Grass-roots action needed for immigration proposal
Although a comprehensive immigration debate was tabled June 7 by Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid, D.-Nev., now is a critical time for the industry to alert lawmakers about the need for reform. "We're at a critical moment and, first and foremost, senators need to hear from constituents that now is the time to get to 'Yes' on comprehensive immigration reform," said Craig Regelbrugge, ANLA v.p. for gov't. relations. In addition to federal action, state and municipal lawmakers are also actively proposing immigration regulations. Regelbrugge said 1,169 state and municipal immigration regulations have been proposed this year, compared to 570 at this same time in 2006.
Utah battles Japanese beetles
The discovery of a Japanese beetle infestation resulted in an aggressive control strategy for Utah. About 600 beetles were trapped in a section of Orem, Utah, and the state's department of ag. began spray treatments of Merit and Tempo this month. The spray treatments will continue for 3 summers, and residents in the affected areas were asked not to plant vegetable gardens. However, ornamental gardens and turf applications are not restricted. State officials don't know how the pest got to Orem — a hitchhiker on a plant perhaps. But eradication is the department's goal. No quarantine has been established. Plants can't be moved out of the affected area in Orem, but plants can be brought in from other areas. Landscape contractors must clean off equipment before they leave the affected areas and they can't remove green waste from the area.
Kansas horticulture doubles, reaches $1 billion
The horticulture industry added more than $1 billion in sales and expenditures to the Kansas economy during 2006, nearly double the impact shown by the last survey done in 2000. Nurseries and greenhouses contributed $156.7 million in gross sales in 2006, and florists provided $66.5 million in gross sales. More than 788,000 acres in Kansas are involved in horticulture activities, more than double the 354,000 acres reported in 2000.
APHIS proposes new plant export fees
APHIS announced a plan to increase export certification fees of plants and plant products. These fees would rise from 2007 to 2012 to reflect anticipated increases in certification costs. Certification of export or re-export of a commercial shipment would increase from $50 to $99. A new $16 fee was proposed for those who obtain federal export certificates from state or county officials.
Farm Bill benefits nursery producers
The Farm Bill draft on the table contains many amendments beneficial to the nursery industry, according to ANLA. These include a change to the Tree Assistance Program that adds nursery and Christmas trees to a list of products eligible for disaster compensation. The ceiling on these payments would be $150,000. USDA would be put back in charge of border inspections of plant import rather than Dept. of Homeland Security. A new grant program would provide funds and technical assistance for specialty crop growers (including nursery producers) to implement best management practices.
Worth a visit
Follow along as staff writer Kelli Rodda visits nurseries, greenhouses and garden centers in the Mid-Atlantic. Only on GreenBeam.com.
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