Five things to know about the PMC for May 13, 2021 

Sales

The sales season has ended. All of the customers have received the plants they have ordered and continuing sales is not advised since the plants are beginning to break dormancy and lose viability. The cooler will soon be turned off.

We will soon have a final tally of total sales for the season but the most recent total had PMC plant sales at $1,041,690 and total revenues of $1,206,254 which are all-time highs. The staff and crew at the PMC deserve recognition and a big thank you for making that happen during a pandemic.

April Financials

The April financial reports have been completed. A few highlights from the income statement include favorable revenue numbers. As of April 30, PMC Plant Sales Revenues were $1,024,201 which exceed the same time last year when they were $1,000,412. Total Revenues were $1,186,549 compared to last year at $1,156,117.

Another highlight is total expenses which are slightly less than last year. Expenses as of April 30 of this year were $1,011,409 compared to last year when they were $1,018,999. That is not a huge saving but it is a little bit of a surprise given that there has been a pandemic going on and many costs have gone up. There are still two months left in the fiscal year so it is too early to tell how the year is going to come out but hopefully, these trends will continue and it ends up being a banner year.

Sales Manager Position

Interviews for the Sales Manager position have begun. At this time there is one person of interest. More on this later.

Fallow Fields Planted

The PMC has finished planting its fallow fields. After a field is harvested, chicken manure is applied and a barley cover crop is planted. The chicken manure provides a plentiful array of nutrients as well as needed organic matter. The barley takes up and stores much of that, as well as providing additional organic matter.

The barley will be mown a couple of times during the summer and then tilled back into the ground. The end result is fertile soils producing healthy vigorous plants and the almost complete elimination of commercial fertilizers.

Upcoming Activities

Weather permitting, the main focus next week will be planting the conifer seedbed. The seed has been in stratification for their prescribed length of time which allows them to germinate properly. They are scheduled to come out early next week and be dried down for planting.

Adequate ground will be prepped and by week’s end, the 2022-2023 2-0 conifer crop will be planted. These will be grown to be 2-0 conifers, i.e., grown two years in the field and then harvested for packing and sale. The big question is how many will come up and how many will be sold! Stay tuned.

I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Jim Brown, WACD PMC Nursery Manager