ASCFG Tour at Roots Cut Flower Farm Recap
Last week, CCD Team members Savannah, Alexis, and Brett took a group of cut flower professionals to an American Society of Cut Flower Growers (ASCFG) Farm Tour in Carlisle, PA, at Roots Cut Flower Farm. Roots Cut Flower Farm grows seasonal blooms for grocery bouquets, bulk “party buckets,” and subscription services. Roots specializes in the production and sale of field-grown hot annuals -- flowers that complete their life cycle in one season and thrive in the intense summer sun and high temperatures. They produce nearly 30,000 supermarket bouquets annually on about six acres of land.
This farm tour provided an overview of production systems currently in place at the farm and a lunchtime panel discussion with Maggie Taylor of Delight Flower Farm, Laura Beth Resnick of Butterbee Farm, and Michelle Elston from Roots. During the panel, the panelists discussed crew structure, crew management, and efficient task completion on teams.
A few key ideas about employee retention from the panel are listed below:
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Check-ins that allow for real feedback to the employee are essential.
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Clear, clear, clear expectations are a MUST.
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Sometimes we are afraid to hurt people’s feelings, but direct communication is compassionate – don’t beat around the bush.
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Be accommodating to an extent. Think, if it works for them, they will keep coming back to me.
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Praise in public, criticize in private.
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Encourage a new employee to go slow at first, and be faster later. Growers should always choose quality over speed; therefore, be sure to set a precedent of quality first, speed second.
For photos from the tour, check out our Flickr album: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjD23vw
For more information about the host farm, visit: https://www.rootsflowerfarm.com/
For more information about the ASCFG, visit: https://www.ascfg.org/