The Tournament of Roses Parade is a yearly tradition that started 126 years ago as a way to showcase the beautiful weather and bountiful flowers grown in California during a time when much of the country is covered in snow. The irony of this year’s parade was that it was actually snowing in the region for the first time this winter and forecasters were predicting near freezing temperatures for the paradein Pasadena, CA..

California State Secretary of Food & Agriculture Karen Ross was not deterred by the inclement weather as she arrived a day early to certify the Cal Poly University float and the FTD VIP vehicles as California Grown, a distinction that means at least 85 percent of the flowers in the floral designs are grown in California.

“I’m excited to once again be honoring our Cal Poly students for their hard work and commitment to building a California Grown-certified float for this year’s Tournament of Roses Parade,” said Ross. “And it’s great to have FTD join in this important effort this year by decorating the VIP entries, including the parade’s Grand Marshal vehicle, with California Grown flowers.”

The certification program started four years ago as a way to bring the Rose Parade back to its roots. The California Cut Flower Commission spearheads the certification program in conjunction with the Buy California Marketing Agreement.

“The parade was meant to showcase the bounty of our state. However, today the flowers on most of the floats reflect a marketplace in which imported flowers account for over 75 percent of the market share,” said Kasey Cronquist, executive director of the CCFC.

Cal Poly Universities have been a stalwart supporter of the certification program since its inception, and the passion the two schools (San Luis Obispo and Pomona) show for California agriculture was palpable in the days leading up to the Rose Parade.

“We are proud to be certified California Grown again this year,” said Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo President Jeff Armstrong. “Our universities are dedicated to educating the next generation of farmers and ranchers in California, so it’s only natural that we are committed to supporting the hard-working flower farmers in California today, many of whom are alumni.”

Confidence and pride registered on Cal Poly students’ faces as their float, Soaring Stories, was displayed for the judges on Dec. 31. The confidence was well founded as the float won the coveted Lathrop K. Leishman Trophy for the most beautiful noncommercial float.

New this year, FTD joined the certification program, a move that shows support for the California flower farmer. During the certification ceremony, J. Keith White, FTD education consultant and lead designer for the Rose Parade VIP vehicles, had nothing but positive things to say about California Grown flower farmers, indicating that when he places his flower orders, he often puts the names of particular California flower farmers in the margins of the order form.

“FTD counts on the high quality, locally grown flowers from California every day, and the Rose Parade is a perfect place for us to highlight our commitment and support for California’s local flower farms,” said White.

The recognition event was officiated by Secretary Karen Ross, who was joined by Congressional Cut Flower Caucus Co-Chair Congresswoman Lois Capps (D-24) and State Senator Connie Leyva.

The California flower industry has a $12.2 billion annual impact on the state’s economy. California’s flower farmers represent over 4,500 jobs and contribute $1.7 million to California’s economy every day.

Cronquist said that next year the cut flower commission hopes to increase the number of floats participating in the certification program.

“With an industry leader like FTD joining our cause, we believe other floats will soon follow suit,” said Cronquist.

Cal Poly Float Facts

• Over 36,000 fresh and dried flowers adorned the float.

• The flowers covered 1300 square feet, enough to carpet a small house.

• The top five flowers adorning the float were gerberas, tulips, irises, mums and roses.

Adrienne Young is owner at Adrienne Young Communications in Clovis, CA. She can be contacted at [email protected].