Florida seeks missing quarantined plants
Fla. Dept. of Ag. put out an APB on the whereabouts of 200 missing 3-gal. camellia plants that were quarantined for Phytophthora ramorum, the fungus that causes sudden oak death. The plants were quarantined after a Jan. 2007 survey at Esposito's Garden Nursery in Tallahassee. The survey identified 964 plants for destruction or quarantine; 406 plants were destroyed in Feb., while the remaining plants were moved to Esposito's wholesale location in Havana, Fla. During another survey in April, officials discovered 206 of the quarantined plants were missing. Esposito's told the sheriff the plants were stolen, but failed to report it to the ag. dept. Fla. fined the nursery $5,000.
ANLA joins 'mismatch letter' lawsuit
ANLA joined 7 business organizations in a lawsuit filed last week challenging the Dept. of Homeland Security's Social Security no-match regulation. The no-match rule would require employers to take additional steps in a limited time when they receive notice from SSA that employees' names and Social Security numbers do not match, and to terminate their employment if the discrepancy cannot be resolved. ANLA bases its argument on the failure of DHS to comply with requirements of the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA). Under RFA, government agencies are required to assess impacts of new regulations on small businesses and to seek less-burdensome ways for small entities to comply with federal requirements. "Asking small-business owners to dedicate the resources necessary to comply with these regulations during critical seasonal times, when we are struggling to secure and maintain a workforce, is not reasonable," said Dwight Hughes Jr., ANLA pres. and owner of Dwight Hughes Nursery in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Study: Wages up for Latino immigrants
Latino immigrants' wages have improved nationwide, with a smaller share of those workers clustered in low-paying jobs than 10 years ago, according to a new report from Pew Hispanic Center. The researchers, who analyzed U.S. Census Bureau data, assigned workers to 5 broad categories, from low- to high-wage. They didn't distinguish between legal and undocumented immigrants. Predictably, immigrants' paychecks grew as they spent more years in the U.S. Despite improvements for some immigrants, the population of low-wage Latino immigrants grew by 1.2 million workers during the 10-year period.
B&B's soil loss not sustainable
Balled and burlapped production depletes farmland soils at a rate "that is not compatible with sustainable agriculture," according to a study done for Connecticut Dept. of Ag. by retired UConn soil scientist Harvey Luce. The research focused on 5 farms in the Suffield, Conn., area. Luce found the average annual soil loss for 8 fields in B&B production ranged from 0.5 to 1.9 inches per year. This translates to a loss of between 73.5 and 279.3 tons of soil per acre per year. The Natural Resource Conservation Service says soil loss of more than 5 tons per acre is not sustainable.
Encore extends hurricane restoration deadline
Public projects along the Gulf Coast have until Nov. 1 to apply for the Encore Azalea Gulf Coast Hurricane Restoration Project. The project allows institutional planners to use the patented azalea in public gardens, parks or other public spaces. Project applications must include a site plan, photographs and an essay on why Encore azaleas are the ideal choice for the project. Chosen sites must verify the existence of an adequate irrigation system and agree to proper planting and care techniques. To date, 10 cities have submitted applications for the project.
Fire ant control testing continues
Two parasitic microsporidia are showing promise for fire ant control. In U.S. and Argentina tests, worker ants transfer Thelohania solenopsae spores to the queen, which reduces her egg production and causes the colony to die out. Vairimorpha invictae also has successfully destroyed fire ant colonies without infecting non-fire ants or other arthropods. The USDA's Ag. Research Service is working with its Argentina counterpart. Fire ants inhabit more than 320 million acres in several southern states and Puerto Rico.
Worth a visit
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