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Ball acquires majority share of Kieft Seeds
Ball Hort. Co. has purchased a majority share of Kieft Seeds Holland (Kieft-Pro-Seeds) located in Venhuizen, Netherlands. Plans are to combine Kieft’s activities into the efforts that support PanAmerican Seed at Ball. The Kieft brand will continue to be active in the marketplace, and to designate unique and high-quality seed perennials. Kieft’s Venhuizen location will be maintained along with the activities of breeding, seed technology and production. Kieft products will continue to be marketed through distribution companies worldwide. Cees van Diepen, the former majority owner of Kieft, will remain involved in the company providing management of the Venhuizen facility and supporting product development for selected annual and perennial breeding programs. Van Diepen said Ball’s depth of experience and world wide exposure is the perfect fit to expand the reach of Kieft’s genetics, and provide great opportunities for Kieft employees to continue developing and marketing innovative products. Ball Hort. chairman and CEO Anna Ball said the addition of the Kieft products will complement those in the PanAmerican brand. She said Kieft’s line of specialty annuals and, particularly, its perennials fit very well with Ball’s product development strategies. Posted 05.18.09

Green Fuse Botanicals acquires Bodger Botanicals
Green Fuse Botanicals, which is headed by CEO Steve Jones, has acquired the Bodger Botanicals program. Headquartered in Santa Monica, Calif., Green Fuse will continue to distribute the product line in the U.S. exclusively through the Henry F. Michell Co. and in Canada through JVK Bodger Botanicals, which was started in 2000 by Bodger Seeds, offers a line of around 200 vegetatively-propagated plants from an extensive network of independent breeders. These products will be included in Green Fuse’s offerings for the coming season. Green Fuse will offer unrooted cuttings, produced by Grolink’s Athena Plants in Brazil, and rooted young plants supplied by 9 rooting stations in the U.S. and Canada. As part of the acquisition, Green Fuse will introduce all of the new Bodger Botanicals varieties that were exhibited at this spring’s Bodger pack trials. Jones, who was Bodger’s director of sales and marketing, said he is currently working on a product catalog, which will be completed before the OFA Short Course. Posted 05.11.09

Tax exemption loss causes grower to consider relocation
Nebraska grower Robert Frye has grown geraniums for nearly 20 years in his 10,000-sq.-ft. greenhouse dubbed “The Plantation”. But not this year. Situated northeast of Lincoln, Frye’s business, which sits on 8 acres, received a special tax break from Lancaster County known as a greenbelt tax exemption from 1990 through 2007. The tax break was created by the state legislature in 1974 to protect farmers near cities from escalating property taxes and encroaching development. The Lincoln Journal Star reports that Frye, along with nearly 400 other landowners with 20 acres or less, have gotten caught in a disagreement between the county assessor and the county board of equalization over who qualifies for the tax exemption. The battle has been going on for 3 years and has made its way to the state Supreme Court, which is currently hearing 376 cases. Frye’s is one of the cases, but he’s not sticking around for the ruling. He told the newspaper his chances of winning the case are poor and that he would prefer to relocate to another state. “It’s the wrong time in our economy to try and make it tougher to do business,” Frye said. “I’m going to go to an area where I’m welcome. I know when I’m beat.” At a recent County Board meeting, the county assessor said the loss of Frye’s greenbelt tax exemption status would raise his property’s valuation by $22,000 and result in a tax increase of about $391. Posted 05.04.09

The Bonnie Hunt Show promotes flowers for Mother’s Day
Talk show host Bonnie Hunt endorsed flowers for Mother’s Day during her nationally syndicated show on Friday, May 8. During the Bonnie Hunt Show, which had a Mother’s Day theme, everyone in the audience was given a bouquet of flowers compliments of the Calif. Cut Flower Commission.Flower Promotion Organization identified and coordinated this TV exposure opportunity and worked with CCFC in executing it and providing the flowers. FPO exec. director Stan Pohmer said the organization will continue to take advantage of these types of promotions in the future and that they would look to continue working with the Bonnie Hunt Show for other floral holidays and events. He said this could open up doors to other national TV shows. Posted 05.11.09