If you are a nursery grower and you depend on new home construction for a big chunk of your market, you might want to cover your eyes for this next one. Then again, you probably don’t need to, because you know what we’re about to say. In all-too-familiar news, the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) […]
Oregon nursery group reacts to minimum wage hike
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Oregon’s minimum wage will go up by 30 cents per hour at the end of the year, state Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian announced today. The new amount will be $8.80 per hour, starting on Jan. 1, 2012. The hike matches a 3.77 percent increase in the Consumer Price Index since last August, as mandated by […]
Tree prices on the rise?
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Are tree prices about to increase significantly? John Barbour of Bold Spring Nursery in Hawkinsville, Ga., believes the answer is yes. He explains why in this must-read blog post. Short version: it’s all about supply and demand. Nurseries cut their production due to the subprime lending crisis and resulting recession. Now, demand is about to […]
Housing starts decline nationwide in February
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In what may be disappointing news for nursery growers, homebuilders across the United States pulled back from their planned new home production levels during February, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. “Total housing starts declined 22.5 percent from January to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 479,000 units, the second-slowest pace on record,” the National […]
Growers reporting signs of recovery
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Nursery growers in Oregon are reporting signs of recovery from the sour economy, according to Mateusz Perkowski of the Capital Press (Salem, Ore.). Consumers are more confident, and as a result, retailers are placing their orders earlier in the season. However, there’s still some concern that independent garden centers are understocking their shelves, and missing […]
Oregon State University looks to stakeholders for support
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Oregon legislators have told officials at Oregon State University (OSU) to expect a 25 percent reduction in funds in the 2011-13 budget cycle, including at the College of Agricultural Sciences. That daunting forecast has the college reaching out to stakeholders to help fund OSU’s 11 agricultural branch experiment stations, according to an article by reporter […]
Hines declares second bankruptcy since 2008
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A 90-year-old giant of the nursery business is headed for a second round in bankruptcy court. Hines Nurseries LLC announced today that it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, according to Bloomberg News and a company press release. The press release blamed a weak market for the filing: “The Company noted that it has […]
Nurseries’ parent company files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
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International Garden Products Inc. announced Monday that the company and four of its subsidiaries — including Iseli Nursery Inc. and Weeks Wholesale Rose Grower of California – have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. This type of bankruptcy allows the companies to continue operating under the supervision of bankruptcy court, while going through the reorganization […]
Lehner forecasts economic future at OAN Convention
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What are the prospects for an improvement in Oregon’s economy? And why is continued growth in China so important for Oregon’s economic health? State economic analyst Josh Lehner has the answers in an article published in the Capital Press (Salem, Ore.). However, you heard the story a full week ago, live and in person, if […]
Nurseries hit hard by recession
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Dana Tims of The Oregonian (Portland, Ore.) takes a look at how the recession has affected the Oregon nursery industry.