When I hear the words “Green Industry” my mind naturally goes to flowers and plants. These two general categories, however, only scratch the surface of what the Green Industry entails. From horticulture to landscaping to golf courses, Delaware’s Green Industry was responsible for $21,744,000 of sales in 2014. It has a huge impact on the economy and plays a vital role in agriculture in general. The Green Industry breaks down into many categories and subcategories, including two specific crop groups: Floriculture crops and Nursery crops. Floriculture crops are your general garden/bedding plants, flowers, potted plants, and foliage: the pretty stuff. Nursery crops include trees, shrubs and other ornamental plants for home use. There are so many job opportunities within this industry, and the revenue is far more than one may guess. From small, locally owned greenhouses and landscaping companies, to economic giants such as Lowes and Home Depot, the economic impact is unreal. Tracy and Valann’s lecture threw so much new, valuable information at me that I had a hard time retaining all of it; it was a super education and eye-opening lecture that I enjoyed learning about.
Category Archives: Horticulture Industry
Delaware’s Green Industry
Tracy Wootten and Valann Budischak spoke about the Green Industry and Horticulture. They said that back in 2014 Delaware’s Green Industry came in at a whopping $21,774,000. There are many people involved in the Green Industry such as producers, retailers, landscapers/ managers, suppliers and even golf courses like Baywoods. They mentioned that there were two types of horticultural crop groups that they use. For instance, floriculture (bedding/garden plants) and nursery crops (broadleaf evergreens). On the retail end, it helps show people who don’t have much of a backyard, but have a patio, how to make it look nice and decorative without being a plant expert. Landscapers are a huge part to this industry. They do everything from mowing and irrigation to invasive control, fertilization, and the health of the plants. An interesting fact that the ladies spoke about was how most people weren’t spending their money on vacations and etc. they were putting that money towards renovation of backyards.
Horticulture and Greens industry with Tracy Wootten and Valann Budischak
The horticulture industry is a lucrative business that involves the work of producers, retailers, landscapers, land managers, suppliers and other horticulturalists. There are a variety of career opportunities working in the horticultural field. One part of the horticulture field is the nursery business. Nurseries are plant producers that generally grow trees, shrubs, ornamental plants, fruit plants, and floriculture crops to be sold to the public. The nurseries grow the plants for sale and they employ knowledgeable individuals to satisfy the wants of the public. Nurseries either sell plants directly to the public, or the plants are sold to plant retail businesses for public access. Plant retailers can be local or commercial operations and their goal is to meet the horticultural desires of the public. Retailers also hire knowledgeable employees that are able to provide trustable information to the customer. Retailers have adapted to making their plant products desirable through advertising, specialty plant lines, and other methods. Landscapers utilize their knowledge and expertise of trees, shrubs, grass, and design to create enjoyable outdoor spaces for their customers. Some landscaping work does not involve plants, but instead the landscapers complete work on outdoor kitchens, water features, lighting, irrigation, patios, and stormwater management.
Land managers analyze areas and plants within them in order to preserve natural resources, remove invasive plant species, and preserve native plants. Land managers in Delaware have worked to help the environment by planting native species in highway medians to prevent highway hypnosis and improve the environmental condition of those spaces. Suppliers provide the necessary equipment, fertilizer, nutrients, and materials in order to aid in the success of horticultural businesses and the public. All of the horticultural businesses and careers depend upon each other for success and serving the public for their horticultural needs. Thank you to Tracy Wootten and Valann Budischak for talking to AGRI 130 students about the horticulture industry.
Tracy Wootten and Valann Budischak Lecture
I loved this lecture! Those two women were fun and knowledgeable about the plant industry in Delaware. The industry in Delaware alone is worth $21,774,000! That’s more money than I could ever dream of. The industry consists of producers of plants, retailers who sell the plants, landscapers and land managers, golf course, and suppliers of not only the plants but also equipment. You can grow plants in the field, in green houses and in nurseries. There is also a lot of science that goes into growing plants, not only knowing how much nutrients you have in the soil and how much you need but also breeding plants. There are so many jobs within this industry. You have breeders, growers, researchers, retailers but also accountants, lawyers, communications (extension), and advertising. There is so much that went into this industry that I never considered and it opened my eyes up to some job opportunities after I finish graduate school.
Field Trip to Fifer Orchards
On October sixth, the AGRI 130 students had the opportunity to visit and tour Fifer Orchards in Camden Delaware. Fifers is a multi-generation farm that produces grain and horticultural crops. The farm’s production of sweet corn, pumpkins, peaches, and asparagus bring in the most revenue of over seven different crops produced on the farm throughout the year. Fifers consists of 3000 production acres that feature pivot irrigation, drip irrigation, and hard hose irrigation systems depending on the type of crop. In order to ensure the success of their crops, fifers sprays pesticides to prevent the growth of weeds, insects, bacteria, and nematodes in the fields. To further the quality of their horticultural crops, the fruits and vegetables are picked by hand and occasionally picked by customers. A portion of the yield is sold to grocery stores and the rest is sold at the farm. Food safety certificates and USDA food safety audits allow Fifers to sell their products to supermarkets. Precision agriculture, growing tunnels, water wheel planters, and other technological advances have allowed Fifers to become a successful crop producer. It was very interesting to see the water wheel tractor attachment being utilized to plant juvenile strawberry plants. The diversification of the crops grown at Fifers are also an attribute to their success. Each new crop goes through a three year trial process before the plant is grown regularly at the farm. The experience concluded with a tour of the cold storage facilities on the farm; specific products are stored at 32 degrees Fahrenheit and other products are stored at 55 degrees Fahrenheit. I enjoyed the tour of Fifer Orchards, and I learned a lot from the experience. Thank you to Bobby and Curt Fifer for giving AGRI 130 a tour.
Delaware’s Green Industry
The class lecture on Delaware’s Green Industry was presented by Tracy Wootten and Valann Budischak. I thoroughly enjoyed this lecture due to the fact that I’ve never been lectured on this subject and I was able to learn a lot from it! The lecture was introduced with the question of what/who is the green industry. Wootten and Budischak then went into describing different crops such as floriculture and nursery crops. Before learning about these crops, I had no idea what they were but Ms. Tracy and Valann did a great job with visuals and their definitions which helped me understand the difference between these two crops. Although this industry doesn’t relate to my major both woman provided the class with great job and internship opportunities. I wasn’t aware of the many different job opportunities that exists in this industry, I found it very fascinating. Overall, I enjoyed learning about Delaware’s Green Industry.
Delaware’s Green Industry
On October 18th, Tracy Wooten, Master Gardener State Coordinator and Valann Budischak, Executive Director of Delaware Nursery and Landscape Association, spoke to our class about Delaware’s Green Industry. The green industry in Delaware has a total cash receipt of $13.8 billion in 2014 and is a growing industry.
What and who make up the green industry? Producers, retailers, landscapers, land managers, and suppliers. Producers are those you grow the variety of crops and sell to retailers. Retailers in Delaware specialize in different categories and Delaware is the home to the biggest garden center on the East Coast – East Coast Garden Center. Next there are landscapers, they have a variety of jobs that design, build and maintain anyone’s landscape. Land managers typically work for the state and maintain the roads, railroads, open area and state parks. DELDOT is the largest land manager in Delaware. Lastly, suppliers do not directly work with plants, they are those who provide the tools and equipment needed to grow and maintain the crops.
I found it very interesting that when you buy plants, it is typically at its third home. It begins at one location that plants it and grows it to a seedling. Then the second company will grow it to a pot size, that then is sold to a Garden Center to sell to the public. Now in the Green Industry there are two crop groups; floriculture and nursery crops. Floriculture Crops are bedding/garden plants, cut cultivated greens, cut flowers, potted flowering plants, foliage plants, and propagative floriculture material. Whereas Nursery Crops are broadleaf greens, coniferous evergreens, deciduous shade trees, deciduous flowering trees, deciduous shrubs and other ornamentals, fruit and nut plants for home use, cur and to-be-cut christmas trees, and propagation material or lining-out stock.
Lastly, some organizations that you should look into if you like landscaping and the green industry are Delaware Nursery and Landscape Association, Livable Lawns as well as Master Gardeners. Delaware Nursery and Landscape Association is a non-profit trade organization serving Delaware’s horticultural related businesses and the companies that supply them. Livable Lawns certifies homeowners and lawn care companies that follow environmentally-friendly best practices in fertilizer application while educating homeowners on these best practices. Master Gardeners is volunteer educators whose mission is to provide residents with information to make the best possible choices for managing their home landscapes in ways that are environmentally responsible.
Guest Lecture: Tracy Wootten & Valann Budischak
The Green Industry Guest Lecture was my favorite guest lecture of the course! I majored in Landscape Architecture, and I currently have a minor in Landscape Horticulture and Design. I also interned at Longwood Gardens, and so I have a passion for the Horticulture industry. I loved hearing these two women speak about University of Delawares horticulture programs and opportunities, and also the industry as a whole. They covered a lot of very interesting topics such as nursery production, green house production, liveable lawns, landscapers, florists, and crop production. I loved learning about each of these sectors in the industry separately, and how they work together like a puzzle piece. It was also interesting to be informed about their efforts to educate the public about smarter gardening by utilizing native plantings. It makes me feel very hopeful to know that there is a unified effort to create a sustainable earth! I even enjoyed learning about the Christmas Tree business, because I never realized how involved it is. I thought these two women were incredibly knowledgable, and I enjoyed their lecture very much!
Delaware’s Green Industry
Tracy Wootten and Valann Budischak did a fantastic job during their lecture on “Delaware’s Green Industry” and everything associated with it. Like I have said in previous posts, I am a Plant Science major, and it’s always a great day when we get a chance to break through in Agriculture, rather than livestock always having the spotlight. I thought it was great that Tracy and Valann kind of defined what the Green Industry included, especially job wise, so that if this is something you really liked, you could see that there are lots of jobs for many different things. I liked that State Parks and land management was included because I have completed internships with State Parks and want to continue working with them once out of college. They also mentioned nursery and floriculture production, which is what I originally came to the University of Delaware for, so it was good knowing I was not too far off track.
Delaware’s Green Industry
In this lecture Tracy Wooten and Valann Budischak spoke about Delaware’s Green Industry. Delaware in 2014 had $21,774,000 in horticultural product sales this includes numerous different nursery products such as Containerized which was 62.4% and B and B which concluded of 28.7% of the production. The plants are grown in a nursery and can either be a floriculture crop which is garden plants or nursery crops being trees and shrubs. From here their sent to retailers and then eventually sold. Nursery crops bring in 8.0 billion and floriculture crops bring in 4.8 billion, each year more and more plants are being sold bringing in more money. The Green industry is overseen throughout Delaware by landscapers and DelDOT who is the largest landholder in the state. DelDOT provides management and maintenance for the land on the side of roadways such maintenance includes invasive plant removal and design to help boost appeal.
Delawares Green Industry
After listening to this lecture many students may have developed a green thumb. Mrs. Tracy Wootten and Mrs. Valann Budischak spoke to the class about Delawares green industry.
The Green Industry includes producers, retailers, landscapers, land managers, golf courses and suppliers. Its incredible that horticulture product sales in 2014 were $21,774,000, with Containerized being number one in nursery production at 62.4%. We learned their are two crop groups in the industry including floriculture crops which include bedding/garden plants, cultivated greens, cut flower and potted flowering plants. Nursery crops include broadleaf evergreens, shrubs, Christmas trees and fruit and nut plans.
Delaware Nursery & Landscape Association was a nonprofit organization we learned about that works to advance the common interests of its members and to promote the use and enhance the quality of the products and skills of the green industry.
I found this lecture to be very interesting because it shows how many jobs are tied to the green industry.
My garden is agriculture?
Before our lecture by Ms. Wootten and Ms. Budischak, I had never considered gardening or landscaping to be a part of agriculture. Many people may consider their only involvement in agriculture to take place in the grocery store, however our roles in a branch of agriculture known as the Green Industry are in closer proximity than we may realize (in fact, right in our backyards!). Based on what and how a person plants and landscapes, his or her backyard can not only look great, but also support the local ecosystem and environment. Simply planting one oak tree can support up to 534 different species of butterflies and moths, which in turn supports the avian population in the area and then extends further up the food chain.
The University of Delaware’s Cooperative Extension department and Botanic Gardens staff work towards educating both students and the community about facts to better develop our land and plants/crops. The Green Industry includes producers, retailers, landscapers, land managers, golf courses, and suppliers. Each aspect of this industry plays an important role in sustaining our environment and also helping it to look great, too!
Delaware’s Green Industry
On Monday Tracy Wootten and Valann Budischak gave a guest lecture on Delaware’s green industry. They had an abundance of knowledge on the industry and were very passionate about it. In 2014 the horticultural product sales were $21,774,000. The green industry encompasses producers, retailers, landscapers, golf courses, suppliers, equipment, etc. We learned about the species native to Delaware and how through modifying species, non-native crops can be grown here as well. It was very interesting to learn how specialized most landscapers are because of how many services fall under landscaping. They also taught us more about the Master Gardener Club, which is a group of people, mainly retired, who are interested in gardening and receive free training from the university, to go help people who have questions about their gardens. It was amazing to see how big the green industry is in Delaware.
Green Industry Guest lecture
The Delaware’s green industry guest lecture by Tracy and Valann was very interesting. I had no idea there was a difference between floriculture crops and nursery crops. I also found it very interesting that a local store that I had been to many times had their own brand of flowers called the Proven Selections and they could be found in other local stores. It was very interesting so many of the stores I had visited with my grandmother as a child pop up during the presentation. One of my favorite parts of the lecture was hearing about the way they are managing some of the medians of highways. I would have never thought that minimal management would have been so beneficial. The benefit of preventing crashes by slowing down vehicles was a great concept to me. I love the idea and I also think the natural look or letting the plants and grasses in the median grow is an appealing look. There were many new things that I learned about Delaware’s green industry that I learned in this lecture that I hope to share with others.
Guest Lecture Delaware’s Green Industry
During this lecture I was able to learn about an industry that I thought was extremely small, I was proved wrong. The Green Industry is a major industry in the state of Delaware. Mrs. Wooten and Mrs. Gudischak elaborated on how diverse the industry has become and the endless job opportunities that lie within the industry. I was extremely interested in this because at my family business I am constantly thinking about other possibilities and nitch markets that we can get into and this showed a lot of promise given the similarity of our business to the Green Industry.