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 […]
Are You Eligible to Receive Updates from PlantPAC?
As we approach another election year, your support of PlantPAC is more important than ever. PlantPAC, the AmericanHort Political Action Committee, gives our industry a voice to support Congressional candidates that back pro-horticulture policies. Federal law requires us to obtain prior approval from AmericanHort members before informing them about PAC-related activities or requesting they join […]
H-2B Update
Craig Regelbrugge and Laurie Flanagan How Congress ends up funding the federal government will determine whether we see an H-2B seasonal worker visa fix in time for 2020. For this reason, we’re providing frequent status updates. The House and Senate recently passed, and the President has signed, a bill that sets federal government spending limits […]
EPA: Stop False Labeling of Glyphosate
In February 2018, a federal judge temporarily blocked California’s cancer-causing label requirement (set to begin July 2018) on products containing glyphosate. The block remains unchallenged and still in place today. The judge ruled that since glyphosate is not known to cause cancer, such warnings would be misleading. However, glyphosate is still listed on the California […]
AmericanHort Meets with Plant Regulatory Officials
Each year in August, the National Plant Board convenes its annual meeting of state plant regulatory officials, along with federal cooperators including the Departments of Agriculture, and Homeland Security. The meeting presents a very useful opportunity for AmericanHort to brief those who inspect and regulate us on the health of the horticulture industry, and to […]
FMCSA Proposes Changes to Hours of Service Rules
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has at last proposed changes to its hours of service (HOS) rules. The notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) — which was delayed at the Office of Management and Budget by a few weeks — has received mostly positive coverage since its publication. Flexibility concerning HOS rules has been a focus […]