About the North Carolina Commercial Flower Growers' Association:

NCCFGA was started in 1957 and has served the needs of growers for over 40 years. The Association ranks as one of the leading floriculture organizations in the nation and has much to offer growers of all sizes through educational, legislative, and floriculture research and scholarship activities.

Educational Activities for Growers include sponsoring workshops, field days, and seminars, as well as publishing a bi-monthly bulletin. For example, NCCFGA cosponsors the:

• Southeast Greenhouse Conference and Trade Show, a three-day floriculture educational and trade show event.
• NCSU Annual Bedding Plant Field Day, where growers and landscapers tour trials of over 400 bedding plant varieties and attend educational sessions on timely topics. The NCCFGA general membership annual meeting is held in conjunction with the Bedding Plant Field Day each July.
• Green & Growin' Show, the largest green industry trade show event in North Carolina.
• NCSU Poinsettia Open House, where growers can make comparisons among cultivars grown under North Carolina conditions.

NCCFGA strengthens our industry through Legislature Educational Efforts The Association was actively involved in efforts to have greenhouse production classified as agriculture by the North Carolina State Legislature, helping to assure growers of proper tax and fuel allocation benefits. Floriculture is promoted to the State legislature by your Association, and through the efforts of NCCFGA, April has been proclaimed Floriculture Month in North Carolina by the Governor for the past five years.

The NCCFGA Research Fund has supported research on biological control of sweetpotato whitefly at NCSU and other integrated pest management approaches for greenhouse insect control, such as greenhouse screening for pest exclusion. It has also supported research on plug nutrient monitoring, poinsettia variety trials, and the bedding plant trials held at NC State University.

The latest project of NCCFGA is the establishment of the Roy A. Larson Scholarship Endowment. The Association kicked off the endowment by contributing $10,000, with an initial endowment goal of $100,000. The current balance stands close to $50,000. Interest accrued from this endowment will be awarded to outstanding undergraduate and graduate students in floriculture at NC State University. Our future depends on students coming into the field of floriculture, and NCCFGA is rewarding the future leaders of our industry through this scholarship effort.

Benefits of Membership:

Members of NCCFGA receive the North Carolina Flower Growers' Bulletin six times annually. This publication gives you timely tips on topics ranging from crop production to complying with legislation such as the new worker protection standards that affect our industry. Not only will you receive the Bulletin and a copy of the NCCFGA membership directory, but you also receive the benefits of the organization's educational, legislative, and floriculture research and scholarship efforts undertaken in behalf of all flower growers.

Membership Information:

Please consider supporting our efforts made on your behalf. We need your membership, but even more, we need your involvement and input into Association plans for the future. If you have any questions or comments about the Association or any of the programs, please call any of the Officers or Board Members. I hope you will fill out and mail in a Membership Application (Please note the new mailing address). The dues are a sound investment in the future of floriculture.