A History of Minnesota Floriculture


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Table 1. Average wholesale prices of cut flowers, bedding and potted flowering plants in the Twin City area increased significantly from 1979 to 1986.
Crop 1979 1986
4-inch potted chrysanthemums $1.25 $2.25
6-inch potted chrysanthemums 3.25 4.75
4-inch potted cyclamen 1.80 2.25
6-inch potted cyclamen 3.50 4.75
6-inch potted Easter lily (5-8 flower buds) 2.75 5.00
41/2-inch geranium 0.75 1.30
6-inch pinched poinsettia 3.25 4.95
bedding plant flats (11 x 22 inches)
        begonias, seed geraniums, impatiens 7.00 8.75
        other species 5.25 6.75
standard chrysanthemums, stem 0.50 1.04
pompon chrysanthemums, bunch 2.00 3.20

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Table 2. Growth in wholesale value of floricultural production for firms with sales in excess of $10,000 per year, according to USDA Floriculture Crops Surveys for 1980 and 1990. The first section compares U.S. totals for those years. The second section compares Minnesota industry growth. Bedding plant totals include flatted and potted flowering (including geraniums and garden chrysanthemums), vegetable and foliar plants plus hanging baskets.
U.S.-28 states 1980 (17 crops) 1990 (28 crops)
Crop Grouping Total
(in $1,000)		 Percent
of Volume		 Total
(in $1,000)		 Percent
of Volume
Cut Flowers 245,000 26.6 502,550 18.2
Potted Plants 160,411 17.4 672,616 24.3
Bedding Plants 214,044 23.3 971,047 35.0
Foliage Plants 295,943 32.1 512,129 18.5
Other 5,602 0.6 110,517 4.0
Total 921,000 - 2,768,859 -
Minnesota 1980 (17 crops) 1990 (28 crops)
Crop Grouping Total
(in $1,000)		 Percent
of Volume		 Total
(in $1,000)		 Percent
of Volume
Cut Flowers 3,115 19.7 6,655 15.9
Potted Plants 3,558 22.5 9,940 23.7
Bedding Plants 7,090 44.7 23,436 55.8
Foliage Plants 2,080 13.1 1,950 4.6
Other - - 9 0.02
Total 15,843 - 41,990 -

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Table 3. Growth in the size of greenhouse ranges nationally and in Minnesota, for the period 1882-1993. Numbers represent the average, in square feet under glazing, per commercial greenhouse range in the given year. The 1993 figure for greenhouses, plus shade and temporary cover growing, is also given.
Year United States Minnesota
1882 - 4,777
1890 8,000 7,317
1899 15,000 15,000
1909 15,000 15,000
1949 15,600 13,100
1959 18,400 18,000
1970 20,000 18,400
1980 22,000 22,000
1990 44,000 22,000
1993 greenhouses only 46,000 36,200
1993 including shade and temporary cover 79,501 36,800

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Table 4. Comparison of total wholesale value of floricultural production by crop category in 1990 and 1993 shows bedding plants to be the largest category, according to USDA Floriculture Crops Summaries. First section compares U.S. totals for those years. Second section compares Minnesota production. Bedding plants include flatted and potted flowering, vegetable and foliage plants plus hanging baskets. The 1990 dollar volume includes growers who produce and sell $10,000 or more product per year. 1993 dollar volume includes estimated value for sales of growers below the $100,000 level.
United States Floriculture Wholesale Values
1990 (28 states) 1993 (36 states)
Crop Grouping Dollar
Volume		 Percent
of Total		 Dollar
Volume		 Percent
of Total
Bedding Plants 971,047 35 1,296,904 42
Potted Flowering Plants 672,616 24 748,051 24
Foliage Plants 512,129 19 456,081 15
Cut Flowers 502,550 18 456,384 15
Cut-Cultivated Greens 110,517 4 126,254 4
Totals (rounded) 2,769,000 100 3,084,000 100
Minnesota Floriculture Wholesale Values
1990 1993
Crop Grouping Dollar
Volume		 Percent
of Total		 Dollar
Volume		 Percent
of Total
Bedding Plants 23,436 56 28,297 56
Potted Flowering Plants 9,940 24 12,352 25
Cut Flowers 6,655 16 8,308 17
Foliage Plants 1,950 4 1,096 2
Cut-Cultivated Greens - - - -
Totals (rounded) 42,000 100 50,000 100

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Table 5. Classification of Minnesota flower growers by wholesale gross sales volume in 1993, according to USDA Floriculture Crops Summary data.
Sales Value Number of Growers
$10,000 to $19,999 27
$20,000 to $39,999 33
$40,000 to $49,999 13
$50,000 to $99,999 54
$100,000 to $499,999 58
$500,000 or more 28
Total 213

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Table 6. In a comparison of U.S. Census Bureau data with USDA Floriculture Crops Summary statistics for 1992, bureau data includes a large number of small growers whose production value can only be estimated in the USDA Summary. Bureau data covers growers with $10,000 or higher volume. The USDA Summary only counts growers with a minimum $100,000 volume, but the expanded value includes an estimate for firms with sales between $10,000 and $100,000.
Category U.S. Census
Bureau
data		 USDA
Floriculture
Crops Summary
Number of Minnesota Growers 442 224
Square Feet Under Glass
        or Other Protection 8,952,521 7,631,000
Wholesale Crop Sales:
        Cut Flowers $ 7,458,000 $ 7,099,000
        Potted Flowering Bedding Plants 12,799,000 10,253,000
        Bedding Plants 27,836,000 25,078,000
        Foliage Plants 2,065,000 1,320,000
        Total Sales $50,158,000 $43,750,000
        Expanded Value Total Sales $49,671,000

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Table 7. Rose production data for major production states show greatest growth in the 1980s. The data is from USDA Floriculture Crop Summaries and the U.S. Census Bureau.
Year 1949 1959 1969 1979 1989 1993
(# of producing states) (23) (23) (23) (28) (28) (36)
Number of Rose Growers - 483 384 236 287 213
Production Area (sq. ft.)
        Hybrid Tea - - - 22,937,000 37,327,000 37,052,000
        Sweetheart - - - 5,665,000 6,170,000 4,129,000
Average Area/Grower (sq. ft.) - - - 121,200 151,600 193,300
Number of Plants
        Hybrid Tea - - 14,890,000 15,484,000 24,176,000 21,603,000
        Sweetheart - - 3,095,000 3,740,000 3,787,000 2,753,000
Plant Number/Grower - 32,000 46,835 81,455 97,430 114,350
Quantity Flowers Sold (stems)
        Hybrid Tea 389,789,000 360,242,000 317,209,000 327,824,000 481,164,000 430,819,000
        Sweetheart combined combined 110,189,000 116,796,000 106,319,000 80,430,000
Flowers/Plant (stems)
        Hybrid Tea - - 21.3 21.2 19.9 19.9
        Sweetheart - - 35.6 31.3 28.1 29.2
Wholesale Flower Price/Stem (cents)
        Hybrid Tea 7.8 8.6 13.7 23.9 35.1 32.8
        Sweetheart combined combined 9.5 17.1 25.2 24.7
Total Wholesale Sales (dollars)
        Hybrid Tea 30,582,000 30,942,000 43,349,000 78,323,000 169,002,000 141,239,000
        Sweetheart combined combined 10,509,000 20,019,000 26,775,000 19,878,000
Flower Imported (stems)
- - - 35,325,000 - 445,391,000
Percent Imports/Domestic Flowers Sold
- - - 7.4 - 87.0

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Table 8. Minnesota rose production data shows production at an all-time high in 1993, according to USDA Floriculture Crop Summaries and other sources, including the author's records.
Year 1949 1959 1969 1979 1989 1993
Number of Rose Growers 19 23 22 19 8 5
Production Area (sq. ft.)
        Hybrid Tea - 358,000 - 405,000 348,000 496,000
        Sweetheart - combined - 105,000 69,000 62,000
Average Area/Grower (sq. ft.) - - - 26,850 52,125 111,600
Number of Plants
        Hybrid Tea - 350,000 260,000 261,000 255,000 363,000
        Sweetheart - combined 82,000 75,000 43,000 47,000
Plant Number/Grower - 15,216 15,545 17,684 37,250 82,000
Quantity Flowers Sold (stems)
        Hybrid Tea 5,000,000 7,100,000 5,032,000 5,181,000 6,234,000 8,434,000
        Sweetheart combined combined 2,490,000 2,294,000 1,786,000 1,552,000
Flowers/Plant (stems)
        Hybrid Tea - 20.3 19.5 19.9 24.4 23.2
        Sweetheart - combined 30.4 30.6 41.5 33.0
Wholesale Flower Price/Stem (cents)
        Hybrid Tea 10.0 10.3 16.1 35.3 58.1 56.7
        Sweetheart combined combined 9.8 19.8 36.6 38.5
Total Wholesale Sales (dollars)
        Hybrid Tea 494,000 735,000 1,054,000 1,829,000 3,622,000 4,782,000
        Sweetheart combined combined combined 454,000 654,000 598,000

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Table 9. Minnesota production data for 1980 to 1993 shows increases for poinsettias, according to USDA Floriculture Crops Summaries. Price range per pot varied with specimen size. Dollar values are wholesale.
Year 1980 1985 1990 1993
Number of Growers 89 79 115 59
Growing Area (sq. ft.) 634,000 780,000 1,157,000 1,427,000
Number of Pots Sold 457,000 576,000 829,000 838,000
Price/Pot (dollars) 3.32 3.77 2.34-5.05 2.60-5.27
Total Value (dollars) 1,517,000 2,172,000 3,891,000 4,123,000
Square feet per pot 1.38 1.35 1.40 1.70

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Table 10. Minnesota production data for 1980 to 1993 shows production declines for potted Easter lilies in the 1990s, according to USDA Floriculture Crops Summaries. Dollar values are wholesale.
Year 1980 1985 1990 1993
Number of Growers 64 58 85 34
Growing Area (sq. ft.) 208,000 191,000 303,000 244,000
Number of Pots Sold 277,000 293,000 312,000 274,000
Price/Pot (dollars) 2.87 3.36 3.8-4.1 4.66
Total Value (dollars) 795,000 984,000 1,250,000 1,277,000
Square feet per pot 1.33 1.53 1.03 1.12

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Table 11. Type of growing area used for floriculture production in 1993 with glass trailing plastic glazing, according to figures from USDA Floriculture Crops Summary for 1993.
Type of Growing Area 36 states Minnesota
Square Feet % Square Feet %
Glass Greenhouses 79,396,000 17 812,000 11
Rigid Plastic Greenhouses 129,810,000 27 1,631,000 21
Film Plastic Greenhouses 262,077,000 56 5,269,000 68
Total Greenhouses 471,283,000 100 7,712,000 100
Average Size Range 46,000 36,200
Shade & Temporary Cover 342,493,000 124,000
Acres of Open Ground 29,561 59
Number of Operators 10,235 213

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Table 12. Classification by 1995 range size of Minnesota floricultural crop producers with a minimum of one acre of greenhouses, according to data collected by the author.
Greenhouse Area Number of Firms
1.0-2.9 Acres 20
3.0-4.9 Acres 9
5.0-6.9 Acres 5
7.0-8.9 Acres 3
9.0-10.9 Acres 2
11.0-12.9 Acres 2
Total Number of Firms 41

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Table 13. Hennepin County leads in square feet of greenhouse floricultural production area among the eight leading Minnesota counties, 1982 to 1992. Space devoted to nursery production represents an estimated 10 percent or less of the total. Figures are primarily from U.S. Census of Agriculture for greenhouses and nurseries.
County 1982 1987 1992
Anoka 121,666 411,880 507,000
Crow Wing 136,834 Not Available 208,000
Dakota 678,794 675,407 1,051,979
Hennepin 2,058,545 1,867,970 2,273,048
Ramsey 702,120 727,030 802,480
Sherburne 25,392 430,244 Not Available
St. Louis 116,880 212,545 158,018
Washington 204,025 195,550 609,900

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Table 14. Distribution of floral and plant product sales by type of outlet for January through May, 1994, in the United States, according to the October 1994 Flora-Stats research report of the American Floral Endowment.
Outlet Percent of Sales Percent of Dollars
Florist Shops 14 35
Supermarkets 21 13
Garden Centers 18 Not Available
Discount Chains 15 3
Department Store Chains 5 3
Home Improvement/Hardware Stores 6 6

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Table 15. Estimated retail value of the Minnesota floriculture industry in 1993.
Crop Grouping USDA Minnesota Produced Expanded Wholesale Value Estimated Percent of Product Sold That is Shipped Into Minnesota Estimated Wholesale Value of Shipped-in Floral Products Sold in Minnesota Estimated Total Wholesale Value Sold Estimated Markup of 2.0 for Retail Value
Cut Flowers $8,308,000 85 $47,079,000 $55,387,000 $110,774,000
Potted Flowering Plants 12,352,000 20 3,088,000 15,440,000 30,880,000
Bedding Plants 28,297,000 5 1,489,000 29,786,000 59,572,000
Foliage Plants 1,096,000 85 6,210,000 7,306,000 14,612,000
Total $50,053,000 - $57,866,000 $107,919,000 $215,838,000

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