Why Research? By Dr. August De Hertog Excerpted with permission from Floral Management Mgazine Research. It's not the most glamorous topic. Certainly not one to pull you away from tracking down 15 dozen Oriental lilies for this weekend's wedding. Or scanning your sales data for the week. Or processing the shipment of roses that just arrived. But in the "big picture" scheme of running a floral business, research is just as important as the day-to-day tasks you tackle in your business - whether you're a retailer, wholesaler or grower. Continuous research is essential for any viable industry. Look at the advancements in floriculture in the past 50 years. We now have year-round production of long-lasting potted plants like mums, foliage plants, azaleas and, if the market wanted them, even potted tulips. The range of flower colors, marketable pot plant sizes and lengths of fresh cut flowers has expanded significantly. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs have reduced pesticide usage. Bedding plants have emerged as a leading floriculture commodity. We now can produce and transport plants with minimal effects on the quality of the product. How did these changes occur? Research. We have books, CDs and computer programs that store and transfer the accumulated information. But to keep pace with the 21st century, research funding must continue at both the federal and private levels. It's the only way we'll continue to move closer to what must be an industry-wide goal: to produce and market potted plants, cut flowers and bedding plants that are free from serious diseases, insects and physiological disorders and will provide maximum consumer satisfaction. The Land Grant University and USDA Research Systems, which served the industry well in the last century, do not have the financial resources to meet industry needs in the next. Research funds have declined and costs have increased significantly. For example, when I started teaching at Michigan State University in 1965, I had an annual budget of $1,000. When I left for North Carolina State University 13 years later, I had the same $1,000 budget. I was fortunate to receive funding from the Dutch Bulb Research Program which provided $20,000 in 1965 and ended with $100,000 per year in 1995. This support allowed my associates and me to develop the base of knowledge that led to forcing flower bulbs. The floriculture industry is fortunate to have SAF fighting for its research dollars on the Hill and promoting the Floriculture Nursery Research Initiative to legislators. It took more than 10 years to obtain the current level of funding. Privatee funding sources, like the American Floral Endowment, are just as important to support research projects. I urge you to support it during the Endowment's upcoming telethon. I urge you, regardless of your position in the industry, to lend political and financial support to all floricultural research programs. Take time to talk to your members of Congress about the importance of floriculture research funding. Provide financial support to private research organizations. These investments will pay great dividends to everyone, especially the consumer. Dr. August A. De Hertogh is a professor in the Department of Horticultural Science at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, N.C., chairperson of SAF's Research Committee and an inductee of SAF's Floricultural Hall of Fame. E-mail: gus_dehertogh@ncse.edu.