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Arkansas Agriculture Newsletters
Arkansas Re-leaf
Volume 5, Number 1 - January 2004

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Jim's CornerPlant ProfileWhat's Up?Upcoming Events

Jim's Corner

Sometimes you don’t know where this newsletter will land. In October I received a very nice letter from Linda Nelson, Acting District Director at the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) office in Little Rock. Somehow she received a copy of my newsletter and wanted to pass on a few tidbits. First, Linda wanted you to know about financing opportunities through SBA. “For businesses just starting up and for those experiencing growth, long-term financing is especially important • and that is SBA’s main program.” Linda continues: “Here’s something else your readers have in common - taxes! This year and next (2003-2004), businesses have a special opportunity to expense (Section 179, the IRS Code) an additional $75,000 for equipment purchases (including heavy duty vehicles). Previously limited to $25,000, and extended to $100,000 for these two years, this may be a good time for a business considering some expansion to get it done.” If you need more information, contact your local SBA office or your accountant.

January/February is a busy time for professional meetings and garden shows. Check the ‘Upcoming Events’ calendar for a complete listing, but here are a few highlights. Tuesday and Wednesday, January 6 and 7, the Arkansas Turfgrass Association (ATA) will hold their annual trade show and educational conference at the Convention Center in Hot Springs. Lots of great speakers as usual including top turf experts from Virginia Tech University, Purdue, Mexico State University and the University of Georgia. The trade show is Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning.

Two weeks later (Friday and Saturday, January 23-24), the Arkansas Green Industry Association (AGIA) has their trade show and educational conference at the Convention Center in Hot Springs. Both the ATA and AGIA conferences will have an update session on Japanese beetles since this issue will have a significant impact on ornamental and turf industries in the state.

The 2004 Green Industry Spring Tune-up will be offered in Little Rock at the Cooperative Extension headquarters (2301 S. University Avenue) from 6 to 9 pm on Thursday, February 19. Because the electronic broadcast format has not worked well in past years, I will only offer this program in Little Rock this year. Jennifer Gibson and I have produced a training CD that summarizes the program. The CD will be available in early 2004 for $10. Many of you may wish to purchase the CD to train new employees in the areas of insects, diseases and weed control for the home garden.

I was literally writing this newsletter when up popped the latest E-news message (called Biz Bytes) from the Arkansas Small Business Development Center (ASBDC). In the ‘What’s Up’ section, I pass on several great articles. If you want to receive this information directly on your computer, simply fill out the form at their web site (http://asbdc.ualr.edu/enews/).

On Tuesday October 21, Anne Borg (Executive Director of AGIA) and I made a presentation to the joint House and Senate Agriculture Committee. This rare opportunity to address the Ag. Committee was made possible by Steve Jones of Arkansas Landscape and Garden Center in Little Rock. The short presentation highlighted the economic impact of the Green Industry on the Arkansas economy. Thanks to analyses by Dr. Ron Rainey of the Cooperative Extension Service of the University of Arkansas, we estimate that the approximately 2,000 firms in the Green Industry have gross sales of at least $1.033 billion and employ nearly 10,000 people.

Statewide Plant Evaluation Program Financial Support by the Arkansas Green Industry Association Sign
Plant Evaluation Programs Celebrates 5 years!

 

Plant Profile
Buddleja cordata ssp. tomentella (Standl.) E.M. Norman.
Jon T. Lindstrom
Department of Horticulture, University of Arkansas,
Fayetteville, AR 72701, tranell@uark.edu

North American Butterfly BushPlants found in northeastern Mexico offer opportunities for Arkansas growers. Despite their seemingly tropical origin, these plants are sometimes sufficiently cold-hardy to withstand most Arkansas winters (especially in well-drained soils). One such unexpectedly hardy and worthwhile plant is a North American butterfly bush, Buddleja cordata ssp. tomentella. Seed from this plant was originally collected by Yucca Do Nursery near the town of Los Lirios in Coahuila, Mexico. Yucca Do sent the seed to Woodlanders and Woodlanders germinated the seed, grew and subsequently sold the plant as Buddleja “Los Lerios”.  As I am wont to do, I purchase any unusual Buddleja species I find. This particular plant has been in my collection for three years and has overwintered successfully in Fayetteville since then.

In the garden, B. cordata ssp. tomentella flowers beginning in June and continuing through summer into fall.  The tiny, creamy-green flowers are held on heavily branched panicles. In flower, B. cordata ssp. tomentella resembles a sumac in effect. The large, heart-shaped leaves are gray-green in color with a much lighter underside. Even not in bloom, the plant is attractive. In Mexico, plants reach in excess of twenty feet; in Fayetteville, four to five feet seems the norm.  

North American Butterfly BushDuring a colder winter, B. cordata ssp. tomentella will behave as an herbaceous perennial and die back to the roots. In a typical Zone 7 winter, above-ground growth will survive. Plants killed to the ground regrow quickly and flower by late summer. Just to be safe, I overwinter a plant or two in the greenhouse. These plants are prepared by taking cuttings in July or August, treating with a 1:10 dilution of Dip and Grow and rooting under intermittent mist. A node must be inserted into the rooting media; this is where new roots begin.

 At least two subspecies make up B. cordata. Buddleja cordata ssp. tomentella is easily separable from B. cordata ssp. cordata. In subspecies tomentella, the indumentum (or hair) on the underside of the leaf is tightly appressed to the leaf whereas is ssp. cordata, the hair is floccose, falling away loosely in tufts. Buddleja cordata ssp. cordata flowers only in mid-fall (November). Usually, in Fayetteville, it does not flower, as the first freeze eliminates flowering. I have not yet tried to overwinter B. cordata ssp. cordata in Fayetteville, but the plant is grown successfully at Yucca Do Nursery (http://www.yuccado.com/) in Hempstead, Texas.

 

What’s Up?

Employee Theft
by Tammy Wedsted, Business Consultant, HSU SBDC, Arkansas SBDC E-News 11/3/2003

The FBI reports that employee theft is the fastest growing crime in the U.S. One in three employees steal and it’s rising 5 percent a year, costing U.S. organizations over $400 billion annually.

U. S. Department of Commerce statistics indicate 60 percent of new businesses fail in their first five years.  One-third of those failures can be traced directly to employee theft.

Small companies are 100 times more likely to experience employee fraud than larger companies because of the more relaxed atmosphere and lack of internal controls.

Employee fraud can be reduced by establishing the following internal controls to help reduce the possibility of employees skimming.

  • Establish and enforce an ethical conduct policy.
  • Do reference, background and credit checks on new employees.
  • Watch for lifestyle changes and financial difficulties.
  • Monitor inventory closely.
  • Advise employees you maintain customer contact.
  • Shift responsibilities. No single employee should have too much authority.
  • Create a positive workplace and pay employees fairly.
  • Allow anonymous reporting, without fear of retribution. Give reward incentives.
  • Conduct unscheduled audits, and never allow company books to leave your office.
  • Require a countersignature on company checks.
  • Install alarms and cameras, and change locks when employees terminate.
  • Get an insurance policy that covers outside crime, employee theft and computer fraud.

 For more information on employee theft:

100+ Marketing Ideas
by Jennifer Bonds, State Training Coordinator, Arkansas SBDC E-News 11/3/2003

All small business owners have to practice effective marketing for the business to grow and succeed. One of the most common problems is coming up with innovative and low cost marketing ideas. Here are a few tips and ideas that might work for your business:

  • Never let a day pass without engaging in at least one marketing activity.
  • Offer a fancier/more expensive/ faster/bigger version of your product or service.
  • Train your staff, clients and colleagues to promote referrals.
  • Give regular clients a discount.
  • Publish a newsletter for customers and prospects.
  • Publicize your 500th client of the year.
  • Send hand-written thank-you notes.
  • Hold an open house.
  • Get a memorable phone number, such as 1-800-WIDGETS.
  • Sponsor and promote a contest.
  • Donate your product or service to a charity auction.
  • Extend your hours of operation.

If these 12 tips and ideas got your marketing mind rolling, please check out the complete list of over 100 ideas on the U.S. Small Business Administration’s web site at www.onlinewbc.gov/docs/market/ mk_100plus.html.

Adding Value to Your Business Through Safety
by Jennifer Bonds, State Training Coordinator, ASBDC E-biz newsletter:10/20/03

Effective management and implementation of workplace safety and health programs add significant value to individuals and companies by reducing the extent, severity and consequences of work-related injury and illness.

Workplaces that establish safety and health management systems reduce their injury and illness costs by 20 to 40 percent.

Businesses spend $171 billion a year on costs associated with occupational injuries and illness, expenditures that come straight out of company profits and can comprise as much as 5 percent of a company’s total costs.

Preventing injuries and illnesses decreases workers compensation and retraining costs, absenteeism and faulty product.

Preventing injuries and illnesses increases productivity, morale and, ultimately, profits.

OSHA has been helping employers and employees save lives, prevent injuries and protect the health of America’s workforce for more than 30 years. Since 1970, occupational fatalities have been cut in half, and on-the-job injuries and illnesses have been reduced by 40 percent.

OSHA reaches out to small business employers through extensive outreach, education and compliance assistance efforts, focusing on finding solutions, not just identifying problems. OSHA’s Consultation Service is a free, confidential, on-site service that an employer can choose to use to add value to his or her small business.

Safety and health add value to your business, your workplace and your life. For more information on OSHA Small Business Assistance, log onto www.osha.gov. The information found in this article was taken from www.osha.gov.

Short Notes

EPA has canceled its registration of the organophosphate diazinon, setting the stage for the final phase out of one of the most widely used home and garden insecticides. The cancellation order comes nearly three years after a December 2000 EPA risk assessment. Syngenta, the manufacturer of the chemical for residential uses, agreed to phase out its use. Existing stocks may be distributed until December 31, 2004.

Low-cost deer fence option: http://www.ext.vt.edu/news/periodicals/commhort/1997-10/1997-10-02.html

With many service industries electing to use fuel surcharges to help cover unanticipated spikes in fuel expenses, a recent ruling in Pennsylvania might be worth reading:
http://www.attorneygeneral.gov/press/release.cfm?p=FD6F173B-A46D-BFBE-EAE0F836DC52AE02

David Kuack in his Editor’s Notebook section of the December 2003 GM Pro magazine noted that natural gas prices were up about 70 percent above 2002. I heard on the radio a projection that prices might be up 5 to 12 percent this winter. Dr. Klingaman and I remind you to be careful in choosing options to reduce fuel costs.

 

Upcoming Events

January 4-6: Western 2004: The Big Show. Hyatt Regency Crown Center, Kansas City, MO. Contact Western Nursery & Landscape Association; Mary Piatt; 816-233-1481; http://www.wnla.org/

January 6-7: Arkansas Turfgrass Association (ATA). Hot Springs Convention Center. Contact ATA at 501-224-4840 or www.arkansasturf.org

January 13-14: Arkansas/Oklahoma Turfgrass Management Short Course, Stillwater, OK. Contact 405-744-5404.

January 23-24: Arkansas Green Industry Association (AGIA). Hot Springs Convention Center. Contact AGIA at 501-225-0029 or www.argia.org

January 29: 24th Annual UofA Landscape Maintenance Seminar, Echols Conference Center, UofA Ft. Smith. Contact Sebastian (479-484-7737) or Crawford County (479-474-5286) Cooperative Extension offices.

February 12-14: GCSAA Trade Show, San Diego. http://www.golfcourseshow.com/2004confer/reg/register.asp 

February 19: 6-9 pm, Green Industry Spring Tune-up. Cooperative Extension Headquarters, Little Rock.

February 27-28: Arkansas Flower & Garden Show. Little Rock Convention Center.

No endorsement is implied or discrimination intended for firms or references included or excluded from this list.

 

By: Jim Robbins, Extension Specialist - Ornamental Horticulture

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