Meet the Nursery and Landscape Industry

The nursery and landscape industry is made up of thousands of small family businesses that grow, retail, install, and care for plants and landscapes.

As community-based small businesses, owners and principals are deeply involved in their communities, as employers, taxpayers, and leaders.

The Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association (ONLA) is a non-profit trade association, incorporated in the State of Ohio, representing the interests of the state's nursery, garden center and landscape industry. Membership is comprised of nursery stock growers, landscape contractors and maintenance firms, garden centers, arborists and allied suppliers.

The Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association endeavors to:

• Foster and promote the sale and use of nursery products and engage in any lawful activities which will enhance the ethical and economic progress of the industry.
• Protect the planting public through the advancement of fair and lawful trade practices, customs and uses.
• Improve nursery products and cultivate techniques by supporting research in the field of horticulture and encourage the publication of the results of such research.
• Cooperate with public agencies and institutions of higher learning involved in the nursery and landscape industry and enlist their cooperation and counsel for our members and the public.
• Cooperate with governmental agencies in molding policies on legislative and administrative matters in the interest of the public and the industry.

Scope of Ohio's Green Industry: $2.79 Billion

The Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association is pleased to offer the "2001 Scope of Ohio's Green Industry" Report. The report, based on 2001 sales, was conducted by The Ohio State University. Highlights include:

• Between 1996 and 2001, our industry grew 42.3%.
• Sales revenue for 2001 was approximately $2.79 billion.
• Wholesale Production & Distribution accounts for $834.0 million; Landscape Construction & Installation, $752.1 million; Retail Garden Center, $534.8 million; Landscape Maintenance, $403.1 million; Other activities (snow plowing, retailing other products) $263.2 million.
• Over 96,000 Ohio workers are employed in our industry.
• Statewide, $274.9 million is paid in property, sales, employee, and income taxes by our industry.
  

Scope of the Nation's Green Industry

According to the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the nursery and greenhouse industry comprises the fastest growing segment of U.S. agriculture. For example:

• While the number of U.S. farms of all types has declined over the last two decades, the number of nursery and greenhouse farms has increased.
• Grower cash receipts from nursery and greenhouse sales (on sales of plants to retail and distribution businesses) have grown steadily over the last two decades and are increasing at approximately $500 million per year.
• In 1997, nursery and greenhouse operations had sales of $10.9 billion, up 43 percent from 1992. Of 18,860 nursery-crop farms, 650 (3.5 percent) had sales over $1 million.

• In terms of economic output, nursery and greenhouse crops represent the third most important sector in US crop agriculture, ranking seventh among all commodities in cash receipts, and among the highest in net farm income.
• Nursery and greenhouse crops are the top five commodities in 27 states, and the top 10 commodities in 42 states.
• Seven states account for almost two-thirds of all nursery-crop output in the United States: California (24%), Texas (11%), Florida (9%), North Carolina (9%), Oregon (7%), Ohio (4%) and Maryland (3%).

A Major Provider of Jobs

The nursery and landscape industry employs over 600,000 workers during peak seasons.

• Growers employ at least 45,000 workers year-round and 105,000 during peak seasons. Net farm income is the highest of any production specialty in U.S. agriculture. At an annual average of $53,589, nursery and greenhouse income is four times higher than the U.S. average ($13,458).
• Landscape and retail firms employ nearly 500,000 full-time, part-time, and seasonal workers.

An Economic Force In Communities

Eighty-five million U.S. households spent $39.6 billion at lawn and garden retail outlets in 2002, according to the National Gardening Association and Harris Intereactive, while more than 24.7 million households spent $28.9 billion on professional landscape, lawn and tree care services. In total, American spent $68.5 billion improving their homes in 2002.