September 2024 - 10

INVENTORY MANAGEMENT
nursery and greenhouse facilities have the infrastructure
or the labor to grow crops like these successfully.
These are all important factors to consider as we finetune
our production plan each year. Demand is constantly
evolving, and the product mix that was right for 2023
most likely won't work for 2024 without at least some
level of modification.
We need to be flexible and willing to adapt if we're going
to stay ahead of trends and grow the right plants for our
market. We also need to be prepared to cut plants out of
the lineup if growing them poses too much of a risk to our
bottom line, regardless of how high the demand is.
TIMING IS EVERYTHING
Another critical factor to consider when it comes to
production planning is crop timing. Simply put, we need to
have plants ready at the times customers want to buy them.
But, for growers, this is sometimes easier said than done.
Production challenges may limit our ability to have
certain crops available during the windows of time that
they're most in demand. Maybe we struggle to overwinter
brunnera for spring sales, so we don't have availability
until summer, after they're done blooming. In situations
like these, we need to either solve our production issues or
limit production of these varieties all together. Otherwise,
we'll be left with an excess of plants that are ready at a
time when no one wants them.
We can also think of timing as it relates to crop turnover.
Larger liners typically mean faster finishing times. Whether
we propagate or outsource our liners, we should keep this
in mind. The longer a plant is on the ground, the more cost
it incurs. Lower turnover rates also allow more time for
crops to develop insect or disease issues before they can
be sold.
INVENTORY MANAGERS PLAY A MAJOR ROLE
In the nursery industry, inventory control goes far beyond
counting plants. Our inventory managers are the link between
production and sales. They're responsible for determining
which crops are saleable and when they can be sold.
Ensuring that crops are released to customers on
time can be critical to improving inventory turnover and
increasing productivity. Missing the ready date on a crop by
even one week can translate to lost sales and plants that
are left unsold at the end of the season.
Inventory managers also make important judgment
calls when it comes to quality. A past-bloom perennial that
is unacceptable for a retail customer may be perfect for
a landscape project. Different customers have different
needs, and understanding those differences allows us to
maximize sell-through and take advantage of all potential
sales opportunities.
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SEPTEMBER 2024 GPNMAG.COM
Crop timing is key, but it can be influenced by factors beyond our
control. This spring, unusually warm temperatures caused our
pulmonaria to bloom before customers were ready to buy them.
ENCOURAGING PROPER CULTURAL PRACTICES
Of course, good pest and disease management practices
and proper cultural controls are absolutely necessary
to limit shrink. By following an effective integrated pest
management program, we can keep insect and disease
pressures below threshold levels and reduce the number of
plants that are removed from saleable inventory throughout
the season.
Pest monitoring and detailed record keeping are also key
to understanding the life cycles and emergence patterns
of common pests and diseases so that we can prevent
outbreaks before quality is affected.
When it comes to cultural practices, even the smallest
changes can make a big impact. Teaching our pruning
crews to sanitize tools in between crops, keeping growing
areas clean and free of plant debris, making sure plants are
spaced on time and implementing the proper overwintering
practices are all great examples of this.
Even if we do everything right, we'll never be able to
eliminate shrink altogether. There will always be those
plants that died even though we took every precaution to
protect them, or that variety that unexpectedly fell out of
favor one season and didn't sell. But we can mitigate our
losses if we lead by example and build a company culture
that focuses on reducing losses wherever possible.
Krystal Flogel is production manager at Mariani Plants. She
is a member of GPN's Forty Under 40 Class of 2023 and can be
reached at kflogel@marianiplants.com.
http://www.GPNMAG.COM
September 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September 2024
