Darrell Ades Owner/Operator of A & G Nurseries Inc. Received my BS degree at Cal Poly Pomona majoring in Ornamental Horticulture. Well quite a few years, first off growing up in the business with my father which he started in 1974, then after college I came back to the business focusing full-time for 18 years now. I live in Oceanside and I have a wonderful wife, 2 teenagers and one 5 year old who thinks she is a teenager. Just kidding they are all great, well sometimes.

Where did you grow up? I was born in San Mateo, CA and we moved down to Encinitas when I was 3 months old.

What is you earliest childhood memory? Learning how to ride my bike without training wheels at age 4. The bike was given to me by the neighbors daughter, so it was a reddish pink color, but I didn't care.

What did you want to be when you grew up? When I was young I wanted to be anything cool at that moment. Sometimes it would be a Fireman, or Race Car driver, or Astronaut, Pilot, etc.

How did you end up working in the horticulture industry? Even though I grew up in the business I didn't want to be in it. I was a young teenager and was rebellious and didn't want to do anything that my dad was doing. He wasn't cool. It wasn't until after high school while going to college, majoring in business at San Diego State University, that I worked at the nursery during one summer. I really enjoyed working outdoors in the greenhouse. I thought at the time "What my dad was doing wasn't too bad after all." So I decided to dive in a little deeper to see if this would be my passion. First I went to Cuyamaca College took some Horticulture classes, while still going to San Diego State University. I really enjoyed classes and working in their nursery. After completing 2 years at Cuyamaca I decided I need more knowledge and transferred to Cal Poly Pomona to finish up with my Ornamental Horticulture degree. I never felt more focus on what I wanted to do in my life.

What was the biggest challenge getting your business/career off the ground? Everyday you have challenges. You have challenges with people, customers, competition, government, production, weather, and more. You just need to work through the problem and fix it to the best of your ability and then move forward.

At what point did you feel you had "made it"? I never have felt like I have "made it". Every year you have old challenges and new challenges that you have to deal with and take action on. You are constantly trying to improve yourself and your business. I think the only time I will ever feel like I "made it" is when I retire.

Who had a biggest influence on you in the early years and how did they inspire you? Obviously that would be my dad. He has done a remarkable job in training me while letting me grow. One of the most difficult challenges in a father/son business relationship is separating business and family. He has done a great job.

What do you see as the biggest challenge to our industry going forward? I would say at this point the biggest challenges are governmental regulations and convincing the upcoming generations to embrace plants as part of there life. There is so much attention on the latest technologies and gadgets. We need to convince them that having plants is not only good for the environment but also good for their well being. It is therapy for the mind, and to get away from busy lives giving us time to relax with gardening.

What advice would you have for someone starting out in this industry today? Run away. Just kidding. I would say have patience. Get to know the industry people, regulations and challenges before diving in. Work in as many different business as you can. Everyone has different ways of doing things. The more knowledge you have the better off you will be.

What do you do in the "off season", (i.e. for relaxation)? Off season? When the business slows down you just change your focus to planning, so there is really not much down time. But for relaxation it would be spending time with the family. Weekend trips, camping, what ever we can do to get away and enjoy some time together.

What is your idea of perfect happiness? Perfect Happiness would be being able to look back at my life when I am older and realizing I did the best I could do. That I enjoyed life, family and friends and have no regrets in life.

In June of this year, new Board Directors will be appointed to the Board of Directors of the San Diego County Flower & Plant Association. We are requesting you to give serious consideration to nomination for a board position.

            A primary responsibility of board directors is to participate in the development of policy and major decision-making at board meetings held on the first Tuesday of each month. Another key responsibility is to be active on an ongoing basis in a committee of the board.

            Since its founding in 1947, the San Diego County Flower & Plant Association has become recognized as an effective provider of support to Growers and Associate members, having real impact with the industry. We invite you to become a part of this growing tradition.

 In the future we will continue to have a positive impact on the industry we serve. The Board of Directors will play a central role in this important work. 

            A copy of the committee descriptions can be obtained by contacting Jan Berry at 760 431-2572 or info@flowerandplant.org. Thank you in advance for your time and consideration.  Click here for a Board Application. 

Today (Friday Feb 7) the USDA Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) reaffirmed the light brown apple moth (LBAM) as a quarantine and actionable pest in the U.S. (see http://www.aphis.usda.gov/newsroom/2014/02/pdf/fr_lbam_quarantine.pdf). That is bad news for the ornamental plant production industry in California, especially since this insect is likely to continue spreading. It is also locally bad since it was recently detected again in San Diego County in the urban environment. The urban environment was where it originally proliferated in the Berkeley area, long before it was identified and recognized as a serious agricultural pest.

            In 2010, APHIS established a New Pest Advisory Group (NPAG) composed of an international panel of scientific experts (see http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/plant_pest_info/lba_moth/downloads/draft_lbam_petition_response-10.pdf ) that would provide a pest risk assessment of LBAM. The NPAG experts evaluated the biology and other characteristics of LBAM, as well as the potential eradication or control approaches. As a result of this process, APHIS determined that LBAM is a quarantine pest that poses a considerable risk to American agriculture, horticulture, U.S. producers' access to foreign markets, and certain natural ecosystems as well. By maintaining a regulatory program for LBAM, APHIS was seeking to minimize the further spread of the moth in the U.S. and maintain foreign trade markets.

            In brief, some of the requests for a reevaluation of the classification of LBAM was based on but not limited to the following issues and APHIS responses.

1)     LBAM is only a plant pest as described in the Plant Protection Act.

However, it was also determined that it also fit the description of an alien species as described by the International Plant Protection Convention, Executive Order 13112.

2)     Intrastate movement should be lifted because restrictions are burdening local market producers.

The intrastate movement of LBAM host articles is regulated by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), so APHIS has no authority in that regard.

3)     Concern was expressed that the LBAM program remain focused on eradication.

The LBAM program has changed from eradication to suppression and control of the moth's spread into non-infested areas of the U.S.

4)     Because LBAM as a newly introduced pest and since LBAM has been established in the United States for many years, there is no reason to continue regulating it. Genetic studies suggest multiple introductions.

Trapping surveys conducted by growers in the San Francisco and Monterey Bay areas, CA, in 2006, did not detect the presence of LBAM prior to the initial detection in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties, CA, in 2007. Although LBAM was previously intercepted at ports of entry, it does not demonstrate that the moth was established within the United States. The analyses do not confirm that LBAM was established prior to detection in 2007 since multiple, recent introductions occurring within a single year were possible.

5)     The science to determine the distribution and establishment of LBAM in the U.S. was inaccurate, including the climatic modeling used to predict crop losses and economic damages.

Three models were used in the analysis and the initial output from the NAPPFAST, Climex, and Demographic models estimated that there are significant areas of the U.S., particularly in the Southeast, were suitable for LBAM establishment.

6)     The majority of public review comments expressed concern regarding the impacts on the environment and human and animal health associated with the use of pesticides and chemicals to control LBAM. The commenters expressed concern that chemicals used for the control of LBAM had not been tested on humans and that formulations had not been disclosed. Many commenters stated that LBAM is present in other countries and that it is considered a minor pest, which is easily and cost-effectively managed as a crop-quality issue.

However, because damage caused by LBAM can significantly threaten agricultural production in the United States, APHIS determined that the treatment alternative was the best approach to mitigating these effects and that no significant impact on human health or the environment would result from the proposed LBAM eradication program.

The bottom line is that APHIS will continue to classify LBAM as a reportable/actionable pest due to the potential economic impact associated with the detection and spread of the pest to areas in the U.S. where it could become established or where it might be introduced seasonally. It would behoove the ornamental plant production industry to be prepared with the already available best management practices against this pest.

James A. Bethke

Floriculture & Nursery Advisor

UCCE San Diego County

jabethke@ucdavis.edu  

760 752-4715