Missouri State University's Mountain Grove Campus will host the Commercial Cut Flower Production Basics Workshop on Monday, September 29, 2008. Registration begins at 8:30am, and the workshop follows from 9:30am to 4:30pm. A fee is required to cover lunch and materials; $50 per person and $25 for each additional person in the party. Speakers Dr. Alan Stevens, Karen Pendleton, Ethan Jones, Jo Anne Thomas and Marilyn Odneal will give talks concerning flower production in the commericial setting.

Commercial Cut Flower Production Basics Flier

Preregistration is required; the deadline for preregistration is September 24.  In order to register, click the link below and send the completed form along with a check to Pamela Mayer at Missouri State University Department of Agriculture, 9740 Red Spring Road, Mountain Grove, MO 65711.

Registration Form

The State Fruit  Experiment Station is located at 9740 Red Spring Road in Mountain Grove. Take the second Mountain Grove exit of Hwy 60 and go north on Hwy 95 for about ¼ mile. The campus is at the crest of the first hill on the right of Hwy 95.

         

Speakers

Dr. Alan Stevens is the Director of the Kansas State University Horticulture Research and Extension Center and author of the book "Field Grown Cut Flowers: A Commercial Growers Guide". Dr. Stevens is also a two-term President of the Preserved Floral Products Association, a two-term Regional Director and member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Specialy Cut Flowers and has served 13 years as the Executive Secretary of the Kansas Greenhouse Growers Association.

Karen Pendleton is a Professional Flower Grower with Pendleton's Country Market in Lawrence, Kansas.She and her husband own Pendleton’s Country Market, a diversified farming operation. The farm grows a wide variety of vegetables, bedding plants, and cut flowers. They maintain a booth at the Lawrence Farmers' Market, and also have a seasonal vegetable and flower market on the family's farm. They invite customers out to "pick-their-own" produce and flowers, allowing non-farm families to feel ownership, and be a part of their diversified farm. 

Josh Jones is a Professional Flower Grower with Wild Goose Gardens in Osceola, Missouri. His brother Ethan and mother Susan both work with him in the flower business and will present information on their business.

Jo Anne Thomas is a Professional Flower Grower with Paeonia (pay-own-knee-a) Select in Lowry City, Missouri. She is a new grower and flower broker for area growers specializing in peonies. Her company sells to the Kansas City wholesale market and ships nationally. Jo Anne built a processing center in Lowry City, Mo. for her growers to process and store flowers for later transport.  A high tunnel is the next project for her farm which will be used as a picking, educational and experimental center.  Jo Anne is an active member in the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers and the National Peony Society.   Without a long history in the flower business, fresh success and painful experiences mark the path Jo Anne will share.

Marilyn Odneal is a Horticulturist at Missouri State University in Mountain Grove, Missouri. Marilyn directs a project looking at Missouri native plants and their suitability as cut flowers. Tammy Bruckerhoff, Grow Native! Business and Marketing Specialist, is her partner on this project.

 

For more information, contact Pamela Mayer: 417-547-7533, PMayer@missouristate.edu.