SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACT OF NURSERY AUTOMATION

In order to sustain robust growth in the horticulture industry, continuous improvements in the skills of nursery workforce and their year-round availability are necessary conditions. The American Nursery Landscape Association (ANLA) identified the major limitation to the growth of the nursery industry as the shortage of qualified labor for container-based handling of plants. Respondents to the Mississippi national nursery survey reported increasing volume of sales per FTE of labor hired as annual sales increased.

These nursery workers perform varied functions, and subjected to different working conditions. Many of the jobs in the nursery industry require large amounts of stooping, lifting of heavy containers, and exposure to chemicals, dust, and plant materials. These tend to be relatively low paying jobs making it difficult for nursery managers to compete and retain workers in currently tight domestic labor market. Many commercial nursery operations have employed immigrant labor, which are mostly less skilled, to meet their rising labor requirements. In the long-run, there is a need to increase the skill level of these migrant workers in order to improve wage rates, recruitment, and retention of workers.

The overall goal of this project is to develop a socio-economic profile of horticulture workers and to evaluate the impact of automation technologies on their employment, earnings, safety, skill-levels, recruitment and retention rates. Specifically, it aims to achieve the following objectives:

1. To develop socio-economic profiles (NSEP) of horticulture workers in the region;
2. To formulate an index of automation for horticulture nurseries (NAI) in the region;
3. To evaluate the effects of automation on the socio-economic characteristics (NSEM) of horticulture workers in the region.
4. To create a socio-economic database (NSED) for horticulture workers in the region.

PUBLICATIONS 

Posadas, Benedict C., Patricia R. Knight, Christine H. Coker, Randal Y. Coker, and Scott A. Langlois. Socioeconomic Characteristics of Workers and Working Conditions in Nurseries and Greenhouses in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. HortTechnology, In review manuscript number HORTTECH-00997.

Posadas, Benedict C., Patricia R. Knight, Christine H. Coker, Randal Y. Coker, and Scott A. Langlois. Socioeconomic Impact of Automation on Horticulture Production Firms in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. HortTechnology, In review manuscript number HORTTECH-01027.

Posadas, Benedict C., Patricia R. Knight, Christine H. Coker, Randal Y. Coker, and Scott A. Langlois. 2007. Working Conditions and Socioeconomic Impact of Mechanization in Horticulture Firms. Proceedings of the 52nd Southern Nursery Association Research Conference, 52:___-___.

Posadas, Benedict C., Patricia R. Knight, Christine H. Coker, Randal Y. Coker, and Scott A. Langlois. 2006. Economic Impacts of Technology Adoption on Horticulture Firms in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Proceedings of the 51st Southern Nursery Association Research Conference, 51: 317-320.

Posadas, Benedict C., Patricia R. Knight, Christine H. Coker, Randal Y. Coker, Scott A. Langlois, and C. David Veal. 2005. Levels of Technology Adoption Among Horticulture Firms in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Proceedings of the Southern Nursery Association Research Conference, 50: 365-368.

Posadas, Benedict C., Patricia R. Knight, Christine H. Coker, Randal Y. Coker, Scott A. Langlois, and C. David Veal. 2005. Socio-economic Characteristics of Horticulture Firms in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Proceedings of the Southern Nursery Association Research Conference, 50: 348-350.

Posadas, B. C., G. B. Fain, C. H. Coker, P. Knight and C. D. Veal. 2004. Socioeconomic Survey of Nursery Automation. Proceedings of the Southern Nursery Association Research Conference, 48: 306-309.

PRESENTATIONS 

Posadas, Benedict C., Patricia R. Knight, Christine H. Coker, Randal Y. Coker, and Scott A. Langlois. Socioeconomic Determinants of Technology Adoption Among Nurseries and Greenhouses. Poster to be presented at the 54th Annual Southern Nursery Association Research Conference and Trade Show, Atlanta, Georgia, August 2009.

Posadas, Benedict C., Patricia R. Knight, Christine H. Coker, Randal Y. Coker, and Scott A. Langlois. Operational Characteristics of Nurseries and Greenhouses in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Poster to be presented at the 53rd Annual Southern Nursery Association Research Conference and Trade Show, Atlanta, Georgia, August 2008.

Posadas, Benedict C., Patricia R. Knight, Christine H. Coker, Randal Y. Coker, and Scott A. Langlois. 2007. Working Conditions and Socioeconomic Impact of Mechanization in Horticulture Firms. Poster presented at the 34th Horticulture Field Day, South Mississippi Branch Experiment Station, Poplarville, Mississippi. October 4, 2007.

Posadas, Benedict C., Patricia R. Knight, Christine H. Coker, Randal Y. Coker, and Scott A. Langlois. 2007. Working Conditions and Socioeconomic Impact of Mechanization in Horticulture Firms. Poster presented at the 52^nd Annual Southern Nursery Association Research Conference and Trade Show, Atlanta, Georgia. http://www.sna.org/

Coker, Randy, and Benedict Posadas. Socio-Economics of Technology Adoption. Paper presented at the 51st Annual Southern Nursery Association Trade Show World Stage, Atlanta, Georgia, August, 2006.

Posadas, Benedict C., Patricia R. Knight, Christine H. Coker, Randal Y. Coker, and Scott A. Langlois. Economic Impacts of Technology Adoption Among Horticulture Firms in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Poster presented at the 51st Annual Southern Nursery Association Research Conference and Trade Show, Atlanta, Georgia. August 2006.

Posadas, Benedict C. Socio-Economic Impact of Nursery Automation. Gulf States Horticulture Expo Education Seminars, Mobile, Alabama, February 2006.

Posadas, Benedict C. Socio-Economics of Technology Adoption. One-hour presentation at the 50th Annual Southern Nursery Association Trade Show World Stage, Atlanta, Georgia, August, 2005.

Posadas, Benedict C., Patricia R. Knight, Christine H. Coker, Randal Y. Coker, Scott A. Langlois, and C. David Veal. Socio-economic Characteristics of Horticulture Firms in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Poster presented at the 50th Annual Southern Nursery Association Research Conference and Trade Show, Atlanta, Georgia, August, 2005.

Posadas, Benedict C., Patricia R. Knight, Christine H. Coker, Randal Y. Coker, Scott A. Langlois, and C. David Veal. Levels of Technology Adoption Among Horticulture Firms in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Poster presented at the 50th Annual Southern Nursery Association Research Conference and Trade Show, Atlanta, Georgia, August, 2005.

Posadas, B. C., P. Knight., G. Fain, C. Coker, D. Veal, and R. Coker. Socio-Economic Survey of Nursery Automation. Poster presented at the 49th Annual Southern Nursery Association Research Conference and Trade Show, Atlanta, Georgia, August 11-12, 2004.

Posadas, B.C., P. Knight, R. Y. Coker and C. D. Veal. 2003. Socioeconomic Impact of the Green Industry of the Gulf of Mexico Region. Poster presented at the 31st Horticulture Field Day, South Mississippi Branch Experiment Station, Poplarville, Mississippi, October 2, 2003.

 INTERNET LINKS

American Nursery and Landscape Association

Mississippi Agricultural Statistics Service

O*Net Online Occupational Information Network.

United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. Current Population Survey.

United States Bureau of Economic Analysis. Regional Economic Accounts, State and Local Personal Income.

United States Census Bureau. Educational Attainment in the United States

United States Census Bureau. American Community Survey.

United States Department of Agriculture. Floriculture and Nursery Crops Yearbook

Hort Economics