Schools Campaign

Coveney Welcomes Focus on Agri-Food Sector in Finance Bill 2012

"Finance Bill 2012 builds on the Government's commitment to the agri-food sector as announced in the Budget and features a number of new initiatives that will be of further benefit to a wide range of interests in the sector."

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney TD, has welcomed the publication of the Finance Bill. "The Finance Bill 2012, published today includes several significant measures which will benefit the agri-food industry, including:

Read more: Coveney Welcomes Focus on Agri-Food Sector in Finance Bill 2012

The Last Child in the Garden

Today, I’d like you to consider why you became a horticulturist; to consider why the ranks of our profession are thinning; and to issue a call to action to ensure that the generations represented in this room are not the last to know the joys and wonders of horticulture.

Read more: The Last Child in the Garden

HortiTrends Weekly Comment & News Digest March 22nd

It's getting close to Bloom 2012 and with this in mind we asked Gary Graham to give us an update on the progress with designers and sponsors. Gary also outlines some new initiatives for the coming year. Staying with Bloom, it's never to early to start your Chelsea Gold medal practise run and 10 year old Miah Ní Nualláin will be doing so at Bloom this year. She is the daughter of well known designer Fiann Ní Nualláin. Miah with the careful guidance of her mother/talent manager Melissa is also in search of a sponsor. With the fact that she is going to be the youngest ever accepted entrant the sponsor's should be fighting over her, as this story will gain some major news space across the media spectrum.

Read more: HortiTrends Weekly Comment & News Digest March 22nd

Demand Outstrips Supply in US Health, Wellness and Organic Markets

The obesity problem continues to move right across the U.S.A with no State now reporting obesity rates of less than 20%. A recent New Hope Natural Media consumer study found that the will and the want is there among American consumers to be better to be healthier – but many consumers just don’t know how to get there.

Read more: Demand Outstrips Supply in US Health, Wellness and Organic Markets

Teagasc to Sub-Contract REPS Support Work

Teagasc is inviting expressions of interest for REPS related services. Given the projected workload for the advisory service in 2012 to support over 40,000 fee paying clients; it has decided to sub-contract part of its REPS related workload.

Read more: Teagasc to Sub-Contract REPS Support Work

GIY Sow and Grow Schools Campaign

Celebrity Chef Donal Skehan urges primary schools to take the innocent and GIY Sow & Grow pledge. GIY (Grow it Yourself) have joined forces with innocent to try and get kids growing in schools and at home, so they can understand where their food comes from and enjoy the benefits of home-grown food.  The campaign aims to create up to 15,000 budding new GIYers in 500 schools around Ireland in 2012.

Read more: GIY Sow and Grow Schools Campaign