Top stories from Greenhouse Management’s website

Enter the Best Horticulture Companies to Work For Awards

As the horticulture industry continues to evolve and rise to meet new challenges, there is perhaps no better time than now to recognize some of the best employers and organizations to work for.

That’s why Greenhouse Management and Garden Center magazines are excited to launch the 2021 Best Horticulture Companies to Work For Awards program. This survey and awards program will identify and recognize the best employers in the industry.

“The passion for people that you find in horticulture is unlike any other industry. Because of that, there are so many great places for employees, both new and veteran, to develop a career,” said Kate Spirgen, editor of Garden Center and Greenhouse Management magazines. “As the popularity of plants continues to rise and the market evolves, competition for employees continues to be a pain point for many companies. We look forward to showcasing companies that are creating healthy and productive working environments, and helping them attract the talent they need to grow.”

USDA to provide additional assistance to specialty crop growers impacted by COVID

President Donald J. Trump and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue have announced up to an additional $14 billion dollars for agricultural producers who continue to face market disruptions and associated costs because of COVID-19. Signup for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP 2) will run through Dec. 11.

“America’s agriculture communities are resilient, but still face many challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Perdue said. “President Trump is once again demonstrating his commitment to ensure America’s farmers and ranchers remain in business to produce the food, fuel, and fiber America needs to thrive. We listened to feedback received from farmers, ranchers and agricultural organizations about the impact of the pandemic on our nations’ farms and ranches and we developed a program to better meet the needs of those impacted.”

September jobs report shows that job growth has slowed

Nonfarm payroll rose by a lower than expected 661,000 in September and the unemployment rate was 7.9%, the Labor Department said Oct. 2 in its final jobs report before the election.

Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been expecting a payrolls gain of 800,000 and the unemployment rate to fall to 8.2% from 8.4% in August. The payrolls miss was due largely to a drop in government hiring as at-home schooling continued and Census jobs fell.

The decline in the unemployment rate came along with a 0.3 percentage point drop in the labor force participation rate to 61.4%, representing a decline of nearly 700,000.