Florida inspector finds new scale on croton
Fla. Dept. of Ag. & Consumer Services collected samples of a new exotic soft scale insect on croton at a Marathon, Fla., nursery in April. The pest has also been found in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties. This scale superficially resembles a common South Florida scale, Philephedra tuberculosa, but does not produce an ovisac. Other scales that might be confused with this new exotic scale are young females of Pulvinaria psidii (green shield scale) and P. urbicola before they produce ovisacs.
Oregon tops $1 billion in horticulture production
Oregon has its 1st billion-dollar ag. commodity. Greenhouse and nursery production hit nearly $1.4 billion and continues its impressive rise in production value. Last year's number is a 7.6% increase over 2006, according to newly revised figures released by Ore. Ag. Statistics Service. "It's great to see that we've reached that milestone," said Tom Fessler of Woodburn Nursery & Azaleas in Woodburn, Ore. "Hitting a billion dollars is a big step for the industry." Fessler expects the rapid growth of the past decade or so to stabilize a bit, but says the climate and economy have "been good to the nursery industry the past several years."
House overrides Farm Bill veto; error forces repeat
The House easily overrode President Bush's veto of the Farm Bill, 316-108. But a legislative error required Congress to pass the bill a 2nd time, forcing another showdown with the Bush administration and yet another veto override. A House clerk mistakenly dropped the entire trade policy section of the bill before it was sent to the White House, causing Republican leaders to argue that the House had overridden a veto of legislation that Congress never actually passed. The House again voted on the Farm Bill, and the Senate passed it and again sent it to the president for another expected veto.
California bill on urban aerial spraying advances
A California assemblyman's bill to reform the state's process for deciding whether and how to spray pesticides from aircraft in urban areas is moving forward. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, introduced the bill prompted by state plans to spray for light brown apple moth (LBAM). The bill would require the state's Dept. of Food & Ag. to hold public hearings before deciding to spray and to disclose elements of the spray to the public. It also requires an evaluation of the human and environmental health effects of the spray. A proposed spraying program for LBAM has been put on hold by the governor for more health testing of the pheromone sprays being considered. The bill goes to the Senate for consideration.
Horticulture professor to lead Center for Peace Studies
Jerzy Nowak, head of Va. Tech's hort. dept, will step down in July to head the university's new Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention. Nowak's wife, Jocelyne Couture-Nowak, a French instructor, was one of the 32 killed during the April 2007 shooting at the university. The center will focus on prevention of violence, peace studies and global security. A minor in peace studies is being developed. The center is receiving start-up funds from the university, but it will solicit funds through grants and private donations.
Silver Creek Nurseries founder dies
Richard D. Sleep, founder of Silver Creek Nurseries in Manitowoc, Wis., died Sat., May 31. He was 75. Sleep started Silver Creek Nurseries in the late 1950s as a landscape operation. The company expanded into retail and wholesale nursery sales. By the mid-1970s, the company concentrated solely on wholesale. Sleep retired in 1988. His son Jeff Edgar operates the business. Visitation is 5 p.m.-7 p.m., Wed., June 4 at Reinbold & Pfeffer Family Funeral Home in Manitowoc. At Sleep's request, there will be no funeral services. The family suggests gifts in Sleep's name be made to the Lakeshore Humane Society to honor his love of animals.
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