Details Matter
As I write this column, the country is in the middle of the COVID-19 crisis, with almost 900,000 cases and over 49,000 deaths in the US to date. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Coronavirus (COVID-19) has wreaked havoc from a national health perspective, as well as an economic perspective. But before I discuss the economic […]
Women in Horticulture Interview Series – Susie Raker-Zimmerman
Susie Raker-Zimmerman, AmericanHort Chairwoman of the Board, Raker-Roberta’s Young Plants & Mary Beth Cowardin Vice President Membership and Strategic Engagement. In this interview, we will hear from Susie Raker-Zimmerman, Vice President of Raker Roberta’s Young Plants.
Families First Coronavirus Legislation
President Trump signed the first coronavirus response measure (PL 116-123) into law on March 6. That law provided about $8 billion for immediate response efforts to the Health and Human Services Department, State Department, U.S. Agency for International Development, and Small Business Administration. On March 18, the House revised and passed the “Families First Coronavirus […]
Coronavirus Resource Center Open for Business
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, and governments at all levels seek to respond, AmericanHort has launched a Coronavirus Resource Center which is being updated frequently as new information becomes available. Information on the site includes: Business Operations and Best Practices Federal Relief and Stimulus Updates Communication Tips Benefits of Plants Information Webinars and Other Resources On Monday, […]
Shopping from the Consumer’s Perspective
An Update to the Index of Prices Paid by Growers
In an age of tight margins, it is essential for firms to have full and accurate information about inflationary trends so that they can better understand the cost of operating their business for managerial decision-making such as SKU rationalization, customer profitability analyses, and determining the need for price increases. The use of the standard Producers […]
What Does AmericanHort Advocacy Look Like?
Business owners know that key to long-term business preparedness is certainty and a legal framework that can be understood and planned for. Increasingly, business owners across America with a passion for horticulture are facing legislative and regulatory uncertainty as state and federal governments and agencies reevaluate and revamp that existing framework. Policy conversations can move […]
AmericanHort Welcomes Pest and Disease Prevention Funds
USDA’s Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service has announced roughly $70 million in funding for FY2020 projects focused on plant health and pest prevention. Included in the funding: $50,000 to the Horticultural Research Institute, the AmericanHort foundation, to enable the launch of a web-based platform simplifying the facility risk assessment process for nurseries and greenhouses considering the […]
H-2B: More Visas Announced, But Many Strings Attached
On March 5, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it plans to make 35,000 supplemental H-2B visas available this fiscal year. Unfortunately, while the 35,000 visas would mark the highest number of supplemental visas that the Administration has chosen to release over the past few years, the number still falls woefully short of […]
New Safeguards for Boxwood from Canada
USDA-APHIS announced new requirements for Buxus, Euonymus, and Ilex entering the U.S. from Canada in response to box tree moth presence in Ontario. Effective immediately, these plant species, including propagative material, must be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate with an additional declaration certifying that the plants have been produced in a facility officially recognized by the Canadian Food Inspection […]