Latest USDA-NASS Floriculture Crops report released

Highlights from the latest Floriculture Crops report:

The 2008 wholesale value of floriculture crops is down 2 percent from the revised 2007 valuation. The total crop value at wholesale for the 15-State program for all growers with $10,000 or more in sales is estimated at $4.22 billion for 2008, compared with $4.32 billion for 2007. California continues to be the leading State with crops valued at $1.02 billion, but is down 2 percent from the 2007 value. Florida, the next largest producer, is down 5 percent from the prior year to $922 million in wholesale value. These two States account for 46 percent of the 15-State total value. For 2008, the top 5 States are California, Florida, Michigan, Texas, and North Carolina, which account for $2.80 billion, or 66 percent, of the 15-State total value.

The number of producers for 2008, at 7,189, is down 3 percent in the 15 States compared with the revised 2007 count of 7,387. The number of producers with sales of $100,000 or more dropped 5 percent to 2,967 for 2008 from 3,136 in 2007.

In the 15-State program, total covered area for floriculture crop production was 729 million square feet, 5 percent less than the revised 2007 figure. Greenhouse space for 2008, at 414 million square feet, is down 2 percent from 2007. This accounts for 57 percent of the total covered area. Shade and temporary cover is down 8 percent, to 314 million square feet. Open ground totaled 33,150 acres, 5 percent less than the revised 2007 total.

The average peak number of hired workers employed on operations in the 15-State program in 2008 is 17.0, down 1 percent from a revised 17.2 in 2007. A total of 5,313 operations hired workers during 2008, compared with 5,460 a year earlier. Overall, 74 percent of operations used some hired labor during 2008, the same as in 2007.

Click here for the full report.

Valuable data tool available

GeoFRED™ is a data-mapping tool that displays color-coded data on the state, MSA and county levels. For example, GeoFRED can display unemployment, labor force and population for all U.S. counties. Users can select among 19,000 FRED® data series and customize these printable maps according to size, scope and detail. Those seeking to get a better handles on their local trade area will find this tool useful.

HT: NY Times Economix Blog

Floriculture survey deadline approaching

Floriculture producers in the following states who generate $10,000 or more in gross annual sales are urged to complete the U.S. Department of Agriculture's annual Floriculture Production Survey by mid-January. Surveys were mailed on Dec. 8, 2008.

The states included in the annual survey include California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, and Washington.

The survey provides the only detailed information about the production and sales of cut flowers, flowering, bedding and foliage plants, and cultivated florist greens. Without grower input, the government is left without the necessary data to gauge these crops' contribution to the nation's economy. In 2007, the combined wholesale value for the 15 states surveyed was $4.1 billion.

Growers can use the information as a benchmark to identify state and national trends. Government policymakers use the data at the state and national levels to appropriate resources. Reliable data is also crucial to obtaining research funding, government support and ensuring the industry receives its fair share of limited funding. Ten major floriculture organizations have endorsed this effort and their presidents have signed the letter accompanying the survey.

If you have received one of the surveys, please take the time to complete it if you have not already done so. Producers who fail to return a completed questionnaire by Jan. 20 will be contacted by telephone or in person to complete the survey.

Sound financial practices are needed right now!

Three colleagues and I recently conducted a series of risk management workshops that were held across the nation for nursery and greenhouse growers. As a part of these workshops, Dr. Alan Hodges of the University of Florida discussed strategies to mitigate financial risks in the nursery or greenhouse business. I asked Alan to provide a quick summary of his portion of the workshop in this timely podcast.

For more information regarding financial benchmarks, check out these two articles. Click here and here.
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2007 NGA Study is available

According to results of the recently completed 2007 National Gardening Survey retail sales of lawn and garden products to consumers totaled $35.102 billion last year. That was an increase of 3 percent or $1.025 billion more than the $34.077 billion consumers spent on lawn and garden products in 2006.

Nationwide, 71 percent of all U.S. households or an estimated 82 million households participated in one or more types of lawn and garden activities in 2007 -- 3 million fewer households than the five-year average of 85 million participating households recorded from 2002 to 2006. The most popular lawn and garden activities in 2007 included lawn care (48% of households), growing indoor houseplants (31% of households), flower gardening (30% of households), and landscaping (27% of households).

Consumers spent an average of $428 per household on do-it-yourself lawn and garden activities in 2007, or 7 percent more than the $401 average spent in 2006. Households that spent the most on their lawns and gardens in 2007 included people 55 years of age and older, college graduates, married households, households with annual incomes of $75,000 and over, households in the South, two-person households and households with no children at home.

The 2007 study was based on a survey with a representative sample of 2,049 U.S. households conducted by Harris Interactive for the National Gardening Association. For more information or to obtain your copy, go to www.gardenresearch.com.

Don't throw in the towel just yet

Media stories abound with tales of economic hardship. These for the most part have elements of truth, but keep in mind when you read the news that at any time it's possible to find people in hardship. To know whether you are seeing a trend of just an unfortunate blip, you have to look at the data. Today's data is: (1) bad but expected, (2) bad but not as bad as expected, and (3) so-so. Let's start with bad but expected:
New housing construction continues to fade. Bad news, but a necessary correction with significant excess supply of housing. Now for the not as bad as expected:
The inflation rate outside of food and energy is not as bad as most expected. There were also major concerns that we would start seeing inflation rising not just in food and energy, but generally across the economy. This isn't happening right now.
Manufacturing production is basically unchanged in recent months. That's not good, not bad, but consider this: Any news that isn't bad these days, is good news.
One last data observation -- someone obviously forgot to tell the IPI data that we're in recession (click graph above for larger image).

Bottom line: The economy is NOT collapsing, despite all the doom and gloom in the press. The economy is certainly not booming, and some folks are in distress [regionally], but overall things are not so bad. Yesterday about four million people in the United States went to McDonald's to eat. That wasn't news, because most days there are about four million people going to McDonald's. It's not an economic boom, but neither is it a bust.

My discussions with growers, landscapers, and retailers continues to reinforce the importance of differentiation. Those who are providing a uniquely definable value proposition say they are holding their own and some even reporting a profitable spring thus far. Those who aren't, ... aren't. And by the way, the folks who are doing good business so far are NOT discounting prices. How do I know this? I asked them. Anecdotal evidence, yes, but telling nonetheless.

Business planning implications: Don't hunker down too much. In fact, it's time to do your economic contingency planning for an upturn in the economy.

Floriculture industry statistics available

The latest statistics regarding floriculture industry trends, sales and production levels are now available in "The Changing Floriculture Industry: Fourth Edition" Inside, you'll find more than sixty pages filled with maps, charts and tables. It has twice the data of the previous edition and includes a new chapter entitled "The Floral Consumer" drawing on five years of industry-sponsored consumer research. The report is produced by SAF'S Business & Economic Trends Committee and focuses on floriculture production, importing, retailing and wholesaling. To order this report or to find our more information, click here.