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AFE Memorial Tribute Established for Jack Giles

After graduating from the University of Utah in business, he served in the Air Force and eventually retired as captain. After returning home, he married, started a family that grew to three children and purchased Huddart from his father. Mr. Giles was very involved in the industry he loved, serving as the Society of American Florists (SAF) convention chairman in 1977 and as American Academy of Floriculture (AAF) chairman in 1981-1982. Additionally, he contributed his talents to committees in the Utah Allied Florist Association and Northwest Florists’ Association for 40-plus years. Among other accomplishments, he served on the FTD Membership Committee and the FTD President’s Council on Government and Industry Affairs. His exceptional achievement in the industry earned him FTD’s…

Oct. 1 Deadline for AFE’s Paid Floriculture and Horticulture Internships

The deadline is Oct. 1 for online applications for AFE’s Vic & Margaret Ball Intern Scholarship Program and the Mosmiller Intern Scholarship Program.Completing one of AFE’s two floriculture and horticulture internship programs allows students to:Train at the industry’s top facilitiesDevelop critical skills, potentially improving employment opportunitiesGet diverse, hands-on paid experienceApply classroom knowledge to real and practical situationsStudents can jump start their careers with a life-changing experience in commercial floriculture production away from home with The Vic & Margaret Ball Intern Scholarship Program, made possible through a generous gift from Vic and Margaret Ball. This program offers paid internships for three, four or six months and provides scholarships of up to $6,000 upon completion.The Mosmiller Intern Scholarship Program honors the late…

AFE Awards Nearly $40,000 in Scholarships

Eighteen students have been awarded competitive 2014 scholarships from AFE totaling almost $40,000.“AFE scholarships provide financial assistance to students as they equip themselves with the education and experience that will help them become industry leaders” AFE Education Committee Chairman Dwight Larimer of DESIGN MASTER color tool Inc. said. “Thanks to the generosity of donors, AFE is able to distribute more than 20 scholarships a year to competitive and deserving students.”AFE awards scholarships annually, and applications are due by May 1 of each year. The online application was recently redesigned to streamline the process beginning in 2015.American Florists’ Exchange Scholarship – $2,400Recipient: Miwa Ishisaka, California State Polytechnic University-PomonaIshisaka, a sophomore studying plant science, aspires to become a plant breeder who creates…

New Research Offers Cost-Effective Solutions for Ethylene Problems

The tomato plant on the right has been exposed to ethylene.Ethylene is an odorless, colorless gas that plays a role in seed germination, fruit ripening, leaf yellowing, etc., but too much ethylene can lead to product loss via accelerated flower wilting, abnormal growth and other problems. Results from two new research reports by AFE-funded researchers Michelle Jones, Ph.D., and Nichole Edelman of The Ohio State University can help with ethylene concerns.“Ethylene can be very destructive in both production and post-production environments,” Jones said. “Research aimed at understanding plant responses to ethylene and how to prevent damage will benefit producers, wholesalers, shippers, retailers and consumers.”Epinasty in tomato ‘Tumbler’ treated with different concentrations of ethylene for 24 hours.Use of Indicator Plants to…

New Badges Show Your Proud Support of AFE!

AFE has made it easy for you to let other industry members know you support its efforts. Download AFE’s “proud supporter” badges today in PDF and JPG file formats for print and electronic purposes.Badges can be used in publications, shared on social media, posted on industry websites or utilized in other ways to fit your needs. Please link the image to www.endowment.org.For more than 50 years, the Endowment has worked to address critical industry issues by funding scientific research, educational grants, scholarships and internships to support healthier, longer lasting flowers. AFE also aims to attract and retain the best workforce and foster the next generation of leaders. Let the industry know you stand behind these initiatives by downloading and using…

AFE Launches New Website

AFE has launched a new and improved website at www.endowment.org to serve as the hub of its activities.The newly designed website makes use of the latest technology and is completely mobile-friendly. The streamlined site features everything you need to take advantage of all the ways AFE benefits the floriculture and horticulture industries, from free research reports to applications for funding to the latest industry news.“AFE is committed to staying current and providing top-notch resources for the floral industry, so it was time for the website to get a facelift,” said Charles Kremp, AFE Public Relations Committee Co-Chair and owner of Kremp Florist. “The new site is sleek and, best of all, was designed to be intuitive and user-friendly. We hope…

AFE’s “Murder, Sex and Greed” Video Takes Second Major Communications Award

AFE brings home the gold! AFE earned its second major industry award, the Gold Circle Award from the Center for Association Leadership (ASAE), for its original “Murder, Sex and Greed” animated video, developed to educate the floriculture industry about the positive impacts AFE makes on critical industry problems.“The awards AFE is winning prove that being innovative and taking some creative risks pays off,” Paul Bachman, AFE Chairman and President of Bachman’s, Inc., said. “Ultimately the entire industry wins from this increased awareness of the Endowment and how it works to advance the floral industry.”The Gold Circle Award was bestowed upon AFE’s video for its excellence, innovation and achievement in association/nonprofit marketing, membership and communications.With more than 195 submissions, this year’s…

AFE’s Murder, Sex and Greed Video Wins 2014 American Advertising Award

Awards season is officially underway! The DC Ad Club presented a Silver 2014 American Advertising Award (ADDY award) recognizing creative excellence to AFE for its original Murder, Sex and Greed animated awareness video. The video was developed to educate the floriculture industry about the positive impacts AFE makes on critical industry problems.“We’re honored to receive this award for our outside-of-the-box video, which was produced to spread awareness of AFE to the floral industry,” Paul Bachman, AFE Chairman and President of Bachman’s, Inc., said. “The video was created to reach retailers, wholesalers, growers, importers and allied organizations, and we share this success with the entire floral industry.”The competition received 647 entries from 87 agencies, design firms, in-house marketing departments, freelancers, interactive…

New Banker Plant Research Identifies Environmentally-Friendly Pest Management Tactics

Parasitoid ‘stinging’ an aphid to insert an egg that will develop into a new parasitoid (left) and a typical banker plant system using biological controls to eliminate pesticide usage at a commercial greenhouse in North Carolina.AFE has new research that proves once again how Murder, Sex and Greed align with floriculture.North Carolina State University (NCSU) researchers describe how aphids can be managed (murder) by releasing the parasitoid wasp Aphidius colemani in Optimizing Banker Plant Systems for Aphid Biological Control in Floriculture Greenhouses, Research Report #217. This report explains how using banker plants is an environmentally friendly way to sustain the parasitoid with alternative hosts, removing the need to repeatedly purchase new parasitoids.“Aphids can murder profits for growers, wholesalers and retailers…

AFE Announces More Than $280,000 in Floriculture/Horticulture Research Funding

Mary HausbeckMichigan State UniversityAFE has approved more than $280,000 in floriculture/horticulture research project funding for 2014-2015 to support five continuing projects, five new projects and the Gus Poesch Research Fund.“AFE research covers expansive topics that help address and solve critical industry issues,” said Eric Nissen of Sunshine State Carnations, Inc. and AFE Production and Post-Harvest Research Committee Chairman. “These projects will all provide useful information that will enable the entire floral industry to become more productive and profitable.”The goal of all AFE research is to provide knowledge that helps the industry grow stronger and more profitable.Disease ManagementManaging Pythium Species in Floriculture Irrigation Water: Dr. Mary Hausbeck, Michigan State University, $40,000 (year one of three)Research significance: While this research is most…

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