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Biotech Regulation Online Clearinghouse Now Available

USDA, FDA, and EPA joined forces to launch a unified website for biotechnology regulation as part of an executive order to modernize the regulatory framework for agricultural biotechnology products. The framework aims to cover the full range of plants, animals, and microorganisms derived from biotechnology. Each agency has regulatory programs to ensure health and environmental safety. The […]

Does the Farm Workforce Modernization Act Have a Future?

After the House of Representatives’ historic passage of a farm labor bill last December, is there a path forward? Maybe… Over the course of the past year, AmericanHort has stayed in close touch with key Senate allies, keeping them apprised of the House negotiations. In December, as the House was preparing to vote, we and […]

New Overtime Regulations in Effect

The arrival of the year 2020 means that new federal overtime regulations are now in effect. The regulations touch on a number of areas — exemptions such as the “white collar” exemption, as well as bonuses and salary level thresholds. These new rules are quite complex and can be challenging to business owners trying to […]

You, PlantPAC, and the 2020 Election

PlantPAC, the AmericanHort Political Action Committee, gives our industry access and a voice to support Congressional candidates that back pro-horticulture policies. The AmericanHort Advocacy and Public Policy Committee recently worked to prioritize our targets for support in 2020. But before we can keep you in the loop, Federal law requires us to obtain prior approval […]

Breeders’ Choice: New Option for Protecting Plant Breeders’ Rights

On January 6, the USDA Plant Variety Protection Office published a final rule implementing a provision of the 2018 Farm Bill addressing horticultural innovation. The new rule expands the Plant Variety Protection Act (PVPA), the framework under which seed-reproduced varieties are commonly protected, to include asexually reproduced plants. Breeders can now choose among plant patents, utility patents, […]

Recognition for AmericanHort Advocacy Team

The new year began with some welcome recognition for our efforts and our team. First, the cover story of the January issue of GrowerTalks Magazine showcased the efforts of our Washington, DC staff team. Check it out! Secondly, our very own research and science programs director, Jill Calabro, PhD, was presented the Oregon Association of Nurseries […]

USDA Proposes to Restrict Dozens of Plants from Importation

USDA recently proposed to add new plant tax to the list of plants regulated as Not Authorized Pending Pest Risk Analysis, or NAPPRA. The proposal includes 26 plant taxa as quarantine pests; and all subfamily Bambusoideae (bamboos), all Myrtaceae (to Hawaii), and 43 other plant taxa as potential hosts of quarantine pests. AmericanHort urges all […]

H-2B: Three Times More Demand Than Supply

Many of our members submitted petitions to the Department of Labor (DOL) for H-2B workers on or around January 1 for jobs slated to begin work on April 1. This H-2B filing period marks the first time that the DOL used a computer generated “lottery” filing process to group petitions into priority groups for processing. […]

New H-2A Wage Rates for 2020 Published

On December 19, the U.S. Department of Labor is publishing a Federal Register notice announcing the new “adverse effect wage rates” (AEWR) that must be paid to H-2A agricultural visa workers as well as U.S. workers considered to be in “corresponding employment.” The new rates take effect in two weeks, or January 2, 2020. A few reflections […]