This year’s U.S. Capitol Chistmas Tree may be coming from Arizona, but it’s an Oregon company that has the honor of keeping it healthy during its three week journey to Washington, D.C. OAN member GSI Horticultural, based in Bend, Ore., will provide Moisturin, its anti-transpirant, to protect the 85-foot blue spruce as it is shipped […]
Christmas tree growers fearful, but optimistic
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The Woodburn Independent examines this year’s outlook for the Christmas tree industry. Growers hope sales this year will be is as good as last year or slightly better. Not mentioned is the negative effect the unresolved trade dispute with Mexico will have on sales.
Rotten in Denmark indeed
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Evidently the Christmas tree association in Denmark was caught setting tree price guidelines in an attempt to stop members from undercutting each other – a huge no-no under most countries’ anti-trust guidelines. Authorities there have issued a 400,000 kroner fine — in our dollars, that’s about $79,470, or quite a few trees’ worth.
Study: Trucking dispute proves costly
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Americans are paying a very high price for their government’s ugly dispute with Mexico over cross-border trucking – $2.3 billion in higher costs, $2.6 billion in foregone exports, and 25,000 jobs, according to a study released Sept. 15 by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Under the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement, existing restrictions on […]
Schrader’s help enlisted in trade dispute
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Major agricultural producers from Oregon met today with U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.) to ask for his help in resolving a costly trade dispute between Mexico and the United States. There’s a press release about it here (PDF). The issue came to a boil in March, when Congress voted to scrap a pilot program that […]
Private enterprise steps up
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Last year, the Oregon Department of Forestry closed the D.L. Phipps Nursery for budgetary reasons, prompting foresters, Christmas tree growers and others to wonder where they would be able to obtain native seedlings. According to this article in the Capital Press (Salem, Ore.), IFA Nurseries has stepped in to become the answer to that question.
Real trees vs. fake trees
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Salem (Ore.) Statesman-Journal columnist Carol Alice Currie wrote a column about the merits of real Christmas trees versus fake Christmas trees. Both sides get to give their arguments, which is nice because it will help those in the general public realize there is a debate. They shouldn’t just assume that plastic trees are the way […]
Winter offerings
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Registration has begun for winter term Agriculture courses at Chemeketa Community College in Salem, Ore. They include offerings in horticulture, landscaping and pesticides. Registration information is here. Likewise, Clackamas Community College in Oregon City, Ore., is offering several horticulture classes during its winter term. The workshops and short courses are listed here; the regular classes […]
Caring for your living Christmas tree
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We’ve all heard the myths when it comes to Christmas tree care: “Cut diagonally,” “Add Sprite,” “Take two inches off the stem,” and so forth. Well, the OSU Extension Service just put out a Q & A article that debunks several of the myths as well as taking the mystery out of Christmas tree care […]
Big weekend for Christmas trees?
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An experienced and wise grower recently told me that great weather late in the week makes for great retail nursery sales on the weekend. That’s because people make their weekend plans on Thursday or Friday. This got me to thinking – is this also true during the colder months? Like, say, December? Today, Western Oregon […]