For the first time in almost four decades, there will be no poinsettia sale to help mark the holiday season at Arkansas Tech University.
The annual event hosted by the ATU Department of Agriculture has been canceled for 2020 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The event had taken place 37 consecutive years through 2019.
It is the second ATU plant sale that has been affected by the pandemic. The ATU spring 2020 plant sale was moved online through a collaboration with the Russellville Community Market in order to help limit the spread of the virus.
“We would like to thank the community and our faithful customers for their support through the purchases made through the Russellville Community Market this summer to help cover the costs of growing the plants for the spring 2020 plant sale and even raise money beyond their production costs,” said Dr. Matthew Wilson, assistant professor of horticulture at ATU. “With all the obstacles COVID-19 has placed on many of us this year and since the floriculture class typically responsible for growing the poinsettias was not scheduled to be taught this semester, we did not grow them this year.”
The ATU Department of Agriculture plans to resume its plant sales when it is safe to do so.
Visit www.atu.edu/agriculture to learn more.
