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Mentor Program

The Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers radically reimagined our Mentor Program and in Fall 2025, we launched our online cohort model. This Zoom-based program matched one expert with fifteen newer and aspirational growers based on their shared primary sales outlet/business model. We are thrilled to share that we are continuing the program for the 2026-2027 cohort.

Meet the Mentors!

Here are our cohort leaders for the 2026-27 round of the ASCFG Mentor Program.

Scott and Jennifer Joray, Easter River Farm (A La Carte and Full-Service Weddings)

Jennifer and Scott Joray
Scott and Jennifer Joray have been growing flowers sustainably since 2018 in Pittston, Maine, with their two daughters, Violette and Chloe, at Eastern River Farm. They practice regenerative farming methods, usezero harmful chemicals on their farm (not even organic-approved ones), and involve animals in their daily rotation. Their main market is weddings, and they grow 100% of the material used in their designs. They are starting their 8th farming season, 7th for wedding design, and their growing zone is 5 on heavy, wet clay. Scott and Jennifer are seasoned mentors, having participated in the inaugural version of the revised ASCFG Mentor Program.

Program Overview
  • Week One (Wednesday, October 21): Attracting Your Ideal Client — Pricing, Marketing, Branding. During this week, mentees will learn how to identify their ideal sales venues and clients and begin building their farm operations around selling to these customers.
  • Week Two (Wednesday, October 28): Selecting Flower Varieties for Wedding Work — It’s All About Timing. During this week, mentees will hear from Scott and Jennifer on the importance of crop selection and succession planning.
  • Week Three (Wednesday, November 4): Selling to Florists (Retail and Wholesale). During this week, mentees will learn how to approach florists, the importance of communication, and the necessity of pricing for profit.
  • Week Four (Wednesday, November 18): Field and Farm Set Up. During this week, Scott and Jennifer will share strategies for setting up your farm for optimal and efficient operations, from a single field to the overall farm.

All meeting times are 7:00 p.m. Eastern. All meetings are recorded and will be available to the cohort.

Cassie Plummer, Jig-Bee Flower Farm (Wholesale)

Cassie Plummer
Cassie Plummer owns Jig-Bee Flower Farm in Corinth, Vermont, where she grows specialty cut flowers and open-pollinated seeds using sustainable methods. After spending eight years farming and designing flowers in Philadelphia, she moved to Vermont in 2022 to focus on seed production, choosing varieties, and breeding new plants. She has extensive hands-on experience in growing flowers, floral design, wholesale sales, and seed production. Cassie especially enjoys helping other growers use seed saving and selection to build stronger crops and develop their own varieties.

Program Overview

  • Week One (Thursday, October 29): Welcome, Introduction, Flower Varieties and Building Relationships. During this week, mentees will learn about Cassie’s growing background and current role. She will then discuss different flower varieties, the pros and cons of different cultivars and strategies for working with and building relationships with florists and floral designers.
  • Week Two (Thursday, November 12): Growing Practices. During this week, mentees will learn crop planning, and the advantages of buying plugs or starting from seed for different crops. Mentees will learn necessary infrastructure for a cut flower farm, as well as considerations for irrigation, fertilization, and pest management.
  • Week Three (Thursday, December 3): Harvesting, Pricing & Marketing. During this week, mentees will learn how to harvest, bunch and price their flowers for sale. We will discuss different methods for communicating availability lists and collecting orders and payments. We will discuss the pros/cons of pick-up and delivery options (bucket route, delivery fees etc).
  • Week Four (Thursday, January 7, 2027): Putting It All Together. During this week, we will build our weekly marketing/order fulfillment schedule and finalize our outreach plan to connect with floral designers/florists. Mentees will learn about other sales venues like farm stands, DIY Bucket sales, wholesale market/grocery bouquets, etc.
All meetings are at 6:00 p.m. Eastern. All meetings are recorded and will be available to the cohort.

Rachel Ryall, River and Sea Flowers (Retail / Direct to Consumer)

Rachel Ryall

Rachel grew up on a farm in BC and later became enamored with cut flowers while working in organic mixed vegetable production. With a degree in visual arts and keen interest in botany and sustainable agriculture, cut flower production seemed like a perfect fit. She started River and Sea Flowers in 2016 and now produces 2 acres of certified organic cut flowers on Westham Island, 30 minutes outside Vancouver, Canada. She and her team sell their crops at farmers markets and to florists, as well as through DIY bulk buckets, a CSA and a shared farm gate stand.

Program Overview

  • Week One (Tuesday, October 20): Origin Story and What I’d Do Differently. During this week, mentees will learn about Rachel’s prior experiences and current role in cut flower farming before hearing about big picture strategies she recommends for early career farmers to avoid wasted time, energy, and money.
  • Week Two (Tuesday, November 3): Exploring Sales Channels and Pricing. During this week, Rachel will share an overview of sales channels found in retail-centric cut flower farms, along with pricing for each of these channels.
  • Week Three (Tuesday, November 17): Crop Planning for Retail Sales. During this week, mentees will learn about ideal cultivars, crop planning, and succession planning for retail-centric cut flower farms.
  • Week Four (Tuesday, November 24): Logistics — Postharvest, Transportation, and Customer Service. During this week, Rachel will cover important components involved in selling and transporting flowers to clients in retail settings.

All meetings are at 4:00 p.m. Pacific / 7:00 p.m. Eastern. All meetings are recorded and will be available to the cohort.

April Vomfell, Flathead Farmworks (Weddings & Events)

April Vomfell
April is a flower farmer and floral artist in northwest Montana near Glacier National Park. Her business, Flathead Farmworks, has been providing specialty cut flowers to her local area for a decade. She currently focuses primarily on weddings using 100 percent local flowers, typically from her urban farm. With a background in publishing, public libraries, technology and marketing, April enjoys both the creative and practical sides of running a small business. April reports the following: “My hope and goal is that [after this program] mentees will gain confidence to offer weddings, find their niche, hone their systems and learn how to avoid overwhelm during the growing season.”
Program Overview
  • Week One (Monday, October 19): The Big Picture. During this week, mentees will learn what to expect during mentorship, hear April’s story and what she wishes she knew 10 years ago, and start to think about why and how they want to incorporate wedding/event work into their businesses.
  • Week Two (Monday, November 2): Crop Planning & What to Grow. During this week, mentees will learn about crop planning for weddings, recommended flowers to grow, succession planting and lessons learned.
  • Week Three (Monday, November 16): Pricing, Marketing & Contracts. During this week, mentees will learn about the admin aspects of weddings and events, including how to find their ideal customers.
  • Week Four (Monday, November 23): Inside a Wedding, Start to Finish. During this week, mentees will get an inside look at a real wedding, from inquiry to delivery, and all the nitty-gritty details in between.
All meeting times are 3:00 p.m. Pacific / 6:00 p.m. Eastern.  All meetings are recorded and will be available to the cohort.

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