Immigration Votes in House!?
Immigration votes in the House during the summer of an election year? Strange, but looking to be true. As of this reporting, the U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on two immigration policy bills during the week of June 18. Neither bill is certain to pass. And what happens will shape what’s next […]
Farm Bill Down To The Wire
Racing against the clock to finalize a key piece of legislation before year’s end, farm bill negotiators are looking to finish up talks in the days ahead. The Senate returned to work on Monday with their House counterparts arriving yesterday to finish the lame duck session. Areas of disagreement remain around items such as forest […]
Tennessee Moving Toward Boxwood Blight Quarantine
Tennessee has become the second state to pursue establishment of a quarantine to restrict movement of boxwood and Sarcococca that could be infected with boxwood blight. The Tennessee Department of Agriculture recently held a hearing to discuss the proposal. Citing the significant risk to nursery production and landscapes, the quarantine was deemed necessary for protection. A phytosanitary […]
Regulatory Relief For Maryland Residents
A county circuit court judge overturned a Montgomery County-wide ban on the use of cosmetic pesticides on lawns. The law was passed in 2015 by a county council and was set to take effect in 2018. Agricultural land, gardens, and golf courses were exempted. The judge determined that the law would conflict with current federal […]
Rose Rosette Research Group Updates
The collaboration of researchers focused on combatting rose rosette disease (RRD) recently convened virtually to summarize key recent findings. AmericanHort and HRI participated. Some of the key updates reported include: Diagnostics of the virus and the mites that transmit the disease both continue to be high priorities for the group. Ongoing efforts seek to develop […]
Will House Jidiciary Take Up An Ag Labor Bill?
For months, House Judiciary chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) has hinted at moving an agricultural labor reform bill through his committee. The most recent rumor hinted at a bill being introduced and possibly even considered this week (September 25), but committee staff have suggested further delay. When it is introduced, we expect it will be “marked […]
What Does Trump Action to “Unwind” DACA Mean for Horticulture?
On September 25, the Trump administration announced that it will rescind the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, phasing it out over the next six months. Administration officials emphasized that this approach allows Congress an opportunity to resolve the fate of DACA recipients. The DACA program allowed qualifying undocumented individuals brought to the […]
Pollinator Protection Conference Scheduled for October
Fresh off Pollinator Week 2017, you can keep the pollinator buzz alive by attending the 2nd National Conference for Protecting Pollinators in Urban Landscapes! This meeting is jointly planned by Michigan State University and North Carolina State University. Who should attend? Leaders of the green industry, university educators, and state government officials. What will be […]
Some Positive News from Appropriations Process
Three items of very good news have emerged from the House Appropriations Committee over the past several days. First, the Committee acted to increase funding for the Agricultural Research Service’ (ARS) Floriculture and Nursery Research Initiative (FNRI) by $500,000! You may recall that the Trump Administration proposed to eliminate the program. FNRI is a unique […]
Whitefly Populations on the Rise in Field Production
The mild winter coupled with the hot and dry weather conditions in the southeast U.S. have resulted in high populations of whitefly this summer. Vegetable and cotton producers in Georgia, Alabama, and Florida are reporting higher than normal populations earlier than normal. Historically, whitefly populations are localized in the Southeast with population surges normally observed […]