Over the last several years I have been honored to receive invitations from the California Cut Flower Commission to spend time with them at the Tournament of Roses, and I was fortunate to be able to visit Pasadena again last week for the annual festivities. The Commission has developed partnerships with the Buy California Marketing Agreement (CA Grown), the floral company FTD, and Cal Poly (both the SLO and Pomona campuses) to place floats in the Rose Parade consisting of California-grown flowers!
Prior to the parade, I was pleased to provide certification that 85 percent of the flowers on the Cal Poly float were California Grown. This is the fourth year in a row the university’s float has been able to qualify for the CA Grown certification. It requires extraordinary planning, creative designs, and innovative engineering on the part of the students as well as a year-round working relationship with flower growers who donate many of the flowers used and have to know the design in order to plant the right crops to be ready for the big day. And all that work paid off – the float won the Lathrop K. Leishman award for the Most Beautiful Non-Commercial Float!
Once again, I was impressed by the outstanding Cal Poly students and their advisors. Their commitment, collaboration and hard work is inspiring and reminds me that the best crop we produce in California is our students – the future of our state.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: California Department of Food and Agriculture
