NewsLeaf

For the first time ever, your CNGA Board of Directors has approved a negative income budget for the year. 2021 will push the nonprofit income negatively into the six figures mark. Why, you might ask?  First and foremost, our income from ProGreen was projected to be approximately one third of what it typically is. ProGreen, along with membership dues, is a major source...

Colorado General Assembly – 2026 SessionThis document outlines GreenCO’s legislative priorities and policy positions for the 2026 Colorado legislative session. GreenCO will remain proactive, collaborative, and solutions-oriented while advocating for policies that protect the industry, public health, and the environment.Pesticide PolicyGreenCO will continue to advocate for balanced, science-based pesticide policy. The pesticide issue has been a recurring topic in...

The Second Regular Session of the 75th General Assembly convened on Wednesday, January 14, 2026. Opening day featured the traditional remarks from leadership in both the House and Senate chambers. Speaker Julie McCluskie delivered her final opening-day address, as she is term-limited in 2026. Both Speaker McCluskie and Senate President James Coleman reflected on the work accomplished over the...

CNGA asked our wholesale members to share how their season went, because every time we visit members, the first question we hear is: “What are you hearing? How’s everyone else’s season going?” The answers are never the same, and that’s what makes this survey so valuable. Thanks to your input, we’ve been able to capture a clearer snapshot of how...

By Stan Brown, Alameda Wholesale Nursery In the 1940’s and 1950’s nursery potting soil was not available commercially. Nurseries had to make their own, most of which were composed of top soil (preferably sandy loam), mixed with our native peat moss (back then it was really a nice product -- in later years it became one step closer to coal)....

We spent four days in Columbus with one goal: find what’s actually working, from the sales floor to the soil and behind the counter and bring it back to our membership and ProGreen EXPO. We joined tours, sat in sessions, hit the tradeshow floor with curious minds. The takeaway? Creativity is currency. Training is make-or-break. And the future of our...

Colorado’s Producer Responsibility Program for Statewide Recycling Act (House Bill 22-1355) requires covered producers to join a Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO), and through the PRO, fund and manage the collection, processing, and recycling or composting for packaging and paper products. You do not have to pay in right now, you just need to register as soon as possible, and report on packaging use...

Trouble With the State By Stan Brown, Alameda Wholesale Nursery In the 1960’s, several Colorado Nurserymen’s Association (CNA) members were getting complaints from the state, who said we were practicing false advertising by advertising and selling nursery plants as 1 gallon or 5 gallon, when the plastic pots that they were in held significantly less soil than that. The verbiage came...

GreenCO once again proved its influence under the gold dome this legislative session. Working closely with its lobbying team at Hicks & Associates, the coalition monitored dozens of bills and led targeted advocacy on legislation that directly impacted Colorado’s green industry. From protecting the qualified workforce for backflow prevention (HB25-1077) to shaping turf restrictions in new residential developments (HB25-1113), GreenCO...

Gratitude is the word that best describes the incredible support CHREF has received from the nursery and greenhouse community! This year’s Industry Celebration raised over $15,000 in support of CHREF’s mission to advance horticulture education and research.The CHREF Board of Directors have selected several research proposals for funding. These include an industry economic impact study, research on compounds aimed...

April 22, 2025 CNGA and GreenCO applaud passage of SB25-128 On Monday, the Colorado House passed SB25-128 with a 53-11 vote. The bill eliminates the "key service provider" language originally included in SB21-087 (Ag Workers’ Rights). Agricultural organizations across the state, including the Colorado Nursery & Greenhouse Association (CNGA), have long contended that these provisions were unconstitutional, citing a Supreme Court...