Kerry’s Nursery Earns VeriFlora Certification
October 29, 2008 Kerry’s Nursery of Homestead, Fla., ranked 16th on our Top 100 Growers List this year, recently earned certification through VeriFlora. The decision to pursue certification made sense for the operation, President Kerry Herndon says, because “sustainability is the greatest issue of our time.”
“It is both possible and necessary to grow products in ways that allow us to leave the planet in as good or better shape than we found it,” he says.
Kerry’s practices sustainability in all aspects of production and handling. A closed-loop drench line, for example, ensures no agrochemicals contact the nursery floor. Runoff is captured and pumped back into a master tank where it is reused. And once plants are sent to the shipping area, work benches are transported by a rail system to a robotic washing facility for disinfection.
The operation has made a significant investment in its employees, too. The company pays 100 percent of college tuition and textbooks for all full-time employees taking courses at local accredited educational services.
Twyford International, the plant tissue lab in Apopka, Fla., has also achieved VeriFlora certification.
For more information on VeriFlora, visit www.veriflora.com.
Subscribe to eNewsletter
