The newest edition of the AFE Bulletin is available now with the latest industry and Endowment news!

Highlights include:

• Improved Packaging Enhances Fresh Cut Flowers
  
• Ecke Scholarship Recipient: "Success Breeds Motivation"
  
• Remembering Jacob Van Namen, Floral Industry Pioneer
  
• Reaching a Younger Demographic Through Social Media
  
• Spring Internships Awarded!
  
• AFE Participates at 2013 National Floriculture Forum
  
• Internships Pay Off!
  
• AFE Launches Awareness Campaign
• AFE Addresses Pest Management Attendees
• Save the Date for AFE's Annual Fundraising Dinner

To receive future editions of the Bulletin via email, please send your email address to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Garrett Owen, currently pursuing his M.S. in Horticulture Science from North Carolina State University, was awarded the 2013 Paul Ecke, Jr. Scholarship, a merit-based scholarship honoring the late floriculture pioneer. Ecke made indispensable contributions to the advancement of the global floriculture industry and recognized that creative scientists and educators are necessary for the industry’s future, which is why this scholarship is awarded to students who will become the next generation of exceptional researchers or educators.

“This scholarship is definitely going to help financially, but it also continues to fuel my passion to further my education so I can make an impact from the classroom to the greenhouse,” Owen said. “I once heard ‘success breeds motivation,’ and receiving this scholarship helps keep me motivated to make a difference and make a positive impact.”

Owen, who aspires to become a floriculture extension specialist and professor, will continue his education as a doctoral candidate in floriculture research at Purdue University under Roberto G. Lopez, Ph.D.

Jacob Van Namen, founder of Vans Floral Products and former AFE Trustee, died March 31 in Chicago. He was 90.

A successful businessman from Holland, Mr. Van Namen immigrated to the United States in 1955 with his wife Rita and two sons, Jack and John. The family settled in Chicago where Mr. Van Namen worked a variety of jobs until being hired by DeBoer Wholesale Florist.

By 1960, he was a partner in the business and soon assumed ownership of the company, which became known as Van's Wholesale Florists. "Van" grew the company from a single location in the Chicago area to 12 distribution centers in six states by the 1990s. As his family grew, his sons and daughter followed in their father's footsteps to become active in the business, along with some of his grandsons in later years.

March 19, 2013 - Using multiple pesticides together to prevent a broader spectrum of pests is common in the floriculture industry, but it can be difficult confirming those pesticide mixtures are beneficial and safe for plants. Researchers A.L. Willmott, R.A. Cloyd and K.Y. Zhu from Kansas State University aim to better inform the industry about pesticide mixtures in a research report recently released by AFE.

“This research will help keep growers from using mixtures that are a waste of time and money and will result in crop damage,” Cloyd said. “This will help them determine which combinations to use, and they may not have to make as many applications.”