Two trade associations, the ANLA and OFA, are set to form a new national horticultural trade association, which will launch in January 2014.

The ANLA, a trade association that represents green industry business professionals, together with the OFA, an association of horticulture professionals, will join forces to launch a new horticultural trade association.

The new trade association, named the American Horticulture Association, will be known as AmericanHort, and will begin operations by January 1, 2014. The mission of AmericanHort is to unite, promote, and advance our industry through advocacy, collaboration, connectivity, education, market development, and research.

"We will have the largest national nursery, greenhouse, and garden retail membership of any horticulture association in the United States," stated the organization's inaugural Vice Chairman, Dale Deppe, owner of Spring Meadow Nursery in Grand Haven, Michigan, and current Vice President of ANLA. "Those communities will join together with breeders, distributors, interior and exterior landscape professionals, florists, students, educators, researchers, manufacturers, and all who are part of the supply chain to represent our industry with one, strong voice and a greater base of volunteer, staff, and financial resources," Deppe added.

The new organization will represent the whole of the plant industry, including breeders, greenhouse and nursery growers, garden center retailers, distributors, interior and exterior landscape professionals, florists, students, educators, researchers, manufacturers, and all of those who are part of the industry supply chain. The association will have its primary office in Columbus, Ohio and an office in Washington, DC to facilitate government relations and research activities.

For more information about AmericanHort, please visit americanhort.org.

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