AFE Launches Young Professionals Council

AFE has established the Young Professionals Council (YPC), which consists of a vibrant group of 21- to 35-year-old students and professionals in the floral industry.YPC members will use their skills and strengths to help reach other young professionals interested in becoming leaders in the floral industry, provide guidance and feedback on AFE’s programs, and get involved in leadership and learning opportunities through AFE’s programs.“There are crucial industry challenges that need to be addressed, and the YPC is a significant program that I believe will help benefit the industry. I look forward to working with the driven young members of this group to help spread awareness of AFE and build a stronger future,” said AFE Trustee and YPC Board Liaison Dwight…

SAF, AFE Join in ‘Million Pollinator Garden Challenge’

The Society of American Florists (SAF) and the American Floral Endowment (AFE) have joined the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge, a nationwide effort launched on June 3, challenging the U.S. to reach the goal of 1 million new pollinator gardens by the end of 2016.The Challenge is an effort of the National Pollinator Garden Network, in which SAF and AFE are also partnering, and is part of the response to President Obama’s National Pollinator Health Strategy. [For details, see the May 22 SAF Week in Review and the May 21 AFE press release]. First Lady Michelle Obama spoke to schoolchildren at a White House garden event on June 3 about the importance of pollinators.The National Pollinator Garden Network will work to…

SAF, AFE Release Statement on National Pollinator Health Strategy

The following is a joint statement released by the Society of American Florists, American Floral Endowment, AmericanHort and Horticultural Research Institute regarding the National Pollinator Health Strategy:“We join together to welcome and embrace key aspects of the federal government’s recently-announced National Strategy for the Protection of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators. The long-awaited strategy has three major goals: reducing honey bee colony losses, increasing Monarch butterfly populations, and restoring or enhancing millions of acres of land as pollinator habitat, through public and private action. As is the list of threats to bee and pollinator health, the national strategy itself is long and complex. We are studying the details, but the overall approach appears balanced and mostly sensible.“The national strategy’s overarching goals dovetail well…

AFE Announces More Than $310,000 in Research Funding

AFE has approved more than $310,000 in scientific research project funding for 2015-2016 to support six continuing projects and five new projects.“These projects will directly benefit the entire industry by providing information on production of insect and disease free plants and details of Botrytis infection on floral crops,” said Terril Nell, Ph.D., Research Coordinator for AFE.The goal of all AFE research is to provide knowledge that helps the industry grow stronger.PLANT BREEDING AND GENETIC ENGINEERINGDevelopment of Petunia with Enhanced Stress Tolerance: Dr. Nicole Waterland, West Virginia University, $22,065 (year two of two)Making Better Plant Products by Understanding Dynamic Facets of Metabolism: Dr. Thomas A. Colquhoun, University of Florida, $33,000 (year one of three)DISEASE MANAGEMENTManaging Pythium Species in Floriculture Irrigation Water:…

Laser-Focused on the Floriculture Industry’s Research Needs

The floriculture industry faces complex issues that research funded by AFE helps address.AFE’s Research Coordinator Terril Nell, Ph.D. (pictured), has written an article detailing what the current research is telling us about pest management, postharvest handling and more.The article, which was featured in the January 2015 issue of Greenhouse Grower, can be viewed here.

UC Davis Student Awarded 2015 AFE Ecke Scholarship

Daniel Klittich, a doctoral candidate at the University of California (UC Davis), has been awarded the 2015 Paul Ecke Jr. Scholarship through AFE.Daniel KlittichThe merit-based scholarship honors the late Paul Ecke Jr., who made contributions to the advancement of the floriculture industry. It is given to M.S. or Ph.D. students studying horticulture or a related field, who intend to pursue a career as a researcher, scientist or educator.This prestigious scholarship, established in 2010, is funded by contributions to AFE from the floral industry, the Ecke family and other sources. As the 2015 Ecke recipient, Klittich will receive $5,000 for two consecutive years, provided he continues to meet scholarship requirements.Klittich, who is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in entomology, has been recognized…

American Floral Endowment Welcomes New Recruit Lori Ostrow

AFE Research Project to Create Buzz for Honey Bee Health

AFE is funding a new research project to examine the health of honey bees on ornamental plants following treatment with neonicotinoids and other systemic insecticides.The two-year research project – “Impact and Residual Activity of Systemic Insecticides in Ornamental Plants,” with Clemson University researchers J.C. Chong, Steven Klaine and Jennifer Tsuruda – will document the translocation of systemic insecticides to various plant parts.Honey bees are valuable to commercial crops and the pollination they provide is appreciated by flower, fruit, vegetable, nut and agriculture growers.But since the early 1950’s, honey bee colonies have declined. The declines have been associated with the presence of the varroa mite that transmits a virus to bees, loss of food sources for the bees, climate change and…

Midwest Group Makes Generous Contribution to Tom Butler Family Fund

The Midwest Group, a floral industry trade association consisting of 15 leading florists nationwide, generously donated $1,500 to the Tom Butler Family Fund. The fund was established in 2014 by Tom and Becky Butler to provide general undesignated funds to the American Floral Endowment (AFE), prior to Tom’s passing in August.“Tom engendered a perception of familiarity and love even among casual acquaintances, and the sheer number of people who felt or imagined that bond is a staggering testament to the friendly and thoughtful man we lost,” said Tim Galea, president of Norton’s Flowers & Gifts and a member of the Midwest Group. “Tom was a once-in-a-generation leader who transcended the disharmony of business and earned everyone’s friendship and respect with his genuine…

AFE Wins Platinum MarCom Award for “Murder, Sex and Greed”

The American Floral Endowment (AFE) took home its fourth award for the animated awareness video “Murder, Sex and Greed.” MarCom Awards selected the video from over 6,500 entries as the best nonprofit film.“We’re thrilled to receive MarCom’s Platinum Award—the organization’s top honor,” said AFE Executive Director Debi Aker. “This video has been instrumental in helping raise awareness of AFE’s commitment to solving problems in the floral industry and to win four prestigious awards shows its impact.” The short one-minute video was developed to educate the floriculture industry about AFE’s positive impact on critical industry problems. It can easily be viewed and shared online at Endowment.org/awareness.Marcom Awards is an international creative competition for any individual or company involved in the concept,…