ELSEWHERE IN THE NEWS 



NEW WHOLESALE 

 DIVISION AT 

 BUTLER 



Robert G. Butler, CIC, 

 President of Butler-Florists' 

 and Growers' Insurance 

 Agency, Inc., of Westbo- 

 rough, Massachusetts, an- 

 nounces the establishment of a 

 new wholesale division which will 

 specialize in a property and casu- 

 alty package called the Horticul- 

 tural Package Policy. 



This special policy for garden 

 centers, nurseries, florists, land- 

 scapers, fruit and vegetable farms, 

 road-side stands, arborists, growers, 

 wholesalers and farmers' markets, 

 etc., has a vast array of coverages for 

 buildings, contents and liability. This 

 policy also covers greenhouses, 

 inside-and-outside crops, pick-your- 

 own and cut- your-own liability, 

 pesticide/fenilizer liability , pollu- 

 tion liability, flood, earthquake, 

 professional landscape design 

 liability . gift pack liquor liability, 

 refrigeration, transportation, etc. 



In the past, the Butler Agency 

 sold this specialty business directly to 

 the customer. In the future, the 

 Butler Agency will be writing this 

 business through independent 

 brokers and agents throughout the 

 United States. " We are now look- 

 ing for independent agents and 

 brokers who have an interest in 

 selling horticultural insurance." 

 Agents and brokers who have an 

 interest will be trained in the var- 

 ious techniques needed in order to 

 write this kind of business. 



The Butler Agency will be 

 quoting, underwriting, producing 

 policies and managing claims from 

 their Westborough office for Lloyd's 

 on the HPP program. "Our plan is to 

 start in the Northeast and expand 

 gradually through the United States." 



For more information: (508) 366- 

 1512. 



SAF'S STATISTICS 

 COMMITTEE RELEASES 

 STATE FLORAL DATA 



(from GrowerTalks, February, 



1992) 



California and Florida may be 



larger producers of nursery and 



greenhouse products, but other 



states' crop sales make up larger 

 percentages of their total crop 

 agricultural output, according 

 to recent Census of Agriculture 

 data analysis released by SAF's 

 newly-formed Statistics 

 Committee. 



Rhode Island leads the na- 

 tion, with total nursery and 

 greenhouse crops making up 

 77.9 percent of the state's crop 

 agriculture, for a total of $20 

 million. Connecticut comes in 

 second with 71.9 percent, total- 

 ling $118 million, and third is 

 New Hampshire with 52.1 per- 

 cent, totalling $18 million. 



"These numbers are signifi- 

 cant: industry members in each 

 state can use them to impress 

 their own federal and state leg- 

 islators when discussing floricul- 

 ture research funding and 

 grants." 



NATURAL LAWN 

 PRODUCT 



(from The New York Times, 



January 14, 1992) 



A com protein in chicken feed is 



the first plant product found to 



be effective as both a weed killer 



and a turf fertilizer, a researcher 



says. 



The researcher. Dr. Nick 

 Christians, a professor of horticul- 

 ture at Iowa State University, 

 said the protein, com gluten, 

 when applied to lawns in early 

 spring, prevents crabgrass and 

 other weeds from forming roots. 

 At the same time, it fertilizes the 

 lawn. 



The com gluten is as effective 

 as synthetic fertilizers, Dr. Chris- 

 tians said. However, while syn- 

 thetic herbicides are 100 percent 

 successful against crabgrass. the 

 com gluten herbicide kills only 

 about 50-60%. Also, the corn 



product, which will not be 

 available commercially until 

 the spring of 1993, is ex- 

 pected to be more expen- 

 sive than synthetics. 

 "I have no doubt that the 

 product works," said Michael 

 Chandler, a professor of weed 

 science at Texas A&M. "There 

 are many fertilizing or herbicidal 

 plant compounds. What's unique 

 is that he found a fertilizer and a 

 weed killer wrapped all in one." 



AN AWARD 



Twenty landscape firms were re- 

 cently honored for outstanding 

 projects in the National Land- 

 scape Association's 22nd Annual 

 National Landscape Design 

 Awards Program. Among those 

 honored was City Gardens, Inc., 

 of Newton, MA, which received a 

 "Superior Award" in the Single 

 Family Residence category. 

 Congratulations. 



AND A HOTLINE 



A toll-free hot line for informa- 

 tion on the recently enacted 

 Americans with Disabilities Act 

 and how this legislation may af- 

 fect you has been established by 

 the Small Business Research and 

 Education Council. The line (1- 

 800-947-4646) is open Monday 

 through Friday, 9 to 5, EST. 



J 992 NATIONAL DIREC- 

 TORY OF ORQANIC 

 WHOLESALERS 



California Action Network an- 

 nounces the publication of the 

 J 992 National Directory of Organic 

 Wholesalers, a comprehensive di- 

 rectory for the entire organics in- 

 dustry. This directory "puts you 

 in touch with over 450 organic 

 food wholesalers, farm suppliers, 

 and distributors in North 

 America, and key buyers intema- 

 tionally." Also included are 

 sources of organic farm supplies, 

 summaries of all state and federal 

 laws directly governing organic 

 food, and the names and ad- 

 dresses of the organic certification 

 groups in the United States. 



For information: Mary Speck at 

 (916) 756-8515. 



April/May 1992 11 



