Florida Nurseries: Why Some Struggle and Some Sail through Economic Hard Times

The Florida nursery industry generated $3 billion in farm gate sales in 2005, positioning Florida as the nation's second largest nursery crop production state after California. This industry directly employs 294,000 people statewide and has a total economic impact of $101.9 billion (2008 numbers). The recent downturn in the economy and collapse of the housing market has had a negative impact on some sectors of the industry, forcing many of the nurseries producing landscape plant material out of business, but leaving some nurseries untouched. An informal survey by extension agents indicated nurseries are coping with various strategies including reductions in labor force, increased efficiencies in irrigation and fertilizer, BMP adoption, creative marketing strategies, specialization in the production of unique crops and innovative production and business techniques.