AFE Trustees Get a Taste of the Rockies

AFE Trustees met in Aurora, Colo. in late July for their annual board and committee meetings to plan the Endowment’s programs and goals for the year.The AFE Board had a very successful trip, visiting several industry supporters including Welby Gardens and Tagawa Greenhouses.For their first visit, CEO of Welby Gardens Al Gerace and his son (and Production Manager) Dan were among the few who led the trustees on a behind-the-scenes tour of one of the company’s two growing facilities.Ashley Brinegar at Welby GardensThe Colorado greenhouse, which is also home of the Hardy Boy Plants, specializes in perennials, annuals, herbs, organic vegetables and ornamental grasses. Gerace explained that the small, family-owned business is always expanding, and works closely with other growing…

Memorial Tribute Established for Peggy and Michael Leider

Past AFE Trustee Ken Tagawa has established a new memorial tribute in memory of lifelong floral industry members Margaret Lynch “Peggy” Leider and her son Michael J. Leider Jr. Past AFE Chairman Jim Leider suffered the losses of his wife and son this year, first with the death of Peggy who passed away on March 23, and two months later with the death of his and Peggy’s oldest son Michael, who died on May 24. Peggy succumbed to a long battle with cancer at age 76, and Michael, age 54, also passed away after a brief but painful battle with cancer. “Both Peggy and Michael have given a tremendous amount of support to the industry, side by side with Jim Leider.…

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…