Valentine’s Day accounts for 30% of all holiday flower sales and getting blossoms into the U.S. safely is no small feat.
An estimated $3 billion is expected to be spent on flowers for Valentine’s Day this year. The vast majority will likely pass through the hands of agricultural specialists at Miami International Airport.
Customs and Border Protection estimates nearly a billion stems of cut flowers from countries like Colombia and Ecuador have been carefully checked for disease and pests.
Miami International received more than 400,000 tons of flowers just last year.
Related Stories
Herber Valley Milk in Utah transformed a simple dairy that dated back to the 1800s into a hand-crafted cheese and dairy operation.
FarmHER Kate Edwards’ Iowa vegetable farm grows tons of food for her community.
FarmHER Leza Carter, founder of Tucson Village Farm, serves 15,000 kids a year across 100 schools, and provides 55,000 hours of education at the farm to low-income people in Tucson.
Nebraska FarmHER Hannah Borg started a new adventure, raising thousands of chickens after returning to her family farm after college.