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Serving the Northwest Nursery Industry for Over 50 Years

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Pay by scam

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Increasingly, mass market retailers are paying wholesale nurseries for plants only when (and if) they are sold to the consumer. It’s called “pay by scan” (excuse the typo in the headline). The grower absorbs the cost of any plants that die or are stolen, and they also pay to keep them alive on store shelves […]

Tax hikes approved – for real

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That didn’t take long. The legislative logjam we talked about this morning has been broken. The Oregon Senate this morning approved two bills – one to raise corporate taxes and another to raise income taxes. Both were carried on a party line vote, 18 yes (all Democrats), 11 no (all Republicans) and one Republican not […]

Protecting growers against theft

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With Oregon’s legislative session winding down, it’s reckoning time for proposed bills that would offer nurseries and others in agriculture greater protection against metal theft and other kinds of agricultural theft. The Oregon Association of Nurseries and other groups have been active in promoting a pair of bills: Senate Bill 570 (HTML|PDF) would address metal […]

Tax hikes approved

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Yesterday, the Oregon House of Representatives approved two revenue bills that, combined, would raise an estimated $733 billion to fund state programs and services over the next fiscal biennium. The Oregon Senate is expected to follow suit, and Gov. Ted Kulongoski is certain to sign it. From there, the measures may be referred to voters […]

How to set prices in a recession

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Entrepreneur magazine has a short-but-thorough primer up on the art of setting prices for your products during a recession. Although it doesn’t mention nurseries specifically, all of the information is applicable, and a few of the points are particularly germane. Specifically: Are you offering an affordable luxury? During a recession, most consumers may still be […]

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 […]

Enforcement to focus on employers

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The Los Angeles Times, citing administration officials who for the most part spoke on condition of anonymity, reported last week that the Obama administration – and Director of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano – will focus its immigration enforcement efforts on arresting and prosecuting employers rather than employees: The shift in emphasis will be outlined in revamped field […]

The pros and cons of furloughs

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Sad though it may be, many employers resorting to layoffs and terminations as a means to reducing costs. After all, labor is the largest expense for many employers. During the current recession, a different option has become increasingly popular. Furloughs are mandatory, unpaid time off for a larger group of employees. Unlike layoffs, furloughs keep […]