Cyn-Mar greenhouses suffer major damage from tornado

Cyn-Mar Wholesale Florist & Greenhouse in Pine Level, N.C., suffered major damage to its facilities and spring crops from a tornado on April 16. The tornado was one of over 60 that hit the state on Saturday.
N.C. St. Univ. horticulture professor Brian Whipker, who visited the 100,000 sq. ft. greenhouse operation on April 18, said about 75% of the company’s production facilities have been damaged. He said the storm snapped the greenhouse structures metal posts causing the roofs to collapse on the benches and plants. Employees were trying to salvage the salable plants.
Whipker estimates that crop losses in the greenhouses were at 20-40%. Pot mums were a complete loss. He said a semi trailer full of Easter lilies was blown over with losses estimated at 90%. The company is insured, but does not know how much of its losses will be covered. Whipker said the next 2 weeks were expected to be the company’s busiest shipping period this spring.
Co-owner Mike Renfrow told Whipker he is planning to rebuild and some of the improvements he will make to the replacement structures include wider aisles and taller roofs.
Television station NBC 17 in Raleigh reported that Cyn-Mar was just one of several agricultural operations that suffered damage from the storms that hit Johnston County. Renfrow told the station that the company is currently looking for replacement plants to fill customers’ orders. He said he probably wouldn’t make any money from filling the orders.

Pictured: Cyn-Mar Wholesale Florist & Greenhouse in Pine Level, N.C., suffered damage to about 75% of its production facilities from a tornado on April 16.
Photo by Brian Whipker, N.C. St. Univ.