•»?- 



-^ 



formed and competitive. Information about growing 

 poinsettias, marketing geraniums, or building a retail 

 bedding plant business is being offered by reputable 

 sources every day. The speed with which this informa- 

 tion is accessed, while still needing improvement, is in- 

 creasing. And the tools to make searches more meaning- 

 ful and simple are continually evolving. 



Sites such as The Horticultural Web (www. horticulture. 

 com| now offer search databases of hardgoods, soft- 

 goods, bulbs, companies, and other industry information. 

 Weekly news items about industry leaders and adver- 

 tisements from over twenty-five companies are pre- 

 sented. And secure, encrypted electronic commerce is 

 now common. 



For example, Hillcrest Nurseries offers their herbs via 

 an interactive order entry system which allows the user 

 to review cultural information, the number of cells per 

 cell pack, price, and shipping options. From anywhere, a 

 Hillcrest customer can order, review and place a request 

 to the order department in Maryland. New plants are 

 becoming available as you read this article. 



Fulex smoke fumigants can be purchased by its distri- 

 bution network Since these products are not sold di- 

 rectly to the end-user by Fuller System, access control 

 restricts ordering to their distributors: Griffin Green- 

 house Supplies, Minkowski, Penn State Seed, etc. . Dis- 

 tributors can order; total weights, prices, and shipping 

 are tallied and the order is submitted directly to Fuller 

 System for fulfillment. Other hardgoods, such as Dia- 

 mond Lights, are available and new goods and services 

 are emerging weekly. 



Some suggest that by the year 2000, 60% of all com- 

 merce will take place via the Internet because it is effi- 

 cient and accurate. By the turn of the century, the "slow- 

 ness" of the Internet will be a thing of the past as the 

 telecommunications infrastructure continues to improve. 

 And by the time we're in the midst of another presiden- 

 tial election, most people will look upon the Internet as 

 they do the fax machine or the TV remote control and 

 say, "How did we do without this?" 



The next generation of horticulturists are being ex- 

 posed to the "virtual" green industry by universities. 

 Current and future gardeners are tapping into the 

 Internet daily. A more educated buying public, armed 

 with timely information about availability and delivery, 

 will soon have the ability to purchase goods and ser- 

 vices from their home or office. And the Internet is the 

 medium that is bringing all of this to horticulture. 



Hang on for the ride of your life in cyberspace the 



best has yet to come! 



Dflvid Brock is business manager of Web Developers, Inc., 

 226 Washington Street, Woburn, MA 01801. He can be reached 

 at 1 -800-WWW-6WEB or at 

 http://www.horticulture.combrock@horticulture.com 



PIONEER POINTERS 



When To Consider 

 a Lease 



Many of you are beginning to plan your 

 capital budget for next year. After care- 

 fully evaluating your financials and the feasibility 

 of the capital purchases, you may want to con- 

 sider leasing rather than financing the purchase 

 or paying for the purchase with your cash re- 

 serves which will deplete your working/operating 

 capital. Leasing can provide you with some 

 unique benefits: 



1. Lease payments are fully deductible (tax 

 management). It may provide you faster, larger 

 deductions and tax savings than depreciating the 

 purchase of the same asset. 



2. Lease payments can be tailored to the cash 

 flow (seasonality) of your business. 



3. Leases require no down payment (maintain 

 liquidity); only the first payment is required up 

 front. 



4. A lease is not reported as a direct liability on 

 your balance sheet (balance sheet management). 



5. Lease payments are based upon the estimated 

 value used during the lease period, not upon the 

 total cost of the item (avoid the risk of 

 ownership). 



6. If you decide to keep the asset, fixed-costs 

 buyouts at the end of the lease term give you 

 the benefit of a lease, while still allowing you to 

 end up owning the asset and depreciating it. 



lust about any type of equipment can be 

 leased (i.e. benches, potting machines, heaters, 

 computer systems, etc.). Even structures 

 (greenhouses) can be leased. (S.W.) 



Firs! Pioneer Farm Credit has an experienced slajj willing 

 to assist you in evaluating the benefits of a lease for your 

 business. First Pioneer writes leases For more information 

 and assistance, contact the FPFC Bedford office at 

 1-800-825-3252. 



THE PLANTSMAN 



