OHP is excited to announce the addition of a key new team member, according to a press release.

Troy Bettner has joined OHP as head of sales and marketing. He replaces long-time OHP leader Terry Higgins, who retired March 31.

Troy comes to OHP from Helm Agro, an agricultural-based provider of pest control chemicals, but spent many years in horticulture.

At Helm Agro, Troy served as marketing business development leader.

"We're thrilled to bring Troy on board to lead our sales and marketing efforts,” said OHP vice president and general manager Dan Stahl. "With his industry experience, Troy has all the qualities to help lead OHP into the future.”

Troy holds a bachelor of science in business from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo as well as a master of business administration (MBA) from Purdue University.

"I am so excited to be part of OHP, the leading horticultural solutions provider,” Bettner said. "I look forward to meeting with the many OHP customers throughout the country.”

Bettner, his wife, and three children reside in Carmel, Indiana.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- To celebrate Earth Day, a 150-foot tree art installation was constructed on the front lawn of the U.S. Capitol Building. The event showcased the beauty of two Minnesota brands on one important mission: to celebrate Earth Day and promote the planting of trees in an effort to combat climate change while creating meaningful experiences that bring nature into people’s every day lives.

Made up of living plants, the lawn was filled with 850 individual trees and 500 Endless Summer hydrangeas. Volunteers constructed the installation on the National Mall.

This event was produced by Woodchuck USA, a Minnesota-based company that creates sustainable, ecopassionate, one-of-a-kind wood gifts and plants a tree for each product purchased with their exclusive ‘BUY
ONE. PLANT ONE.' initiative. In two years, they have planted over one million trees, impacting reforestation on all seven continents, and have a goal of 10 million planted by 2021.

All plants were provided by Bailey Nurseries, a 113-year old Minnesota-based family company and their collection of hydrangeas, Endless Summer. Each registered attendee of the event will be mailed a tree to plant in their community, furthering efforts to replenish our world with life-sustaining trees and putting nature back in peoples’ lives.

Other supporters include the United States National Arboretum and Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project. Following
the event, all trees and hydrangeas will be donated to local D.C. non-profit organizations.

Photo supplied by Bailey Nurseries

European Union member state representatives have voted to ban neonicotinoids for outdoor use.

The vote follows a scientific review published in February by the EU’s European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which concluded that the neonicotinoids imidacloprid, clothianidin and thiamethoxam are harmful to bees.

“All outdoor use of the three substances will be banned and the neonicotinoids in question will only be allowed in permanent greenhouses where no contact with bees is expected,” the European Union said in a statement.

The ban will go into effect by the end of 2018. It builds further upon use restrictions, implemented in 2013, on treating the seeds, soil and foliage of numerous outdoor-grown produce crops, as well as any “ornamentals flowering in [the] year of treatment,” according to the EU.

Product manufacturers and some farming groups oppose the decision, according to the BBC.