AFE has decades of research, educational resources, funding opportunities, and industry tools available to support the floral industry. Making those resources available is only part of the job. We also want to make sure people can easily find, understand, and most importantly, use them.

As technology advances, we are finding new ways to improve that access. Visitors to both endowment.org and sustainabloom.org can now view our websites in either English or Spanish. Through newly integrated translation technology from TranslatePress, users can easily switch languages while navigating the sites. This new expansion is made possible by a generous grant from the Demaree Family Floriculture Advancement Fund. The fund focuses on initiatives that create meaningful impacts through resources, education, or advancements that benefit the industry as a whole.

For AFE, that means Spanish-speaking industry members can more easily explore our research, scholarships, internships, educational programs, funding opportunities, and more. On Sustainabloom’s site, it provides greater access to sustainability education, planning templates, research, and other practical tools.

More Ways to Connect with Professor Petal

The capabilities of Professor Petal, our AI-powered chatbot, have also greatly expanded. Developed in partnership with nextvert, an innovative technology company specializing in intelligent automation, Professor Petal is designed to help industry members easily explore AFE’s wide range of resources.

When Professor Petal first launched on endowment.org, visitors could simply ask a question rather than search through pages of research, programs, and resources to find what they needed. Now, Professor Petal can communicate in 32 languages, making the tool useful to even more members of the floral community.

Visitors are also no longer limited to typing their questions. With the new voice feature, users can speak directly with Professor Petal and receive audible responses, creating a more conversational way to find information while still offering the traditional text chat option.

These improvements build on our ongoing partnership with nextvert and our shared interest in using technology in practical ways that benefit the floral industry. Our relationship with nextvert began through its support of Sustainabloom via QR Zipper™, a nextvert company, which donates a portion of every QR Message sold to support Sustainabloom. Working together on Professor Petal provided another opportunity to explore how emerging technology could make AFE’s extensive collection of information easier to navigate and put to use.

As AI technology continues to develop, we see Professor Petal as another tool for connecting people with what they need, whether that is a specific research project, scholarship opportunity, webinar, internship, or educational resource.

Building on Spanish-Language Resources for Growers

While some of these technology updates are new, increasing access to Spanish-language information is not new for AFE. Our Thrips & Botrytis Research Library provides webinars and supporting resources in both English and Spanish. Developed from AFE-funded research addressing two of the most significant pest and disease challenges facing growers, the library was built to put practical research findings into the hands of those working directly with these issues.

We are also now sharing Growing Further, our quarterly newsletter developed specifically for growers, with a Spanish translation. Each issue features AFE-funded research, educational resources, upcoming opportunities, and information growers can use within their operations. Together, these efforts are helping us continue to improve how we share information across the industry.

Keeping Pace with How the Industry Accesses Information

AFE has supported the floral industry for 65 years, but the ways we deliver that support have changed considerably. Research reports that were once primarily distributed in print can now be searched online. Educational programs can reach participants virtually. AI can help someone locate years of research in seconds or instantly answer an application question that might once have required a phone call. Translation technology can make those same resources available to a broader audience.

We want to continue taking advantage of these advancements where they can make a meaningful difference. By offering more language options and new ways to search, ask questions, and interact with our digital platforms, we can better connect people across floriculture with the information and opportunities available to them.

But even as we embrace new technology, there are still people behind all of these resources. Our team is always available to answer questions, help someone find what they need, or simply connect directly. These tools are not meant to replace that personal connection, but to give the industry more ways to reach us and access AFE’s programs and resources.

As technology continues to change, we will continue looking for practical ways to use it while maintaining the personal connections at the heart of AFE, helping us better serve the floral industry and connect more people with the research, programs, and resources available to them.