Water restrictions hurt Florida growers
Growers in Palm Beach County are trying hard to stop South Florida Water Management District from implementing Phase 3 water restrictions in response to the drought. Under Phase 2 restrictions, growers can water every day. Moving to Phase 3 would restrict nurseries to watering every other day. Toni Vorsteg, owner of Folsom Farms in Loxahatchee, told the Palm Beach Post that a continued drought and stricter restrictions could put growers out of business. Dave Self, owner of Wyld West Annuals, also had bad news for the Post. Self, who would normally be delivering 5-10 truckloads of plants per week, delivered 1 truckload because of the drought.

Law aims to stop cactus rustling
Texas Sen. Eliot Shapleigh of El Paso is trying to put a stop to cactus rustling in West Texas by passing a state bill that would require growers and harvesters of desert plants to register with the state. Plants would have to be tagged by sellers. Untagged plants would be seized by state inspectors. Violators would face fines up to $1,000 and jail time up to 180 days. Now, smugglers are clear-cutting desert areas to remove hundreds of plants from dozens of species, reports the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Smugglers sell the plants for as much $250 apiece. Shapleigh said part of what is driving the harvesting is homeowners' desire for low-maintenance, low-water-consuming landscapes.

GS Capital Partners to acquire Myers
Myers Industries Inc., headquartered in Akron, Ohio, agreed to be acquired by GS Capital Partners in a transaction valued at about $1.07 billion including the assumption or repayment of $276 million of debt. GSCP will acquire all outstanding shares of Myers' common stock. The transaction is subject to closing conditions, including Myers' shareholders and regulatory approvals. Myers manufactures hort. containers, including Dillen Products, ITML, Listo Products and Pro Cal brands.

OFA to manage Southeast Greenhouse Conf.
Starting in October, OFA will manage the Southeast Greenhouse Conference, an educational conference and trade show. This year's 15th annual Southeast Greenhouse Conference is June 20-23, in Greenville, S.C.

Growers consider alternative organic program
USDA's Nat'l. Organic Program, which went into effect in Oct. 2002, might be good for consumers, but it's giving some small growers headaches. The News Journal in Wilmington, Del., reports growers trying to produce organically face annual certification costs from hundreds to thousands of dollars. Other growers have been intimidated by the paperwork required to create a detailed organic farm plan. There is also a waiting period before products can be labeled organic. Some growers have chosen to join the Certified Naturally Grown program, which holds producers to the same standards as the federal program. This alternative program, operated by a New York-based nonprofit, doesn't require as much paperwork and suggests participants provide a donation of $50 to $150.

Worth a visit
GMPRO editor David Kuack spent 10 days braving California traffic to report on the latest innovations offered by plant breeders. He shares some display ideas and products that ought to build buzz for retailers. Open Register

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