California wildfires cause extensive plant damage
Ornamental horticulture crops were severely damaged by last week's Southern California wildfires. San Diego Union Tribune said the biggest loss appears to have been at
Kendall Farms, which grows cut flowers outdoor in Fallbrook, a community severely affected by the Rice Canyon fire. Kendall Farms lost 95% of its 200-acre crop. Jim Bethke, floriculture and nursery farm adviser in San Diego County, said the county will form an assessment team to determine the extent of the damage. About 1,630 acres, or 16.5%, of the county's 9,870 acres of flower, nursery and greenhouse crops, are in the Rice Canyon and Witch Creek fire areas. Eric Larson, Farm Bureau exec. dir., said he expects significant plant damage from burning, dehydration, smoke and ash pollution. The crops also could die later if irrigation lines have melted, he said. Ornamental crops are the biggest ag. segment in San Diego County, bringing in $1 billion annually.
Support needed to force Senate vote on AgJOBS
This could be a critical week for AgJOBS legislation. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., a champion on the issue, will offer AgJOBS as an amendment on another piece of legislation as the opportunity arises. The upcoming Farm Bill is a likely candidate for an amendment, because well over half of American ag, including horticulture and floriculture, needs labor. Sixty senators must support a cloture vote, which will force consideration of AgJOBS. The Agricultural Coalition for Immigration Reform (ACIR) encouraged industry members to send a pre-written letter.
Growers question apple moth spraying regulations
Some California nursery owners are upset at state regulators because they are being asked to pay for costly eradication measures aimed at limiting the spread of light brown apple moth (LBAM). Many growers are being forced to temporarily shut down, the Santa Cruz Sentinel reported. Soquel Nursery Growers in Soquel, Calif., where several moth larvae have been found, estimated the cost of lost business due to 2 state-mandated closures for pesticide spraying has topped $100,000. Garden Haven Nursery in Soquel, which has been closed 3 times for spraying after inspectors found moth larvae, has lost more than $50,000 in business and costs. The state estimates that LBAM eradication could take several years but is possible if strict measures are taken immediately. Last month on the Monterey Peninsula, the state conducted 1 round of aerial spraying of a synthetic pheromone that seeks to confuse the male moth out of mating. A judge has suspended spraying until concerns about the pesticide's safety can be addressed.
Connecticut rejects plants considered invasive
Connecticut's Dept. of Transportation rejected a landscaper's plant shipment because the ornamental grasses were considered invasive, even though they were cultivars of Miscanthus sinensis. DOT refused to allow more than $3,000 worth of plants to be installed at a state project near Simsbury. Miscanthus is not a banned plant in Connecticut, but the species is listed as invasive. Conn. Nursery & Landscape Assoc. objected, saying that all cultivars behave differently and are not considered banned unless specifically stated in the law.
Singapore taking all of exotic nursery's inventory
Dennis Cathcart must feel like he's won the Power Ball. The South Florida grower, who has run Tropiflora Nursery in Manatee County, sold nearly every plant in his 6-acre nursery to the government of Singapore. The plants are destined for Gardens by the Bay, a multimillion-dollar, 250-acre botanical garden that Singapore believes will make the Southeast Asia city-state a premier tropical garden city. Cathcart would not disclose how much the deal was worth, but he told the Herald-Tribune newspaper that it had "a lot of zeroes." Cathcart, 59, plans to retire and let his staff run the business.
Kudzu creeps northward
Canadian scientists are on watch for kudzu. "The vine that ate the South" has moved into Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York, and may pose a threat to Canada, according to the Univ. of Toronto's Ecology Dept. Heather Coiner is in the 2nd of a 5-year study of kudzu funded by a grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council. It's probably just a matter of time, scientists say, before global warming allows the aggressive vine to survive in Canada. "I've seen it in Albany, N.Y.," Coiner told the Toronto Star. "The crown was very large, it was probably 10-15 years old." The plant was destroyed, but the fact it had survived winters in upstate New York is a worry for invasive-plant researchers. So far, no kudzu sightings have been reported in Canada, Marilyn Taylor at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency told the newspaper.
Deadline approaches for NMPRO Plant Pavilion
You still have until the end of this week to register your new tree, shrub or other ornamental for the NMPRO Plant Pavilion, which will be showcased at the 2008 ANLA Management Clinic in Louisville, Ky., on Feb. 8-11 and in the January issue of NMPRO. Download the application form here or contact Jyme Mariani for details.
Worth a visit
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Register now! Visit www.midam.org for details. Mid-Am, the Midwest's premier trade show, features hundreds of exhibits, 130+ hours of education, plus much more!
The ANLA 2008 Management Clinic is coming! February 8-11, 2008 in Louisville, Ken.
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