Today’s list of resources and information.
Need a little cheering up? From NY’s own Mark Adams – greenhouse grower and raconteur/singer supreme!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLO7OD6OQEc
Michigan State has a lot of useful articles
Garden center retail survival strategy series: Communicating in extraordinary times
Marketing and merchandizing
Thinking through the shopping experience
E-commerce During COVID – 19 – recorded webinar https://www.cfare.org/new-blog/c-fare-webinar-april-24-2020-e-commerce-during-covid-19-opportunities-for-food-producers-to-make-direct-market-sales-online
The webinar from Tennessee was terrific and I am trying to find out if it was posted. Excellent information from a garden center owner. I learned a lot of things and will send out tidbits from my notes, when I get back to them. One thing was how many people it takes to do curb-side pickup. When things get busy it is NOT a 1 person job.
By the way – of 40 attendees 4 were from NYS for a Southern Nursery program – and 2 of those were Extension Educators. If you didn’t already know it, your County Educators rock – and are working to be able to help you out!
Be careful with disinfectants! There is a lot of inaccurate information out there and it can be dangerous. NYS IPM’s blog has a post with lots of information from Cornell’s Pesticide Management Education Program (PMEP)
On one of the listserv’s I subscribe to there is a fascinating discussion on how long corona viruses might stay active on plant material. Gardens and arboreta are interested but it is a story that I am not sure we want to get out (even if the answer is positive – as we have learned) to the press. Do consider it when planning your marketing – can people touch the plants? – as someone will think of it. My experience in the grocery store is that it is hard to touch only the one you are purchasing even when you try.
Have a great week (oh, you’ll probably hear from me again before the end of it!)