Posted by:

ANLA and OFA, in collaboration with SAF are leading an effort to evaluate current U.S. plant propagation and production certification programs and work to develop a single voluntary system that provides greater domestic and international shipping flexibility and improves production efficiency, while reducing the spread of pests and diseases. To accomplish this, an industry based working group has been established to drive the process and develop a program that is flexible and scalable.

To get input and opinions from an audience broader than just the working group ANLA has worked with a market research company to develop a brief survey. Results of the survey will help guide us in this effort by identifying some of the challenges as well as useful incentives that could be incorporated in a voluntary plant production program.

Please click here to take this 5-10 minute survey and help us in this effort.

Filed under: regulation • disease • pest

Posted by:

Craig Regelbrugge, Joe Bischoff

In this November’s national election, not every Congressional race worth watching is the typical according-to-script fight between a Republican and a Democratic challenger, or vice versa. One such race worth watching pits two incumbent Democrats against each other in a rather blue Los Angeles-area district. It is also an early test of California’s non-partisan redistricting and new primary process.

Rep. Howard Berman has represented the 26th, then 28th, Congressional district of California since 1983. His rival Brad Sherman was first elected to Congress for a term that began in 1997. In the wake of the latest Congressional redistricting, they are vying for a new combined district which contains roughly twice as much...

Filed under: Election

Posted by:

Craig Regelbrugge, Joe Bischoff

Unless you just returned from a long sabbatical abroad, you know a pivotal national election is just around the corner. In addition to two Presidential candidates with two very different visions for the future, all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and a third of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate are up for reelection. Though many are frustrated with political gridlock and grandstanding, the fact remains that the average American has about as much opportunity to participate in, and influence, our political system as anyone anywhere in the world. Opting out isn’t a very good option; as they say, you are either at the table or on the menu.

So how can you participate? For one, vote. It’s not just a privilege, it is a responsibility. Secondly, take the time to establish a relationship with your elected representatives, their staff, and candidates for office. Educate them on our wonderful industry. Become a trusted source of perspective for them. Thirdly, volunteer to help the candidate you support, even through something as simple as posting yard signs. And finally, there is money. Like it or not, it takes money to successfully run for office, and helping a candidate financially is an especially powerful relationship tool...

Filed under: legislation

Posted by:

Joe Bischoff, Craig Regelbrugge

On August 20th, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that it has made $1 million available to officials in Worcester County, Massachusetts to plant replacement trees for the ones that were removed during Asian Longhorn Beetle (ALB) eradication efforts in recent years. The trees selected for planting are not potential hosts of ALB and will consist primarily of...

Filed under: pest

Posted by:

While many legal advisors suggest proceeding with caution, on August 14, the Department of Homeland Security officially released the forms to request deferred action that may be filed by undocumented immigrants who arrived in the country as children and meet various other requirements. According to the American Immigration Council, beginning August 15, applicants may mail their requests to specified facilities maintained by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), an agency within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Immigrants wishing to request deferred action must submit three forms...

Filed under: immigration