2019-2020 Annual Report: A Year of Resilience and Support

The American Floral Endowment has released its annual report for the 2019-2020 fiscal year. The report includes a letter from 2019-2020 Chairman, Jim Daly, program highlights, milestones reached, and funding received from devoted industry organizations and individuals. It is through community support that we are able to achieve a greater impact on the floral industry every year. Despite such an unprecedented year, AFE continued to provide vital resources, opportunities, and programs – demonstrating the ever-present resilience of our beloved industry. Click Here to View the Full Report Highlights include: Funding for 12 exciting research projects16 educational grants at the local, regional, and national levelsBuilding on important industry resources like scholarships, internships, Young Professionals Council, and the Career CenterGrowing industry engagement from Trustee members…

Applications Open for AFE’s Educational Grants

Call for Applications!AFE is now accepting applications for2021 Educational Grants.The application deadline is June 1.APPLY NOWAFE has opened applications for their 2021-2022 educational grants. The deadline for submission is June 1st, 2021. AFE’s educational grants help fund programs that are wide-reaching educational endeavors that solve industry needs and challenges and focus on education and/or attracting young people to the industry.AFE welcomes applications from industry organizations and universities that host local to national industry-wide events, student events, and even virtual learning opportunities. AFE’s educational grant funding provides financial assistance to support educational opportunities of all kinds. The Endowment is committed to providing funding for a variety of resources empowering everyone to invest in their continued education.Over the last 60 years, the Endowment funded over $1.6 million in educational…

Celebrating Industry Members’ AFE Stories with #AFEandMe

In celebration of our 60th anniversary, we have invited the floral community to share their #AFEandMe story with us. From long-time supporters to industry experts and students, many industry members have participated by sharing how AFE has impacted them personally and professionally. Providing resources and opportunities for students and young professionals in the industry is an important focus for AFE funding. Many students, like Melissa Munoz from Clemson University, have gained valuable experience through AFE Programs. Melissa has been involved with AFE since 2016 through AFE-funded research projects and scholarships. She shares how these programs have opened up new doors for her and her career path.“I started my master’s degree at Clemson University in August 2016 with a research project funded…

Collaborative Sponsorships Fund New Houseplant Consumer Study!

Five major industry contributors, including the Floral Marketing Fund, Altman Plants, Costa Farms, Green Circle Growers, Hortica, and Metrolina Greenhouses have come together in collaboration to fund an exciting new research project. The study, “Houseplants Consumer Preference and Purchasing Behaviors,” is led by researchers, Hayk Khachatryan and Melinda Knuth at the University of Florida and Charlie Hall at Texas A&M University.Houseplant purchases have been on the rise for the past decade, a trend that further escalated sales throughout 2020 due in part to COVID-19. Industry experts hypothesize that because people are home more, they are engaging in more plant-related activities, but current predictions still lack empirical evidence on the driving factors of consumer usage, and many questions remain unanswered. The study intends to provide an in-depth…

AFE Sponsors Clemson University’s STEM it UP 2.0 Conference

While the format may have been a little different, the information was just as valuable for the 22 agriscience teachers who attended Clemson University’s STEM it UP 2.0 professional development conference sponsored by AFE.STEM it UP 2.0 was held during a time when people across the world were in lockdown because of the COVID-19 virus. But Catherine DiBenedetto, Clemson assistant professor of agricultural education, wanted agriscience teachers to receive valuable information this professional development conference affords.“I am very passionate about working with teachers to prepare them to be effective instructors in successful school-based agricultural education programs,” DiBenedetto said. “I am focused on providing teachers with professional development opportunities they can use to effectively prepare students with the skills they need to…

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…

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