The Floriculture College of Knowledge finale

Erik Runkle
Horticulture

The last planned offering of the Floriculture College of Knowledge certificate program will be held in coordination with the Michigan Greenhouse Growers Expo, November 11-12 in Lansing. The four courses in Track III will be presented, which include Potted Plant Production, Environmental Management of Temperature, Hanging Baskets and Containers, and Physiological Disorders. The instructors for this program will be Mr. Matt Blanchard, Dr. Beth Fausey, Dr. Dean Krauskopf, Dr. Erik Runkle, and Dr. Ryan Warner.

Each course is four hours long, for a total of 16 hours of instruction. Participants of each course receive textbooks, bulletins, and comprehensive notebooks on each topic, and can be taken back to the workplace for future reference. Enroll in any combination of courses, or register for all four and receive a discount. This is a great opportunity for you and your growers to receive up-to-date, research-based information on a variety of important topics.

For more information and to register, visit the Floriculture College of Knowledge website at http://www.hrt.msu.edu/cok. The pre-registration deadline is November 3. For more information and to register for the Michigan Greenhouse Growers Expo, visit http://www.migreenhouseexpo.com.

Water Quality and Treatment Workshop in Kalamazoo – October 15

Erik Runkle
Horticulture

The Water Education Alliance for Horticulture is offering a free workshop for greenhouse and nursery growers in Kalamazoo, Michigan on October 15. This program will provide research-based information to growers who currently or plan to recycle or conserve water. Coordinated by the University of Florida in association with Michigan State University, you’ll learn from university and industry experts how to decide on the best water treatment technologies for your location considering technical (efficacy, safety, target levels) and financial (installation and operation costs) aspects.

This workshop begins at 9:00AM at Sportel Greenhouses and finishes at Wenke Greenhouses. Lunch will be provided courtesy of the Kalamazoo Flower Group. A program overview is below. To register, contact Anne Frances at the University of Florida by phone at 352-392-4155 or E-mail her at watereducationalliance@gmail.com. Click here for complete information on this workshop.

October 15, 2008

9:00 AM	Meet at Sportel Greenhouse, 5912 E L Ave, Kalamazoo, MI
9:00-9:15	Introductions and goals for the day (Paul Fisher, Univ. of Florida) Welcome from Sportel, Wenke, and Blackmore Co.
9:15-10:30	Tour of Sportel Greenhouse
10:30-10:45	Travel to Wenke Greenhouses, 2525 N 30th St, Kalamazoo, MI
10:45-12:00	Tour of Wenke Greenhouse
12:00-12:40 PM	Lunch. Display tables available for water treatment companies
12:40-1:40	Concurrent sessions: (A) Equipment (facilitated by Paul Fisher). Copper, ozone, and injectors (B) Oxidizing materials (facilitated by Bill Argo, Blackmore Co.). Sodium hypochlorite, calcium hypochlorite, chlorine dioxide, chlorine gas, activated peroxygen
1:45- 2:15	Biology of waterborne pathogens (Leah Granke, Michigan State Univ.)
2:20- 3:20	Groups (A) and (B) switch for concurrent sessions
3:20- 3:30	Wrap up discussion of technologies for this location (Bill Argo, Paul Fisher)

Michigan growers invited to submit proposals

The North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (NCR-SARE) is announcing its 2008 Farmer Rancher Grant Call for Proposals. All needed documents are available online at http://www.sare.org/NCRSARE/prod.htm. The web site also offers state-by-state data for past recipients of the grants.

Farmers and ranchers in the North Central Region can submit proposals for grants to support sustainable agriculture project ideas initiated by growers. Projects should emphasize research or education and demonstration. Grants can range from $6,000 for individual farmers and up to $18,000 for groups of three or more farmers. NCR-SARE expects to fund about 50 projects in the twelve-state North Central Region.

Producers can submit proposals via email. NCR-SARE is now asking applicants to complete a brief budget narrative in their project proposal. Also, beginning farmers and/or youth may apply.

The deadline for proposals is Monday, December 1, 2008 at 4:30 PM.

Potential applicants with questions can contact Michigan’s NCR-SARE coordinator Dale Mutch at 1-800-521-2619, mutch@msu.edu. Or send questions to the regional coordinator, Joan Benjamin, NCR-SARE Farmer Rancher Grant Program Coordinator, at jbenjamin2@unl.edu or 402-472-0809.

The NCR has funded more than 650 farmer rancher grants worth more than $4,300,000 since the inception of this program.