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Come learn from local growers and Cornell experts! Topics include pricing, crop scheduling, bulbs, perennials as cut flowers and more!

Cut flower growers will learn a variety of information including crop scheduling and planning, calculating prices, bulbs as cut flowers, using perennials and natives as cut flowers and other production information such as pest management and integration of methods. This program is part of the Cornell Program Work Team on Cut Flower Production. 

Monday, July 29: 11:30 a.m.–7 p.m.
Tuesday, July 30: 8 a.m.–Noon

Cost: $30 per day or $50 for both days—If registration fee is cost-prohibitive, please contact Betsy Lamb (eml38 [at] cornell.edu (eml38[at]cornell[dot]edu)).

Location: Cornell AgriTech, Geneva, NY

Overnight accommodations and meals are available at nearby Hobart and William Smith Colleges. 

Conference Agenda

Monday, July 29

  • 11:30 a.m.: Registration, lunch available
  • 12:15 p.m: Welcome
  • 12:30 p.m.: Crop scheduling and planning with Jenny Marks
  • 1:35 p.m.: Pricing calculator project with Steve Hadcock 
  • 2:15 p.m.: Bulbs with Bill Miller
  • 3 p.m.: Break with refreshments
  • 3:15 p.m.: Grower panel – Jenny Marks (Trademarks Farm), Brandie Waite (The Flower Yard) and Amy Knickerbocker (Labor of Love Flower Farm)
  • 4:15 p.m.: Hands-on trial of pricing calculator
  • 4:50-5 p.m.: Conference evaluation
  • 6 p.m.: Iron Chef Flower arranging and networking at Big aLIce Brewing

Tuesday, July 30

  • 8:30 a.m.: Growing perennial/climate resilient plants and native plants for cut flowers with Fran Parrish
  • 9:30 a.m.: Bus to Trademarks Farm
  • 10–11:30 a.m.: Tour of Trademarks Farm
  • 11:30 a.m.–Noon: Bus back to AgriTech

Date & Time

July 29, 2024 - July 30, 2024
11:30 am - 12:00 pm

Location

Speakers

Jenny Marks

Topic: Crop scheduling and planning 

About Jenny: Jenny Marks owns Trademarks Flower Farm in upstate NY where she specializes in growing fresh cut flowers (especially ranunculus and dahlias) for retail markets. Jenny has been involved in all aspects of agriculture since her childhood, and enjoys sharing profitable business skill resources for small-scale flower farmers through Trademark Farmer and the ASCFG, where she currently serves as the Northeast Regional Director.

Speakers

Bill Miller

Professor of Horticulture, Cornell University

Topic: Bulbs 

Speakers

Steve Hadcock

Topic: Pricing calculator project

About Steve: Steve Hadcock is the Team Leader for the CCE Capital Area Agricultural and Horticulture Program. Steve focuses on agricultural entrepreneurship with new and beginning agricultural (or ag-related) businesses.  He provides education and one-on-one technical assistance to individuals who aspire to start their businesses. Steve also provides technical assistance and marketing and market development education for any farm or small-scale food process. Regardless of how long they have been in business.

Steve’s interest and passion for farming started at age 10 when he visited a dairy farm near his home and participated in 4H. He attended SUNY Cobleskill and Cornell University and received a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science. Upon graduation, he was employed with Cornell Cooperative Extension and has been an Extension Educator for over 40 years.  

Speakers

Fran Parrish

Topic: Growing Native Plants for Biodiversity and Cut Flower Crops

About Fran: Fran Parrish is the owner of Heirloom Soul Florals, a flower farmer, and wedding floral designer in Lockport, NY.

Speakers

Brandie Waite

Grower Panel Participant

About Brandi: Brandie Waite has been growing cut flowers on a micro-scale in Bergen, NY since 2016. She started growing in raised beds and quickly realized she was drawn to production style growing and needed more space. Brandie is now in the process of expanding her operation to field growing in a market style garden and now runs The Flower Yard. As a part-time grower, she produces an average of 300 bouquets a season on just 1/16 of an acre. She has also experimented with growing winter tulips and was a participant in the 2022 Tulip Workshop. In her spare time she volunteers as a Master Gardener and is a 4-H Club Leader. 

Speakers

Amy Knickerbocker

Amy is the owner & operator of Labor of Love Flower Farm in Victor NY specializing in dahlias for Rochester’s wholesale market. Additionally, she sells dahlia tubers online and ships nationwide. Established in 2012, Amy is embarking on her 13th year growing flowers professionally. Most of her flowers are field-grown but also grows in a high-tunnel for season extension. She has a degree in plant biology from SUNY ESF and went to grad school at Oregon State University for Forest Science studying nutrient cycling.

Amy believes growing cut-flowers for the wholesale market, especially on a large scale, we will begin to create a shift in sourcing products for the floral industry from high-carbon footprint flown-in flowers to locally grown. Growing and selling cut-flowers is an incredibly noble, rewarding… and challenging endeavor, but it needs to be done. And we need all of you here to continue growing!

person smiling and holding a lot of flowers
Person showing bulbs to a group of students
person in an office with a CCE shirt on
Person in overalls holding a huge flower and smiling
portrait of person with long curly hair and a striped sweater
Smiling person holding a bucket full of flowers

More information about this event.

Contact Information

Elizabeth Lamb

  • eml38 [at] cornell.edu

Speaker

Jenny Marks

Bill Miller

Steve Hadcock

Fran Parrish

Departments

New York State Integrated Pest Management

Cornell AgriTech

School of Integrative Plant Science

Cornell Cooperative Extension

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