ISHS Acta Horticulturae 203: IX Symposium on Horticultural Economics, XXII IHC
AN ANALYSIS OF PENNSYLVANIA FLORICULTURAL PRODUCTION DIFFERENTIATED BY TECHNOLOGY |
| Authors: | R.G. Brumfield, L.E. Sim |
| Abstract:
Extensive data on crops, structures, technology, employment, and sales were collected in 1984 from commercial floricultural greenhouse firms in Pennsylvania. The average greenhouse in Pennsylvania is 2 118 m2 (23 535 ft2) in size. Cluster analysis was used to organize these businesses into groups with similar characteristics. Although the cluster containing the "High Tech/Large Sizes" contained only 7.1% of the greenhouses in Pennsylvania, these greenhouses accounted for one third of the production area, 27.2% of gross annual sales, and 24.4% of the greenhouse labor force in the state. Most greenhouses in Pennsylvania are "low tech" small retail family businesses. The majority of greenhouse owners in five out of nine clusters do not consider their greenhouses to be full-time businesses, and the majority in six out of nine clusters do not consider them to be their major source of income. The most striking trend is the increase in outdoor production of flowers. More than half of the members in each cluster grow flowers outdoors. | |
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