Specialty Cut Flower Production and Marketing - UC Agriculture and ...

try at the Web site http://marketnews.usda.gov/portal/fv. Go to Browse by Commodity,Ornamental Crops. Remember, these arewholesale prices. If you sell to a fl orist, youhave to decide whether this price will workfor you, or whether you are willing to sellfor slightly less to entice them to buy fromyou, or whether you can sell for slightly morebecause your product is fresher. If you sellat a farmers’ market, your price should definitelybe higher than wholesale. Check pricesat grocery stores and retail florists. Find outwhat other growers at your market are charging.(DeVault, 2004)And then remember, regardless of themarket price, you must know your cost ofproduction and cover it in the long term, otherwiseyou won’t be able to stay in business.Business PlanningEvery business should have a plan—and theplan should be written. The ATTRA publicationAgricultural Business Planning Templatesand Resources discusses a number oforganizations and publications that you canuse to create a business plan, whether youare starting a new business or improving anexisting one.Planning needs to be a team effort. Allthose involved in the major operations ofthe business should be considered partof the team and be involved in helping setthe plan. The plan must be written. Andthe fi rst step is to have a mission statement.A mission statement describes the business:What do we do? It also sets outthe purpose and values that underliethe business.Planning with SWOTAfter a mission statement is agreed upon,planning can begin. SWOT is a planningtool that provides a way to look at Strengths,Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.First, write down the Strengths of the business.These could be things such as an establishedmarket, cut flower production experience,or exceptional communication skills.Next, write down Weaknesses. These maybe things such as lack of mechanical skills,limited time and energy, or limited coolerspace.Opportunities should be written down aswell. These may be new chances for success.They might be access to informationabout new crops or products, friends whoare interested in growing or marketing, orincreased customer interest in locally grownproducts.Finally, examine Threats and, of course,write them down. These may be thingslike a new insect pest, too many othervendors raising the same crop, or urbanencroachment.Once you have the SWOT analysis, youneed to plan for dealing with the itemslisted. Each of these plans needs to be discussedso that you get ideas from everyoneinvolved. When all players have helped tocreate a written plan, you can do a betterjob. By hearing from everyone on the team,you get a lot of good ideas. You will all havea better idea of where the operation is going.You will all feel better about your individualresponsibilities for the operation’s success.To aid in this discussion, you mightask these questions:What do we have that we want to keep?What do we have that we don’t wantto keep?What do we lack that we want?What do we lack that we don’t want?When you have answers to these questions,you have a foundation for setting goalsand objectives of a work plan. Be realistic:don’t set yourself up with tasks that youcan’t possibly accomplish in the time you’veallowed.SummaryGrowing and marketing specialty cutfl owers can be a profi table and rewardingbusiness. Learn all you can before starting,start small, and continue to learn andgrow. This publication has only touched onwhat you need to know to get started. Thematerials and organizations listed underReferences and Further Resources providemuch more information.“People should doas much research aspossible before puttingone plant in theground. If I had anickel for every timesomeone called mewith a ‘I have anacre of _______that need to be cut:how do I cut themand where should Isell them and(inevitably) howmuch should Icharge for them?’message, I’d be amillionaire. A leasta thousandaire.”—Judy Laushman,September 15, 2005.www.attra.ncat.orgATTRAPage 21