First in Flowers is an initiative to help strengthen our flower farmers here in Delaware, build our consumer base, and look to expanding cut flower crops offered! As local flower farmers who can identify as a small business, we all feel the pressure of the economy as well as the impacts of convenient and cost-efficient global choices offered to consumers. These pressures at times can cause us to feel we have to be more competitive. But how does this feeling of competitiveness translate in our business actions? With First in Flowers, we want to ensure that we stay competitive as a community and work together to strengthen our local economy and consumer base when it comes to specialty cut flowers. First in Flowers will focus on our flower farmers by offering yearly meetups to gather and chat with fellow Delaware located flower farmers, a yearly farm tour, and a yearly educational experience. What will this cost you? Nothing, but participation. What does participation look like for you? We ask that you fill out a yearly survey that will help us gauge what specialty cut flowers and other crops our flower farmers are currently growing here in Delaware, if they are expanding what they are growing, what their growing seasons look like, and if they are extending their growing seasons. Of course, we also want you to attend the yearly events that we mentioned above, but these are not required and understand busy schedules that might prohibit being able to make these events. Lastly, we would also love to come visit our Delaware located flower farms to capture some of what makes their local farm so special to Delaware for our education marketing campaign. That’s right, First in Flowers will also be completing an educational marketing campaign to strengthen the regional consumer base through highlighting local cut flowers being grown in Delaware as well as introducing our flower farmers. Of course, being included on the First in Flowers website and social media is voluntary and not required.