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Just Between You and Me |
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 As an agricultural economist working in the horticultural industry, I am often asked about prices, quantities produced, costs, and benefits. Sometimes I get asked about current or deflated prices, about real or perceived value, or about the true value of products in the marketplace. Depending upon the questioner or the audience, the answers can take different forms.
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| AIB Symposium and Awards Program |
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 It's "Homecoming" for this year's 7th Annual America in Bloom Symposium and Awards Program, October 2-4. Celebrate in AIB's hometown of Columbus, Ohio, where you'll be treated to small-town hospitality and big-city culture.
Sessions and learning tours will provide easy-to-implement take-home ideas that relate to the eight AIB criteria (floral displays, landscaped areas, turf and groundcover areas, urban forestry, environmental awareness, tidiness, heritage preservation, and community involvement).
Begin planting pride in your community by attending this year's symposium!
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| 2008 Is Lucky Seven for Westlake |
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 By Delilah Onofrey, AIB Board Member
In seven years, Westlake, Ohio's, beautification program has grown more than seven fold, demonstrating the long-term benefits that follow after a city participates in America In Bloom (AIB).
The thriving suburb west of Cleveland was one of the first communities to participate in AIB and won its population category (25,001-50,000) that year. The next year, Westlake participated in an international challenge organized by Communities In Bloom in Canada and was declared the winning pair with Kincardine in Ontario. Westlake's residents and business community enjoyed the program so much that the city decided to continue its full-fledged Westlake In Bloom program.
While there were 38 entries in the local contest in 2002, this year there were 300, including 224 raised flower beds adopted by volunteers on Hilliard Boulevard, which are automatically entered in the competition. The remaining categories recognize residential and commercial landscaping efforts in homes, condominiums, businesses, hotels, nursing homes and churches. New this year was a window box category and a child was a proud winner in the vegetable garden category. Local garden centers provided $25 gift certificates to first place winners.
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Ocala's Airport is NOT for the Birds |
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By Evelyn Alemani, AIB Judge and Board Member
Ocala, Florida has the distinction of having an airport just for horses! Aircraft safety can be compromised by the presence of birds. A notable and unique feature of the city's groundcover management program is the Dirt Reduction Irrigation Project (DRIP), developed with the Federal Aviation Administration at the airport.
The program addresses the concern that irrigation systems in and around airports draw birds and other wildlife into the area, posing a higher safety risk to aircraft operations. The 40-acre project uses underground drip irrigation technology to maintain turf, while not attracting wildlife normally drawn by above ground irrigation. The project has been an overwhelming success and is being adapted to other large grassy areas around the airport.
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| Flower Project Ideas Bloom Year-Round |
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From the Dayton Daily News, Dayton, Ohio
America in Bloom is about more than pretty flowers. It's also about a year-round commitment to what a community has to offer to those who visit, and those who call it home.
Tipp City's America in Bloom project was center stage recently when program judges, or evaluators, came to town for a couple of days to look around, talk with folks, and evaluate the community, using program criteria. Among the criteria were: heritage conservation, tidiness effort, community involvement, environmental effort, urban forestry, landscaped areas, turf and ground cover, and floral displays.
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| Youth Gardening Grants |
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| From the National Gardening Association (NGA)
 The application process for the 2009 Youth Garden Grants is now open. NGA will award 125 grants.
Packages are as follows:
-5 programs will receive gift cards valued at $1,000 (a $500 gift card to The Home Depot and a $500 gift card to the Gardening with Kids catalog and store) and educational materials from NGA Seventy
-70 programs will receive a $500 gift card to The Home Depot and educational materials from NGA
-50 programs will receive a $250 gift card to The Home Depot and educational materials from NGA For full eligibility criteria and grant categories, please visit NGA's web site. |
| Have a Story to Share? |
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We would love to hear from you! Tell us about AIB activities in your community, or let us know about a community you have visited that should get involved with AIB. E-mail your story to Laura Kunkle, LKunkle@ofa.org. | |
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August 18, 2008
