The last frost date
in my part of the world
was, at least,
2 full weeks earlier
than expected.
The seed company
I ordered from
sent their spring bulbs and roots
two weeks late.
When the bulbs and roots arrived,
the ground was already warm and dry
which means those bulbs and roots,
the seed company’s products,
are at high risk of dying
or failing.
Product failures result
in either
customers wanting a refund
or
being VERY unhappy with the company.
The situation for
commercial food production
is worse.
Some farmers didn’t have their seed
to plant.
If they DID have their seed
to plant,
they likely didn’t have the workers
to plant those seeds
on site.
If they DID have the seed
and the workers,
the farmers likely won’t have
the processing system,
the delivery system
and the selling system
available to them
when the crops are harvested
two weeks early.
Farmers, farm workers,
processing plants/hub, truckers, grocery stores
and eventually consumers
will be impacted.
It is a mess.
And all that was caused
by the last frost date being moved up
by two weeks.
Is your system flexible enough
to deal with a shift
of two weeks or more
in timelines?