Ecke Launches New Programs
Ecke Ranch has launched two new programs designed to increase profits for growers and retailers: Some Like It Hot and Energy Efficient Annuals.
Some Like It Hot
“With the advent of commitment inventory and pay by scan, growers are being asked to supply plants for more than just the spring market,” stated Ricardo Campos, Ecke’s director of sales. “We have assembled a group of brightly colored, high-impact products designed to be finished and sold during warm summer months.”
The Some Like It Hot program features a range of annuals that can be used effectively for late-season production. Varieties in Some Like It Hot can withstand the warm temperatures and high light levels that late summer can bring. The varieties have been chosen based on their excellent performance in field trials in the toughest of conditions. Each provides a full season of garden performance including late summer and fall.
Energy Efficient Annuals
“Significantly increased energy costs are forcing growers to look for alternative products to maintain profitability” noted Rebecca Siemonsma, technical services manager for Ecke Ranch.
The Ecke Ranch understands the significant anxiety growers are experiencing over the rising cost of utilities, and in particular energy. Growers have always made their best returns with bedding plants, and by filling their greenhouses early in the season it has been possible to increase turns of product as well. But many crops grown in the early season require heating both day and night in order to be ready for sale, increasing overhead costs and leaving only a small margin for profit. However, there are better options to explore.
Many of the vegetative annuals available from the Ecke Ranch either tolerate or require cold temperatures in production and should be considered low energy crops. Not only do these crops cost less to produce, they also are better adapted to go into early spring retail sales where temperatures may not yet be ideal for most bedding plants sold to consumers, according to Ecke Ranch.
Ecke Ranch provides full product, technical, scheduling and cultural support for these two programs on its Web site (www.ecke.com).
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