WebPro: Cut flower production

The wholesale value of domestically produced cut flowers was $416 million in 2007, according to USDA. Want a piece of this pie? Browse these sites for advice.

* www.ascfg.org

Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers (ASCFG) provides research updates, conferences, production help, marketing help and field trials for members. It’s also celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

* www.hightunnels.org/forgrowers.htm#CutFlowers

This Web site is part of a USDA-sponsored project that is testing and promoting high tunnel systems in the Central Great Plains. Researchers, extension specialists, professors, technicians and students contribute to this site. Get expert help from these sources: Kansas State University, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, West Virginia University, Kansas Rural Center and University of Missouri.

* http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/cutflower.html

This publication from the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service discusses several marketing channels and lists flowers suitable for various markets. It covers production basics, harvest and postharvest handling, business planning and record keeping, and resources for more help.

* www.umass.edu/umext/floriculture/fact_sheets/specific_crops/anncut.html

Tina M. Smith, floriculture extension specialist at University of Massachusetts, compiled this fact sheet for producing field-grown annuals for cuts.

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July 2008