Summer School is in Session
If you are looking for cost effective training for yourself and your production staff, the University of Florida is once again offering another online training course on Advanced Nutrient Management.
This is the third course of the 2019 Greenhouse Online Training program offered by the University of Florida IFAS Extension. This course is advanced level and designed for an experienced, well-trained grower or upper university level.
Topics covered include multiple aspect of pH management, how to formulate your own fertilizer from individual salts, and diagnose nutritional problems and take corrective actions. The course is offered in English and Spanish.
The course runs Aug. 5-30, and includes a personalized certificate of completion. Over four weeks, there are streaming video lessons, readings and assignments (about 3-4 hours total commitment per week), which can be accessed at any time of day.
The cost is $199 per participant, with discounts if you register five or more employees. The last day to register is Aug. 12, 2019.
To register, go to hort.ifas.ufl.edu/training/.
For more information, including discounts for registering multiple staff, email greenhousetraining@ifas.ufl.edu or visit hort.ifas.ufl.edu/training/.
Whole Foods Foundation Helps Raise Money for Pollinator Education
Whole Foods’ Whole Kids Foundation raised more than $113,000 to fund 56 new bee grants through the 2019 Give Bees a Chance campaign during National Pollinator Month in June. The month-long fundraising effort supported the organization’s Bee Grant Program, which provides schools and nonprofits with beehives to help kids understand the important role bees play in our food system. Five celebrated chefs from across the U.S. joined forces with Whole Kids Foundation to host bee-inspired fundraising dinners in Oakland, Houston and Atlanta.
Meijer Offers Teachers a Helping Hand
As teachers gear up for the back-to-school season, Meijer is offering them a 15% discount on classroom supplies. The teacher discount applies to all Meijer stores from now through Sept. 28. According to National Center of Education Statistics, 94 percent of public school teachers spend their own money on school supplies without reimbursement. Other experts estimate the average teacher spends more than $500 out of their pockets each year. The retailer expects more than 80,000 teachers across the Midwest will take advantage of the discount.
Walmart Creates New Perk to College Bound Employees
To compete in a tough labor market and in an effort to attract more high school-aged employees, Walmart plans to offer a new perk to its employees — free ACT and SAT prep courses. According to a recent article on www.npr.org, the retailer has created a new program that will pay for employees’ prep courses for standardized college testing. These education benefits are available to all employees but the retailer is targeting college bound high school students. In 2018, Walmart introduced another job perk where it partnered with several colleges that allows employees to go to college for $1 a day.
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