Alluring and Murdering Thrips With New Research

A) Marigold guardian plant system in a test greenhouse. B) Thrips lure on sticky card (red arrow).AFE is still up to murder, sex and greed, this time with a new research report. In the report, scientists from the Entomology Research Laboratory at the University of Vermont (UVM) describe how they allured and then murdered western flower thrips through an inexpensive non-chemical pesticide system that is easy to use.Thrips are deadly for ornamentals, causing substantial economic loss by damaging flowers and leaves or transmitting plant viruses, and most chemical insecticides have proven to be ineffective at controlling thrips. Report #216: Formulations of Insect-Killing Fungi in Combination with Plant-Mediated Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Systems for Thrips describes an innovative strategy that uses…

Paul Ecke Jr. Scholarship Offers $10,000

Paul Ecke Jr.AFE is accepting applications now through Feb. 1, 2014 for the Paul Ecke Jr. M.S./Ph.D. Scholarship Program for graduate students who have the skills and passion to become the next noted floriculture researcher or educator. Applications are available online.The scholarship honors the late Paul Ecke Jr. of Encinitas, Calif., who made significant contributions to the floriculture industry and believed strongly in research and education. Ecke was concerned about the future of floriculture and recognized that innovative researchers and educators are necessary for the continued success of the industry.“The Paul Ecke Jr. Scholarship has assisted me in the effort to continue my education at Purdue University, where I am one step closer to becoming a future floriculture extension specialist…

2013 Edition 4 AFE Bulletin Highlights Latest News

The 2013 Edition 4 AFE Bulletin is out now.In this issue:Raising Awareness With a Sinister, Yet Successful, Story!Fundraising Dinner Nets $30,000Meet AFE’s New LeadersCongratulations 2013 Scholarship Recipients!Beat the Year-End ClockNew Study Provides Insight on Purchasing Barriers for Non-Flower BuyersAFE Memorial Tribute Established for Ed and Dorothy Niklas (electronic version only)Floral Plant Giveaway Aims to Boost Horticulture Enrollment (electronic version only)To receive future editions of the bulletin newsletter via email, please send your email address to email@afeendowment.org.

AFE Memorial Tribute Established for Ed and Dorothy Niklas

Ed was born into floriculture. In 1911, Ed’s father and grandfather became partners in Rahn and Herberts Greenhouses in Clackamas, which incorporated in 1922 as Clackamas Greenhouses, Inc. Ed met Dorothy in 1941 after graduating from the University of Oregon with a business degree. They were parted the next year when Ed enlisted in Officer Training School for the U.S. Marine Corps and spent the next several years in the Pacific Ocean theatre during World War II. He married Dorothy on his one stateside leave and was discharged in 1945 with the rank of Major. Eventually, the couple settled in Portland to raise a family that would grow to five children. In 1955, Ed purchased the half of Clackamas Greenhouses,…

Floral Plant Giveaway Aims to Boost Horticulture Enrollment

Volunteers prepare boxes with plants and labels.AFE and Altman Plants supplied plants to the Department of Horticultural Science at North Carolina State University for a Floral Plant Give-Away Project (FPGAP) intending to recruit new horticulture students.During the fall semester of 2012, lecturers Lee Ivy and Lis Meyer, Assistant Professor Julieta Sherk and Professor and Department Head John Dole, Ph.D., began the FPGAP to increase student interest in plants and raise awareness of horticulture as a viable career option.They distributed 715 plants of multiple varieties to undecided undergraduate students and support members of the school’s First Year College Program, as well as to students enrolled in introductory horticulture classes.“Students in the First Year College Program by definition are undecided about a…

AFE Elects New Leaders to Help Floral Industry Bloom

Gabriel BecerraAFE announced at its annual fundraising dinner on Sept. 19, 2013 the appointments of two new leaders: Gabriel Becerra as AFE’s new Chairman-Elect and Randy Tagawa as the newest Trustee.Golden Flowers’ President Gabriel Becerra begins his term as Chairman-Elect after serving as an AFE Trustee for the past seven years.“I think the Endowment is extremely fortunate that Gabriel is willing to take on this chairmanship”, current Chairman Paul Bachman said. “He is a highly-respected trustee and has had great success in helping the U.S. and Colombian floral industries work together for the common good.”Becerra has a long history of supporting the industry through committee work with the Society of American Florists (SAF), The Flower Promotion Organization (FPO), The Colombian…

Murder, Sex and Greed Make AFE’s 2013 Fundraising Dinner One to Remember

Teleflora Chairman and AFE Development Chairman Tom Butler (left) and AFE Chairman Paul Bachman (right) congratulate FTD, Inc. Executive Vice President Tom Moeller.Murder, sex and greed were on the menu for the 200-plus attendees of AFE’s 2013 fundraising dinner, held in conjunction with the Society of American Florists’ Annual Convention in Phoenix.In the animated eye-opening awareness video that debuted at the dinner, murder, sex and greed describe solutions AFE-funded research has unearthed, from controling and eliminating pests to solving breeding and genetic issues.“‘Murder’, ‘sex’ and ‘greed’ are not words normally associated with our industry – until now, and for good reason,” Charles Kremp, AFE Trustee and Public Relations Committee Chairman, said.This new video takes a bold and shocking approach to…

AFE Awards More Than $30,000 to 2013 Scholarship Winners

Seventeen scholarship winners have been awarded competitive scholarships from AFE totaling more than $30,000. “Scholarships are so important to assist those who want to further their education in our industry,” AFE Scholarship Chairperson PJ Ellison of Ellison’s Greenhouses said. “Not only do they help the students, they also show those who want to be in our industry how much AFE cares.” AFE awards scholarships annually, and applications are due by May 1 of each year. This year, AFE had a record number of highly qualified scholarship applicants. American Florists’ Exchange Scholarship – $2,000 Recipient: Katrina Moldenhauer Moldenhauer, a junior at California Polytechnic State University studying agribusiness, hopes to work in the floriculture industry in sales or management. “My family owns…

Floriculture InfoSearch Puts Decades of Info at Your Fingertips

Industry members now have online access to a comprehensive floriculture library containing information that may have been previously unavailable. AFE has partnered with North Carolina State University (NCSU) to create the Floriculture InfoSearch Engine, a powerful search engine for convenient and comprehensive access to floriculture literature, videos and presentations.The website also contains a floriculture archive with materials from AFE, NCSU, scientific journals and trade publications, all of which is accessible and searchable through one website.“We want to thank a couple of floriculture pack rats, George Staby and Harold Wilkins, for opening their files to us and several industry groups and magazines for allowing us to scan and enter their articles,” project leader and NCSU Horticultural Science Department Head John Dole,…

AFE Board Visits Vermont for University, Greenhouse Tours

AFE Board of Trustees and guests at the UVM Entomology Research LabVermont is perhaps best known for maple syrup and vivid autumns, but could bubbles be next? The AFE Board of Trustees viewed a demonstration of an innovative bubble insulation system for greenhouses on their July 24-26 visit to Burlington, Vt., where they also toured the University of Vermont (UVM) Entomology Research Lab and Claussen’s Florist & Greenhouse.The bubble project is part of the UVM Energy Conservation Project, which aims to increase greenhouse sustainability through energy conservation. Researchers are currently testing the bubble insulation system and a heat retention/shade curtain to reduce greenhouse energy requirements during New England’s cold winters, which should extend the length of the growing season. Claussen’s…

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