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melody Benton, KY(Zone 7a) Oct 29, 2005

I'm not sure where to put this...but it is DG newsworthy.

Ferry-Morse Seeds in Fulton, KY has been sold to Jiffy...(yep, the same folks who make all of those little peat pots and stuff)

Ferry-Morse is the oldest seed company in the US.....it was owned by some French company at the time of sale though. Jiffy plans on keeping the name and the operation in Fulton shouldn't change.

Terry, you might want to make a note somewhere for GWD refrence if you think it's necessary.

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Terry Murfreesboro, TN(Zone 7a) Oct 29, 2005

That is definitely newsworthy in the gardening world. Thanks!

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paulgrow Allen Park, MI(Zone 6a) Oct 29, 2005

They were orginally in Detroit, if fact the old Ferry Morse building is still standing.

Paul

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dave Oct 30, 2005

I wonder what the terms of the sale were.

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imzadi Jackson, SC(Zone 8a) Oct 30, 2005

i usually get a newletter every once in awhile but havent heard this. where is this story located at so i can look at it?? thanks

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melody Benton, KY(Zone 7a) Oct 30, 2005

It was in the Paducah Sun...I'll get the full info from the article. There is an on-line version, but it is subscription only.

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Terry Murfreesboro, TN(Zone 7a) Nov 07, 2005

An interesting factoid in the history of these companies' relationship - back in 2003, the following appeared in a Kentucky business brief:

Quoting:
Ferry-Morse Seed Company has acquired the sales, marketing and distribution rights to Jiffy Garden Products America, an Illinois company that produces container gardening equipment and fertilizers. The acquisition gives Ferry-Morse 60 percent of the nation’s seed-starting market. Ferry-Morse currently employs 200 at its Fulton plant and expects to add more than 20 new jobs as a result of the deal with Jiffy.


The Louisville Courier-Journal ran a week ago Sunday:

Quoting:
Ferry-Morse Seed Co., the oldest active seed company in North America, has been sold to an Ohio company.

Jiffy of the Americas Inc., a Norwalk, Ohio-based company that makes plant-growing supplies, purchased the 122-employee business, which has been open since 1856.

Details of the sale were not disclosed.

In a statement, the companies predicted growth in areas where they already have a brand-name base and in products to be released soon.

Jiffy's products include environmentally friendly peat, wood pulp and pith made of coconut-husk fibers. It caters to growers, including professional greenhouses, the forestry industry and hobby gardeners.

Ferry-Morse's customer base comes from seed-starter products, grass seed and gardening aids. Ferry-Morse will be a brand name in the Jiffy product line.

The Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority gave preliminary approval last month to tax incentives calling for Jiffy to spend $1.6 million to improve the Ferry-Morse plant, $2.5 million on fixtures and $2.2 million for equipment.


So Ferry-Morse acquired the sales, marketing and production rights to Jiffy three years ago; now Jiffy is acquiring Ferry-Morse and plans to retain the F-M brand.

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mornin_gayle Bloomingdale, OH(Zone 6a) Nov 07, 2005

Is this one of those "the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing" deals? How can FM buy parts of Jiffy, and then Jiffy buy all of FM? No wonder I can't balance my checkbook, rofl!

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