This week my mentor, Dr. Elizabeth Lamb, invited me to the cut flower convention in Geneva, NY.
I was very excited when I showed up to the first event (lunch) and all the attendees were filling out my flower survey! I was able to get over 25 responses from cut flower growers, florists, and wholesalers from all across New York State.
On the first day, there were multiple speakers who gave very interesting presentations. First, I heard Jenny Marks give a presentation on crop planning. This presentation consisted of many helpful business tips that are applicable to any agriculture-related business and not just a flower farm. Then, Steve Hadcock gave a demonstration of a price calculator for flower businesses and Dr. Bill Miller gave a presentation on bulb flowers. That night I had dinner with many of the cut flower growers that attended the conference. I was able to have one-on-one conversations with multiple people who provided thought-provoking advice and perspectives on my research project and the use of native wildflowers as cut flowers.
The second day started with Fran Parrish giving a presentation on the importance of native plants in flower growing. This presentation was especially interesting to me because she explained that native plants are easier to maintain that typical cut flowers (like dahlias, etc.) because they are adapted for this environment. She explained that one method of pest control is to plant a patch of plants that you do not plan on harvesting that can either be the main point of attack for pests, or they could be a plant that attracts insects that are predators for the pest you have. This is a method of pest control that I had never heard of before. The last part to this day was getting a tour of Trademarks Farm, owned by Jenny Marks.
Overall, this trip was extremely informative, and I collected lots of useful information for my research project. I also was grateful that I got to see parts of the Cornell Agritech campus, as I had never been to Geneva before.