2012 CIOPORA Chronicle

Other crop categories
Several other crop categories are
profiled in the 2009 Census as
well, and many, though not all,
are related to the floriculture and
nursery segments of the horticulture
industry. For example, there
were sales of $601,657,000 in cuttings,
plugs, liners, tissue cultured
plantlets and prefinished plants in
2009; these were used as inputs
for floriculture (78%) and nursery
(22%) crops. There were also sales
of $48,512,000 in dried bulbs,
corms, rhizomes and tubers; again,
these are inputs used by floriculture
producers. And there was U.S.
production of flower seeds valued
at $30,825,000, which went into
commercial floriculture production,
as well as consumer applications,
e.g., seed packets.
In addition, the 2009 Census of
Horticultural Specialties reported
on some other ornamental horticulture
industry segments. For
example, $876,847,000 in sales of
sod, springs or plugs were sold by
the turf segment of the industry
in 2009, and this was up 5.0%
from the 1998 volume. There
were also sales of aquatic plants
($287,722,000, down 5.0% from
1998) and sales of Christmas trees
($249,821,000, down 2.5% from
1998) recorded for 2009.
Food crops
Though not specifically ornamental
in nature, the Census also captures
a few other horticultural segments
deemed part of the horticultural
specialties for this survey, as many
of these crops are greenhouse
produced. These include food
crops grown under protection
($553,270,000, up 148.5%
from 1998) and the production
of transplants for commercial
vegetable and strawberry production
($330,647,000, up 111.6%),
vegetable seeds ($89,031,000, down
4.4%), short rotation woody crops
($2,173,000, down 82.8%), and
tobacco transplants ($9,728,000,
down 6.7%).
Changes
Since this Census was conducted,
the industry has changed dramatically.
In 2009, the U.S. economy
The majority of cut flowers and many cut
cultivated greens sold in the US, are imported.
was beginning what has been
termed “The Great Recession,” the
largest economic downturn since
the Great Depression of the late
1920s and 1930s. As a result, firm
numbers have dropped, as has crop
value. This has been felt throughout
much of the ornamental horticulture
industry, especially in the
nursery subsector, as new construction
has been severely impacted
by the recession. Food crops have
been an exception, as there has been
great interest in vegetable and fruit
gardening in recent years.
Slow recovery
Statistically, recovery has begun,
but most economists believe that
full recovery will be a long and
slow event, even though consumer
expenditures overall have now
surpassed the levels of 2008, prior
to the recession.
Unfortunately for the ornamental
horticulture industry, the consumer
is spending differently than prior to
the recession. Demographic trends
suggest that the largest group
of consumers, the Baby Boom
generation, has begun to retire. The
generation that follows, Generation
X, is approximately 11 million
fewer in number, hence fewer goods
and services are required overall for
any age-related consumption, e.g.,
new homes.
The long-term outlook is positive,
however, as the following generation,
Generation Y, is even larger
than the Baby Boom generation.
However, it will be a number of
years before many in this genera-
Deciduous
flowering trees
8.9%
Fruit and
nut plants
9.9%
Nursery Crops
$ 3.850 Billion
2009 Census of Horticultural Specialties
Other woody
ornamentals
and vines 4.3%
Bareroot herbaceous perennials 0.3%
Ornamental grasses 3.2%
Landscaping palms 4.4%
Perennials
16.8%
Deciduous shrubs
16.8%
Floriculture Crops
$ 5.018 Billion
2009 Census of Horticultural Specialties
Annuals
45.9%
tion are ready to purchase homes or
the horticultural goods and services
that can spur long-term industry
growth. |||
Broadleaf evergreens
20.6%
Coniferous evergreens
16.9%
Potted flowering plants
17.4%
Foliage Plants
10.2%
Cut flowers
8.0%
Cut cultivated greens
1.7%
CIOPORA Chronicle April 2012 | www.CIOPORA.org 45