Author Bio

Dr. Stock is an Associate Professor / Extension Small Farms Specialist at Utah State University. Originally from the Midwest, she graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 2018 with a degree in Soil Science and a passion for community gardening before moving to Utah, where she also became a homesteader. At work, Dr. Stock's lab studies high-value crops and resource use efficiency to improve the environmental sustainability and economic viability of small farms. Her research focuses on optimizing cut flower production through crop and cultivar evaluation, season extension with high tunnels, overwintering, and developing crop-specific water and nutrient management plans. Visit the Small Farms Lab at smallfarmslab.com, flowers.usu.edu, and on Instagram @usu_smallfarms. Presentation: From soil to stem: Resource management and season extension strategies for cut flowers: This presentation uses representative cut flower crops to illustrate key principles of soil and resource management, along with season-extension strategies to optimize production. We will focus on nitrogen and water management in dahlia, and end with tips on maintaining consistent soil moisture. We will then focus on optimizing the timing of production and stem quality through season extension: transplant dates and group numbers with snapdragon, overwintering of ranunculus and anemone, and integrating crop age and production system for consistent supply of delphinium.