If you normally book a grass cutting service, you may be thinking “I only book grass cutting and not pesticide application on my lawn. I have nothing to worry about, the pesticide ban won’t affect me.” As a lawn care service provider, I’m going to lay out a few scenarios where you may be wrong, and should be a beware buyer.
It’s fair to say that a ban on pesticides will not directly impact an individual who hires a lawn care company to cut their grass, however it may greatly impact the business relationship between you and your lawn company. The indirect impact could come from a series of chain reactions, so let’s look at them and give you a peek into the future.
The Manitoba pesticide ban prevents synthetic pesticides (the ones that are virtually 100% effective), but allows organic pesticides as a replacement. The effectiveness of the organic alternatives has been argued by some to be lackluster. In fact, every Winnipeg company I have seen who offers an organic alternative posts a disclaimer below the ad that the product may not get rid of all weeds. What’s more, the product is more expensive than the previously offered synthetic versions.
This could mean a double whammy to the value a pesticide customer would perceive in the service. If the pesticide ban causes the offering of a more expensive product, that customers feel doesn’t work as well; they may stop buying it altogether.
Sticking with the cause and effect chain of events, this would mean that a company who earned a large portion of their income from pesticide applications would take a significant hit on income, if pesticide customers stopped buying the service. The more exposure a lawn care provider has to the pesticide industry, the more harshly they could be affected if customers stop buying the service.
This is where you–as a grass cutting customer–may be affected.
If you book with a company that has a majority of their business exposed to pesticide application–and pesticide customers are no longer buying that service–that company is going to suffer. As a customer of any company, you have a vested interest in that company being sustainable. You want your company to maintain a profit so they can continue operations and continue providing service to you as a customer.
If the pesticide ban causes so much of a blow to a lawn care company’s bottom line that they can no longer afford to operate, you could be out of a provider. This could even occur halfway through a season leaving a scramble to find a new provider. What’s worse, you could be out of some money as well if you paid a portion up front.
So buyer beware when booking lawn care services going forward. Ask how much exposure a company has to pesticide application and if they are doing anything to reduce that exposure. If you feel they are too exposed, or aren’t doing enough to reduce their exposure to mitigate their risk and follow through on the promises they’ve made you, choose another company.
One of the aspects that lawn care customers overlook most, is the sustainability of the company they are booking. Anyone with a lawn mower and a truck can cut grass, but it’s in your best interest to ensure that whoever you book can follow through on their promises, not just give you a flashy price.
Of interest, Hero Snow Removal has 0% exposure to the pesticide business and no plans of entering it in the future. That means none of our equipment or income is reliant on the pesticide industry, so we are able to operate as if the pesticide ban never even happened.
