FNGLA - CENTRAL EAST COAST Chapter

Central East Coast Chapter FNGLA Newsletter
April, 2009

NEXT MEETING IS:
On Thursday, April 23, you are invited to please join us at Norwood's, (Rt 44, New Smyrna Beach) for your choice of Prime Rib, Mahi/Salmon or Norwood Chicken. Dinner includes salads, rolls, steam veggies, mashed potatoes, complimentary coffee, tea and soft drinks! Cash bar for meeting and greet, desserts available upon request for an additional charge. We look forward to seeing you at 6:00 p.m. for Meet and Greet and dinner is at 6:30 p.m.. Come enjoy great food, informative speakers and good people. The cost for this fantastic atmosphere and food is only $20. Just a reminder to bring something special for the raffle. PLEASE RSVP to Curtis Davis by Monday April 20. 407-322-5133. We look forward to seeing everyone there!

PRESIDENT'S LETTER

I'd like to thank everyone who attended our last meeting at the Blackwater Inn. It's a great place to meet and our group used an "open-forum" to discuss several important topics. We spoke of current business trends and shared ideas on how to improve our networking skills. Our members also discussed how to offer more member benefits and increase our members for the local chapter. Farm Credit was on hand to describe the benefits of crop insurance and how to organize inventory for reporting purposes. Our open discussion also allowed members to contribute a greater variety of ideas about scholarships, meeting places for the future, speakers they would like to invite, and our June convention.
The meeting scheduled for April 23rd will be held, for the first time in years, at Norwood's in New Smyrna Beach. It's a great venue offering wonderful food and should serve as a good place to get together and strengthen our relationships with each other. Our meeting will be hosted by Closson Insurance and will include an overview of Workman's Compensation Insurance and how to improve your business coverage with our new partners at Closson. The presentation will be short and highly informative. There will be opportunities for discussion and questions can be answered that will assist all chapter members.
Farm Credit will provide a brief review of policies and requirements for crop insurance. Some of the information will be new, even for those who attended our last meeting. The deadline for applications is April 30th. This discussion will allow everyone to benefit from updating inventory and protecting assets.
There will be another brief discussion about the June convention here in our local area. Opportunities to promote local member businesses will be made available and a description of the facility will be reviewed. Local members should be encouraged with the opportunity to present their businesses to members from around the state. The Ginn Hammock Beach Resort - www.hammockbeach.com - offers a wonderful place to bring the family for an affordable summer vacation close to home.
Finally, I 'd like to remind everyone of the EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival. Our family was afforded the opportunity to attend the park and view the incredible displays sponsored by FNGLA and others. It was a fun filled day of Disney's attractions and a chance to take a walk through the many different gardens and beautiful landscape settings. Anyone interested in helping for a few short hours in one of the FNGLA displays can volunteer by logging onto FNGLA's website and, if qualified to volunteer, visit the park for the day.
In an effort to provide a greater variety of discussions for our Local Chapter meetings, I have invited several of the areas county and municipal employees. Also invited are local architects and landscape contractors who are not yet FNGLA members. All will be sent our newsletter and a special request to attend this meeting.
As always, I encourage everyone to attend the upcoming meeting and make the most our Local Chapter's resources.

Sincerely,
Curtis Davis
Chapter President

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:
Our Local Chapter is co-sponsoring University of Florida, IFAS CEU* Day
Tuesday, May 5, 2009 8:30 a.m. -1:30 p.m.
Location: Pierson Lions Club, 143 W First Ave, Pierson, FL.
Call 386-822-5778 for registration information.
*CCA, FNGLA and Restricted Use Pesticide License (RUOL) CEU's.

Why 10%
Understanding Crop Insurance Regulations
By: Jennifer Parrish, Financially Related Services Manager - Farm Credit of Central Florida.

As of October 2008 nurseries carrying crop insurance are required to provide documentation to support that they are within 10% of their reported inventory value during their insured year. This is RMA's (Risk Management Agency) response to the outcry in originally having to be within the lesser of $2,500 or 5% of the reported inventory value that they put in to place in February of 2008. Due to the growing number of fraudulent claims within the nursery industry, RMA was forced to put more strict rules into place to help battle the fraud, a classic case of everyone having to suffer for a few people's fault.

Below is what RMA is requiring insurance customers to have throughout the insurable year.
No claim can be processed and completed without this documentation.

1) Copy of your June 1st Data Scape, crop inventory report which establishes your inventory in the nursery as of June 1st. This is entered by you or your insurance agent when your crop insurance is written. *Please make sure this is as exact as you can get it, to the plant, to help with your record keeping.*

2) Purchase orders for plant inventory, liners, and seeds purchased during the year.
3) Purchase records for containers, soil, and fertilizer purchased during the year. This information helps back up the plant records.
4) Sales invoices for all sales during the year. The adjusters need to be able to see when plants went into or out of the nursery.

5) Records of all plants dumped (for any reason) during the year.
6) Record of all plants stepped up form one pot size to another during the year.
7) Inventory report of time of peril, which establishes the number of plants/trees by name and size, the number of undamaged plants, the number that require recovery time (including the age of the plants/trees and the amount of time needed for recovery), and the number that are reported as dead.
8) In addition to these records, spray records, and plant and soil test may also be required.
9) More information may be required upon request.

With more and more regulations going into effect (water, fertilizer, insurance, etc), it is increasingly important for nurseries to keep better records of their inventory and nursery practices. We need to do what we can do to stay ahead of the curve instead of trying to catch up after the fact. It is an insurance agent's nightmare to not be able to help at the time of the claim just because of incorrect reporting. Please try to do your part so that we can ensure that you are able to collect in the event of a claim.
Please contact your crop insurance agent if you have any further questions.

EVENTS CALENDAR

EPCOT Flower and Garden Show
EPCOT Theme Park
March 18-May 31, 2009
www.disney.com
To volunteer as an FNGLA member, please visit http://www.fngla.org

University of Florida - IFAS CEU Day
May 5, 2009 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Pierson Lions Club, Pierson, FL
To register and more information call 386-222-5778

Trees Florida
June 14-16, 2009
Ritz Carlton, Sarasota
http:///www.treesflorida.com

FNGLA Annual Convention
June 25-28, 2009
Ginn Hammock Beach Resort, Palm Coast
http://www.fngla.org

First Florida Small Farms and Alternative Enterprises Conference
August 1-9, 2009
Osceola Heritage Park, Kissimmee
http://smallfarms.ifas.ufl.edu

Florida Parks and Recreation Association Conference
August 24 - 28, 2009
Coronado Spring at Walt Disney World, Lake Buena Vista
http://web.frpa.org

The Mission
Of the Florida Nursery, Growers & Landscape Association is to be the recognized leader of Florida's Environmental
Horticulture industry, advance its business interests, and enhance our Members' success through effective use of government advocacy, education, marketing, research and professional certification. The Central East Coast Chapter newsletter of the Florida, Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association is created and dispersed 6 times per year. Advertising charges help defray the cost of producing and distributing this publication. Opinions expressed in this Newsletter are the opinions of the individual authors and contributors, and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Central East Coast Chapter of FNGLA. Articles and other information you want to share with our members please send to: Curtis Davis, P. O. Box 780, Osteen, FL 32764. The Central East Coast Chapter Newsletter is distributed free of charge to qualified participants. Advertising copy and remuneration please send to:
Joan Ferrell, 57 Rosedown Blvd, Debary, FL 32713.
Fax 386-753-0997. Email: cecfngla@gmail.com
Officers:
Curtis Davis - President and Board Representative
(Native Southeastern Trees)
Rhett Hagstrom - First Vice-President
(Raiford Hagstrom Ferneries)
Ken Kirton - Second Vice-President and First Board Alternate
(Kirton Enterprises)
Cheryl Hauck - Secretary/Treasurer
(Beck's Nurseries)

CENTRAL EAST COAST CHAPTER