To regulate or how much to regulate that is the Question

Submitted by: David Linehan, Lifetime CNLP - NYSNLA Legislative/Regulatory Committee Chair

On Wednesday, August 4th  a mere five days after an initial confirmation of the invasive Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) at a campground in Ulster County, I was one of the green industry’s representatives at a stakeholder meeting held at NYS Agriculture and Markets.

First, I want recognize and thank the Division of Plant Industries at and the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).  This effort was a rapid response outreach to the various stake holder groups for the purpose of discussing management, quarantine and other forms of regulation to stop the “artificial spread” via the transport of infested Ash trees and / or tree parts. Yes NYS’s mom and pop baseball bat companies were represented. 

Read more>>

Plants are NOT a luxury or an Ornament: Plants ARE a Necessity

By Bert T. Swanson, Swanson’s Nursery Consulting Inc., President of MNLA

I indicated last month that I would write about “Providing Leadership in Hard Times.”  However, just as we must make last minute changes to improve operations at all times, and prompted by some recent articles I have read, I felt compelled to start this article with a major issue that has been on the top of my voice and frustration list for many years: PLANTS ARE NOT ORNAMENTS!

Read More >>

Special Offer for NYSNLA Members

Exclusive Offer for NYSNLA Members:

In order to help our members offset the rising cost of electricity, NYSNLA has partnered with Energy Plus®, an Energy Supply Company (ESCO).   Energy Plus offers members unique benefits that include Tax Savings and Cash Back. Choose Energy Plus® as your electricity supplier, and you’ll receive these exclusive benefits:

• Earn 3% Cash Back every year on the supply portion of the electricity bill for your business (or 2% for your home)
• Immediate Sales Tax Waiver –  Save up to 9.75% by having the sales tax on the delivery portion of your bill waived every month
• No Service Changes – Your local utility will continue to service your account, read your meter, send your billing statement, and handle any power outages
• Activation Bonus – Receive $50 for every meter you enroll at your business (or $25 for your home)

Best of all, you can try Energy Plus risk-free as there are no sign-up fees, cancellation fees, or long-term commitments.  Act now!

Take advantage of your NYSNLA membership and enroll today with Energy Plus! CLICK HERE or call Energy Plus at 866-964-5672 and mention Offer Code “NYSNLA-0148.”

Small Business Jobs Act is Now Law

Washington, D.C.— In the final days before going home to campaign, Congress passed the Small Business Jobs Act, which has now been signed into law by President Obama as Public Law 111-240.  The law has a number of provisions which green industry businesses might find helpful, as well as a few revenue-raising measures to beware. Two Republican Senators – George Voinovich of Ohio and George LeMieux of Florida – joined with Democrats to support passage of the bill.  ANLA president Bob Lyons of Sunleaf Nursery, Madison, Ohio, said after the Senate vote, “At a time when small businesses in Ohio and across America are struggling, a bill like this shouldn’t be a partisan fight, and we thank Sen. Voinovich for his leadership.”

Examples of positive provisions include:

• An extension and expansion of Section 179 direct expensing, which allows qualifying businesses to write off the cost of certain capital investments in the year they are acquired;
• An extension of “bonus depreciation.” The new law extends the additional, first-year 50 percent depreciation for qualifying property purchased and placed in service in 2010
• Cell phones -- the new law removes cell phones and similar devices from the list of items that require taxpayer business purpose substantiation so their cost can be deducted or depreciated like other business property, without onerous recordkeeping requirements.
• Various measures to increase small business lending and loans.

While some of the bill’s provisions may be helpful, green industry businesses should also beware that the new law substantially increases penalties for failure to timely file information returns to the IRS (such as Form 1099). These provisions are intended to raise revenues needed to offset the cost of other parts of the bill.

Further details on the bill are available to ANLA Members in the ANLA Knowledge Center at: http://www.anla.org/knowledgecenter/index.cfm?ID=2304&type=html

Thank you to our corporate partners and supporters!

NYSNLA's mission is to be a driving force in advancing the interests of New York State's nursery and landscape businesses and professionals by promoting sound business practices, expanding state and local markets, and exerting leadership in the development of sustainable communities.

NYSNLA uses excellence in communication, training and advocacy to provide quality services and membership value through statewide and regional programs.
We look to our corporate partners and supporters to invest in the mission and values that NYSNLA represents. With their support, the Association continues to serve the needs of its members.