There’s disappointing news for nurseries selling primarily to the landscape trade. Sales of new homes went down in September, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. There are several reasons this could be viewed in a positive or negative light: Positive: It was the first decline since March. Negative: But, sales were down 7.8 percent […]
Green Communities Act introduced
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The Oregon Association of Nurseries, and numerous other green industry trade groups, are getting behind the Green Communities Act, a federal bill introduced recently by U.S. Rep. Alyson Schwartz (D-Penn.). The bill would direct the U.S. Department of Commerce to award matching grants to up to 80 municipalities towards improving their “green infrastructure.” This could […]
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 […]
More on the COBRA subsidy
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Last week we talked about new requirements being placed on employers as a result of President Obama’s economic stimulus package. Terminated employees are getting a 65 percent federal subsidy if they elect continuing health care coverage through their former employer under COBRA, but it’s the former employer that has to initially pay that portion of […]
‘The last thing employers need’
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The hot issue in Washington, D.C. right now is the much-discussed economic stimulus package, which has evolved and changed over the course of negotiations between Senate leaders, Obama administration officials and other involved parties. One of the provisions that could affect nursery owners would be the Kingston amendment, which is part of the House-approved version […]
Forced to innovate
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Medill Reports (Chicago, Ill.) has this article on what nurseries are doing to cope with the tougher economic climate this year. As we’ve been saying in Digger magazine, times are tough, but it helps to market your business wisely, and look for the opportunities present in a down economy.
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Now that the historic moment has passed and President Barack Obama has been sworn in, expect to start seeing (and hearing) more analysis on how the new administration will affect agriculture and the nursery industry. Here’s a well-rounded piece from the California Farm Bureau Federation.
Nurseries more affected by recession than most
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One resource for good information on agricultural markets is the quarterly Knowledge Center Market Snapshots, which are reports by Northwest Farm Credit Services. As one might expect, the latest batch of snapshots indicates that demand is softening, or at best, level, for nearly all agricultural commodities: beef, wheat, dairy, fruits, forest products, wine, hay and […]