Making Cents of Green Industry Economics Blog | Ellison Chair in International Floriculture | Teaching, Research, Extension and Service

Water survey responses still needed

Posted on August 19, 2012 by Charlie

If you recall my recent post about completing the national water survey (click here), then you should be aware of the fact that, as an added incentive to complete this survey, a grand prize drawing has been added as part of this project. Please see details below: All growers who complete the National nursery and greenhouse water management survey fully will be entered in a drawing for one (1) Decagon Devices wireless sensor network system* (including installation and support) as a grand prize. To be eligible for this… Read More →

Social Media Tips for Green Industry Firms

Posted on August 3, 2012 by Charlie

Join us for a Webinar on August 13! The social version of anything is more engaging and will out-perform non-social. Smart businesses today realize that social is not just a layer to add to their marketing, but an essential component that has to be baked into every aspect of the business. People are hard-wired to connect and engage with others, and anything that works against that is friction that inhibits your success. Learn how to go beyond social media technologies to rethink and redesign your business around the… Read More →

Immigration and Agriculture

Posted on July 25, 2012 by Charlie

The following link is to a series of articles related to immigration policy in the agriculture sector of the economy. Choices Magazine is the outreach publication of the American Agricultural Economics Association. Welcome to Choices Magazine Online!.

Why trees?

Posted on June 25, 2012 by Charlie

Excellent overview of the benefits of trees in the landscape.

Last chance to complete water-related survey for nursery and greenhouse growers

Posted on June 9, 2012 by Charlie

The University of Maryland is involved (along with several land-grant university partners) in a USDA-funded project to determine how new sensor-based irrigation networks can benefit the ornamental plant production industry. We would like your help to better understand current practices in the industry, and have developed a survey that asks questions about water, nutrient, and runoff practices in the industry, and about how the industry can take advantage of recent and anticipated advances in sensor-based irrigation networks. The goal of this research is to use your answers, along with… Read More →

Immigration Policy and Its Possible Effects on U.S. Agriculture

Posted on June 8, 2012 by Charlie

Source: http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/June12/Features/ImmigrationPolicy.htm Changes being considered would affect the market for hired farm labor. Policymakers are considering changes to U.S. immigration law that would affect the market for hired farm labor—including mandatory use of an Internet-based employment eligibility verification system and an expanded program for temporary nonimmigrant foreign-born farmworkers. Labor is an important input to U.S. agriculture—accounting for about 17 percent of the sector’s variable production expenses and roughly 40 percent of such expenses for farms specializing in fruit, vegetables, or nursery products. ERS analysis quantifies the possible effects… Read More →

Effects of Advertising in Generating Grower Sales

Posted on June 8, 2012 by Charlie

Misperceptions about healthy food: Does this correlate to misperceptions about plants?

Posted on May 19, 2012 by Charlie

Most Americans consume diets that do not meet Federal dietary recommendations. A common explanation is that healthier foods are more expensive than less healthy foods. To investigate this assumption, the authors of this USDA study compare prices of healthy and less healthy foods using three different price metrics: the price of food energy ($/calorie), the price of edible weight ($/100 edible grams), and the price of an average portion ($/average portion). They also calculate the cost of meeting the recommendations for each food group. For all metrics except… Read More →

An easy way to support America in Bloom

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Charlie

As many of you are aware, America in Bloom(AIB) promotes nationwide beautification through education and community involvement by encouraging the use of flowers, plants, trees, and other environmental and lifestyle enhancements. One of the ways that AIB raises funds (besides sponsorships) is to hold an annual raffle. Wouldn’t it feel good to put $5,000; $1,000, or even $500 in your pocket? If you purchase an AIB raffle ticket you just might be one of the lucky cash prize winners! The 2010 raffle generated over $30,000 in funding for… Read More →

New Estimates of the Housing Wealth Effect

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Charlie

A new report from the NBER by Charles W. Calomiris, Stanley D. Longhofer, and William Miles shows that “on average, a single dollar increase in housing wealth raises consumption by between five and eight cents.” If the value of a homeowner’s house rises by one dollar, how much will that homeowner increase spending on consumption? In The Housing Wealth Effect: The Crucial Roles of Demographics, Wealth Distribution, and Wealth Shares (NBER Working Paper No. 17740), authors Charles Calomiris, Stanley Longhofer, and William Miles determine that the impact of… Read More →

Ellison Chair in International Floriculture

Teaching, Research, Extension and Service

Water survey responses still needed

Social Media Tips for Green Industry Firms

Immigration and Agriculture

Why trees?

Last chance to complete water-related survey for nursery and greenhouse growers

Immigration Policy and Its Possible Effects on U.S. Agriculture

Effects of Advertising in Generating Grower Sales

Misperceptions about healthy food: Does this correlate to misperceptions about plants?

An easy way to support America in Bloom

New Estimates of the Housing Wealth Effect

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