A microscopic mite about .01 inch long is giving nurseries fits because it is destructive, yet difficult to detect, the Capital Press reported. According to Robin Rosetta of the OSU Extension Service, the eriophyid mite, also known as the gall mite, can cause galls, scarring, discoloration, wrinkling and malformation on growing shoots. The tiny bugs […]
Sewage treatment plant to start making fertilizer
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Next spring, a sewage treatment facility in Tigard will become the first in the United States to begin manufacturing an environmentally safe commercial fertilizer. Construction will begin soon on a set of reactors that will remove nutrients from wastewater, such as phosphorous, and convert them to a product called Crystal Green, which will be sold […]
Curry County still fighting p. ramorum
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Timber owners, nurseries and other interested parties are working to prevent the spread of P. ramorum, or sudden oak death, in Curry County, Ore., on the southern Oregon Coast. According to the Curry Coastal Pilot newspaper in Brookings, Ore., the Curry County Biomass Working Group has invited Forest Service officials who are experts to speak […]
Out-of-state firewood: bad
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Oregon residents are being asked to make sure that if they purchase firewood, that it comes from Oregon. According to Dan Hilburn, administrator of the Oregon Department of Agriculture Plant Division, that’s because firewood often allows diseases and invasive species to hitchhike to new locales, endangering trees and nursery stocks in whole new areas. Officials […]
Chrysanthemum white rust found in Connecticut
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Puccinia horiana, also known as chrysanthemum white rust, was detected at six locations in two counties in Connecticut, the Litchfield County Times (Conn.) reported last week. Additionally, the parasite also was found in Michigan, according to a USDA bulletin. According to the USDA, “Chrysanthemum white rust may be recognized by the small white to yellow […]
Minimum wage going up in Oregon
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Effective Jan. 1, 2009, Oregon’s minimum wage is going up by 45 cents, Oregon Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian announced on Tuesday. Wages will jump from $7.95 per hour to $8.40 per hour, representing a 5.3 percent hike. The increase follows on the heels of a 15-cent increase that took effect Jan. 1, 2008. Measure 25, […]
Genetic discovery holds promise for growers
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When it comes to the mysteries of plant growth, scientists have long seen the dark – yes, the dark. It was Charles Darwin who first reported more than 125 years ago that plant growth spurts often happen at night, not during the day as one might assume. But now, scientists are finally learning more about […]
No-match rule enforcement put off again
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It’s looking less and less likely that the Social Security No Match Rule – currently held up by litigation filed by employer, employee and pro-immigration groups – will be enforced before the new president and new Congress take office early in 2009. On Wednesday (Sept. 10), the Department of Homeland Security filed a motion to […]
Tamar Jacoby visits with the Coalition for a Working Oregon
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The message needs to be, “Fix America’s broken immigration system now.” And the messengers need to be the American people – meaning not just businesses, but everyday citizens. So said Tamar Jacoby, executive director of ImmigrationWorks USA, during a Sept. 8 visit with members of the Coalition for a Working Oregon, a broad-based coalition of […]
Nursery icon passes away at age 86
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Nursery industry innovator Jack McConkey passed away Sept. 3, 2008 following a lengthy battle with Parkinson’s disease. He was 86. His association with the nursery industry began in 1964, when he purchased McLean Bulb Farms, which was just then starting to pioneer the development of plastic containers. He changed the name of the company to […]