February 2008

President’s Letter

Shawn Steed

You all have probably seen the Burger King commercials where they take away the Whopper from their customers and have a hidden camera recording the reactions that they get.  Some people stare in disbelief, some look puzzled, and some people get irate and even outraged.  My favorite is the guy who stares down a counter employee and says in a very irate tone “Get me a Whopper!”  Some, including myself have probably asked what in the world is Burger King doing taking away one of their core items from their customers.  In fact their byline is “Home of the Whopper.”  The answer is a very keen marketing tactic based on a marketing study called deprivation research in which loyalty to a brand is measured by taking the brand away from the consumer.  Well apparently it worked very well for Burger King.  It drove sales in that quarter by a double-digit percentage.  

It seems that perhaps the University of Florida’s President J. Bernard Machen is trying to do this same deprivation study on the agricultural community in the great state of Florida.  He has been reported to think that the Land grant mission of doing basic research and extending it the producers and the public is no longer relevant.  He thinks that the agricultural mission of the University of Florida is dragging down the academic credentials and holding back the University from becoming a top tier institution of education.  Apparently the $97 billion a year industry is a “dying industry not worth the investments made by the state.” In all fairness Mr. Machen denies these allegations, but does say that cuts are going to be made to get the budget in line with finances.  Maybe he has hidden cameras recording our reaction to this statement.  Maybe he is gauging our disbelief to this ludicrous statement before budget cuts are made.

Maybe our segment of the agriculture industry should do the same deprivation marketing on Mr. Machen.  Instead of selling plants, and trees in the state of Florida maybe we should say, “Well I have these native weeds instead.  Will that work for you?  Sorry Mr. Machen, we don’t have any sod, landscape plants, interior foliage, or annual color for the beautiful grounds of the university.  We do have dirt, and rocks, will that be alright?”

Mr. Machen get us an IFAS budget!

We have a lot of things happening this month and next. We will be sponsoring the 2008 Tree and Landscape Short Course with UF/IFAS.  This will let landscapers and growers keep up with trends and get credits for their certifications as well as attend the Spring Expo.
Visit our FNGLA and Plants of the Year booth at the State Fair going on right now. The Tampa Chapter will be helping out at the Florida Yards Fandango.  This event will take place at MOSI and is open to the public.  It will provide exposure to gardening and landscaping to the general public.  Again another opportunity to network for business, especially for landscapers.  If you would like to participate, have a booth, or sponsor this event please call Christine Collins at 813-909-2325.

We will be having our next member meeting at JR Johnson on March 20, 2008.  This will be a tri-county meeting with Pinellas, and Manasota.  It is always a good meeting with a big turnout.  We always have good spread from our gracious host and good speakers.  You can call me for more information. 813-629-6104.

Our March newsletter will be printed soon.  If you would like to advertise please call Steve Bruce for details 813-927-4102.  The newsletter will reach about about 600 industry readers in our area!

      Dates To Remember

Board of Directors Meeting                        March 3, 2008
Florida Yard Fandango                         March 8 – 9, 2008
Member Meeting                                     March 20, 2008