250

Chris Beytes

If my math is correct—and once in a while it is—this is the 250th issue of GrowerTalks magazine that I’ve had a hand in producing in the almost 21 years I’ve been with Ball Publishing. That’s more than a quarter of the 928 issues of the magazine since it was founded by George J. Ball himself at his kitchen table in May 1937.

Which begs the question: Have I learned anything in that time?

Yes. First, I learned that the above use of “begs the question” is technically incorrect. The original Latin term, “petitio principia,” came from Aristotle, and he used it to define circular reasoning wherein someone would try to prove a point by using that same point as their evidence. As in, “Speed limits are good because it is illegal to speed.”

However, today’s typical use of “begging the question,” meaning to require one to ask the question, is so prevalent that it’s now accepted as correct. So maybe I should get over being irked when I hear it.
But what have I learned about the horticulture business in 250 issues?

• Businesses open and businesses close, and it’s not a tragedy when it happens (except maybe for the owners). Some like to point to business closings as a sign of bigger systemic problems in our industry. Such as how chain stores and big growers are killing the little guy. I don’t buy it. Yeah, major changes take place in floriculture, such as the rise of the West Coast and then South American cut flower industry, which effectively killed most of those million-square-foot glass rose operations that dotted the East and Midwest 50 years ago. But as they disappeared, new growing operations replaced them, producing different crops for different customers. That cycle will continue for as long as you and I are alive, I guarantee.

• A promotion order won’t work for flowers. I’ve known this for a long time—having seen the rise and fall of Buzz the Bee—but it was retired ANLA top man Bob Dolibois who explained what I already knew. Bob says we can’t compare our agricultural product to others that have successful promotional orders—such as milk, eggs, beef and pork—for one simple reason: Folks make food decisions three times a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year. Folks think about flowers once or twice each spring—if we’re lucky.

• Appreciation of our products is tied to income. Evidence? Drive through a lower- or middle-class neighborhood and look at the landscapes and at the display of seasonal flowers around the front door. Then drive through an upper-class neighborhood and do the same. More time and money goes into upper-class landscapes. Of course, there are exceptions, but I’m talking about the average consumer. Like it or not, our products—whether cut flowers for the table or a major landscape upgrade—are more often purchased by those with higher incomes.

• We won’t sell more plants by touting their practical benefits. This goes against what everybody is saying lately: that to sell more plants we have to tell people how plants reduce energy, cut crime, make kids smarter and raise property values. Benefits are all well and good, but we’re not going to move the consumption needle with charts and graphs. Oh sure, some municipalities might increase their planting budget to help with storm water runoff control. But if you want to get people to buy plants, you have to do what my friend Chuck Heidgen has preached for years: “You have to seduce them.” Like the wine industry: They’re not touting how good wine is for your cholesterol level. Nor does Rolex say their watch will prevent you from being late to important meetings. No, with non-essential luxury items, passion will outsell practicality every time.

• Print isn’t dead. Just as TV didn’t kill radio and the Internet didn’t kill TV, digital media won’t kill print publications. Certainly, competition will mean that marginal publications will go away. But good ones, with interesting, well-researched and well-written content (like GrowerTalks and Green Profit, I trust), will continue to thrive. Even digital media companies like HGTV are launching new print titles all the time.

Of course, I could be wrong on all the points above. Check back in June 2035, my 500th issue, to find out.