Sep 29, 2006

ANLA Member Testifies Before House SubcommitteeSource: ANLA

Last week, Kevin Van Dyke, president of Skinner Nurseries, Jacksonville, Fla., testified before the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock and Horticulture regarding the 2007 Farm Bill. He spoke to the subcommittee about the concerns facing growers and the green industry in the coming years.

Invited by Subcommittee Chairman Robin Hayes (R-NC), Van Dyke appeared on behalf of the American Nursery & Landscape Association (ANLA). Van Dyke testified on a wide range of issues including plant pests and diseases, risk management and federal response, research and conservation.

Reauthorization of the Farm Bill provides an opportunity for Congress and all of U.S. agriculture to assess the nation’s agricultural policy.

“The farm bill should be an investment that provides the tools for growers to compete domestically and internationally,” Van Dyke said. “Research is vital to our industry. Our strength as a growing industry is only as strong as the commitment to research.”

Van Dyke said the nursery and floriculture industry is advocating a federal farm policy that reflects the diversity of American agriculture and hopes it will be reflected in the 2007 Farm Bill.