For schedule updates, the IFE website is floriexpo.com.

Monday, June 8

7 a.m.-5 p.m. Registration

8-9 a.m. Education Session: “Flower Power! Explore Essential Industry Advancements” presented by Cindy Hanauer, Grand Central Floral.

9:15-10:15 a.m. Education Session: “Using Left Brain Strategies to Succeed in the Right Brain Business World” presented by Jay Goltz, Goltz Group.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture recently announced that a majority of the qualified producers of the state’s cut flowers and greens have voted in favor of the continuation of the California Cut Flower Commission for another five years, according to a news release.

The International Floriculture Expo and the United Fresh Produce Association will collaborate on the Iron Designer Competition June 9 in Chicago, according to a news release.

The IFE and United Fresh will be co-located with FMI Connect 2015 in 1,000,000-square-feet of exhibit space to bring together food retail, fresh produce and floral leaders from all segments of the supply chain.

In May 2014, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe made the announcement that Bloomaker USA would increase its existing Waynesboro, VA, horticulture operations. Bloomaker, known for developing and patenting the new floral category “Long Life Flowers,” has invested more than $2 million to build a new greenhouse, creating potential for 98 jobs in the area and preparing to take annual sales from $10 million to over $25 million in five years.

Ecuador’s president Rafael Correa signed an exclusion of advance payments for the fiscal period 2015 for flower exporters, according to a news release. The decision was made official through Executive Decrees 645 and 646, published April 3.

The Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers is one busy organization. In fact, it would be hard to find another group in the floral industry this busy — from national conferences to quarterly Grower Intensive meetings to Growers’ Schools for beginning growers, plus an amazing magazine, The Cut Flower Quarterly, a research foundation, variety trials, a scholarship program, and a grower grant program — you get the picture.