If you’ve been around horticulture a while, you’ve no doubt heard the name “Groot,”—think Sluis & Groot, the Dutch breeding company (which later became S&G Seeds, then Novartis, then Syngenta).

Well, Simon N. Groot, great-great-great grandson of Nanne Groot, the family’s first recorded seedsman, has done the Groot name proud by being awarded the World Food Prize—known as the “Nobel Prize for Food and Agriculture.” The prestigious award (which includes a $250,000 cash prize) was presented last week at the Iowa State Capital in Des Moines during a week-long series of agriculture and food security seminars and symposia drawing 1,200 participants from 65 countries.

Simon is the founder of East-West Seed, which he started in 1982 in the Philippines. His goal was to breed seeds specifically for poverty-stricken small farmers in the tropics, helping them grow higher-value, more productive, more nutritious crops. He has done that and more, say the judges, who chose the sixth-generation seedsman for playing a “transformative role in empowering millions of smallholder farmers in more than 60 countries to earn greater incomes through enhanced vegetable production, benefitting hundreds of millions of consumers with greater access to nutritious vegetables for healthy diets.”

Simon at the company headquarters in the 1950s.

What makes this year’s award notable is that it’s only the second time (by my count) since its founding in 1986 that it has been awarded not to a scientist, economist or other academic, government or NGO member, but to the founder of an actual commercial seed company.

If you’d never heard of the World Food Prize, you aren’t alone. I hadn’t either. It was founded in 1986 by Dr. Norman E. Borlaug, recipient of the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize. I learned of the award from Anna Ball, who attended the event.

Speaking of Ball, there’s an interesting connection between Simon Groot and Ball Seed. Simon joined his family’s business in 1958, and one of his first assignments was to travel to America to do a training stint with Vaughan’s Seed Company in the Chicago suburbs to learn about the U.S. seed industry and practice his English. There, he found the seed industry “in the middle of a transition from traditional methods to more sophisticated plant breeding programs,” and there is a very good chance that he visited Ball Seed at that time, since they were just around the corner.

(Funny, now that I think about it, there's a connection between me and Mr. Groot: My wife once worked at Vaughan's, too!)

Congratulations to Micky Byland, senior VP of sales at N.G. Heimos Greenhouses and cofounder of Micky’s Minis Flora Express. She was awarded Produce Marketing Association’s 2019 Floral Marketer of the Year Award on Oct. 18 at PMA’s Fresh Summit Convention & Expo in Anaheim, California. About 500 colleagues from across the global, floral mass-market supply chain were in attendance for the bash and surprise award presentation. Last year’s winner, Carlos Oramas, CEO and cofounder of Gems Group, Inc. and chair of PMA’s Floral Council, did the honors.

Micky (third from left) with sister, Amy Morris, dad, Norwin and brother, Bernie, at last year's N.G. Heimos Poinsettia Trial.

Established in 1981, PMA’s Floral Marketer of the Year Award was created to honor an individual who has served the mass-market floral industry with innovative insight, passionate commitment, and who has demonstrated superior leadership in improving and advancing the industry with dedication, distinction and excellence. Winners from the prior five years serve on the nominations committee.

Micky was selected for her dedication, innovation, commitment to customer service, and longtime efforts to help retailers grow their floral sales.

Said Carlos, “Micky has been a trailblazer and forerunner in our industry for many years. She is a fiercely committed supply partner, and a force in growing mass-market floral and consumer demand.”

Coming from the large, tight-knit Heimos family, Micky grew up in the floral industry and started in the business with her hands literally in the dirt, filling pots at her father’s greenhouses in Illinois. She went on to graduate from the University of Missouri and Webster University with a degree in Horticulture and Business Management and returned to the family business, working her way up through the ranks.

Micky cofounded Micky’s Minis Flora Express 30 years ago this November. The business was the first of its kind in the United States dedicated to growing, shipping and promoting miniature potted plants.

Micky was also a significant contributor to Kroger's first Grades and Standards for Potted Plant Specs, and later greatly contributed to PMA’s Floral Marketing Association and SAF’s Grades and Standards for Blooming Potted Plants. She has also served on the Floral Marketing Advisory Boards of two of the largest companies in the United States.

 “I was raised in a family that believes life is much better when the people you surround yourself with help create a positive outcome. And the more you share, the more you give, the focal point becomes the betterment of all. That is how our family was raised, and that’s how we raised our family,” said Micky. “I am so blessed to be surrounded by such a wonderful industry and tight-knit family. Any knowledge that we can impart on each other will all be for the good of the industry. If we remain focused on doing things for the good of the industry together, we will continue to grow together.”

BTW, this isn’t the first such award for Micky’s Minis. In 2010, Micky’s husband, Bill, earned the same award! Now they’ve got a matched set for the mantle.

From my friend Linda Adams, COO of FNGLA—the Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association, comes a link to THIS INTERESTING STORY at FastCompany.com about a London based design agency that is finding new ways to bring plants into the workplace: using them as dividers to break up open floor plans.

Of course, us plant people don’t view this as a new concept. But I’m glad somebody is recognizing that plants in the workplace can do more than just look pretty—they can be an essential part of the intrastructure, just like the desks and chairs.

And who wouldn’t prefer tropical foliage instead of cubical walls? (Although it’s hard to pin pictures of your pets to a philodendron.)

We accept that our typical retail customer is a female of a certain age and income category. But could that be because the retail environment we provide most speaks to that particular demographic? Might we spiff up our amenities to lure a new batch of customers?

Selfridges, the famous London luxury department store chain, wants to shake off its stodgy image and sell more men’s street fashion. But to do that, you have to attract younger street-wise customers. To do THAT, they went nuts and built a skateboard park inside their flagship store. The permanent wooden skate bowl fills an 18,000 sq. ft. area and is free! HERE is a story about it.

I find it interesting becasue kids on skateboards have long been the bane of retailers, who’ve shooed them away verbally, physically and with signage (I should know, I used to be one of them on my Gordon & Smith Stacy Peralta Warptail). Now the opposite is happening!

I’m proud to say that I will once again be the emcee for the International Grower of the Year (IGOTY, to those of us in the emcee biz) Awards, slated for January 28, 2020, during IPM Essen. The IGOTYs are organized by AIPH, the International Association of Horticultural Producers. All year long they solicit entries from the world’s best greenhouses and nurseries, which are then narrowed down to the finalists by a panel of expert judges. I’m the one who gets to tell the audience about each finalist and pull the winning names from the envelope—not an easy task, as Steve Harvey will tell you.

I haven’t yet gotten any word on who the finalists are, and I suspect I can’t pry it out of the judges until they are ready to reveal them. I can tell you they will be in one of five categories: finished plants and trees, young plants, cut flowers and bulbs, sustainability, and inspiring business. Gold, silver and bronze awards will be given for each category; the gold winners will be the ones competing for the biggest prize of all: the Gold Rose, which goes to the AIPH International Grower of the Year 2020.

If you are attending IPM, you can attend the gala dinner and ceremony and be part of the fun. Tickets are available HERE. To get an idea what the whole big deal looks and feels and sounds like, check out the VIDEO from the 2019 awards. Keep your eyes out for me doing my thing.

I’ve mentioned before that the International Garden Center Association’s 2020 Congress and tour will visit two cities in South Africa—Johannesburg and Cape Town. It should be the trip of a lifetime, and I’m already booking to take advantage of the early-order discount for the October 2020 trip (get details and pricing HERE). 

Fellow IGCA alum Corey Bordine, the “Chief Challenge Officer” for MonkeyBar Management, wrote in to offer up his own testimonial to the event and the country. He says he fell in love with South Africa while attending IGCA’s previous Congress there in 2007, and he’s been back 18 times since. “It changed my life,” Corey says, adding that October is the perfect time to visit. Here are five reasons why he thinks you should put the trip on your calendar:

1. The South Africa host committee has planned an incredible itinerary. The schedule uniquely gives you a taste of both Johannesburg/Pretoria and Cape Town/Stellenbosch (South Africa’s famous wine country). I would, of course, advise you to get there at least a day ahead to get adjusted and to stay for at least a week after the Congress, yet the core logistics are done for you. 

2. October is Spring in South Africa. The flora is exceptional, especially in Cape Town. You will see plants in bloom that you will not see any other time of the year and nowhere else in the world. You could justify going over just for this alone.

A few photos from Corey's many trips to Africa.

3. World-class networking. If you have been on an IGCA Congress tour previously, you know you are exposed to people from around the world. These are world-class garden center owners and operators. Yes, you will see and experience many South African garden centers and talk to the people who run them; however, you will bring home ideas from across the globe.

4. The hospitality and people of South Africa are incredible. Nowhere else does a country have 12 official languages, and you will experience their cultural diversity first-hand.

5. The animals, the animals, the animals. Either before or after the IGCA tour you must go on safari. All the pictures, videos and stories will not match the pure excitement, relaxation and joy of a South African safari.

Coffee with friends at the Sabi Sand Game Reserve.

Yes, it takes a full day to get to South Africa from the U.S. and another full day to get back, yet the unencumbered viewing and exposure to the "Big Five" (lion, elephant, rhino, leopard and Cape buffalo) and so much more is 100 times worth the trip.

Is it safe? Yes! Again, a huge benefit of going with this organization is that they have planned the itinerary for you. As someone who lives in Chicago, unfortunately, we have gun violence every day, though I still tell people Chicago is a great place to visit and enjoy. The same goes for South Africa.

Do you need lots of shots in advance? Not necessarily, but consult your physician. If you are departing the U.S. and going only to South Africa on your trip (not counting connecting via Europe if you fly that route), then no, there are no required shots. Additionally, since October is the end of the dry season in the Kruger Park/Sabi Sands areas (primary locations to go on safari), there are no mosquitoes, so little to no threat of malaria. (Again, consult your physician, as some people may still be advised to take malaria pills).

How do I know what safari to go on and how do I get there? I have a Cape Town-based travel agent who can assist you with all your South Africa travel needs, including helping you select a three- to four-night safari experience that will be mind-blowing.

I know Chris and his wife are already signed up for this trip. I hope I will see you there as well. If I can answer any other brief questions, please feel free to email me at corey@monkeybarmanagement.com.

Stay tuned for the Fall River Ridge Report! I’m planning on driving my ‘hood the Saturday before Halloween, with the assumption that anyone who is going to decorate for fall has already done so, and plan to deliver the results by Halloween. It’s sponsored by the fine folks at Sun Gro Horticultural, which means that instead of being shoved into the regular Acres Online, the River Ridge Report will once again get its own dedicated newsletter.