104 



(dMMMERIGIN /1SBQDIATION OF NURSERYMEN 



1250 I STREET. N.W / SUITE 500 / WASHINGTON. DC. 20005 / 202/789-2900 



TESTIMONY 

 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 Subcommittee, the American 

 Association of Nurserymen (AAN) welcomes this opportunity to 

 present the nursery industry's views regarding the impact of 

 the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) disaster assistance 

 programs on nursery crop farmers. 



BACKGROUND 



Founded in 1875, AAN is the national trade organization of the 

 nursery industry. We directly represent nearly 2,500 growers, 

 landscape professionals, garden center retailers and 

 horticultural distributors. Through the membership of our state 

 and regional nursery and landscape associations, AAN represents 

 an additional 16,000 family farms and small businesses in the 

 nursery industry. 



ECONOMIC STATURE OF NURSERY INDUSTRY 



USDA's Economic Research Service (USDA-ERS) has estimated that 

 grower cash receipts for nursery and greenhouse crops in 1992 

 were $9.0 billion, representing nearly 11 percent of the total 

 cash receipts for all U.S. farm crops. As a result, USDA-ERS 

 now ranks nursery and greenhouse crops as the nation's sixth 

 largest agricultural commodity — ahead of such major crops as 

 wheat, cotton and tobacco. 



Of special interest to the Members of this Subcommittee is that 

 USDA-ERS now ranks nursery and greenhouse crops among the top 

 five commodities in 23 states, including North Carolina, Florida, 

 California, Oklahoma and Texas. According to these same figures, 

 nursery and greenhouse crops now rank in the top ten commodities 

 in no fewer than 4 2 states, including Georgia, Kentucky, Virginia 

 and Washington. Over the past decade, the value of grower cash 

 receipts and retail sales of nursery and greenhouse products has 

 expanded twice as fast as the gross national product. 



This impressive industry record of growth becomes even more so 

 when one considers that unlike other segments of agriculture, the 

 nursery industry does not receive — nor does it want — any 

 federal production subsidies or price supports. What we do want 

 is for the unique nature of nursery crop production to be fully 



Garden Centers ot America /Horticultural Research Institute /National Association ot Plant Patent Owners/ 

 National Landscape Association/wholesale Nursery Growers of America 



