Change is on the Horizon, Are You Ready?
During the State of the Industry presentation earlier this week at Cultivate’17 in Columbus, Ohio, Craig Regelbrugge, AmericanHort’s senior vice president, told attendees that our industry needs to be prepared for change sooner rather than later if they want to be successful — and profitable — in the coming years.
In his presentation, Regelbrugge discussed labor and the industry’s workforce outlook. Labor in the horticulture industry is paper-challenged, aging and migrant labor is beginning to settle, he said. New labor is not entering the industry and growers face challenges receiving the foreign workers needed as H-2B paperwork gets tied up in the application process.
The current Farm Bill expires in September 2018, and the horticulture industry needs a seat at the table discussing it, Regelbrugge said.
Passed once every five years, “the farm bill is the principle expression of agricultural policy,” he said. The farm bill is important to the industry because it directs funds to projects focused on pest and disease management, the Specialty Crop Research Initiative and Nursery Crop Insurance Pilot Program, and more.
Other issue priorities for the industry include commerce/plant trade, tools and inputs, business management and research/statistics, Regelbrugge said.
Charlie Hall, Ellison Chair at Texas A&M University, also provided his insight into where he believes our economy is headed.
“Uncertainty” describes the past year, Hall said. But “uncertainty gives us tremendous opportunity,” he said.
Changing demographics are an incredibly important factor in the industry’s economic outlook, Hall said. “A steady stream of millennials is approaching the age that homeownership tends to rise,” he said. “There are more millennials than there are baby boomers.”
Hall noted there are about 10,000 baby boomers retiring every day. The health and well-being benefits of plants resonate with millennials, Hall said.
“If we don’t remain relevant to millennials, we’ll miss the boat,” Hall warned.
Are you ready for these types of changes? Do you want even more information on these issues?
Regelbrugge and Hall will both be participating in the 2017 Big Grower Executive Summit, Oct. 1-3, at the Four Points by Sheraton in Wakefield, just north of Boston, Massachusetts.
The theme for this year’s Summit is “What’s Next?” so Regelbrugge and Hall will be providing attendees with insight into what is happening in Washington and how the ever-changing economy will impact our industry in the future.
If you’d like to learn more about the 2017 Big Grower Executive Summit, please visit www.biggrower.com/executivesummit.
— Tim
Walmart Donates $1 Million to Veteran Jobs Organization
The Walmart Foundation recently bestowed a $1 million grant to Hire Heroes USA, supporting their efforts to help veterans find meaningful employment. The national nonprofit provides career services to transitioning U.S. military members, veterans and military spouses. “We’ve seen a 20 percent increase in veterans seeking our services this year alone, so the impact of this grant is immediate and far-reaching. Our 17,000 hires to date have generated an estimated economic impact of $205 million in the veteran space, but we know our work isn’t done,” said Brian Stann, president and CEO of Hire Heroes USA and a Marine Corps combat veteran.
Meijer Program Contribute Funds … and Food to Pantries
This past spring, Meijer’s Simply Give campaign raised more than $3 million — or 33 million meals — to stock the shelves of food pantries across the Midwest. It was the most successful campaign in the program’s history. The Grand Rapids, Michigan-based retailer began the Simply Give program in 2008 as a way to help local food pantries in the Midwest achieve their mission of feeding hungry families. Since then, nearly $32 million — or 352 million meals — has been generated for food pantries. The program runs three times a year when food pantries need it the most: spring, fall and holiday.
Home Depot Buys Equipment Rental Firm
On July 6, the Home Depot announced it would purchase Compact Power Equipment, Inc., a national provider of equipment rental and maintenance services for $265 million. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the company’s fiscal second quarter. As a long-term commercial partner of The Home Depot, Compact Power Equipment currently provides compact equipment rentals at more than 1,000 stores across the U.S. and Canada. The company also provides equipment maintenance services nationwide to a range of customers, including The Home Depot.
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