H-2B reaches cap for first half of 2007
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced Dec. 5 that it had reached enough petitions to reach the 33,000 H-2B visa cap for the first half of fiscal year 2007, according to ANLA. Petitions for H-2B workers who enter after April 1 will continue to be processed until a final receipt date is announced., USCIS said. "Reaching the semiannual cap of 33,000 in November underscores the need for a permanent solution to the H-2B cap," said John Farner, ANLA dir. of legislative relations.
Groups lobby for lame-duck immigration reform
ANLA was represented among a group of 400 agriculture and green-industry groups asking Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform during the post-election lame-duck session. The group emphasized that the Senate passed a bill in May that would allow undocumented ag. workers to gain citizenship over time. Similar proposals pending in the House have had bipartisan support, according to the group. A lack of legal workers has cost California tree fruit and grape industries an estimated $75 million in 2006. Without immigration reform, New York dairy farmers and vegetable, fruit and nursery growers are projected to lose $195 million in 2007, the group said.
Daylily group: Don't confuse H. fulva with noninvasive types
Several states and agencies list Hemerocallis fulva as invasive, according to American Hemerocallis Society. Don't confuse this species, also called tawny daylily, common orange daylily, roadside ditch lily and tiger lily, with non-invasive clump-forming hybrid daylily cultivars. The thousands of clump-forming selections make excellent garden plants and don't form large colonies over time, like H. fulva.
Walters receives pollution/biomass grant
Walters Gardens in Zeeland, Mich., received an $87,750 grant to purchase pollution-control equipment to use with its biomass burner. Equipment purchased with the grant will help burn corn and wood pellets more efficiently. The biomass burner was installed in 2004. The grant also paves the way to test other alternative fuels in the future, according to the grower. The new biomass burner gives the company a choice of fuels it can use to heat its greenhouses and reduce its reliance on natural gas. The grant was provided by the Ag. Innovation Fund from Mich. Dept. of Ag.
APHIS hosts electronic invasive plant discussion
USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is hosting an online discussion of methods to evaluate potential invasiveness of imported plants. The event runs through Jan. 26; nursery growers and other green-industry members are invited to participate. Participants are asked 6 questions regarding plant evaluation, and when a plant should be considered an invasive species.
Worth a visit
Worth a visit
Mr. Silver Lining, aka Todd Davis, makes some bold predictions for industry happenings in 2007. Only on GreenBeam.com.
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