Well, apart from the real threat that potting medium will hold bugs - which
no doubt some sort of critter some day will come in hiding in the bark, I
was thinking of my friend who actively pursued the Taiwanese and considers
this a great thing for his side of the business. I mean, heck. If facets
of the horticultural industry themselves are happy about the advent of large
offshore GH business outproducing them, then why should I squack? I figure
there must be something that I'm not seeing about the greater economic
forces.

Talking about consumer activity, what are the off shore companies producing
that you want? ( I mean that conversationally, not as a challenge to your
taste) I like the harlequins or some of the phal species, but otherwise
I'm not a big fan of phals. I like flowers that don't hang around for
months and months. I get bored looking at them. I know, I'm weird that
way. Catts are the mass produced orchid that I like. And the Taiwanese
catts - I may be going out on a limb by actually stating an opinion, but
their catts are crap (IMHO) - they never rebloom like how they get them to
bloom at a show. So I stopped buying them because its a waste (IMHO) So
that puts me in the niche domestic market for my domestic catts and oddball
species. I buy at shows rather than catalogs or online. That way I can see
'em, LOL!

K Barrett

"David Edgley" wrote in message
news
K,

You might be wrong. I admit my view here is rather narrow and there is
most
likely a larger picture that I am missing. But, I can only speak to my
own
consumer activity. I buy what I like and it simply is not being produced
domestically. This means I am not a customer of the domestic growers
except
as they import or create what I want. I am not doing my part to keep some
of these locals in business now and that won't change until they do.

I had not heard that Taisuco had built facilities in the US. So they are
following in the footsteps of European and Japanese auto makers. If
indeed
the Taiwan growers are setting up shop in the US, they still want to sell
plants and my guess is the more the better. If local growers want to buy
a
shipment in bloom to sell at shows or their showroom, it seems that
Taisuco
or whomever would be more than willing to help. I guess I don't see how
selling a quality product hurts local vendors.

David

"K Barrett" wrote in message
news:hz6Xc.68047$mD.3084@attbi_s02...
David, I just look at it in terms of dollars and cents. US vendors
can't
compete because the costs of labor, land, utilities, plus governmental
regulations (like being responsble for run-off from your property) make
it
hard to turn a profit.. Not because they have an inferior product. I
just
hate to see an industry - which some say was created by and takes full
advantage of scientific research US taxpayers paid for - going off
shore.

But I also wonder about Taisuco who bought GHs here and are now -
maybe? -
bypassing the US vendors by having a toe hold in the US so they won't
have
to sell to your local grower. They can bring in their own orchids in
medium, in spike and sell direct. No reason for Al or Pat Brennan or
any
of
your local growers to be middlemen.

Am I wrong?

K Barrett