NEWS FROM VNLA
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In Memoriam
arl Fletcher Flemer, Jr., 99, died peacefully in his home on April 25, 2021. Carl was the oldest son of Carl Flemer, Sr. and Margie Armentrout. While attending Cornell University, he met his wife of 76 years, Shirley, from Westhampton Beach, NY. Carl later studied horticulture at the University of Maryland. Carl was a true renaissance man – an entrepreneur, philanthropist, author, patriot, and athlete. After years of dairy farming, he founded Ingleside Plantation Nursery in the 1950s, which grew to be one of the largest wholesale nurseries in the eastern US. He later become one of the pioneers of the Virginia wine industry, starting Ingleside Winery in 1980 with help from his dear friend, winemaker Jacques Recht. The award-winning winery is one of the oldest on the eastern seaboard and one of the largest in Virginia. Carl was an avid historian and wrote two books about Virginia’s Northern Neck – Four Centuries of Little Known Washington Parish History and Birthplace of the Nation: Leedstown, Westmoreland and the Northern Neck. He loved to visit historic homes and was enamored with fine art, antiques, and historical artifacts. Carl was a community servant, serving on the Westmoreland County School Board, the Westmoreland County Planning Commission, and the vestry of St. Peters Church in Oak Grove. He was instrumental in the expansion of the Peoples Bank of Montross, where he served as board chairman. Carl was a leader in the nursery industry, serving as vice president and president of the Virginia Association of Nurserymen, and was a founding member of the Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show, which now has over 10,000 attendees annually. Carl hunted, fished, and rode horses, but his passion was tennis, which he played on a court he built at Ingleside and also on his annual visits to Boca Raton. As a lover of gourmet food, he was proud to be a ROMEO (retired old man eating out) in later life. Carl was especially proud that his three sons and grandson Jordan are now running the family businesses, which are flourishing. Carl was predeceased by four siblings – Bela, Margie, Betty, and Pat. He is survived by his wife Shirley, his sister Blanche, sons Fletcher Flemer, Douglas Flemer (Nancy), and Christopher Flemer, his daughters Sherri Flemer and Sara Flemer Simpson (Kennedy), his grandchildren Bradley Pugh, Douglas Pugh, Sara Pugh Wright (Russell), Jordan Flemer (Bekah), Carlyn Flemer, Tierney Simpson Jutzi (Joe), Will Simpson, Palmer Simpson (Jessica), and his great-grandchildren Kira Wright, Maia Wright, Ryan Pugh, and Kennedy Jutzi. •
Thank You
SEANA! On behalf of the VNLA’s Executive Committee, Board of Directors and Members: Seana, thank you for your leadership and dedication serving as the 2021 VNLA President. • 8 • VNLA News • Spring 2022
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
From AmericanHort: How Politics Are Affecting Your Business Right Now
Please Act Now on H-2B! By Craig Regelbrugge
Unless Congress and the Administration take positive steps, it’s going to be an especially grim spring labor market for seasonal employers. In just the first three days of the new year, employers started the application process to fill 136,555 positions with start dates April 1 or after, but only 33,000 H-2B visas are available. Because seasonal worker shortages in the landscape sector hurt the whole green industry supply chain, we are urging everyone – regardless of where you are, regardless of what your business does – to take a few moments to act now to urge your elected leaders to address this looming problem.
AmericanHort Meets with New USDA-APHIS Leadership Team
By Laurie Flanagan & Craig Regelbrugge USDA’s Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine (APHIS-PPQ) has an outsize role in our industry. The agency makes and enforces the rules for all types of plant imports, conducts inspections at the ports, maintains domestic interstate quarantines for several high-consequence plant pests, and facilitates export opportunities for U.S. growers. For these reasons, productive relationships with key APHIS officials are exceptionally important for AmericanHort and our members. With notable staff changes at the end of 2021, the AmericanHort advocacy team staff recently met virtually with Mark Davidson, APHISPPQ acting deputy administrator, and Ibrahim Shaqir, the new associate deputy administrator, to familiarize them with AmericanHort and the industry, discuss emerging issues, and brief them on ongoing certification initiatives and other collaborative efforts with the Agency.
Committee Advances Key USDA Nomination By Evan Lee
The Senate Agriculture Committee on January 12 voted to advance President Biden’s nominee to lead the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) research agencies (Agricultural Research Service, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Economic Research Service, and National Agricultural Statistics Service). Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young received her presidential nomination in July and testified at her confirmation hearing in late November. AmericanHort is among the agriculture organizations publicly supporting her confirmation. The committee’s approval is the final step before consideration by the full Senate, which has set a relatively slow pace of confirmations for the term amid the President’s competing legislative priorities. Among the 644 individuals nominated as of December 31, 2021, the Senate has successfully confirmed 355 of President Biden’s nominees. Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow remarked after the hearing, “I am pleased we are making process on getting Secretary Vilsack’s team in place.”
