Growers Tackle Profit Picture

Growers Tackle Profit Picture

There’s no question times have been tough financially for growers. What are those who are most successful doing to stay ahead? That’s what we explored when we presented a “Boost Your Bottom Line” panel discussion featuring our four finalists for Operation of the Year–Bob’s Market & Greenhouses, Emerald Coast Growers, James Greenhouse and Rocket Farms. While weather during the spring season is out of our control, what are the things growers can control to influence the bottom line? To boost your bottom line, there are two parts to the equation–controlling costs and driving revenue and profit margins. In the discussion moderated by Greenhouse Grower’s Managing Editor Kevin Yanik, our panelists discussed:
– Production decisions–reducing shrink, choosing more profitable crops
– Labor and employees–providing health insurance, lean practices and employee training and evaluations, as well as experiences using the government’s H2A program for legal immigrant workers.
– Serving customers–websites and social media, ecommerce, choosing the customers that are best for you to work as partners, choosing the best varieties, the role of sustainable certifications
– Marketing–social media, professional public relations services, having a personality write monthly bulletins.
– Transportation–using distribution hubs, encouraging customer pickup, working with FedEx and UPS on palletized shipments and maximizing each load
Stay tuned for the highlights in Greenhouse Grower and on GGTV.

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