8/12/2019 OFA 9.6

1/4FlowerTECH 2006, vol. 9/no. 62 www.HortiWorld.

Fossil-fuel concern a

Review

The OFA event featured an attrac-tive mix of lectures combined with

a trade show for the greenhouse

industry; with 1,330 booths pre-

senting 500 companies the trade show

floor had something for everyone. And so

did the educational sessions, which cov-

ered a wide array of greenhouse-related

issues, from production to marketing,

while focusing on points of interest to gar-

den centre owners, landscapers and florists

alike. This combination, together with the

trade show managed to attract around10,000 attendants from all US states and

20 foreign countries.

Sector backgroundThe greenhouse/ nursery industry is a con-

siderable economic sector, estimated at

$13.8 billion by the USDA Economic

Research Service data (2001), correspon-

ding to 6.8% of the value for all US com-

modities. An important aspect to grasp

about the American ornamental sector is

its diversity; climates and consumer pref-erences vary considerably throughout this

wide-ranging country. One common facto

is that the majority of ornamental firms

are family-owned or operated; the owner

family members still play a major role as

managers or workers. Perhaps surprisingl

in the country of big-box stores such as

Wall-Mart, ornamental greenhouses

remain relatively small in acreage, with

exceptions naturally.

Unlike smaller countries with their cen-

The OFA Short Course combination of educational sessions and trade show attracted around 10,000 attendants from all US states and 20 foreign countries.

A traditional event in the north-American ornamental

calendar, the 76th version of the Ohio Florist Association

(OFA) Short Course took place from July 8-11, in

Columbus, Ohio state, USA. Presentations on energy-related

and cost analysis issues were often packed with growers

eager to get answers to the challenges they are facing.

By Mauricio C. Mathias

8/12/2019 OFA 9.6

2/4FlowerTECH 2006, vol. 9/no. 6www.HortiWorld.nl

Review

tralised research structure and long-term

national goals for the sector as a whole,

such as the Netherlands; or like Spain,

whose greenhouse production is massively

concentrated in one region, the US is larg-

er than Europe, and has ornamental pro-

duction in all of its 50 states. Even though

some states may have a lead in certain

areas due to specific circumstances, gar-

den-centres and grower-owned flower

shops are present in almost every town,

and so is the production of bedding

plants for home gardens. Hence theimportance of national sector meetings

such as OFA, where growers can compare

experiences and learn about successful

solutions. In order to complete a picture

of the ornamental sector in the US, it is

understandable that as a consequence of

the reasons above, problem-solving has

traditionally been approached at the state

level, rather than nationally. Typically, the

universities research and extension staff

look for solutions of problems afflicting

growers in their own state.

Energy hikeWith a variety of topics to choose from

out of the 130 educational sessions at

OFA, at least one issue had almost univer-

sal appeal. The concern over fossil-fuel

prices: a pervasive aspect of modern

American society. As one watches the

nightly television news, it revolves around

the US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and

recording-breaking gas prices, while the

commercial breaks depict the advantages

of renewable ethanol, or more gas-effi-cient car models. Naturally, the green-

house industry has had to forecast its

future in this scenario. With the present

fuel cost increase many growers have seen

their margins shrink steadily, requiring a

closer look to the accounting books.

Understandably, presentations on ener-

gy-related and cost analysis issues were

often packed with growers eager to learn

what specialists had to say about solutions

to their common problems. Firstly, Figure

1will give the reader an appreciation of

how steeply gas prices have risen in the

local market, according to Energy

Information Agency (EIA) data. The EIA

has the official US government energy sta-

tistics, and its website is an endless source

of American and worldwide energy facts

and figures (www.eia.doe.gov).

Thus, each presentation approached the

issue from a different angle. From a grow-

ers perspective, a lecture by Dr Erik

Runckle from Michigan State University

on strategies to cope with fuel cost out-

lined 10 actions greenhouse growers can

take in order to reduce costs but not profit

(Table 1). (More information regarding green-

house energy can be found at

www.hrt.msu.edu/energy)Donald Bonk, from the US Department

of Energy, presented the case from a

broader national perspective, concerning

the use of alternate fuels, made possible

with the replacement of old boilers for co-

fired ones, able to burn more than one

kind of fuel. Optional fuels can be num-

ber 1 and 2 oils, waste oils, or even energy

sources that have already been phased out,

such as town gas or coal. As one would

expect, the final choice will depend on

local availability (highly variable accord-

ing to region), as well as cost and environ-

mental issues. As one example, the price

OFA short course

2

4

6

8

10

12

US$

perth

ousand

cubicfeet,

NaturalGas

Source: EIA data

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Figure 1. Inflation-adjusted commercial price for natural gas.

1. Use a positive DIF and increase vent-heat dead-

band; a cooler night with warmer day tempera-

tures can consume less energy (at the same

average), but growers should watch to specific

crop responses such as stem extension.

2. Install horizontal airflow fans (HAF); improves

temperature uniformity.

3. Start with larger/older plug; shorter finishing

time.

4. Efficient use of greenhouse space.5. Grow cold-tolerant and cold-sensitive crops sep-

arately.

6. Improve greenhouse insulation.

7. Provide long days to long-day plants; at least

until early April.

8. Provide supplemental lighting to plugs.

9. Use a retractable energy or shade curtain.

10.Dont cheat on heat; crops grown cool require

longer production time.

Source: Dr Erik Runckle, Michigan State University

Table 1. Ten actions to reduce costs, but notprofit.

8/12/2019 OFA 9.6

3/4FlowerTECH 2006, vol. 9/no. 64 www.HortiWorld.

Review

of coal that is com-

pliant with envi-

ronmental regula-

tions (low in sulfur

and CaCl) can cost

up to US$150/ton

as opposed to regu-

lar coal at $50/ton.

New fuel choices

include synthetic

gas or syngas,

resulting from a

gasification process using C- and H-rich

materials such as biomass, or even

asphalt. Possible green substitutes are

fuel pellets made of compressed waste

paper, hay or straw; also corn cobs, wood

chips and agricultural manures have been

adopted when feasible. Evidence points

out that switching to low-cost, solid or

waste fuel can result in return to invest-ment in two to four years.

Payback time of 2.4 years was the result

of a study by Dr Peter Ling, Ohio State

University, who looked at the viability of a

second curtain for further energy savings

based on an actual case study, and project-

ing oil prices for the 2007 heating season

at US$2.22/gallon. He also instructed the

audience regarding USDA grants and guar-

anteed loans for renewable energy sys-

tems, as well as for energy efficiency

improvements. These could be added to

state energy grants in some cases.

Costing it outIn this changing environment where the

EIA forecasted no fuel price drops expect-

ed for 2007, production cost assessment

was another popular subject for growers.

John Dole and Brian Whipker, North

Carolina State University, did a great job

at showing growers practical ways to calcu-

late their production costs to arrive at

$/area/week for each crop. Since many

growers have their peak season at spring,

when homeowners plant their gardens,

greenhouses frequently have a very high

assortment of pots, flats and plugs.

However, few growers look at individual

crops as separate businesses and even

fewer allocate labour hours or variable

costs either. This contradiction betweenthe complexity of some operations and

their high plant quality compared to the

simplicity of the way some owners do

their accounting can be astounding.

Growers in the audience made jokes about

colleagues who realise, they have a net

loss in some products, but say they will

make up on volume! Greenhouse owner

Peter Konjoian was one of the lecturers at

the Who Will Survive? presentation, and

posed thought-provoking questions to his

peers. As a manager he did his bench rev-

enue analysis and concluded that cutting

back on the size of his operation was the

answer, instead of what he called the

farmer mentality if you dont grow

more, you fail.

Trade show talkArgus, a Canadian climate control special

ist, presented its latest release, Titan, a ne

controller that is fully compatible with

previous versions of Argus equipment,

and also user-configurable. After 25 years

in the market, Argus takes pride in having

pioneered control options in the green-

house Canadian market, such as system-

wide data recording; and heat storage and

buffering, among others. Its main compa

ative advantage is the systems wide range

of applications, which is made to fit to

each clients needs. Due to its highly customized solutions, Argus is used by regu-

lar commercial growers, but it was also th

system of choice for a station on the

South Pole, according to Alec Mackenzie

Basically, if its got chlorophyll, you can

call us. (www.arguscontrols.com)

Sahin Zaden is a Dutch ornamental

breeder supplying novelties, with a 2,000

variety catalogue of seeds produced in 17

different countries. At the companys 5-ha

site in the Zeeland province their annuals

Alec Mackenzie introduced the Argus Titan System.

Erik Jansen of Sahin believes in

bedding plants with dark foliage, such

as their Juncus effusus spiralis.

Natural ventilation is back again, now in the form of the increasingly popular retractable roof, replacing the

more energy demanding fan-and-pad cooling.

8/12/2019 OFA 9.6

4/4FlowerTECH 2006, vol. 9/no. 6www.HortiWorld.nl

Review

can be viewed; the main crops are cut

flowers such as helianthus, delphinium,

carthamus and aster; plus kitchen herbs,

medicinals, succulents, and organic seeds.

Erik Jansen, account manager for Europe,

explains that Sahins name may not be so

well-known in the market, even though

they started in 1982 because they are dis-

tributed by brand names such as Yoder

and Ecke. (www.sahin.nl)

Sunarc, a Canadian company, launched

its On-Demand Insulation and Shade

System at the OFA show. By injecting liq-uid, insulating foam in between the dou-

ble-layer polyplastic house covering, the

system has achieved 50% energy savings

in a winter trial in Quebec, according to

an independent testing made by the Laval

University. Sunarc invested CN$4.5 mil-

lion over six years to develop the system,

which works both as insulation at night

(R-factor 15), as well as shading during

the mid-day hours, thus saving both on

heating and cooling demands. The on/off

settings for the system can be incorporated

in the climate control; the foam is main-

tained while needed, being rinsed away

with water sprinklers afterwards. Sunarcs

president, Len April, is convinced that the

timing is just right for the product given

present energy prices. (www.sunarc.ca)Another product addressing the energy

cost is the Airius thermal equaliser, a verti-

cal fan driven by a low-wattage motor,

which, once hung from the ceiling, forces

a column of air downwards. The 33-cm

apparatus is presented inside a tube-like

casing which, according to design manag-

er Scott Canby, creates a natural air move-

ment that mixes colder and warmer air,

achieving thermal equalisation within 24-

hours inside a closed environment, on

average. Subsequently, thermostats can be

set higher in summer or lower in winter,

in either regular buildings or greenhouses.

Scott stresses that unlike standard ceiling

fans that just swirl air around, the Airius

drills air downwards in an air column.

Available in six models, a further advan-tage for greenhouses is the elimination of

cold corners, resulting in more uniform

plant growth. (www.airius.us)

mauriciomathias@hotmail.com