May | June 2010 LEGISLATIVE NEWS


green industry Industry leaders advocate for


priorities


On May 3, Jon Reelhorn (Belmont Nursery, CA) tes- tified on ANLA’s behalf at a field hearing held by the House Agriculture Committee.


The Committee is


seeking input from the specialty crop community as it begins work on the next Farm Bill. In his oral and written testimony, Reelhorn thanked the Committee for ensuring a “place at the table” for specialty crops, including nursery and greenhouse crops, in the 2008 Farm Bill. He specifically mentioned successes, in- cluding the National Clean Plant Network and other pest and disease prevention efforts.


He cautioned


against “biomass to energy” federal subsidies for bark products now extensively used by the horticultural in- dustry. He ended by urging Congressional action on


On April 20, Pat Bigelow, president of Bigelow Nurs- eries, MA, traveled to Washington for a meeting with newly elected Republican Senator Scott Brown, who now occupies the Senate seat held by Ted Kennedy for decades. Immigration was the topic of the day. The meeting was a first step in a coordinated effort by ANLA and the Massachusetts Nursery & Landscape Association to educate Brown on the size and scope of the green industry in his state, and top industry is- sues. Thanks to both Jon and Pat for their leadership in this busy spring season.


Wood packaging compliance


Some of the most serious pests now plaguing nurser- ies and landscapes in the U.S. hitchhiked here from Asia and elsewhere as stowaways in wood packaging materials. Over the last ten years, ANLA has been urging national and international authorities to im- prove safeguards against movement of infested wood packaging. An international standard is now in place that mandates treatment and certification of pallets and other wood packaging, but compliance has been a problem.


38


AgJOBS and immigration reform that addresses the specialty crop industry.


improving


Fortunately, the situation seems to be improving. USDA has reported improving compliance with the standard. Reporting to the Forestry Panel of the North American Plant Protection Organization recently, a USDA official stated that non-compliant shipments declined from 1,826 in 2008 to 491 in 2009 (8 months reported for each year). The number of shipments found to contain live pests went from 212 in 2008, to 53 in 2009. The upshot: progress, though work still ahead.


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