The National Floriculture Forum (NFF) will meet from February 16-17, 2019, in Chicago, Illinois. The NFF continues an annual tradition dating back to the early 1990s, with an educational meeting for industry leaders, university faculty, graduate students and government scientists from academic institutions, governmental agencies and the greenhouse industry.
The NFF brings together diverse floricultural communities with the objectives to 1) address issues of importance to the floriculture industry, 2) form collaborative relationships, and 3) improve communication within the American floriculture industry to share and disseminate information.
The 2019 NFF will open with an optional tour on Saturday morning to the Chicago Botanic Garden for those arriving early. At the Chicago Botanic Garden, Dr. Jim Ault will lead a tour of the newly renovated greenhouses and speak about the scientific endeavors of the garden, which includes the breeding and introduction program associated with Chicagoland Grows. We will also tour the gardens. Following the tour and the provided lunch on Saturday, we begin the afternoon with a business meeting with presentations from various speakers on research funding opportunities, industry trends, and the like. Faculty members and graduate students will also be asked to update the group on their universities’ programs including enrollments, and teaching, research and extension programs. This will continue into Sunday morning’s session. On Saturday evening, Dr. Charlie Hall, holder of the Ellison Chair in International Floriculture at Texas A&M University, will address the group on “Incorporating the Value of Plants and Our Industry into Curricula.”
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