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British Horticulture - Page 16

Turf Companies Reveal 12-hour Re-turfing Of Olympic Stadium After Opening Ceremony
British Horticulture

Turf companies have revealed how they turfed the Olympic stadium in just 12 hours after the London 2012 Opening Ceremony one year ago.
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Horticulture British

Geothermal Is Key For Dutch Glasshouse Horticulture Report Claims
British Horticulture

Geothermal energy can have a key role in making Dutch protected horticulture both sustainable and profitable, according to a new report by market analysts at Rabobank. It claims that geothermal could replace 2 percent of the Netherlands' total natural gas consumption, given investment of 1.6bn. Rabobank analyst Clara Van Der Elst said: "The Dutch greenhouse industry is currently facing declining profit margins, two of the main reasons being its high energy demand and rising natural gas prices. "Geothermal energy provides an opportunity to combat rising costs and can lower energy costs by up to 50 per cent." The report suggests that for heat-intensive crops such as tomatoes and cucumbers, geothermal systems could be viable on individual sites of 6 hectares and above, but for smaller sites and less heat-intensive crops, such systems could be pooled between neighbouring growers. The glasshouse sector currently accounts for 10 per cent of the Netherlands' entire natural gas consumption, and benefits from energy tax breaks. But geothoermal would become more attractive if these were to be reduced, the report said. Currently three to five geothermal projects per year are given the go-ahead, Van Der Elst said, but added: "To realise the full potential by 2020, we estimate that the project development rate would have to grow to ten projects annually."
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British Horticulture UFO & Writing Art Education Sciences

Market Report - Growing Media
British Horticulture

More and more firms are now developing and launching sustainable products, writes Sally Drury
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Page 16 Horticulture British

Racing Legend Sir Jackie Stewart Buys John Deere Tractor As The Company Reports Record Sales
British Horticulture

Racing driver champion Sir Jackie Stewart has invested in a brand new vehicle - a John Deere 66hp 4720 compact tractor - as company sales soar worldwide.He bought the model from local dealer Farol of Milton Common, near Thame in Oxfordshire for use on his private estate in Buckinghamshire.Nicknamed The Flying Scot , Sir Jackie Stewart competed in Formula One between 1965 and 1973, winning three Formula One World Drivers' Championships, and was one of the sport s most outspoken advocates for better safety standards in motor racing.He said: "The John Deere product range fits what we need, is reliable and mechanically sound, and dealing with one supplier makes everything more straightforward, particularly from a service point of view."We like the grounds to look clean and tidy, especially for visitors, and the machinery helps our grounds staff to achieve this consistently, all year round."John Deere s American parent group Deere and Company has announced record third quarter earnings of $997million this week but sales in Europe are down.The company is forecasting agriculture and turf sales will increase worldwide by seven per cent by year end but decrease by five per cent in the 28 EU countries, blaming bad economic conditions in Europe and soft conditions in the UK farming sector.The company has not released separate figures for the UK and Ireland.The Illinois-based agricultural and horticultural machinery producer saw its global income rise by four per cent to $10.010 billion, for the third quarter with net sales of its equipment operations $9.316 billion. It is also involved in financial services.
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Horticulture British

Competition Open To Design Europes Biggest Theme Park
British Horticulture

Landscape architects and urban planners are being invited to take part in a 200,000 competition to design Europe's largest theme park.Park Russia will occupy 1,000ha near Domodedovo Airport just outside Moscow. It will feature an area of landscaped botanical gardens alongside museums of Russian history a hotel and entertainment complexesA spokesman for the organisers said: "The concept should cover the general urban planning, layout, spatial, landscape and economical solutions for the park as a whole and for its particular units."They also said designs should be ecologically efficient and innovative.The competition is being run by the Russian Green Building Council and funded by the Russian government.It will be used to find a creative team who can develop designs and a financial model for the park.Competition entry is now open through official website www.parkrus.ru and will close on 1 September.
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British Horticulture

Designer Thomas Hoblyn To Host Study Day
British Horticulture

Garden designer Thomas Hoblyn is holding a Suffolk study day for the Garden Museum at Hawkedon House, the Italian Terrace planter and sculpture showroom and Hoblyn's own recently restored 18th century walled vegetable garden at his home, Mansard House, on 6 September.
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British Horticulture - Page 16

Sensory Gin Garden Art Installation Opens In Chelsea
British Horticulture

A pop-up sensory gin garden art work at upmarket garden centre The Chelsea Gardener opens today.
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British Horticulture Sciences Education Art Writing & UFO - Page 16

Sector Reacts With Dismay At SAWS Abolition
British Horticulture

Reaction from industry bodies to the government's announcement last week to terminate the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme (SAWS), has been swift and outspoken. NFU Deputy President Meurig Raymond said growers will be "outraged" at the "devastating" decision, and added: "This will cause a contraction in the British horticulture sector, put thousands of existing permanent UK jobs at risk, stifle growth, compromise food security, and jeopardise the industry s efforts to take on hundreds more UK unemployed for permanent work." The British Growers Association is seeking an "urgent" meeting with ministers to discuss how suitable workers from the available labour market might now be recruited. Its chief executive James Hallett said: "Without adequate and reliable staffing levels it is almost inevitable that many UK producers will cancel investment plans and switch production out of the UK." In a letter to an MP, Farming and Rural Issues Group for the South East (FRIGSE) chairman Andrew Colquhoun described the decision as "contrary to the Government's economic growth strategy and to its policy of encouraging British farmers and growers to produce more of the nation's food, contrary to much of the advice given to the Home Office by the Migration Advisory Committee, and contrary to the experience of farmers and growers in trying to recruit and retain UK workers with adequate levels of motivation and skill."FRIGSE will be raising the matter at a meeting with Defra minister Richard Benyon later this month. Association of Labour Providers director David Camp said: "It is essential that every horticultural business which relies upon seasonal workers plans now to secure their labour supply in 2014 and beyond. The last thing that anyone wants is for crops to remain unpicked due to a shortage of labour."
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