Ag. immigration raids increase
Immigration enforcement is on the rise, particularly raids on ag businesses, said Jonathan Bardzik, ANLA dir. of membership and marketing. The bulk of these raids are in the Northeast, especially in New York, where dairy farms, vegetable farms and at least 1 nursery and 1 greenhouse operation have been raided and have lost most of the workforce. ANLA is opposed to a new rule proposed by Dept. of Homeland Security that would outline how employers must respond to Social Security mismatch letters. ANLA feels the law is "rife with jurisdictional and other conflicts." ANLA will lobby against the rule, which must be approved by Congress.

Ash borer quarantine grows in Ohio
Ohio Dept. of Ag. expanded the state's emerald ash borer quarantine to include Loraine and Medina counties. Infested ash trees were found in Loraine County along the Ohio Turnpike near Cuyahoga County and in Medina County near Interstate 71 south of U.S. Route 224. ODA expects its full statewide EAB survey to be completed by the end of the year. This survey should reveal the full scope and spread of the pest in Ohio. At that point, targeted ash tree cutting may be done to slow EAB spread. The quarantine regulates movement of ash materials, including nursery stock and firewood.

USDA finalizes pine shoot beetle rules
USDA adopted its final rules for importing pine materials from Canada. The regulations are designed to protect the country from pine shoot beetles. Under the rules, importation of pine nursery stock requires a permit and exporters must meet certain treatment and handling protocols. USDA removed the import permit requirement for nonpropagative materials that are accompanied by phytosanitary certificates or certificates of movement and origin.

Connecticut growers have less expansion red tape
Connecticut growers wanting more production space should have an easier time meeting expansion procedures. Last month, Conn. Nursery and Landscape Assoc. was successful in getting the state's Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) to agree to pre-application meetings. Pre-meetings are designed to help growers avoid potential fines. "I know some growers who've spent $100,000 on engineering and legal bills just trying to comply with DEP mandates. If growers have to spend so much on fines on top of that, will they want to expand or stay in Connecticut?" said Bob Heffernan, CNLA exec. sec.

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