Mark Your Calendar for Summertime Fun at the NYS Fair

The 164th Great New York State Fair is scheduled for August 26 through September 6 at the State Fair Grounds in Syracuse, NY. Come visit the New York State Nursery & Landscape Association (NYSNLA) exhibit within the John Deere Horticulture Building.

Stop by to see the latest landscape trends and ask questions of our industry experts!

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Shadowbrook Nursery’s Last Season!
Buy our plants or Buy our Business.

After 20 years growing high quality, container nursery stock, Shadowbrook Nursery, Stephentown, NY has decided that this will be their final season.  They are looking for a fellow nurseryman who would like to purchase:

• Entire inventory of plants- 5 acres of container plants,
• Customer contacts,
• Supplies:
  • Containers
  • Winter Protection
  • Irrigation Equipment
  • Misting Equipment
  • Miscellaneous Equipment

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Member Spotlight:
Brians Landscaping & Snowplowing Inc. &
Amherst Fence Inc. Beautiful River Landscape Design Inc.
  
Founded in 1981, Brians Landscaping & Snowplowing Inc. & Amherst Fence Inc. Beautiful River Landscape Design Inc. has built a reputation for inspired design, thorough knowledge and unsurpassed customer service and has provided superior landscaping services throughout the Western New York area, including Erie and Niagara Counties.

Brians Landscaping & Snowplowing Inc. & Amherst Fence Inc. Beautiful River Landscape Design Inc. works with a wide variety of customers, from single family homeowners who want to completely transform their landscapes to large corporate clients that need basic lawn maintenance and deliver the same level of attention to each and every customer they serve.

Their landscape designers have a deep understanding of natural and man-made materials and a keen sense of aesthetics. They select the proper materials and plant life to create a landscape that is easily sustained and will flourish for years to come. Brians Landscaping & Snowplowing Inc. & Amherst Fence Inc. Beautiful River Landscape Design Inc. is a member of the New York State Nursery Landscape Association.

Economic Analysis Concludes: Trees Mean Jobs
By Jonathan Bardzik

Washington, DC — The proposed reauthorization of a national tree-planting program will produce an estimated economic impact of $741 million over the next five years according to a recent study. In addition, the program would create a total employment impact of more than 6,000 jobs during those five years, generating more than $87 million in revenue for federal, state and local governments at a time when municipal greening budgets continue to be cut.

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Get the Most Out of Your NYSNLA Membership with Energy Plus™!

As temperatures begin to climb in the summer months so too can your energy bills. To help cool down rising costs, NYSNLA has made a unique electricity program available to their members. Through Energy Plus™, one of the fastest growing energy supply companies in New York State, NYSNLA members may be eligible to receive a waiver of the sales or other tax charges on the delivery portion of their bill AND earn Cash Back on their supply charges! 

NYSNLA members who switch their business to Energy Plus will receive a sales tax waiver of up to 9.75% on the delivery portion of their bill each month, a $50 activation bonus, AND they’ll receive an automatic 3% Cash Back rebate on their annual electricity supply charges. Members who sign up their homes will be eligible to receive 2% Cash Back every year, a $25 bonus and the same tax saving benefits.

The best part is that you can try Energy Plus™ risk-free. There are no changes to your service- your utility company will continue to deliver your electricity, mail your bill, read your meter, and handle any power outages. Also, there are no sign-up fees, cancellation fees, or long-term commitments. Once you enroll with Energy Plus™, you’ll be receiving a market-rate product that fluctuates from month to month according to the market price of electricity. The market rate may not exactly match that of your current supplier in any given month, but you’ll be earning a sales tax waiver AND Cash Back- something unique to the Energy Plus™ program.

To be eligible you just need an address within the Energy Plus™ service area, which covers all of New York State, except areas covered by the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA). 

Click Here to learn more about the Cash Back and Tax Savings available you. Or call Energy Plus™ at 866-964-5672 and mention Offer Code “NYSNLA-0148.”

Legislative Update – Your Help is Needed!
Urge Congress To Pass S.1038 and H.R.2414, The Agricultural Job Opportunity, Benefits and Security Act (AgJOBS)

On May 14, 2009, Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Representatives Howard Berman (D-CA), Adam Putnam (R-FL), and others introduced S.1038 and H.R.2414, the Agricultural Job Opportunity, Benefits and Security Act (AgJOBS), in Congress. ANLA supports these critically important bills that would stabilize the ongoing labor crisis in the agricultural sector, including nurseries and greenhouses. The crisis has already resulted in decisions by farm owners and managers to scale back or cease production, or even move operations offshore. Localized and costly labor shortages have also been reported in recent years, and will only worsen going forward unless the situation is addressed by Congress.

AgJOBS is a two-part bill. The bill would extensively reform the broken H-2A seasonal worker program, providing farmers with better access to a stable, legal workforce in the future. H-2A reforms of AgJOBS streamline the application process, bring about legal and wage relief and some housing flexibility. The other part of AgJOBS addresses the fact that a majority of the current trained and experienced workforce in the agricultural sector is believed to lack proper work authorization. AgJOBS would offer many experienced and otherwise law-abiding immigrants already employed on American farms and nurseries to earn temporary legal status subject to strict conditions. Workers who meet all the program's requirements would eventually earn the right to apply for residency.

Opponents of any and all immigration reform are already at work to undermine H-2A, H-2B, AgJOBS, and comprehensive immigration. Don't let them determine the industry's future.

Congress must hear from you and your employees now! Please act now to let your Senators and Representative know of your support for S.1038 and H.R.2414, AgJOBS.

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.