October 2026 Newsletter

October 13, 2026

in AFA Newsletters,

Floral News

AFA is proud to support the future of floriculture by showcasing the importance of our industry and the diverse career opportunities available to the next generation of leaders. In collaboration with Seed Your Future and other industry partners, we’re helping connect future career seekers with the people, possibilities, and pathways within floriculture from science and technology to sales, design, logistics, and beyond. Help us spread the word by sharing this video.

Growing Demand for Culturally Significant Flowers

Marigolds and other culturally significant flowers offer floral businesses an opportunity to reach new customers and better serve their communities. Frank Arnosky of Texas Specialty Cut Flowers discovered this when a cultural arts group approached his farm seeking marigolds for Día de los Muertos. His farm has since grown nearly 40,000 bunches in recent years to meet demand. Read our Q&A with Frank to learn more about the traditions behind these flowers and how your business can connect with these important markets.

Florists' Review is Now Free to the Floral Industry

Florists’ Review returns as a monthly print magazine in January 2027, with beautiful design and bite-sized business tips for florists. Get the print magazine free, plus weekly newsletters with the latest floral industry news, design inspiration and business ideas. Subscribe here.

The Future of Floriculture: Insights from Anna Caroline Ball

What’s next for floriculture? At CNGA’s Women in Horticulture Luncheon, Anna Caroline Ball, Chairman and CEO of Ball Horticultural Company, shared her perspective on the trends, opportunities, and leadership lessons shaping the industry’s future. What does this mean for your business? Read more to find out.

New Sustainabloom Template Helps Flower Growers Plan Sustainability Efforts

Sustainability planning made easier! Flower growers now have a new and free resource from the American Floral Endowment’s Sustainabloom program. Developed with input from growers, researchers, and industry partners, the new Sustainability Planning Template helps businesses evaluate what they’re already doing, identify priorities, and create practical goals that work for their operation.

This new template joins Sustainabloom’s two other planning templates for wholesalers and retail florists. You can read more and download any of the three planning templates for free.

Cut Flower Courtyard Debuts at ProGreen EXPO 2027

For the first time, ProGreen EXPO will dedicate part of its show floor to cut flowers. At the 2027 edition, held January 26–28 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, the new Cut Flower Courtyard will bring flower growers, breeders, suppliers, and designers into a show that has always belonged to nurseries, greenhouse growers, garden centers, and landscapers. Read more.

WFFSA Opens Registration for FDC 2027

WFFSA’s 2027 Floral Distribution Conference (FDC), is taking place February 28 through March 3 in Miami, Florida. Registration is now open, with a new venue and an expanded format giving the wholesale floral community more time to meet, exchange ideas, and do business. Read more.

Life In Bloom Celebrates “Spooky Season”

Create TV is including episodes of J Schwanke's Life In Bloom in their Spooky Season Salute marathon coming up Friday, October 30, Saturday, October 31, and Sunday, November 1.

Enjoy episode 610 ‘Día de los Muertos’ and episode 714 ‘Life In Gloom’ during the marathon - OR - stream these episodes (and others) early at the uBloom website or the PBS App for lots of great ideas to help celebrate Día de los Muertos and Halloween!

Create TV is also including Life In Bloom in three December Marathons as well – and a special showing of episode 814 ‘Dickens of a Christmas’ on Christmas Day!

Petal It Forward with Life In Bloom

Way back in Season One of Life In Bloom, J included a segment about SAF’s Petal It Forward campaign – episode 108 “Flower Power.” Fast forward eight years later to Floral Management editor Amanda Jedlinsky catching that episode on her local PBS station. That episode is STILL being broadcast across the country, and Amanda was thrilled to see SAF’s campaign featured and communicated expertly. She was also amazed to learn that this episode – promoting SAF and Petal It Forward – has been broadcast for eight years. She invited J to participate in an SAF Podcast, to share with the industry, to exclaim his passion for sharing flowers – and for the studies that back up the good feelings for not only the receiver, but also the giver. Are you sending the best message for Petal It Forward?

Listen by clicking the link and find out! Read more.

Dahlia and San Francisco: The Flower That Found Its City

That Flower Feeling Names Joe Don Zetzche Executive Director

APHIS Deregulates Chysanthemum White Rust

Educators and Industry Experts Unite at Seed Your Future's 2026 National Leadership Meeting

Tariff Resources: IFPA | SAF

Do you have floral news you want to share with the AFA community?

Upcoming Events

Join the California State Floral Association for its annual CaliFlora Convention, November 6–7 at Cal Expo, bringing floral professionals, students, and industry partners together for two days of education, creativity, competition, and connection.

This year’s featured designer is renowned floral artist Donald Yim, AIFD, CFD, PFCI, sponsored by Smithers-Oasis. Donald will share his creativity and expertise through a special hands-on workshop and inspiring design show. The convention will also feature student competitions, vendor exhibits, hands-on workshops, the exciting Top Ten Design Competition, and a silent auction featuring Donald’s stunning designs.

American Floral Alliance is proud to sponsor CaliFlora 2026 and support the California State Floral Association in providing educational and networking opportunities that strengthen and inspire our floral community.

Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with fellow floral professionals, discover new ideas, and be inspired. Register today and join us at CaliFlora 2026!

Transportation Programs

FedEx Updates

For members who missed our announcement on Thursday, October 8, 2026, our new negotiated FedEx agreement took effect. This latest round of negotiations focused primarily on strengthening our FedEx Ground and Home Delivery offerings, with substantial improvements to base-rate discounts, residential and delivery-area surcharges, demand surcharges, and minimum charge reductions.

Perhaps most importantly, we have also secured a Money-Back Guarantee for FedEx Ground and Home Delivery shipments—a significant new benefit for members using these services. We will post the latest info up on our website just as soon as it becomes available.

With the Fall season here, we should expect weather disturbances to become more frequent. It’s an essential practice to check for any service delays or alerts before you ship- see here. Knowing what to expect before you ship can limit unexpected delays and headaches. Here is a link that provides guidance on how to ship perishables on FedEx.

FedEx International Shipping

For members thinking about shipping internationally, we have excellent new import and export rates. See here for an excellent resource from FedEx that walks shippers through the process step by step. First time international shippers inherently have questions on the process and paperwork required. If you'd like to talk to someone in person whether on the phone or at FedEx office, assistance is available when needed.

Additional Reminders
Although FedEx First Overnight is available to any FedEx customer, it is HIGHLY recommended that you do not select this service unless it is absolutely necessary and you fully understand the pricing. FedEx First Overnight (8am) is a remarkable service but please understand FedEx does not discount this option. Rates are VERY expensive and cannot be re-rated once shipped.

Did you know that our Priority Overnight rates (10:30am delivery), typically are only a few dollars more than Standard Overnight? The Standard Overnight delivery commitment is around 5 hours later (3:30pm), which can make a difference with many varieties in terms of arrival condition. Take a look - you will be surprised to see how close these rates are.

Your shipping platform may not allow you to book a shipment to arrive on Saturday. To get around this, shippers need to go to FedEx.com and book it manually. This will allow Saturday delivery zones and times to show up.

You can have your shipments held at your nearby FedEx Office instead of being delivered to your door. Having shipments held at your local FedEx office can help with temperature management since your boxes will be stored in a temperature-controlled office rather than riding in a truck all morning. It’s also true that you can drop off your shipments at your local FedEx office. This can be an advantage for some parts of the country where having your packages standing by in a FedEx office is preferable to being in a truck for hours.

For those wanting to know who your FedEx representative is, or if you want to be contacted by FedEx, please email Chris Johnson with your FedEx account number and he will respond with your FedEx contact. It’s a good practice to establish a relationship with your FedEx representative. They can be of great assistance when needed.

Surcharges & Claims Resources

For members looking for general information on Surcharges and Claims, the following resources can be helpful.

This first resource offers information regarding surcharges and fees. Keep in mind that American Floral Alliance's program offers members MANY surcharge and fee reductions that are significantly lower than these standard surcharges, however it’s still a good reference point and has some clear definitions on what each fee/surcharge is. If you would like a summary of your program surcharge/fee discounts and waivers, please check our website or email Chris Johnson for a copy.

The second resource is very helpful when you need to file a claim for damaged or lost product. Product claims are different from our Money Back Guarantee, which applies to shipping charges and is handled differently. Product claims are more involved and can be confusing, but this resource helps navigate the process.

FedEx New Member Resources

New members who are just starting with FedEx shipping can utilize the “Customer Training” service that is available upon request. This service offers shippers direct one-on-one assistance from FedEx covering many of the questions new shippers may have. If you are interested in signing up, please contact Chris Johnson. Visit this webpage for excellent information for new shippers and a summary of FedEx's offerings.

Call (877) 339-2774 for FedEx’s tech support team, who can help with many tech-related issues including guidance regarding on-line shipping platforms.

Find the latest news from FedEx here.

We would like to remind members to stay current with their FedEx Express shipping invoices. FedEx payment terms are 15 days. All members shipping on FedEx Express are expected to stay within the FedEx payment terms. Failure to stay current with FedEx risks your account being delinked from the program.

For more information, contact Chris Johnson, Dir of Transportation. To obtain your invoice details and payment options, please contact FedEx Customer Service.

GLS Updates

The GLS program continues to be one of our most popular member benefits, offering door-to-door regional shipping with discounts of 70% off base rates and up to 57% off accessorial fees.

GLS provides door-to-door service throughout California, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah, New Mexico, Colorado, and Texas, with 90% of intra-California shipments delivered overnight. The GLS® regional network helps reduce transit time and handling, making it an excellent option for fresh floral products.

Members who would like to ship with GLS must enroll in the program in advance. Signing up is quick and easy. For more information, contact Chris Johnson at (760) 533-5580 or chris@americanfloralalliance.org.

Explore the GLS Time-in-Transit Map
Use the interactive Time-in-Transit Map to enter your ZIP code and instantly view one- and two-day delivery coverage throughout the GLS service area. Note longer distances may be subject to additional days in transit.

GLS Program Enhancements

GLS continues to invest in the American Floral Alliance (AFA) program by adding valuable benefits for members shipping Priority service.

Product Claims Coverage – If a shipment is damaged, significantly delayed, or lost due to a GLS service issue (excluding acts of God), members may now file a claim. Be sure to enter the appropriate Declared Value when shipping.

On-Time Service Guarantee – If a shipment is not delivered on the promised day (weather exclusions apply), GLS will credit 100% of the shipping charges. Claims must be submitted within 48 hours by contacting customerservice@gls-us.com.

Dedicated Customer Support – AFA members have access to a specialized GLS customer service team focused on rapid response and issue resolution. Contact Chris Johnson for access to this resource.

Updated Online Tools – Visit the updated GLS website and use the Delivery Rates & Times Calculato r to quickly view estimated transit times and delivery dates.

Alaska Air Cargo Updates

If you've been using our Alaska Airlines shipping program, you’ve likely experienced its exceptional value. This program provides outstanding rates to numerous regions nationwide, including shipments from California, Portland, Seattle, and Alaska and now Hawaii!

For 2026, we are pleased to announce the renewal of our Alaska Air Cargo agreement, featuring newly negotiated, highly competitive pricing that delivers exceptional value to our members. Rates have been reduced across the board, and the program now includes expanded service to Hawaii.

Did you know Alaska Airlines provides one of the most comprehensive intra-California services, with San Diego serving as its largest hub in the state? Even better, through our exclusive partnership with Alaska Airlines, we offer truly exceptional rates that you won’t find anywhere else.

For the latest News & Updates please visit the Alaska Airlines webpage.

Alaska Air commonly asked questions.

For questions about our Alaska Air Cargo program, please contact Chris Johnson, (760) 533-5580.

Member Spotlight
Robert Koene Flower Consultancy - The Floral Consultancy Helping Businesses Succeed

Robert Koene Flower Consultancy helps floral businesses stay commercially relevant in a rapidly changing market. With more than 35 years of international experience in floral design, education and retail, Robert Koene works with florists, wholesalers, growers, supermarkets and floral organizations on business development, product strategy and future floral trends.

The consultancy focuses on identifying changing consumer preferences, emerging floral and lifestyle trends, new product opportunities and stronger ways to present and sell flowers. Particular attention is given to profitability, productivity, assortment development, customer experience, waste reduction and creating a stronger identity in an increasingly competitive market.

Learn More