Young’s Plant Farm Obtains MPS-A Qualification
March 15, 2016 
MPS, an organization that develops and manages certification for companies in the horticulture industry, has awarded MPS-A certification to Young’s Plant Farm in North Carolina and Alabama.
A family owned and operated business, Young’s Plant Farm has been aggressively growing since 1961 when it was founded by Gene Young. Still a family run company, Young’s has grown its greenhouse space from 1,512 square feet in 1961 to more than 1.5 million square feet today. In addition to the greenhouse, there are 35 acres of outside growing space.
The focus of Young’s Plant Farm remains on growing and delivering a top-quality product, while maintaining a commitment to mechanization, innovation, and cleanliness. According to owner Drew Young, the MPS-ABC certification provides a means of measurement for all of its sustainability processes.
Examples of the sustainable efforts implemented are:
• Waste water retention and reuse
• Growing with energy efficient greenhouse systems
• Using renewable whole tree substrate as growing media.
As a grower serving large-scale retailers and independent garden centers, Young says it has been encouraging to receive positive feedback from its customers for participating in a sustainability program such as MPS-ABC.
As customers become more aware, other colleagues in the industry must think about the topic of sustainability.
“The floriculture industry is consistently striving to develop production methods and processes beneficial for the environment and ultimately the consumer,” Young says. “Achieving MPS certifications as an industry will help strengthen and maintain producers’ awareness of their processes.”
Growers in North America interested in learning more about MPS can contact the West Coast coordinator, Charlotte Smit or the East Coast coordinator, John McCaslin.
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