The State of the Greenhouse Structures Industry in 2019
Change is constant in the horticulture industry, and one reason growers both large and small continue to make improvements to their production facilities, whether by repairing and retrofitting current structures or building new ones.
Over the past three years, data from Greenhouse Grower’s State of the Industry and Top 100 Growers surveys indicates that growers are investing heavily in structures and coverings. So what are they building?
In this year’s Top 100 Growers survey, a number of growers highlighted some of the projects they are working on.
• “A frame for plugs and finished annuals”
• “A distribution center with additional loading docks”
• “Diffused-glass structures for propagation, or covering some outdoor space for better quality control, something inexpensive and retractable”
• “Perennial hoop houses”
• “We are adding more space as well as upgrading some of the older space”
• “6 acres of new greenhouses”
• “A 1-acre Atlas greenhouse as a prototype for expanding our Sun City facility”
• “We are building new greenhouses, and retrofitting old greenhouses”
• “We are rebuilding benches and retrofitting houses with heaters to increase our heated space”
• “Propagation facilities and ground-to-ground houses”
• “New gerbera greenhouses”
• “We are repairing structures and tables”
• “We are in the planning process to build a state-of-the-art greenhouse on existing property”
• “Retractable-roof greenhouses”
• “13 acres of MX-style greenhouses, going with plastic this time.”
Above all, improving efficiencies is the biggest reason growers are committing to facility upgrades. As one grower noted in the survey, “Without retrofitting some of our old structures, we cannot apply any labor efficiencies in those areas. Boom watering is not possible, and the layout of the old structures is a labor hog.”
Growers Are Investing in Structures
Over the past three years, Greenhouse Grower’s State of the Industry and Top 100 Growers surveys each included the question, “Which of the following areas do you plan to invest in most this year?” Based on the year-to-year responses, structures and coverings remain an area of commitment.
State of the Industry Survey Responses | Top 100 Survey Responses | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | Structures and Coverings | 47% | 2019 | Production Automation | 67% |
Computer Services and Technology | 23% | Structures and Coverings | 56% | ||
Soil and Amendments | 22% | Irrigation Equipment | 40% | ||
Crop Management | 19% | Computer Services and Technology | 33% | ||
Irrigation Equipment | 19% | Lighting | 30% | ||
2018 | Structures and Coverings | 45% | 2018 | Production Automation | 59% |
Computer Services and Technology | 25% | Computer Services and Technology | 47% | ||
Fertilizers | 23% | Structures and Coverings | 42% | ||
Irrigation Equipment | 23% | Irrigation Equipment | 40% | ||
Soil and Amendments | 22% | Growing Media Equipment | 34% | ||
2017 | Structures and Coverings | 50% | 2017 | Production Automation | 61% |
Fertilizers | 31% | Computer Services and Technology | 45% | ||
Soil and Amendments | 31% | Structures and Coverings | 42% | ||
Irrigation Equipment | 30% | Irrigation Equipment | 32% | ||
Seed | 26% | Shipping Equipment | 32% |