Since 2019, the Kentucky Horticulture Council (KHC) has been working closely with Horticulture Extension Agents Kristin Hildabrand (Warren Co) and Alexis Sheffield (Boyle Co) to address needs of the rapidly increasing cut flower industry in Kentucky. Based on inquiries and observation, we suspected there were many more growers in the state than the 68 field growers listed in 2017 USDA Ag Census and anticipated growers were clustered near more urban areas. Our preliminary research indicated that cut flowers could be very profitable on small acreages and the market potential was high since about 80% of the US flower market is imported.

In the last four years, our outreach efforts specific to this industry segment have provided:

1. direct promotion of 136 KY farms, increasing their visibility to customers
2. an online tool for customers to find KY cut flower farms
3. live cut flower production and marketing education to almost 300 established and pre- commercial growers
4. recorded content to nearly 400 viewers on cut flower production and marketing topics
5. one-on-one support to 126 cut flower operations in Kentucky

In 2020, the cut flower working group launched a promotional campaign where we recruited KY flower farms to feature across KHC’s social media channels. We selected July to amplify the national American Grown Cut Flower Month promotional campaign message. In that first year, we highlighted 42 farms in 30 counties and had a reach of over 52,000 across Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. By the end of that same year, we identified 90 cut flower operations in Kentucky. 

In July 2021, our social media campaign featured 52 growers across 35 Kentucky counties, with a reach of over 60,000 and our list of operations had grown to 104. The July 2022 social media campaign featured a different cohort of 52 growers in 46 counties. The current database of growers now exceeds 125 farms in 66 counties selling through both retail and wholesale outlets. In just 5 years, the number of KY farms with cut flower enterprises has doubled!

Each year, the cut flower working group surveys participating growers after the promotional campaign about farm impact and needs. Each year, our participants report increased followers on social media and increased traffic on their websites and sales channels. Growers feel the promo efforts are valuable and nearly all (~95%) express interest in future campaigns. We have collected basic demographic and general sales data. Eight growers have reported generating more than $25,000 annually from cut flower sales, which is exciting since average cut flower production area was 1.6 and 0.75 acres in 2017 and 2012, respectively.

Because marketing is important to growers, our team wanted to increase visibility of these farms year-round and help growers easily connect to customers, so the working group worked with Josh Knight in the UK Center for Crop Diversification (UK CCD) to develop an online interactive map (https://uk-horticulture.github.io/KY-Cut-Flowers/) to help customers identify purchasing options based on geographic location. The map is being accessed regularly and showed us that growers are geographically dispersed across Kentucky, not just in or adjacent to urban areas.

Our planning team is continually asking growers to identify critical research, programming needs and barriers. To meet these needs, Horticulture Extension Agents Alexis and Kristin organized and invited KHC to participate in a series of short courses. 4 short courses were held in 2021 and focused more on cut flower production. The 2 short courses held in 2022 focused on marketing topics. More than 800 growers have registered for these webinars and we are seeing a regional impact with many participants from outside Kentucky joining our sessions. 

In the two 2022 sessions, 169 established and pre-commercial growers participated live and 288 watched the posted recordings. The combination of live and recorded content is making the information more accessible to Kentucky farms. Grower feedback has been extremely positive for each session. From the Selling to Local Florists session, 100% of the participants surveyed said they learned new information and 96% indicated they would be applying the information they learned. Participant comments included:

This was very intriguing... I might be able to do this.

I plan to reach out to florist in an attempt to sell cut flowers they can only get locally (zinnias, etc.).

I learned how to approach a florist and looking into the USDA Boston Ornamental Terminal pricing list for estimating flower prices.

From the Art & Science of Pricing session, 100% of the participants surveyed said they learned new information and 94% indicated they would be applying the information they learned. Specific comments included:

I'm going to start tracking my costs, keep a lot more data, and I'm going to talk to my local florist.

I learned to not price my flowers lower because I am new to farming.

I really learned a lot from this webinar. It was super helpful as I consider really trying to make a business of my flower farming.

All the webinar topics were identified by growers as important to their operations and they continue to identify other areas where they need assistance. The planning team is currently working on two virtual short courses planned for late fall 2022. 

The team continues to identify and create resources and tools for growers, with UK CCD hosting a curated page of information (https://www.uky.edu/ccd/production/crop-resources/nursery- ornamental/cut-flowers). Grower use is high and they continue to identify other resources and tools that could benefit their operations.

The presented information and resources have reached KY’s 100+ growers as well as many more growers outside the state. As a result, new information has been made available to growers that will enable them to reduce costs, optimize production, and enhance marketing efforts, which will positively impact farm revenue. Demand for local products remains high in Kentucky and growing cut flowers for retail and wholesale markets is a profitable option for rural and urban growers, especially on small acreages.