December 2021 - 8

INDUSTRY NEWS
from americanhort to you
A Strong Showing for the Industry
BY TAL COLEY, SENIOR DIRECTOR OF ADVOCACY AND GOVERNMENT
AFFAIRS AT AMERICANHORT
Fungi are so variable - from single-celled yeasts to the biggest living
orIn late September, close to 90 individuals in the industry attended
the AmericanHort Impact Washington Summit in the nation's capital.
Attendees at the premiere advocacy event for the industry heard from
policy experts, members of Congress, and government officials and
engaged in direct advocacy with lawmakers on key industry issues.
Three of those members of Congress spoke to the group - Reps.
Ashley Hinson (R-IA), Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), and Maria Elvira Salazar
(R-FL) - while USDA Under Secretary for Marketing & Regulatory
Programs Jenny Moffitt gave updates on key industry programs at USDA.
Over 20 states were represented by attendees, with teams conducting
nearly 100 meetings with lawmakers - more than half of those occurring
in person. These conversations focused primarily on workforce/
seasonal labor programs and tax policy, alongside other issues such
as transportation, research funding, and WOTUS. AmericanHort helped
prepare attendees for these meetings with some specifics on the primary
issues including:
* Agricultural Workforce: Attendees pushed for action in the Senate
on a variety of fronts to include the Farm Workforce Modernization
Act (H.R. 1603), which passed the House in March. This legislation
focuses on stabilizing the current workforce and contains future
workforce access reforms. Improvements to the H-2A program and
I-9 process were also mentioned.
* Non-Agricultural Workforce: Reform of the H-2B program for those
in landscape was highlighted, with a push for co-sponsorship of the
Returning Worker Exception Act (H.R. 3897). Other priorities included
immediate cap and regulatory relief for FY2022.
* Tax Policy: More on the defensive side, attendees urged lawmakers
not to remove the step up in basis for inherited assets, which would
trigger capital gains taxes for generational transfers. This change
had been floated as a potential pay for on the reconciliation bill.
Maintaining the current level of estate tax exemption and preserving
the cash method of accounting were also a focus.
Will these issues evolve before year's end? At this moment, it's still
uncertain. On a positive note, it does look like efforts to alter the step
up in basis have cooled due to the pushback received. Democrats in
Congress are currently mulling which social and climate priorities to
focus on in their reconciliation bill while also trying to schedule a vote
on the bipartisan Senate infrastructure bill. This is a tall order for the
majority, especially considering other legislation that must pass before
the year ends. Political hot takes of the situation are abundant, but what
will happen at this point is anybody's guess.
PROVEN WINNERS PARTNERS WITH THE
PLANT CO. TO MARKET HOUSEPLANTS
Proven Winners has announced it is partnering
ALTMAN PLANTS REPORT
ROSE TRIAL RESULTS
Altman Plants, a breeder and
with The Plant Co. in Stuarts Draft, Virginia, to
market houseplant varieties under the Proven
Winners brand. The goal of this partnership is to
help retailers increase sales and profits by selling
larger quantities of superior houseplants under the
Proven Winners plant brand.
Proven Winners looked to The Plant Co. as a
young but leading supplier of houseplants in North
America due to its innovative selection of plant
varieties as well as their new, state-of-the-art
production facilities.
" The main goal for starting The Plant Co.
was to supply our customers with the best
quality indoor house plants available and supply
those consistently year-round, " says Jason
vanWingerden, CEO of The Plant Co. " When the
opportunity arose to partner with Proven Winners,
we quickly realized the similarities in beliefs for
innovative genetics and consumer success. "
" Proven Winners is very impressed with The Plant
Co.'s innovative plant varieties, unmatched quality,
a dedication to finding exceptional new plants, and
superior production practices, " said Dave Konsoer,
8 DECEMBER 2021 GPNMAG.COM
director of sales for Proven Winners. " By bringing a
strong and up-and-coming houseplant supplier into
the Proven Winners family, consumers will be able
to find top-quality houseplants under a name they
know and trust, resulting in an even stronger brand
for retailers and consumers. "
The Plant Co. currently offers houseplants in a
finished/retail-ready plant form and will begin to
sell their entire finished houseplant product line
of over 100 different items exclusively under the
Proven Winners brand starting on Jan. 1, 2022.
New items and sizes will continue to be added.
Retailers interested in offering the new Proven
Winners houseplant program in their store can
email sales@theplantcompany.com to learn more.
grower of garden roses, has
reported garden trial results for
the True Bloom Roses collection,
including garden-worthy findings
for five significant hybrid rose
varieties.
The trials' results are particularly
noteworthy given the fact that
most True Bloom Roses varieties
were trialed no less than eight
years. Altman Plants adheres to
seven phases of trialing before
commercialization, and only elite
seedlings reach the external trial
garden stage.
The roses were internally trialed
at Altman Plants' facilities in
Giddings, Texas; Loxahatchee,
Florida; and Vista, Lake Mathews
and Bonsall, California. Renowned
rosarian and breeder Ping Lim,
who is the director of ornamental
plant research for Altman Plants,
http://www.GPNMAG.COM
December 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of December 2021
