The U.S. floral industry will soon have — for the first time — comprehensive data on domestic floriculture production and sales in all 50 states thanks to changes to a survey by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).

That survey, from which the Floriculture Crops Summary is compiled, will now include growers in all 50 states and data on more crops as well as changes (improvements/enhancements) to how sales are reported. Those findings will be compiled in a report to be published in May.

The changes are a win for the industry and reflect the

The Wholesale Florist & Florist Supplier Association (WF&FSA) will hold its 2022 Floral Distribution Conference (FDC) in Miami on March 7–9. Organized around the theme “Breaking Boundaries, Bridging Divides,” the 2022 conference brings together floral industry wholesalers and distributors for three days of engaging speakers, educational programming, and networking opportunities.

Excitement is stirring for the 2022 event with new programs and interactive sessions — including wholesaler discussion groups, speed networking, and a powerful and extraordinary business motivational talk led by award

Dennis van der Lubbe will be leaving the Flower Council of Holland (FCH) on Dec. 31 , where he has been the Managing Director since March 2018. Starting next year, Dennis will be taking up a new role as European Marketing Director for a start-up in the field of corporate wellness.

Board Chairman Marco van der Sar says: “In recent years, Dennis has contributed to the professionalization of FCH in the area of consumer marketing. Alongside the effective campaigns that scored positively and delivered proven returns, shopper activations have been rolled out by a large number of growers, buyers

The RAYN Growing Systems team grows with the addition of Hannah Ball as a technical salesperson. In this new position, Ball will develop new business opportunities in the research-based and commercial production horticultural lighting markets.

“At RAYN Growing Systems, we work with plant physiologists to improve their scientific process with our lighting, sensing, and control tools,” said Jake Dunnum, VP of Commercial and Industrial Operations. “Hannah joins RAYN with just the right combination of expertise in plant science, experience with equipment for spectral optimization, and candor to

This fall, the Endowment created two informal surveys for professionals in the industry and academia about their experiences and advice to help young professionals interested in pursuing a career in floriculture/horticulture. The surveys include insights on the job market, career development, application advice, background on how professionals attained their current roles, and more. The surveys were released to AFE’s community of faculty, donors, and industry members.

With the help of our Young Professionals Council (YPC) through member Michael Wijesinghe, AFE analyzed the data and compiled

A few weeks ago, I reached out to a local florist in small-town Texas to order a bouquet. The occasion was solemn; a co-worker’s father passed away after a brief illness and the Wholesale Florist and Florist Supplier Association (WF&FSA) office wished to send our condolences through flowers.

Flowers of course are an expression: in this case an expression of sympathy. Perhaps they did not necessarily bring joy to the employee and his family, but the all-white bouquet transmitted a message of friendship and solidarity.

It’s difficult to sum up how something so simple — literally a jumble of