In Nebraska's Sandhills, better known for rolling prairie and cattle herds, Dahlia Valley Ranch in the small town of Arnold grows an unusual crop: flowers. Owner Lisa Nelson, now in her sixth growing season, raises more than 100 varieties, including lilies, sunflowers, zinnias, tulips and dahlias, in fields and in high tunnels that extend her season by up to two months.

Nelson, who worked in retail for 30 years, started the business after taking an online floriculture course during the pandemic, seeing that Arnold had no florist. She now supplies flowers for weddings, funerals and birthdays, sells arrangements every Saturday at the North Platte farmers' market and opens the ranch on Saturdays for visitors to pick their own bouquets.

She belongs to the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers and sells through Rooted Farmers, a platform linking specialty growers with florists that prioritises American-grown flowers. "A bunch of us flower farmers would like to get back to American-grown flowers," she said.

Photo: JLPC / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Source: The Fence Post