ASCFG 2025 Election
Every election is determined by the people who show up.
This year, members in Canada, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic will elect a Regional Director.
All members will elect a Treasurer.
All positions will serve 2026, 2027, and 2028.
Ballot will be available October 1 – 31.
Meet Your Nominees!
Treasurer (2026, 2027, 2028)
Michelle Elston
Roots Flower Farm
Carlisle, Pennsylvania
I attended my first ASCFG conference in Worcester, Mass., in 1999, and have been growing flowers ever since. I can honestly say my farm would not exist without our amazing organization, its members, and their generosity to our flower community. Roots now employs 15 people, produces 30,000 supermarket bouquets annually, and has a thriving local following. We specialize in hot annuals, and my passion is celosia. I also love systems, efficiencies, and numbers. I do all the bookkeeping for both Roots and another family business, because I love this aspect of self-employment and numbers-based decision making.
I have had the honor of serving on the ASCFG board since 2020, when I replaced Lisa Mason Ziegler as the MidAtlantic Regional Director. I’ve since moved into the role of treasurer and sincerely love being a part of ASCFG’s fiscal health. ASCFG has grown from two to four full-time employees, adding two new key positions to better serve you. We have also added an editor and graphic designer to produce our beautiful Cut Flower Quarterly, greatly expanded our educational offerings, and are working on many new programs to make ASCFG the best it can be. With this energetic expansion has come an expanded budget. I feel privileged to help steward your membership funds, and would be honored to continue in the role of treasurer for ASCFG.
Canada Regional Director (2026, 2027, 2028)
Bailey Dueker
Boondock Flower Farm
Biggar, Saskatchewan
Hi, I’m Bailey Dueker of Boondock Flower Farm, and I would love to be your Canadian representative in the ASCFG for the 2026-2028 term. I’ve been growing cut flowers since 2020, and my farm is located north of Biggar, Saskatchewan. My primary crops are ranunculus, peonies, dahlia, lisianthus, and sunflowers. I sell my flowers directly to florists, through a bouquet subscription. I also do weddings and sell at the Farmers’ Market.
I’ve been a member of the ASCFG since I started farming, and have attended several events, including the 2022 Continental Conference in Boston and the 2023 Smit Nursery Tour in Abbotsford, B.C. I’ll be travelling soon to Longwoods Flower Farm in Ontario, and the ASCFG Continental Conference in Albuquerque, N.M.
Being part of the ASCFG has brought clarity to my business and a deeper connection with my fellow growers here in Canada, many of whom I was finally able to meet in person at the continental conference and on regional tours.
Thanks in part to the ASCFG, I have been able to create a profitable and sustainable business on my Zone 3 farm, which has a very short growing season. The flowers and my business have seen tremendous change in a few short years, and I see myself growing flowers for many years to come.
We have been fortunate to have Canadian representation from growers in British Columbia, Ontario, and the Maritimes, and I would love to be a Canadian advocate for the ASCFG with a prairie perspective. Canada is a huge country with talented growers across many different growing climates. Thank you for considering me for this role.
Sarah Kistner
Stone Meadow Gardens
Granville Ferry, Nova Scotia
Hi friends, it’s hard to believe that almost three years have passed since I was elected to represent Canada on the board of directors!
I first learned about the ASCFG in 2002 when the farmer I worked for joined the association and handed me our first copy of The Cut Flower Quarterly. We didn’t call ourselves a “flower farm” then — in fact, I don’t think we knew that was “a thing” — but learning that there was a professional organization dedicated to flower growers really opened my eyes to the possibilities. That fall, I attended my first ASCFG conference. My mind was blown, and I knew I’d found my people!
It’s an honor to now be on the other side of that experience, and, for the past two years, work alongside a dedicated team of staff, colleagues, and friends on the Conference Committee, helping to plan and organize the very same event. Since joining the board, I have gained a new appreciation for how much effort goes into making the ASCFG the incredible organization that it is. I serve on the membership, marketing, and conference committees, but one of the highlights has been working with the excellent ASCFG staff to help organize a regional conference in Canada.
In the meantime, my husband, Carl, and I have been building our new farm in Nova Scotia from the ground up. After years of farming in B.C., we decided to shake things up and move across the country.
I’m genuinely excited about the next chapter for the ASCFG. We have so many exciting projects on the horizon, and it would be my honor to continue working with to bring these projects to life. If given the chance to serve another term, I will keep advocating for the Canadian membership and aim to host more tours and events in our (vast!) region.
Mid-Atlantic Regional Director (2026, 2027, 2028)
Dave Delbo
Dave’s Flowers
Catawissa, Pennsylvania
Dave’s Flowers began in 1981 when we (my brother and I) started selling gladiolus on a table along the state highway where we lived in the small town of Elysburg, Pa. In the forty-plus years since then, I have grown a wide selection of successful cut flower crops and experienced almost as many failures. Along with the roadside stand, I have sold at farmers’ markets, to florists, and have even done a few weddings through the years. We grow on about four acres of land now, down slightly from our peak of five acres, along with our greenhouses and high tunnel. I joined the ASCFG in 2005 and have been a member ever since, participating in multiple years of the Seed Trials, attending many conferences and events, and mentoring several new growers through the ASCFG mentoring program.
It has been an honor serving on the board as the Mid-Atlantic Regional Director. During my first term, I was involved in planning the Continental Conference in St. Louis and the regional meeting at Moonshot Farm in New Jersey. I am currently involved in planning the next Continental Conference in January in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I also enjoyed traveling to several farms and meeting all the members at the events and conferences.
It would be a privilege to serve another term as regional director to continue my efforts in recruiting new members to the organization, planning successful conferences and events, and helping the ASCFG continue to grow into the future.
Dee Hall Goodwin
Mermaid City Flowers
Norfolk, Virginia
Hello, ASCFG family! I’m Dee Hall Goodwin, and I founded Mermaid City Flowers after searching for locally grown flowers for my own wedding and realizing there was no one in my area growing them. What started five years ago as a small personal venture has grown into an urban flower farm and design studio based in Norfolk, Virginia. I grow specialty cut flowers on borrowed plots, focusing on sustainable, foam-free floristry and native plants as part of my commitment to biodiversity. In addition to farming and design work, I speak nationally on topics ranging from farmer-florist business models to the role of native flowers in the studio.
As a grower, I’ve navigated the challenges of small-scale production in an urban environment—building soil, cultivating on nontraditional sites, and balancing farming with family life. I’m the founder of Black Flower Farmers, an international network of nearly 60 growers who support one another through education and advocacy, and of the Tidewater Flower Collective, a local group of approximately 25 growers focused on fellowship and resource sharing. I currently serve on the ASCFG Community Engagement and Outreach Committee and the President’s Council for Inclusion and Diversity at Norfolk Botanical Garden. These experiences have deepened my belief in the power of community among flower farmers.
If elected, I’ll bring my perspective as a farmer-florist and organizer, along with a commitment to supporting growers at all stages of their journey. I’m passionate about amplifying member voices, promoting accessible, sustainable practices, and helping shape ASCFG resources to meet the evolving needs of our industry.
Northeast Regional Director (2026, 2027, 2028)
Nikki Bartley
Cross Street Flower Farm
Norwell, Massachusetts
Hi flower friends! I’m Nikki Bartley, owner of Cross Street Flower Farm in Norwell, Mass.—just outside of Boston. I joined the ASCFG in 2015, the same year I started flower farming, and this organization has been instrumental in our farm’s growth. From conferences to farm visits, the knowledge and connections I’ve gained through ASCFG have saved me years of trial and error and helped shape my business.
My farming journey began in 2010, when I chaired a nonprofit organic vegetable farm, learning to build both a farm and a community organization. In 2015, I planted my first flowers in my front yard and sold mason jar bouquets to neighbors. Today, Cross Street Flower Farm is a thriving seven-acre operation with more than 1,000 CSA members, a seasonal retail Barn Shop, and popular events like Pick Your Own Tulips. My background in international banking,
combined with degrees from Wake Forest and Columbia, provides a solid foundation for running and scaling a modern farm business.
As Northeast Regional Director, I would bring hands-on farming experience, strong business skills, and a passion for collaboration. I’m committed to supporting new and established growers alike, advocating for our industry, and helping expand the reach of locally grown flowers. I’d be honored to serve and represent the vibrant ASCFG community in our region.
Grace Lam
Fivefork Farms
Upton, Massachusetts
Hi all! My name is Grace Lam, one of the owners and operators of Fivefork Farms, located in Upton, Mass. I am honored to be considered as a candidate for your Northeast Regional Director.
I’ve been a proud member of the ASCFG for the last 12 years, and I wholeheartedly believe that Fivefork would not be where it is today without this unbelievable organization. Like many of you, I am a first-generation farmer and started my farm from scratch. Year after year, I have witnessed firsthand the incredible work the ASCFG does in supporting its growers. I have met some of my best friends through the ASCFG, and this network has been invaluable to me as my farm has grown from a two-man show growing on half-an-acre to a full-year operation with more than a dozen year-round employees, eight acres in production, and more than 2,000 CSA members per year.
As your Northeast Regional Director, I believe I can contribute in the following ways: 1) use my financial expertise to teach business skills to drive farm profitability, 2) use 10-plus years of experience to advise growers on how to strengthen and/or scale their farm operations, and 3) advise growers across the country on risk mitigation strategies and techniques to help adapt and take the guess work out of farming in this ever-changing climate. Furthermore, I am committed to driving new initiatives and bringing creative ideas so the ASCFG can continue to provide knowledge, tools, and resources to help members, new and old, achieve both
short-term goals and long-term success.
I am truly excited about the possibility of serving as Northeast Regional Director. Thank you all for your consideration!