or cooler weather. Other native pollen bees {Osmia 

 ribiflohs and Osmia cornifroms) that work three times as 

 fast as the worker honeybee are being considered. 



African bees and mites have certainly made their 

 presence felt. Those growers who rent pollinators 

 have only a slight worry, but those who depend on 

 the availability of wild bee pollination have much 

 more to think about. 



David Sorensen, UNH Extension Educator, Carroll County, 

 can be reached at PO Box 367, Conway, NH 03818; the 

 phone number is 603-447-5922. 



<^ 



Pioneer Pointers 



For the last few months, you and your employ 

 ees have been laboring In the greenhouses, 

 filling pots in order to build up your plant inven- 

 tory In anticipation of converting all this material 

 into revenue/sales In the spring. After you've 

 successfully (so you think) completed this tasli, 

 you might ask yourself the following questions: 



■ Do i have enough material in Inventory to meet 

 all my orders? 



■ Do I have additional inventory on hand to 

 handle the increased orders that my sales staff or 

 i marketed through last fail and early winter? 



■ As orders are filled, how can I be sure that 

 the availability of plants remaining In inventory is 

 tracked so that I don't fail short of any particular 

 variety later In the season? 



Tracking Inventory is a form of record-keeping 

 that is vital to your business. As a grower, you're 

 already good at growing quality plant material, 

 but how good are you at tracking what you grow? 

 Methods which track Inventory range from basic 

 to sophisticated — depending on the size and 

 needs of your business. Inventory can be moni- 

 tored manually or with specific software designed 

 for tracking on computer. So stay on track with 

 your inventory — it provides needed efficiencies 

 (i.e., less labor, better marketing) that will ulti- 

 mately improve bottom-line profits. 



If you'd like more insight regarding the importance of 

 tracking inventory — or other record-keeping tips — First 

 Pioneer Farm Credit, ACA, has staff knowledgeable in 

 this area. ApCHEK, a farm accounting software pack- 

 age supported by First Pioneer, contains a module for 

 tracking inventory. Give us a call at 1-800-825- 

 3232 — it may be just what your business needs. (SW) 



1-800-447-4745 



visit our website: www.westernmainenurseries.com 



sl/r bare-root conifer 

 seedl^gs and transplants 



li i\e helped to keep landowners, 

 tenneis, nurseries, and forest 

 uidustries successfully in the 

 green for sevenrv'-five years. 

 Ask for a catalog, today! 



^IWestern 



PO Box2S0 frvehtirg MFOIUV 

 Fix (207) 0^5 204^ 



Homes • Bams • Livestock 



Machinery • Fanner's Liability 



Livestock Health & Mortality 



Workers Compensations • Auto 



filM r^^ 



Insure with New Hampshire's 

 largest independent agricultural agency. 



1-800-439-2451 



will put you in touch with an 

 agricultural insurance professional 



THE PLANTSMAN 



