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July 24, 2012
02:13 PM ET
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Posted by:
An insidious metallic green menace known as the Emerald ash borer (EAB) continues its march westward…and eastward, and southward. The latest areas to join the federally regulated zone for the pest are Charlotte, Halifax, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, and Pittsylvania Counties and the City of Danville, all in south-central Virginia. They are all at the other end of the state from areas in northern Virginia where the pest had been found previously. Is there any hope? To date, there has been at least...
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July 20, 2012
09:20 AM ET
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Posted by:
A well-intended but problematic plant inspection policy change has been put on hold.
While the Department of Homeland Security’s Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has primary responsibility for inspecting cargo, passengers, ships, trains and planes entering the U.S. for plant and animal pests and diseases, USDA’s Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) inspects plants and plant propagative material, including things like unrooted cuttings. This work is done at 17 plant inspection stations in places like Miami, Atlanta, New York, and Los Angeles. Historically, plant imports have been inspected at a low rate of about two percent.
A new sampling protocol started to take effect July 16, and immediately caused problems particularly at the plant inspection station adjacent to the Miami airport. What’s going on, and what might be done to alleviate the problems?
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July 18, 2012
10:18 AM ET
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Posted by:
The American Nursery & Landscape Association was chosen as one of four industry presenters to address the 2012 Stakeholder Conference, hosted July 17 and 18 by the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), and Homeland Security’s Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP). APHIS and CBP are the front-line agencies responsible for inspecting and clearing passengers, cargo, and commodities arriving from abroad at ports, airports, and land border crossings. These activities are important in terms of protecting plant resources from foreign pests and diseases, but they can also challenge legal importers of plants and plant products. ANLA reflected on what is working, and what is not.
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July 18, 2012
10:12 AM ET
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Posted by:
Impatiens are among the most important bedding plants in the United States, a tried and true performer with spectacular color variety. The species Impatiens walleriana, and its derived cultivar lines, exhibit perhaps the broadest color range in the genus. However, in recent years the greenhouse industry has been challenged by a fungal-like pathogen, previously known, but largely considered a minor nuisance. Impatiens downy mildew (Plasmopara obducens) was initially described in the late 1800s and has been known from scattered and minor occurrences in the U.S. since the 1940s. It causes premature defoliation and flower drop and over the last few years has been impacting Europe, especially the United Kingdom, with devastating effect to the...
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July 14, 2012
03:40 PM ET
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The American Nursery and Landscape Association’s (ANLA) board of directors voted this week to explore the joint formation of a new trade association with OFA - The Association of Horticulture Professionals. The vote was prompted by a recommendation from a joint working group of elected ANLA and OFA leaders. Their recommendation followed the announcement earlier this year of a joint venture between the two associations. “The first question we needed to address was whether our members and the broader industry would benefit from our two associations working together,” says ANLA President Bob Lyons, Sunleaf Nursery, LLC (OH). “The clear answer that emerged was yes.”
According to ANLA board member Dan Mulhall, Mulhall’s (NE), “The two organizations bring very different strengths to the table with little overlap.” Dan explains that ANLA offers the industry’s most-respected government relations program and executive education while OFA brings a world-class trade show and strong technical and management education. “This is not about cutting,” says Dan, “It’s about increasing the programming and services available to both memberships while increasing the audiences that support those programs.”
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