Dümmen Orange, leading flower breeder and producer, pledged $450,000 over the next three years to Seed Your Future, a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote horticulture in the United States and inspire people to pursue careers working with plants.
“We are happy to be doing our part to invest in the future of US horticulture, a very important market for our organization and home to our North American headquarters,” says CEO Biense Visser.
Anna Ball, co-chair of Seed Your Future adds, “This is an initiative that our whole industry is supporting; Dümmen Orange’s generous gift is coming at a great time for Seed Your Future and I am sure will inspire others to join our cause.”
“A career in horticulture is still a secret to many, but once discovered inspires passions that lead to opportunities that flourish into a distinctive profession. Seed Your Future is the vehicle to share this secret, enabling us to organize and to share the vast career possibilities available in horticulture with the next generation. Not only because a career in horticulture is a secret worth sharing, but because the future of our industry depends on it,” emphasizes National Director Kate Santos.
“We are thrilled to have Dümmen Orange’s generous support for the Seed Your Future Movement,” said Susan E. Yoder, Executive Director. “As a leading flower breeder and producer, they know the critical importance of horticulture to the future of our planet. And, as a significant industry employer, they know how essential it is to have more people interested in pursuing careers across the art, science, technology and business of plants. Their generosity will enable us to make significant progress toward our goal to increase the skilled workforce and develop a strong pipeline of future talent in horticulture.”
Seed Your Future is a national initiative with multi-tiered strategies focused on reaching students at the age when they are most likely to form their initial career decisions (grades 7-8) and capitalize on this time in their lives with communications and support that will resonate with them and trigger them to choose plants. This is the only initiative of its kind in our industry with such laser focus on the next generation’s career planning support for horticulture.
