Key Program Highlight: Speciality Crop Research Initiarive (SCRI)
By Tristan Daedalus & Jill Calabro, PhD What is SCRI and what does it do? The Specialty Crop Research Initiative, or SCRI, is a program housed in the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The program supports the range of specialty crops (defined by federal law as including horticulture and nursery crops, including floriculture, fruits and vegetables, […]
HRI’s 2020 Funded Grant Projects
The Horticultural Research Institute (HRI), a foundation of AmericanHort, recently announced the portfolio of research projects to be funded in 2020. Projects fit into the cadre of research priorities established in support of our new strategic vision. Research priority areas include quantifying plant benefits, creating innovative solutions, gathering consumer insights, and producing practical and actionable solutions. […]
CBP Inspectors Boosted by New Bill
Since the publication of the last edition, progress has been made in supporting Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel in their tireless work to inspect cargoes for invasive pests. The Protecting America’s Food & Agriculture Act of 2019 (S.2107/H.R. 4482) helped to address these needs by authorizing funding to hire the additional Customs and Border […]
H-2B Action May Be Imminent. Will It Be Enough?
We expect the 33,000 semi-annual H-2B visa cap to be hit later this month. We are hopeful that the Department of Homeland Security will soon make additional visas available under the authority it was granted by the Fiscal 2020 Further Consolidated Appropriations Act. AmericanHort and our partners in the H-2B Workforce Coalition have been calling […]
EPA Proposes Neonic Mitigations
After a thorough review involving industry insights along the way, EPA finally released proposed use changes to five common neonicotinoids: acetamiprid, clothianidin, dinotefuran, imidacloprid, and thiamethoxam. All five reviews were released at the same time. None of the active ingredients were cited as having significant human dietary risks, but all were found to have potential […]
Final WOTUS Rule Out
On January 23, the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers released a new rule defining the Waters of the United States and clarifying federal authority under the Clean Water Act. While we are reviewing the details of the final rule, we believe the rule will provide much-needed clarity about which water bodies are subject to […]
Full Court Press To Address H-2B Cap Crisis
AmericanHort continues to take a two-prong approach to H-2B reform – to encourage the Department of Homeland Security to immediately release all of the nearly 65,000 additional visas authorized by the December 2019 spending law, and to encourage Congress to pass H-2B reform legislation that permanently addresses the inadequate H-2B cap. Over a quarter of […]
The Cost of Spotted Lanternfly; Ohio Beware
We all know that invasive species are destructive and costly but calculating a dollar value on the threat can be a challenge. Ag research economists at Penn State set out to quantify the financial impact of spotted lanternfly (SLF) on the state’s economy and just released its findings. Economists looked at SLF’s effects on key […]
Toward More Effective Pest Prevention
Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection (CBP) inspectors are the first line of defense against introduction of harmful new invasive plant and animal pests and diseases. While plant consignments are referred to USDA for examination, CBP handles the vast majority of inspections of cargoes of all types. Considering that some of our most spectacular pest […]
Important Tax Prep Ahead of the 2020 Election
American businesses are on the threshold of the next presidential election year, and the uncertainty of what’s to come and who assumes office is prompting businesses to ensure they are taking every advantage of the lowest tax rates and highest exemptions available under the current tax code. Being proactive now can ensure that you capitalize on some […]