Coast to Coast with Kelli Rodda - September 2007

Connecticut  

Imperial Nurseries in Granby settled a lawsuit with 12 Guatemalan workers. The workers, who were part of the H-2B program, had not been paid the legally required wage by Pro Tree Forestry Services, an independent contractor retained by Imperial. Specific terms were not disclosed, but Imperial agreed to give the workers financial compensation. Prior to the lawsuit, the nursery cooperated with a U.S. Department of Labor investigation on Pro Tree. Imperial terminated its contract with Pro Tree last June. The workers still have lawsuits pending with Pro Tree. For more: (800) 950-6051; www.imperialnurseries.com.

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Ohio  

The European elm flea weevil (Orchestes alni) was spotted for the first time in Ohio this summer. It was found feeding on Siberian elms in Northwest Ohio by Ohio State University Extension entomologist Curtis Young. The tiny adult is black or dark brown with a prominent proboscis. Adults appear in the spring and feed on the underside of newly emerging leaves. Larvae act as leaf miners and will feed for several more weeks before they pupate. The most common host of the pest is the Siberian elm, but other hosts are elm hybrids, such as ‘Homestead’ and the true Chinese elm. Adults can easily be controlled with foliar insecticides. For more: Curtis Young, (419) 222-9946; young.2@cfaes.osu.edu.

Florida  

The Palm Beach Chapter of the Florida Nursery, Growers & Landscape Association (FNGLA) won a Telly Award for its GrowSmart! public awareness campaign. The campaign consists of five, 30-second spots promoting water-wise landscaping and encouraging the public to follow simple guidelines focusing on sensible irrigation, money-saving gardening principles and other useful lawn and plant tips. The Tellys honor outstanding TV commercials, programs, and video and film productions. For more: www.fngla.org.

Nebraska  

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Department of Agronomy and Horticulture partnered with PR firm Swanson Russell Associates to create a green-industry career awareness campaign. Go Green is featured on posters, T-shirts, bags, buttons and brochures and will appear at college fairs and through informational mailings. The department, faced with declining enrollment and lack of exposure, needed a brand to showcase its strong faculty leadership and high-quality academic facilities. For more: www.agronomy.unl.edu.

Postcards

University of California-Davis has taken on the challenging task of training sheep. I’m guessing that’s about as hard as herding cats, but my knowledge of sheep comes from the movie “Babe.” Thanks to an Ipecac-type formula, researchers found a way to get sheep to graze on weeds in vineyards, but pass on the grape leaves. First the sheep are allowed to eat their fill of grape leaves, but they get a chaser of a nausea-inducing medicine. They leave the crop alone next time they’re released. … The U.S. Census Bureau reported the fastest-growing U.S. cities are mostly in the South and West, with the exception of New York, which grew by 206,000 during 2000-2006. Rounding out the top 5: Houston , San Antonio , Fort Worth and Phoenix . … TreeCentric, a Webmail and Website hosting company, purchases Renewable Energy Certificates when customers support its services. “TreeCentric ensures that the electricity it uses is made from” renewable energy sources such as solar and wind to reduce “its footprint on the earth.” Could growers and garden retailers adopt a similar plan? Research it here: www.eere.energy.gov.

Quotable:

“If we can convert even 1 million acres of this land to organic management by 2010, it will have a very significant impact on the soil, the water, the air and our own health and the health of generations to come. We are asking American consumers, as well as public and private institutions, to help us meet this Million Acre Challenge.”

- Paul Tukey, founder of SafeLawns.org, where more information can be found on his Million Acre Lawn Challenge.

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- Kelli Rodda