Specialty cut flower growers meeting in Wooster, Ohio

Specialty cut flower growers from around the Midwest will be attending the 2011 Midwest Regional Meeting of the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers, Aug. 8-9, in Wooster, Ohio. The event will occur at Ohio St. Univ.’s Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center.

Speakers will be featured from both the industry and university. Ken Cochran, who’s the program director of OARDC’s Secrest Arboretum, will speak on the best woody shrubs for cut branches. There will also be presentations on floral design; postharvest handling; organic weed management; integrated pest management scouting; and testing for, amending and maintaining healthy growing substrates. The first day will end with a tour of the gardens at the Agricultural Technical Institute, which adjoins the center.

On Aug. 9 there will be tours of three Amish flower farms. All three of these successful businesses operate without electricity.