2026 Ask an Expert
The Ask an Expert webinar series features ASCFG member experts who share their ideas, insights, and lessons learned on a specific topic. Driven by experience, these webinars provide a robust overview of the topic before segueing into an interactive question and answer period for attendees. View our forthcoming sessions below!
Reminders:
- Members can access recordings of prior webinars in the ASCFG Members Only Learning Portal.
- Interested in presenting? Apply to present an Ask an Expert webinar. Learn more here.
- Did you attend a recent Ask an Expert webinar? We’d love your feedback!
Cultivating Connection — Creating Community-Led Flower Collectives
Monday, January 26
8:00 p.m. EST
Presented by Tracy Yang of JARN Co. Flowers
Cultivating Connection: Creating Community-Led Flower Collectives explores how independent flower farmers can join forces to build resilient, community-rooted collectives. This session, led by Tracy Yang of JARN Co. Flowers, will cover the benefits of working cooperatively, while offering practical advice for starting and sustaining a collective. Participants will gain inspiration, tools, and confidence to grow not just flowers, but lasting partnerships grounded in trust, equity, and shared purpose.
Tracy Yang is a Hmong-American flower farmer based near Monroe, Washington, and co-founder of JARN Co. Flowers with her partner, Nick Songsangcharntara. She shifted from a career in fitness and dance into farming during the pandemic, reconnecting with her family’s agricultural roots. Their farm specializes in tulips and heirloom dahlias, grown using sustainable practices and sold through CSAs, the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market, and local shops and pop-ups. Tracy also founded the SnoCo. Flower Collective, which brings together regional growers and hosts a weekly summer flower market to strengthen community connections.
Zoom instructions will be emailed to members on the day of the event. All Ask an Expert webinars are recorded.
Sponsored by:
Taking Summers Off — A Case Study
Monday, February 16
8:00 p.m. EST
Presented by Laura Beth Resnick of Butterbee Farm
A decade into farming, Laura Beth Resnick of Butterbee Farm decided to institute a summer break: eight weeks off, mid-June to mid-August. She and her husband had no idea if it would work. Would their florists come back after eight weeks away? Would the finances work out? How would they balance vacation, rest, and the necessary farm work to get ready for the fall season? Three summer breaks later, they can attest: it’s working! They have learned a lot about how to manage the precious time, how to hire for the season, and how to think about our cash flow. In this session, Butterbee Farm owner Laura Beth will share the strategy behind the break, what she’s learned, some mistakes made, and how she and her team make up for summer sales during the shoulder seasons.
Laura Beth Resnick is the founder and owner of Butterbee Farm, a five-acre flower farm in northern Maryland. Butterbee Farm has provided locally grown flowers to florists and flower lovers from Baltimore to Washington, D.C. for thirteen seasons. Growing in greenhouses, high tunnels, and fields, Butterbee Farm specializes in high quality cuts for use in design. Laura Beth has served as President of the MCFGA (Maryland Cut Flower Growers Association) and Secretary for the Board of the ASCFG (Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers). She is a regular speaker at conferences, garden clubs, and arboretums, and mentors new growers through Future Harvest’s Beginning Farmer Training Program.
Zoom instructions will be emailed to members on the day of the event. All Ask an Expert webinars are recorded.
Sponsored by:
Managing Diseases of Dahlia, Zinnia, Sunflower, and Snapdragon Cut Flower Crops
Monday, March 9
8:00 p.m. EST
Presented by Dr. Margery Daughtrey, Plant Pathologist
Dr. Margery Daughtrey will cover the most common and aggravating diseases of dahlia, zinnia, snapdragon and sunflower, giving points on identification and prevention. The diseases featured will include root rots, stem rots, leaf spots and flower blights as well as systemic vascular wilts. You will learn more about Xanthomonas, rust, Septoria, powdery mildew, downy mildew and Verticillium wilt, among others. Cultural, biological and chemical controls will be given. Even some diseases that defy control will be described. In the Q & A time, Margery will be happy to hear stories of growers’ successes and failures at management of particularly gnarly diseases.
Margery Daughtrey is a Senior Extension Associate with the Section of Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology of Cornell University. She has conducted a research and extension program on the management of diseases of ornamental plants since 1978, at Cornell’s Long Island Horticultural Research and Extension Center in Riverhead, NY. She educates growers on management of greenhouse and nursery crop diseases, runs a diagnostic laboratory and investigates controls for problems such as powdery mildew, impatiens downy mildew and boxwood blight. Daughtrey holds a B.S. degree in Biology from the College of William and Mary and an M.S. in Plant Pathology from the University of Massachusetts, as well as a PhD from Cornell University. She was named a Fellow of APS in 2012. Daughtrey is coauthor of several books, including Diseases of Herbaceous Perennials and the Compendium of Flowering Potted Plant Diseases, as well as the Compendium of Bedding Plant Diseases and Pests.
Zoom instructions will be emailed to ASCFG members prior to the event. All Ask an Expert events are recorded.
Sponsored by:
Farming and Social Justice: Practices to Add To Your Farm Today
Monday, April 13, 2026
8:00 p.m. EST
Presented by Bo Dennis of Randy Dam Farm
Join Bo Dennis of Dandy Ram Farm, an LGBTQ+ flower farm and floral design studio based in rural Maine, for an interactive webinar about farming your values. Dandy Ram grows florals for wedding design services, retail, and wholesale. They have a robust shipping program as well, designing and shipping evergreen wreaths and plant dyed fabrics nationally. Central to the farm’s mission is mutual aid focused on land justice and queer liberation. Bo will first share about Dandy Ram’s farm production before discussing building a values centered business and strategies for advancing social justice through farming. Workshop participants will explore values they hold and how to use their business as a tool for social change.
Zoom instructions will be emailed to members on the day of the event. All Ask an Expert webinars are recorded.
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All about Chrysanthemums
Monday, May 11, 2026
8:00 p.m. EST
Presented by Jessica Hall of Harmony Harvest Farm
Chrysanthemums are stunning, resilient, and full of possibility, but growing heirloom varieties often comes with more questions than answers. In this Ask an Expert session, Jessica Hall of Harmony Harvest Farm will dig into the nitty-gritty of mum production, from propagation and spacing to harvest and storage. Since 2014, Jessica has been trialing heirloom mums and learning best practices to fill the gaps left by the lack of historical growing information. Bring your questions and learn how chrysanthemums can become a standout crop on your farm.
Jessica Hall is the Owner, Visionary, and Weeder-in-Chief at Harmony Harvest Farm in Weyers Cave, Virginia. She began growing chrysanthemums in 2014 as one of her very first crops and has been hooked ever since. Because heirloom mums often lack historical growing data, Jessica has spent years trialing, documenting, and educating others on how to grow them successfully. She’s passionate about sharing her experiences to help flower farmers unlock the beauty and potential of this specialty crop.
Harmony Harvest Farm is a women-owned flower farm in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. Since 2011, the farm has produced American-grown flowers for nationwide bouquet shipping, weddings, workshops, and on-farm experiences. Best known for its extensive chrysanthemum collection, Harmony Harvest Farm is dedicated to preserving heirloom mums and filling the gaps in knowledge about how to grow them. Through its nationwide Mum Project, the farm partners with growers to collect data, share resources, and ensure these beloved flowers thrive for future generations.
Zoom instructions will be emailed to members on the day of the event. All Ask an Expert webinars are recorded.
Sponsored by:
Starting Ranunculus from Seed
Monday, June 8
8:00 p.m. EST
Presented by Scott Rusch of InFlora Cut Flowers
While ranunculus can be grown from corms, seed propagation offers an affordable and scalable way to diversify genetics, extend production windows, and experiment with unique varieties. This session takes a deep dive into the technical aspects of starting ranunculus from seed, with an emphasis on efficiency, uniformity, and transplant quality for cut flower production. Scott Rusch of InFlora Cut Flowers will walk through the entire process—from seed selection and pre-germination protocols to seedling management, timing, and transplanting. Participants will learn how to optimize temperature, light, and moisture for reliable germination; manage growth; and integrate seed-grown ranunculus into existing production systems. Real-world examples and data from growers trialing seed propagation will highlight both the challenges and the opportunities this method offers for commercial cut flower farms.
Zoom instructions will be emailed to members on the day of the event. All Ask an Expert webinars are recorded
Sponsored by:
Protecting Your Blooms: Frost Management for Cut Flower Farms
Monday, July 13
8:00 p.m. EST
Presented by Grace Lam of Fivefork Farms
Photo courtesy of the Worcester Business Journal.
Frost can devastate even the most carefully planned flower crops. In this practical, hour-long webinar, Grace Lam will discuss the proven frost-prevention techniques she uses at Fivefork Farms. Topics include understanding your own microclimate, selecting and deploying effective row covers, strategically using innovative heat sources, assessing potential vulnerabilities, and planning ahead. Participants will walk away with actionable methods to protect high-value crops, minimize losses, and extend the season with confidence.
Zoom instructions will be emailed to members on the day of the event. All Ask an Expert webinars are recorded.
Sponsored by:
Coming soon!
August
8:00 p.m. EST
Presented by
Stay tuned for more information soon!
Zoom instructions will be emailed to members on the day of the event. All Ask an Expert Webinars are recorded.
Sponsored by:
Floral Design with Mermaid City Flowers
Monday, September 14
8:00 p.m. EST
Presented by Dee Hall of Mermaid City Flowers
Photo courtesy of Garden & Gun Magazine.
Zoom instructions will be emailed to members on the day of the event. All Ask an Expert webinars are recorded.
Sponsored by:
Gladiolus as Cut Flowers
Monday, October 19, 2026
8:00 p.m. EST
Presented by Dr. Neil Anderson, University of Minnesota
Gladiolus are a high-impact addition to any cut flower program, offering vibrant color, vertical form, and strong market appeal. This webinar by expert Dr. Neil Anderson of the University of Minnesota covers the essentials of growing gladiolus for commercial cut flower production—from corm selection and planting schedules to harvest timing and postharvest handling. Discover novel flower colors, types, and dwarf varieties that make this classic plant perfect for modern uses. Learn how to optimize stem quality, manage pests and diseases, and plan successions for continuous bloom. Whether you’re adding gladiolus to diversify your offerings or scaling up an existing crop, this session provides practical insights to improve efficiency and profitability.
Zoom instructions will be emailed to members on the day of the event. All Ask an Expert webinars are recorded.
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Partnering with a Friend for Increased Efficiency and Sales
Monday, November 9
8:00 p.m. EST
Presented by Maya Kosok of Hillen Homestead
Two Boots Farm and Hillen Homestead run almost the entirety of their florist sales and deliveries together (with a total of over $300k in sales), sharing the cost of a delivery driver and van. By working together, these two farms offer a lot more variety and volume for their collective customers, have a sounding board and thought partner, and help cover shortages when one of them oversells a product.
While larger cut flower collectives are an amazing opportunity, they aren’t feasible for everyone and the simplicity of working with just one or two other growers has some huge advantages. During this session, Maya Kosok of Hillen Homestead will share lessons learned, tips, what’s working well, challenges, and more about this arrangement in a way that others can adapt to their own needs.
Zoom instructions will be emailed to members on the day of the event. All Ask an Expert webinars are recorded.
Sponsored by: