How The Government Shutdown Is Already Affecting Floriculture [Poll]
October 2, 2013 
We’ve all heard numerous accounts about how the U.S. government shutdown will affect most Americans. But how will those effects translate to floriculture?
Cornell University Plant Pathologist Margery Daughtrey says the shutdown has already caused her problems in accessing a government database she uses several times daily to help identify fungal plant pathogens. She says it includes detailed information on host ranges, geographic ranges and pathogen names. Plus, the shutdown could impact her USDA colleagues’ plant disease studies on pests that are important to the floriculture industry.
“My research studies on Impatiens Downy Mildew, Boxwood Blight, Rudbeckia Downy Mildew and Brown Rust of Chrysanthemum are done in close collaboration with USDA colleagues in Frederick and Beltsville, Md. Now I can’t send them samples of the diseases we are monitoring, and I can’t communicate with them easily,” Daughtrey says. “I miss the human resources and that database already, and it’s only been one day!”
We also want to know how you think the government shutdown could impact your growing operation. Take our poll here and let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Visit Mashable’s 15 Captivating Photos of the Government Shutdown to see more.
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