News
Global Collaboration in Bloom at Proflora 2025
October 16, 2025
This month, I had the privilege of representing AFE at Proflora 2025 in Bogotá, Colombia—a leading international floral trade show hosted by Asocolflores. Alongside AFE Past Chairman Ken Young, and AFE-funded researchers Dr. Rose Buitenhuis (Vineland Research and Innovation Centre) and Dr. John Dole (NC State University), we joined thousands of growers, breeders, suppliers, and floral professionals from across the globe.
I arrived ahead of the show to serve as a judge for the Outstanding Varieties Competition, an honor that connected me with industry leaders from Colombia, the United States, and the Netherlands. We were tasked with evaluating more than 430 entries on criteria such as flower, foliage, and stem quality; uniformity; overall presentation; and innovation (for breeder entries) or cultural quality (for grower entries). It was not an easy job since every entry reflected exceptional beauty and care, but it was deeply rewarding to experience the innovation and technical expertise behind each arrangement and see the best that Colombian floriculture has to offer.
While I was judging, past-Chairman Ken Young had the opportunity to go on a tour of one of the local farms run by The Elite Flower, a longtime supporter of AFE. Ken says, “It was great to tour Elite’s operations and hear from their management team about their focus on quality and efforts in sustainability. Their biocontrol lab was a great example of how Elite is addressing alternative solutions to conventional pesticides. However, the most impressive part was the presentation about their foundation which provides a number of programs and services to their employees including their school that serves over 2,000 students daily.”
In addition to the competition, tour, and trade show, Proflora fostered rich opportunities for learning and collaboration. AFE contributed to this exchange through two engaging research presentations during the first educational session.
After a warm introduction from Augusto Solano, Executive President of Asocolflores, Dr. John Dole presented his research on “Integrating AI and Technology into Cut Flower Production,” which explored how emerging tools can revolutionize efficiency and decision-making for flower farms.
Dr. Rose Buitenhuis followed with a session on “Integrated Pest Management for Diverse Thrips Species in Greenhouse Ornamentals,” offering practical strategies for sustainable pest control. Both sessions drew large audiences and underscored AFE’s commitment to advancing collaborative research that benefits the international floral community.
Proflora reminded us that the work we do at AFE has a global ripple effect — supporting not just American growers, but an international network of floral professionals who share our mission to strengthen and sustain the floral industry. We left Bogotá inspired and grateful for the opportunity to represent AFE on this global stage and to see, in person, how our collaborative efforts continue to bloom around the world.
