AFE Application Deadlines Calendar

Mark your calendars! Deadlines for our scholarship, internship, research proposal, and educational grant applications are listed below and are consistent year-to-year unless otherwise announced. Click an opportunity to learn more and apply. Free deadline posters are available for your download below. February 1Paul Ecke Jr. and Altman Family Scholarships March 1James & Helen Phillip Floral Design GrantMosmiller InternshipVic & Margaret Ball InternshipMay 1Undergrad & Graduate ScholarshipsJune 1Educational GrantsAugust 1Gus Poesch Research GrantScientific Research ProposalsOctober 1Arizona Retail Florist GrantMosmiller InternshipRetail Florist Continued Education GrantVic & Margaret Ball InternshipApplications Accepted Year-RoundBusiness Internships  Deadline PostersBelow are free posters for your convenience so you can get your applications in on time, every time. Each poster has the same information, just click your favorite design, then right-click to…

AFE’s Research Achievements

The challenges facing the flower industry have changed throughout the last 60 years, and with these changes, AFE has redirected research efforts adapting to the needs of the community that we serve. As opportunities developed from these challenges, AFE supported research to enhance product quality, share best practices, and improve profits leading to a more successful floral industry. Many projects have been funded at universities and colleges across the U.S. through the years. Results from these projects have led to new production practices, postharvest & shipping procedures, reduced losses from pests & diseases, and improved longer lasting flowers. AFE funded research has transformed the floral industry as we know it today and resulted in improved quality of flowers reaching consumers.Let’s take…

Increasing Demand and Satisfaction in the Floral Industry

New Study Results Explores Purchasing, Preferences, and Targeted Messaging The Floral Marketing Fund (FMF) released the results from the first of three consumer preferences studies being completed in 2021, Increasing Demand and Satisfaction in the Floral Industry. The results come from two separate surveys conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic (one in July of 2020 and one in June of 2021) by researchers Dr. Benjamin L. Campbell, Dr. Julie H. Campbell, and Dr. Jessica A. Holt at the University of Georgia. The study was funded by the FMF, whose mission is to develop, support, and promote collaborative fundraising, research, and marketing efforts to increase flower sales. As businesses look to serve new and existing customers, they must ensure they are not only driving…

Pioneering a New Era of Nutritional Monitoring with Fert, Dirt, and Squirt

Figure 1. The collaborative group of greenhouse and floriculture specialists and educators, e-GRO, launched a Nutritional Monitoring of Floriculture Crops website. Pictured is the website homepage. Photo by Dr. W. Garrett Owen.Nutritional disorders are among the many challenges greenhouse growers encounter during crop production. These disorders often develop when substrate pH or soluble salts [referred to as electrical conductivity (EC)] drifts above or below optimal ranges for plant uptake. To assist greenhouse growers in addressing nutritional disorders, the collaborative group of greenhouse and floriculture specialists and educators, e-GRO, has launched a Nutritional Monitoring of Floriculture Crops website, Fert, Dirt & Squirt (Fig. 1), led by Dr. W. Garrett Owen and Dr. Brian Whipker. The Nutritional Monitoring of Floriculture Crops, sponsored…

The Endowment’s Involvement and Community Achievements at ASHS

The Endowment is pleased to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of our community of industry members. From scholarship recipients to funded research projects, AFE’s network made a splash at the ASHS conference in Denver, Colorado.Ping Yu, a recent Ph.D. graduate and one of AFE’s Young Professional Council (YPC) members, was recently awarded the Graduate Student Scholar Award.Graduate Student Scholar, Ping YuPing just graduated with her Ph.D. in horticulture from Texas A&M University and is joining the University of Florida as a postdoctoral research associate in the fall. Her Ph.D. research focused on replacing peat moss with biochar to enhance greenhouse and floriculture crop production. Her future research interests include continuing biochar research and extending her research topic to include weed…

Newly Released: Research Webinars for Thrips and Botrytis

Thrips & Botrytis Webinar Series Recordings Now Available We have released webinar recordings from a 6-week webinar series highlighting new research findings from our specially-funded Thrips and Botrytis Research Fund. Initially presented exclusively to our Thrips and Botrytis Fund supporters, these recorded webinars are now being released to the industry in both English and Spanish. Take advantage of these FREE resources to help with your pest and disease management!Throughout these webinars, you will learn the best practices for managing and controlling thrips and botrytis, understand why decisions are made, and how to make the best management decisions for your greenhouse. Our featured topics also include addressing fungicide resistance and the opportunity for use of biological controls. These presentations are brought to you directly from our…

Care & Handling Resources, Guides, and Research for Cut Flowers

When the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers recently announced their Cut Flowers of the Year, the Endowment asked Dr. John Dole from NC State University to provide information on the handling of each crop. AFE has been supporting the important research at NC State for decades and is funding a new two-year project on long-term storage of cut flowers beginning in July. Care & Handling for Cut FlowersFresh Cut Flower of the Year:  Hellebore Ice N’ Roses series.  Interest in hellebores as cut flowers has steadily increased over the years, fueled by their durability and new genetics that feature outward-facing flowers in many colors and color combinations. Flowers can be harvested over a long period – interestingly, the older flowers last…

New Monthly ‘Grow Pro’ Webinars

Providing the Floral Industry with Direct Access to Findings and Expert ResearchersInnovation, vision, and education drive the future of the floral industry. Starting this May, we are hosting new monthly webinars on production topics that directly impact growers.AFE-funded research has provided our industry with solutions to tough challenges for 60 years now. To further communicate new results from university studies and other advancements on a broader scale, these monthly webinars are being offered free of charge, thanks to industry sponsorships.Our nationally recognized researchers, hosts, and speakers will offer ‘how-to’ advice based on AFE-funded and other research projects to help the industry navigate through these ever-changing growing challenges. The webinar topics are current and offer long-term opportunities for growers to focus on increased profit, greater…

NEW DEADLINE: Research Proposal Applications 2022-2023

Research Proposal Applications are Due August 1st, 2021 Apply NowWe are now calling for research proposal applications for 2022-2023!Secure funding for your floriculture research project by applying before the deadline of August 1st. We moved the deadline back from June to August to be mindful of busy academic calendars during May and June. This updated deadline will give our researchers more time to work on their proposals.The primary research priorities are listed below. They are focused on all floricultural crops – fresh-cut flowers, fresh-cut greens, flowering potted plants, foliage plants, and bedding plants.Botrytis Control and ManagementThrips Control and ManagementBiocontrol of PestsPostharvest TechnologyProduction TechnologyAdvanced Breeding Technology, including CRISPRLong-Term Storage and Shipping Conditions for Cut Flowers, Bedding and Potted PlantsAutomation and Technology Leading to Labor…

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…

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