A Survey of the Ornamental Horticulture Industry in Iowa

Abstract

<jats:p>The ornamental horticulture industry in the United States (the green industry) is a multibillion dollar industry that contributes to the economy of every state. Greenhouse and nursery products rank in the top 10 commodities produced in 42 states. In 2004, a 38-question survey was developed and mailed to 1281 members of Iowa's green industry, including wholesale and retail greenhouses, nurseries and florists, garden centers, landscape designers and contractors, and arborists, to gather information on the scope, scale, and business climate of the green industry in Iowa. All business types were represented in the 117 usable surveys that were returned. Although size and type of businesses varied, a majority of respondents had only one location, were family-owned, and had been in business less than 6 years. Respondents reported few factors that could limit their business success, and most felt they were much stronger than their competitors in the areas of customer perception of product quality and service and ability to meet customer needs. The estimated value of sales and services directly related to Iowa's green industry in 2004 was $311.5 million, and a majority of respondents expected their business to grow in the areas of employment, annual gross payroll and sales, and total annual expenses by 2010.</jats:p>

Educational Needs and Perspectives on the Future of the Green Industry in Utah

“…Some also cited increased labor costs as a concern and an unwillingness of U.S. citizens to perform manual labor at affordable wages. Our data were consistent with those of Haynes et al (2007), which showed the service sector of the green industry in Iowa ranked ''the ability to hire qualified personnel'' as their most limiting factor to business success. In our study, we found the most successful businesses (those with an annual sales volume of greater than $1 million) hire more than 25 employees annually.…”

Managers of Latino Workers in the Iowa Horticulture Industry Want Educational Programs to Bridge Language and Cultural Barriers

“…If implemented, the suggestions of focus group participants for future programming could help improve communication and cultural understanding between managers and Latino employees. Past research involving the horticulture workforce supports the need for educational programming for horticultural industry workers (Haynes et al, 2007;Mathers, 2003;Scoggins et al, 2004).…”

“…The USDA reported that in 42 states, nursery and greenhouse crops rank in the top 10 commodities and rank as the fourth-largest crop group in the United States in terms of farm cash receipts (Jerardo, 2005). Horticulture is the fastest-growing segment of the agriculture industry in Iowa, and the number of private horticultural businesses in Iowa has more than doubled in the past 13 years (Haynes et al, 2007;Klein, 2003).…”

Marketing Strategies Used by U.S. Landscape Services Firms

“…More recent studies discussed the importance of labor to the landscape service businesses. Haynes et al (2007) showed that within the service sector, landscape installation and general maintenance were the primary services offered. They also found the ability to hire qualified personnel was the most limiting factor for the service sector (Haynes et al, 2007).…”