89 



IOWA 



STATE 



HORTICULTURAL 



SOCIETY 



Wallace Building 

 Des Moines, IA 50319 



515-281-5402 



Federated Garden Clubs of Iowa 



Mid- America Regional Men's 



Garden Clubs 



Iowa Rose Society 



Iowa Regional Lily Society 



Iowa Fruit and Vegetable 



Growers Association 



Iowa Nursery and Landscape 

 Association 



Society of Iowa Florists and Growers 



Iowa Nut Growers Assocation 



Iowa Christmas Tree 



Growers Association 



Iowa Irrigation Association 



Iowa Turtgrass Institute 



Iowa Arboretum 



ISU Horticulture Club 



Iowa Community College 



Horticulture Representatives 



Iowa Golf Course 



Superintendent's Association 



Iowa Bonsai Association 



Iowa Arbonst Association 



Iowa Woodland Owners 



Association 



Iowa Honey Producers Association 



Iowa Professional Lawn Care 

 Association 



TESTIMONY OF SHIRLEY PECKOSH 

 Before the 

 UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

 COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE 

 Subcommittee on Specialty Crops 

 and Natural Resources 



November 16, 1993 



Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcomm 

 worked at our family business, Peck's G 

 Nursery, for twenty-five years. We hav 

 garden center, flower shop, greenhouses 

 division and nursery production fields, 

 on the Board of Directors of the Iowa N 

 Landscape Association. I am providing 

 behalf of the Iowa State Horticultural 

 appreciate this opportunity to present 

 our Iowa commercial horticultural crop 

 regarding disaster assistance. 



ittee, I have 

 reen Thumb 

 e a retail 

 , landscaping 



I am also 

 ursery and 

 testimony on 

 Society. We 

 the views of 

 producers 



Our group is comprised 

 members and another 300 

 Iowa Fruit and Vegetabl 

 Growers, Florists and G 

 Producers. During the 

 many of Iowa's farmers 

 Consequently, our membe 

 specialty crop producti 

 of Iowa's agriculture e 



of over 750 active business 

 associate members from the 

 e Growers, Christmas Tree 

 rowers, and Nursery/Landscape 

 farm crisis of the 1980's, 

 were encouraged to diversify, 

 rship grew as high value 

 on became a more vital aspect 

 conomy . 



This summer's record rains and 

 Midwest devastated agricultural 

 throughout Iowa and caused many 

 producers to suffer unprecedent 

 Horticultural production often 

 year and tending the plants for 

 before ever harvesting the crop 

 unconventional production exper 

 unique production methods, in c 

 traditional row crop farming 

 recognize the uniqueness of our 

 establish appropriate disaster 

 to reflect our true crop losses 



flooding in the 



enterprises 



of our horticultural 

 ed crop losses, 

 means planting one 



multiple years 

 This is a very 

 ience requiring 

 ontrast to 

 We ask that you 



crops and help 

 assistance guidelines 



The Iowa horticultural industry has prepared a paper 

 (that is attached to this testimony) outlining 

 seven issues we feel need to be addressed in order 

 to make disaster assistance accessible to specialty 

 crop producers. I would like to go through those 

 issues to better explain our concerns . 



