A Grower Perspective

I went to the Farwest Show this year somewhat begrudgingly. This has not been an easy year for most growers in the nursery industry. Stalled residential and commercial building and an equally stalled national economy has had a negative impact on the movement of plant material across the country. It's taken a toll on Oregon's nursery industry. In going to the show, I mentally prepared myself for a lackluster crowd and dampened mood.

I'm pleased to report that Thursday, the first day of the show, was better than expected. A steady stream of people seemed to be moving through the show. I could sense that it was a less than average attendance but I will say that

those coming by our booth were key decision-makers in the procurement of plant material and other goods and services for their respective businesses. I've always subscribed to the quality vs. quantity theory so I was good with those attending day one.

No doubt the mood was off though. There was definitely grumbling. Many nurseries owners spoke candidly that sales were off - some by quite a bit. And as if that weren't enough, receivables were challenging also. Many have been slow to pay. Managing cash flow was the topic du jour.

It was such a short time ago, a mere 3 or 4 years, that the Farwest Show saw record attendance and all of us did what we could to produce as much plant material as possible. The demand was high and the supply couldn't get produced fast enough. Big growers were buying from little growers in record numbers. General landscape nursery stock was the darling of the show.

There's no question times have changed. Now the spotlight's on edibles and all things container gardening - both indicators of a changing cultural shift. People want to reconnect with the earth in the most basic human way of growing their own food. They want to know their food source and save some money at the same time. They also want to beautify their immediate outdoor living spaces to make sanctuaries. Travel has taken a back seat to nesting at home. "Staycation" is a new buzz word. Traditional family getaways and extravagant travel has gone by the wayside for the most part. People are retreating to their homes and their focus is on beautifying their immediate surroundings. Container gardening is one of the results. Retailers are happy. All of this is the bright spot in the nursery industry and for those fortunate to have product offerings in these categories - it's been a pretty darn good year.

One thing that struck me was that the "old timers" seemed unanimous in their opinion that we'd see a turnaround next year. I conducted a less-than-scientific poll in order to take a pulse on the nursery economy. The more seasoned nursery professionals have been through this before and more than once. Most could cite the years that their sales made similar drops - tied to national economic markers such as oil and energy crises and Federal Reserve-induced soaring interest rates. These nursery industry veterans seemed to share a universal sentiment that an upswing always follows a downturn. Nearly all believed that we've seen the worse and that relief is on its way.

We felt that at our booth. Optimism for a strong spring selling season seemed prevalent. Cautious buying, yes. Doomsday, no. Sure there was some definite whining but both Dave and I agreed that some whining isn't uncommon even in a good economy. While it certainly wasn't gangbusters, we were pleasantly surprised by the conversations we had and the prospective orders we took. Usually by the end of each show day, we are dog-tired and counting the moments until we can head back to our hotel. I noticed that today we were still standing at our booth talking to two customers passed the closing of the show. That's unusual. And for a significant economic downturn and all the dourness I anticipated, we ended the show laughing, with a sense of hopefulness for the future. That's not a bad way to end the first day.