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Mother’s Day is Approaching – 10 QUICK TIPS for Success!

As the old Chinese proverb goes, “There’s only one pretty child in the world, and every mother has it.” As we hop out of Easter, we have another great opportunity for a mother lode of sales and profits before the Fall season-Mother’s Day 2021. With effective ordering, merchandising, and salesmanship through this year’s pandemic, each business will be able to hold court as the “prettiest child” among some of the best marketers in the country. The good news is that public demand for plants and flowers is at an all-time high!  But without a doubt, we have new challenges that are hitting us from all sides: product availability, higher costs, labor shortages, and building new touch-free strategies that make customers feel safe…

New Research Projects Funded for 2021-2022

For 60 years, the American Floral Endowment (AFE) has been the ‘go-to’ source for funding research and communicating the results, along with the researchers, to the floral industry. AFE’s research projects have provided generations of advances and will continue to do so – sharing knowledge that helps the industry grow stronger. As AFE celebrates our 60th Anniversary, we also are pleased to share the new research funding for this year.In 2021-2022, AFE will support 7 new research projects and 6 continuing projects totaling over $660,000 in funding from both the Endowment and the Thrips & Botrytis Research Fund.“This research addresses industry-wide challenges and supports the continued advancement of floriculture. The findings from these projects will create new best practices, solve…

How Biostimulants Can Increase Plant Health and Quality

Read the Full Article Here By Nathan Nordstedt and Michelle JonesThis article was originally published in Greenhouse Grower. 

The Physiology of Photosynthesis: Implications for Supplemental Lighting

Supplemental lighting is often required to produce high-quality plants in a timely manner. However, the costs associated with that supplemental lighting can be high. For the profitable production of high-quality crops, it is important to assure that the crops can use supplemental lighting efficiently. To develop to most cost-effective lighting methods possible, we decided to start with the basics: quantify how efficiently different crops can use light and use that knowledge to develop smarter lighting strategies. In this article, we will focus on perennials. There are of course many species of perennial plants, so we decided to focus on 10 popular species.Light Use Efficiency of PerennialsThe first two questions we wanted to answer were simply: 1) how efficiently do different…

Looking Ahead – AFE Trustees Meet to Plan Future Growth

In February, each of the Endowment’s committees met virtually to wrap up 2020 and plan ahead for 2021, which includes AFE’s 60th Anniversary year-long celebration. The committees include Investment, Public Relations & Development, Education, Floral Marketing Research Fund(FMRF), and Research, followed by the Executive and Board meetings in March. Committees are made up of AFE’s trustees and volunteers all aimed at pushing forward each area of the Endowment’s ongoing success. “Although we are all eager to get together and meet in-person, we’ll continue to meet virtually until it’s safe for everyone,” says AFE Chairman, Laura Shinall. “We have a very dedicated group of Trustees, and nearly all virtual meetings were at 100% attendance which rarely happens with in-person meetings.” The…

Joshua Craver Joins Vic & Margaret Ball Committee

Joshua Craver, Ph.D. has been appointed as the newest member of AFE’s Vic & Margaret Ball Committee for the Vic & Margaret Ball Intern Scholarship Program. He is an assistant professor of Controlled Environment Horticulture at Colorado State University.Craver received his M.S. in Horticulture from Kansas State University in 2014 and Ph.D. in Horticulture from Purdue University in 2018. He teaches multiple courses at CSU including Greenhouse Management, Indoor Crop Production and Physiology, and Greenhouse Practicum. He also advises multiple graduate and undergraduate students engaged in research focused on enhancing the production of vegetable and floriculture crops in controlled environments.Craver is not new to the American Floral Endowment. In 2011, Craver was a recipient of the Vic & Margaret Ball…

NEW VIDEO: 60 Years of Floral Industry Support!

AFE is excited to be celebrating 60 years of floral industry support in 2021! We take pride in our past and are committed to the floral future by providing industry-focused support. Through these years, we’ve grown this industry together. Take a look at our 60th anniversary video below and help us to celebrate by sharing our 60th graphics with your network. You can also show your support to AFE by donating $60 for 60th, or telling us about your #AFEandMe story! Please consider sharing our celebration with your network! It is only through industry support that our Anniversary will be successful. Help us create a stronger, more sustainable floral industry for generations to come by raising awareness for AFE’s work within…

Announcing AFE’s 2021 Scholarship Applications!

The American Floral Endowment is now accepting applications for 2021 AFE Scholarships The deadline to apply is May 1st  APPLY NOW! Emily Kolbe – University of Wisconsin 2020 Ferris Horticulture Scholarship Recipient Applications are now being accepted for 24 different scholarships through the American Floral Endowment (AFE). Both undergraduate and graduate students studying floriculture and horticulture are welcome and encourages to submit their applications by the May 1 deadline. Scholarships range from $500 to $6,000. All supporting students in our industry. NEW APPLICATION FORMS!  AFE has developed separate application forms for undergraduate scholarships versus graduate scholarships. Please be sure to complete the correct application form. Failure to submit the correct application form will lead to disqualification. Scholarships are broken down into three categories: Scholarships for undergraduate students only. Scholarships…

Ready-to-Use Flower Promotion Graphics

Download any FREE flower graphics below to use on your personal or business social media. To download, please click an image and then right click/hold and save your desktop or phone. These are sized to fit social. Flower Positivity That Flower Feeling That Flower Feeling is a cooperative effort and campaign to get more Americans enjoying more flowers, more often. This movement provides the industry with free promotional materials including videos, flower graphics, and language to help spread the effortless, positive impact of flowers. Visit ThatFlowerFeeling.org to read more and request materials. “Self care has become a lot of work. Flowers on the other hand are self care made easy. They won’t replace working out or eating well. But they’re a spiritual tune-up.…

Your Investment in Research Pays Dividends

Science and technology keep moving forward. Sometimes, we may not realize how scientific and technological advancements guide our daily lives and benefit floriculture businesses. The amazingly rapid response of medical researchers to develop COVID-19 vaccines shows the impact on our lives as a whole. At the same time, floriculture research has developed techniques leading to better quality and longer-lasting flowers. As the industry celebrates 60 years of AFE support for research benefiting all segments of the floral industry, we can be thankful for the investment individuals and companies have made in AFE. The AFE research committee and board focus industry dollars on projects that will have value to the industry. We recognize that every segment of the industry faces challenges…

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