Embracing a changing market

Kristy J. O'Hara

This industry is abuzz with change. I’m sure you’ve felt it the past few years as you looked out across your operations. The way you’ve always done things just might not cut it anymore.

Change is definitely scary. We fight it. We like what’s known and resist the uncertainty of what we can’t see or – maybe even worse – the reality of what we know we have to do to move forward. But many times we look at change and want to buck it and find a way to hold on to how things have always been, but, in reality, we have to find ways to embrace the changes the market throws at us. If we fail to adapt to changes around us, we’ll eventually run ourselves out of business.

In our cover story this month, we explore the market through the eyes of three different growers and an exclusive Greenhouse Management survey we did last month. We wanted to see where the highest margins were at in the industry and where the opportunities for growth for you would be as we move forward.

This month we’ve also got a first look at GIE Media’s new A Garden Life digital magazine. Learn more about this exciting new publication and how it can actually help you as a grower and help some of your retail customers as well. When you find ways to partner with and help your customers, you become an asset to them, and A Garden Life is one way you can do that.

And while it may be only April, soon we’ll be in the heart of summer, and with it comes the extreme heat, so we’ve put together 12 drought-tolerant plants for you to check out that are sure to be top performers as the mercury rises in the months to come.

As always, be sure to drop us a line and let us know how we’re doing. We’re into the busiest time of year now, so here’s to hoping that the spring season is full of sunshine and the rain stays away on the weekends so we can all have an improved year over last year.

kohara@gie.net
Twitter: @GMmagEditor