2012 Cornell Floriculture Field Day, July 24

Cornell University Floral June 19, 2012

July 24, 2012  Cornell Campus Ithaca, N.Y.

The morning program will center on a theme of diversification and responding to changing consumer values to maintain operation profitability. Debbie Hamrick, Director Specialty Crops, North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation will present the keynote address "America's Horticultural Renaissance: Increasing sales in light of changing consumer values". We will then have a Question and Answer panel from three greenhouse operations that have made their own diversification efforts including year-round herb production, cut flowers, and overwintering estate plants. Deborah Sweeton will detail the benefits of getting her community involved in American in Bloom. The morning program will conclude with disease and pest updates.

Lunch and the afternoon program will take place outdoors at the Bluegrass Lane annual and perennial trials facility. Participants can attend guided tours of the trials or view the flower beds at their leisure. The Kathy Pufahl Container Design competition will also be held in conjunction with Field Day. (More info below.) The afternoon will conclude with an ice cream social and announcement of the container design contest winners. More program details.

Visitors to Ithaca may also be interested in attending the IPM In-Depth program to be held the previous day. Hands-on exercises will cover timely insect, disease, and plant culture topics. DEC pesticide credits will be available at the Field Day and at the IPM program.

Field Day registration is $85 per person for the entire day (includes lunch), $65 for spouses or additional members of the same company registered on the same form. Afternoon-only at Bluegrass Lane (including lunch) is $35. After July 10 and on-site registration for the Field Day is $100 per person for the full program, and $50 for afternoon-only (lunch and educational materials not guaranteed for those who register on-site).

Field day attendees may wish to attend a separate IPM In-Depth, Hands-on Workshop offered the day before the field day.

Online registration.

Registration questions? Contact Tracey Sherwood: (607) 255-7734 or tbs46@cornell.edu.

2012 Kathy Pufahl Container Competition:

Claim your spot as one of the best container designers in the state and help us reach $10,000 in donations for IBD research at Mount Sinai Hospital in honor of Kathy Pufahl!

Individual entries will be $25 per container. Categories:

  • 12" hanging basket
  • 16" patio container
  • "unlimited" container
  • home gardener container

New this year: An award for best first time entry in each category. All proceeds will go directly to IBD research at Mt. Sinai Hospital, to help ensure a bright future for Kathy's daughter and others like her, who have Crohn's disease. For more information about the competition, contact: Karen Hall, 716-941-3502 nysfi@nyflowergrowers.org.

Source: Cornell University