Everything Horticulture © 12/29/09

Blending of Agriculture and the Internet
By: Morgan Walsh

Agriculturists are now using the Internet to advertise, while creating environment efficiency and success.
AUBURNDALE, Fla.— The global health of the planet is a topic that is on the minds and hearts of many worldwide, and the business direction of this campaign has taken hold in a likely profession, agriculture.

Many businesses and companies are switching to environmentally friendly and more efficient practices in order to help eliminate the wasteful use of resources.

The paper products used by the businesses in helping creating booklets, pamphlets and letters in which companies display products and services are slowly being eliminated due to Internet advertising.

Everythinghoritculture.com is a new Web site that allows tree farmers, brokers, landscapers and the average person to look through listings of plant products in which they can purchase online.
 
“This is the new way of listing and purchasing anything that has to do with agriculture,” said Jodi Meissner who is the general manager of Everything Horticulture. “We are eliminating cost of monthly booklets that are delivered to every agricultural professional, within the state. These books are later thrown out and then redistributed by the companies every month with newer listings and photographs, ultimately wasting resources.”

The future for agriculture and the Internet seems to be one filled with success. We hope to be nationwide and have more than 10,000 listings within the next few years, said Meissner. “E-hort allows tree farmers to post listings of their products and pictures for low rates and for an unlimited amount of times,” said Meissner. “We are bringing the tradeshow to your front door and eliminating the paper and money waste of monthly horticultural booklets.”

E-hort is not like any other advertising tool in the horticulture industry at the moment and it officially brings advertising within agriculture to the 21st century.

Some of the products that are listed on the Web site include flowers, trees and delivery services. The site also uses the safe practice of PayPal, allowing for a safe and secure purchases of the listed products.

“I feel as though more companies and businesses need to switch over to online databases for their products,” said Kelsey Bryant, a telecommunications major at the University of Florida. “If we can eliminate the excess waste, while still improving advertising and marketing, then everyone wins.”

Allowing horticulturalists to publish things on the Internet benefits the profession by allowing their messages and products to reach a larger public, rather than just those they know within their company contact list.

“I find it funny that agricultural businesses haven’t decided to do this a long time ago,” said Freeman Bass, an accounting major at the University of Florida. “It’s a profession that ultimately wants to improve the look of the planet and I feel as though they should be the first ones to promote a healthy environment by using the Internet to advertise.” With the start of Everything Horticulture and other agricultural Web sites, the need for using paper and ink to promote will be a thing of the past, and the Internet advertising and purchasing of horticulture will be a thing of the future.