The Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers, Inc. (ASCFG) will hold its 2011 National Conference and Trade Show November 7-10 at the Sheraton Hotel in Reston, Virginia.
The Conference opens with its popular Growers’ School, an intensive one-day program covering the basics of cut flower production. This hands-on event will take place in Gainesville, Virginia at Lynnvale Studios, a flower farm which provides flowers for several D.C.-area farmers’ markets and florists, as well as for weddings and special events. Site preparation, insect and disease control, crop selection, and marketing and sales are just a few topics to be discussed.
The same day, Monday, November 7, the first alternative energy workshop specifically designed for cut flower growers will be held at the hotel in Reston. Speakers will examine methods and equipment which help farmers lower inputs and conserve resources.
Tuesday includes sessions featuring John Dole of North Carolina State University, Scott Aker of the National Arboretum, Keith Jones from the House Subcommittee on Horticulture and Nutrition, and several growers from across the country addressing cut flower production and management topics. More sessions, a trade show, and tours of Farmhouse Flowers and Plants, and the National Arboretum take place on Wednesday. The week wraps up with two more tours on Thursday: Wollam Gardens and the Fresh Tulips USA.
The conference brochure is attached. For more information go to www.ascfg.org
The ASCFG is a trade association which provides production and marketing information to commercial cut flower growers in the United States and Canada. Its goal is to unite growers of specialty cuts produced in the field, greenhouse or hoophouse, and sold to wholesalers, retailers or directly to consumers at farmers’ markets. The Cut Flower Quarterly is the only major periodical which focuses on field and greenhouse growing, research, market trends, new varieties and other aspects of the cut flower industry.
Source: The Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers, Inc