The UC Nursery and Floriculture Alliance (UCNFA) evolved from the California Ornamental Research Federation (CORF) that was started by Ray Hasek, UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Floriculture Specialist, and Hank Sciaroni, UCCE Advisor in San Mateo County in the 1980s.  They organized an annual statewide meeting that included presentations, a tour, and a trade show that focused on flower growers, which expanded to potted plant and, eventually, outdoor nursery crop growers.  This annual meeting provided educational information on production best management practices and rotated locations throughout state.

In the beginning, activities were coordinated with the San Diego Growers Association and Mary Golden assumed the coordinator role in the 1990s.  Later, the Kee Kitayama Research Foundation (KKRF) and the California Cut Flower Commission (CCFC) assumed the coordinating responsibilities with Janice Willis as Coordinator. In 2008, CORF management was assumed by the UC Environmental Horticulture Research and Information Center (EHRIC), a program of the UC Agriculture and Natural Resources Division through the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences, under the direction of Heiner Lieth. 

In 2009, Dave Fujino and Loren Oki were named as Co-Directors of CORF, and under their leadership   the organization’s name was changed to the UC Nursery and Floriculture Alliance to expand the CORF program to include outdoor nursery production topics along with floriculture and greenhouse-related topics.  The EHRIC program was also consolidated under UCNFA.

In 2009, UCNFA assumed the responsibility for organizing the California Nursery Conference held annually to present information on greenhouse and nursery production.  In 2020, COVID forced the shutdown of in-person programs, which resulted in the creation of the Ask-the Advisor online panel series.  The online panel format allowed attendees to ask questions of panelists on various topics including water, pest, and disease management, fertilizers and plant nutrition, substrates, and other topics.  This platform also showcased the expertise of newly hired UCCE advisors and introduced them to growers throughout the state. This year, the California Nursery Conference returned, held in partnership with the Annual Meeting of the Western Region International Plant Propagators’ Society (WR IPPS).  The next conference is planned for fall of 2024, again with WR IPPS and the California trade organization, Plant California Alliance.  We aim to keep accomplishing our mission of meeting the educational needs of the California greenhouse and nursery industry.