Page 4 - Free State Spring 2022 - June FINAL

PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
JOHN MURPHY
Murphy John's, Inc.
4 SPRING 2022 • Free State News
W elcome to the 2022 season. We share a new beginning as COVID
begins to fade. Our industry gained some weight as consumers filled
their yards with products and services during their time at home.
We have prepared for the busy spring with a degree of uncertainty in the labor
and supply chains. Our pointed pencils worked down as we rewrote our pricing
structure to account for inflation.
With all of the in-house adjustments to our bookkeeping and production scenarios
our legislators continued introducing new bills in the House and Senate. You can
rest assured that the MNLGA board works hard to push back on the bills offering
no sense and working diligently to help craft the bills with merit. Our wisdom in
the field can move our legislators in line with the information needed to develop a
symbiotic plan to co-exist with the shifting environment and its challenges. When
conversing with these representatives it is often mentioned that they need more
input from their constituents on matters relating to ornamental horticulture. A
letter written with your concerns or a phone call to their staff goes miles toward
their decision making behind our laws. If you are not sure how to correspond with
our legislators you can request a draft letter for editing from the MNLGA board.
Kudos to Maryland Agriculture for bringing nature into so many lives during these
pressing times. Our commitment to the environment is forefront in our business
plans thanks to the thoughtful decisions by our business owners in the trade. We
have the ingredients to grow a better environment within our state of Maryland.
Our members in the Green Industry have done a great job to make people feel
comfortable at home. Our commitment to provide a safe, reliable, and affordable
landscape in their backyards has not gone unnoticed. The value we have placed
on our homes is rising.
Many thank yous to our governor for keeping the green industry alive during the
pandemic. His decision to place our businesses as “essential” goes to show how
important the contributions our industry makes are to the social well being.
Our youth have increased their exposure to gardening in the past couple of years.
The Universities have noted an increase in enrollment into horticultural classes.
This new interest by our youth can energize various sectors of the green industry.
E-commerce and landscapes with environmental restoration and preservation as
a goal will likely be front and center on this roster. The past couple years has set
the stage for our industry to continue a pattern of growth. We should seize this
opportunity to engage our youth with their vision of the green industry. Let us give
these students the ability to move gardening into the future.
The MNLGA’s education committee continues to offer some of the best programs
in the country. Speakers from all around the country appear at our functions
with up-to-date information on growing techniques, marketing, and business
management strategies.
Thank you for your support and have a healthy, productive, and profitable
season. A