FLORICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL HORTICULTURE -- SUMMARY October 1, 1999 October 1999, ERS-FLO-1999 Approved by the World Agricultural Outlook Board --------------------------------------------------------------------------- This SUMMARY is published by the Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC 20036-5831. The complete text of FLORICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL HORTICULTURE (ERS-FLO-1999) will be available in about 2 weeks following this summary release. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Value of Floriculture and Environmental Horticulture Crops Continues To Rise Grower cash receipts for U.S. floriculture and environmental horticulture crops, as estimated by USDA's Economic Research Service (ERS), reached $12.1 billion in 1998, up 2 percent from the previous year.1/ The value of production has grown an average $440 million a year since 1991 when grower receipts were $9.0 billion. Cash receipts for products from the environmental horticulture sector rose from $5.8 billion in 1991 to $7.7 billion last year. This category includes trees, outdoor plants, bulbs, turfgrass, and ground covers except bedding and garden plants. Cash receipts for some categories of the floriculture sector also posted substantial gains, particularly bedding and garden plants, which jumped from $1.2 billion in 1991 to $2.1 billion in 1998. Potted plants (flowering and foliage varieties used indoors) registered moderate gains since 1991, increasing from $1.4 billion to $1.7 billion. Domestic growers realized modest gains in cash receipts for cut flowers and cut cultivated greens in 1998, but their receipts were down from $658 million in 1991 to $639 million last year. Ever increasing volumes of imports are taking a larger share of the U.S. floral market. The domestic grower share has fallen from 65 percent in 1991 to 47 percent in 1998. 1/ Floriculture and environmental horticulture crops are classified as nonedible horticulture, or flowers, plants, bulbs, sod or turfgrass, and other related horticultural specialties that are grown primarily for ornamental or environmental purposes, but also included are trees, plants, and vines that are purchased by commercial growers and others for food production purposes. Grower cash receipts for all floriculture crops (cut flowers, cut greens, potted plants, and bedding and garden plants) increased 6 percent from 1997. Receipts for cut flowers increased 3 percent, while receipts for cut greens jumped 9 percent. Receipts for potted flowering plants were up 3 percent and potted foliage plants climbed 4 percent. Bedding plant receipts rose 8 percent while all other outdoor landscaping plant receipts, including nursery stock and sod, continued steady. Greenhouse and nursery production is concentrated in the West and the South, mostly due to climate factors, but also due to demand factors stemming from proximity to population centers. However, greenhouse and nursery production is also important in the Northeast and the Midwest, and has also been increasing in states with minor production. Ten states account for more than two-thirds of U.S. output. The most important states, ranked by their respective share of U.S. receipts, are California (20), Florida (11), Texas (9), North Carolina (8), Ohio and Oregon (5 percent each), Michigan (4), Pennsylvania (3), New York (2), and Oklahoma (1 percent). Retail Expenditures Hit $203 Per Capita In 1998, retail expenditures for all floriculture and environmental horticulture products,2/ as estimated by ERS, reached $54.8 billion, or $203 per capita. This is 3 percent above the previous year and 37 percent higher than in 1991. Expenditures for cut flowers and cut greens increased $335 million to $8.5 billion ($31.60 per capita). Potted flowering plant expenditures increased $135 million to $3.9 billion ($14.60 per capita), while expenditures for potted foliage plants went up $191 million to $3.5 billion ($13.10 per capita). Expenditures for bedding and garden plants rose 8 percent to $6.3 billion ($23.50 per capita). Retail expenditures for environmental horticulture crops (nursery plants, trees, shrubs, bushes, bulbs, ground covers, and turfgrass) reached $38.8 billion, ($120 per person). 2/ Equivalent retail value of green goods and closely associated products and accessories including services such as delivery, installation, landscaping, and other service activities. Floriculture Production Area, Sales Increase, Grower Numbers Also Higher Commercial production of floriculture crops as surveyed annually by USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service in 36 major states reached $3.93 billion in 1998, up slightly from 1997. This includes all growers with $10,000 or more in sales of floriculture crops. California was again the leading state with crops valued at $769 million, down 3 percent for the year. Florida was down slightly from 1997 with $654 million in wholesale value. The two states accounted for 36 percent of the total value. Of the 36 states surveyed, 21 showed increased value over the previous year. The top five-- California, Florida, Michigan, Texas, and Ohio--accounted for $2.02 billion in sales of floriculture crops, 51 percent of the total. Growers with sales exceeding $100,000 for the year accounted for 91 percent of the total, at $3.56 billion. This group comprised 36 percent of the total number of growers. The number of floriculture crop growers surveyed totaled 14,308 in 1998, compared with 1997's revised count of 12,717. Those with sales of $100,000 or more dropped from 5,244 to 5,177 due to a decline in growers with more than $500,000 in total sales. The two smallest size groups (sales of $10,000-$19,999 and $20,000-$39,999) showed large increases. Grower numbers in all other sales groups declined from 1997 with the exception of the $100,000-$499,999 group, which gained 7 percent. Covered area for floriculture crop production in 36 major states in 1998 totaled 1.07 billion square feet, up 15 percent from 1997. All growers with sales over $10,000 increased area used in production. All types of area increased, including glass greenhouse cover, fiberglass, film plastic, shade and temporary cover, and open ground. Greenhouse space accounted for 61 percent of the total covered area with 654 million square feet, up 22 percent from 1997. Film plastic structures increased 30 percent to 463 million square feet. Fiberglass and other rigid plastic covers were up 7 percent for the year while glass greenhouse area increased 5 percent. Shade and temporary cover constituted the remaining 420 million square feet of covered area, up 7 percent from 1997. Open ground use totaled 46,763 acres, 32 percent higher than in 1997. Cut flowers: U.S. consumption (total use) of carnations, as estimated by ERS, declined in 1998 to 1.2 billion stems, or 4.3 stems per capita. Imports accounted for 92 percent of total consumption. Domestic grower sales and prices were generally lower. The import volumes of standard and miniature carnations were down while prices were steady to slightly higher. Consumption of cut roses was slightly lower last year at 1.3 billion stems (4.7 stems per capita). The import market share climbed higher to 77 percent last year. Domestic grower sales declined last year even though prices were higher. Import volumes of hybrid tea and sweetheart roses were higher while prices were mostly steady to lower. Consumption of cut chrysanthemums increased to 745 million stems (2.8 stems per capita). Imports accounted for 89 percent of total consumption. Domestic grower sales and prices were higher. Imports of standard and pompon chrysanthemums rose and prices remained steady. Domestic production of cut flowers other than the major cuts (roses, carnations, chrysanthemums, and gladioli) has been trending upward. However, the value of domestic production of the "all other cut flowers? category in 1998 fell to $238 million, down 13 percent. Cut cultivated greens: U.S. consumption of cut cultivated greens in 1998 was nearly 2.2 billion stems. About 17 percent of the total was imported. Leatherleaf ferns accounted for more than 62 percent of the total stems purchased, with chamaedorea accounting for 14 percent, and all other types of cut greens rounding out the remainder. Nearly all U.S. leatherleaf production is in Florida, where year-to-year output has been very constant. Potted flowering plants: Consumption of most varieties of flowering plants was higher in 1998, continuing an upward trend. However, units sold and dollar value of sales were lower for many potted flowering plants including poinsettias, Easter lilies, orchids, cyclamen, florist chrysanthemums, florist azaleas, African violets, and flowering hanging baskets. Kalanchoes and the ?all other flowering potted plant" category were higher. Grower prices for most varieties of potted flowering plants were mostly steady or unchanged. Potted foliage plants: Although sales of potted foliage plants were up last year, sales of foliage hanging baskets were lower. Consumption of both categories has been fairly constant over the past 8 years. Area in production and the value of grower sales are nearly unchanged since 1991. Bedding and garden plants: Most varieties of bedding plants (vegetable or flowering type) sold in pots recorded increased unit sales and a higher value of sales. Sales of flowering hanging baskets were lower for geraniums and impatiens, but higher for petunias and the "all other hanging baskets" category. Units sold and dollar sales of bedding plants (flowering and vegetable types) sold in flats were lower in 1998. Prices for bedding and garden plants were mixed, with some higher and some lower. U.S. Remains a Net Importer of Greenhouse and Nursery Products The value of U.S. imports of greenhouse and nursery products reached $1.1 billion last year, up $77 million from 1997. Cut flowers and cut greens accounted for 64 percent of the value, and were mostly imported from Latin America and the Netherlands. The remaining 36 percent was mostly nursery products such as bulbs and propagative plant materials, but included some potted flowering and foliage plants that were imported mostly from Canada. The United States exported $284 million in greenhouse and nursery products in 1998, up from $261 in 1997. These exports were mostly nursery products, such a specimen trees and foliage plants shipped to Europe. Printed copies of Floriculture and Environmental Horticulture Situation and Outlook will be available in about 2 weeks. For more information, contact Doyle Johnson (202) 694-5248. Text of the full report will also be available on the ERS website at www.econ.ag.gov. END_OF_FILE