Loma Vista Nursery Gains Certification from National Plant Board
December 18, 2018 
Loma Vista Nursery has received Systems Approach to Nursery Certification (SANC) from the National Plant Board. Photo credit: Loma Vista Nursery.
Loma Vista Nursery, an Ottawa, KS-based container production facility that produces pot-in-pot trees, shrubs, grasses, roses, perennials, and groundcovers, recently received Systems Approach to Nursery Certification (SANC). Administered by the National Plant Board (a non-profit organization of the plant pest regulatory agencies of each U.S. state and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and Guam), SANC is a voluntary, audit-based program for production nurseries and grower greenhouses and is designed to reduce pest risks associated with the movement of nursery stock.
“We treat our inventory like gold bricks,” says Lyndsi Oestmann, Vice President of Loma Vista Nursery. “Every plant in our nursery has a purpose. Participating in SANC was a logical step for us as we continuously strive to improve our company through self improvement.”
Through SANC, a systems approach to nursery production can lead to healthier plants and facilitate commerce for all sizes and types of nurseries. An outcome of rigorous risk assessment, qualifying production facilities identify potential pest pathways and strategies to assess them.
Working with their state qualifying agency, growers then create a customized plan that addresses identified pest risks and maintains records of what is done. A subsequent audit by industry and state regulatory agencies assesses the grower’s plan and provides checks to identify if the plan is working.
According to the National Plant Board, the certification reflects an attention to detail at Loma Vista
“The SANC committee is happy to have Loma Vista as the newest certified participant in the SANC program,” note Dana Rhodes and Joe Collins, co-chairs of NPB’s SANC Committee. “Loma Vista demonstrates dedication to the program in the effort to raise their facility to a higher level of awareness and actions to provide clean healthy nursery stock to their customers.”
The work toward certification was a collaborative effort, Oestmann says.
“I am proud of each of our team members at Loma Vista Nursery for embracing SANC in order to help better our company. The process of certifying our nursery sites demanded a high level of attention to detail and collaboration from our entire staff.”
Due to the procedures already in place at the nursery and the thoroughness of its team, Loma Vista became certified in less than a year.
“Accountability to following the best management practices outlined in our SANC manual is one of the best benefits to Loma Vista Nursery participating in the certification process,” Oestmann says. “The outcome will serve our company, employees, and customers for years to come, and this certification will help us continue to create better products for end users, due to the high standards that we will follow to obtain and maintain our SANC certification.”
At its farm in Willow Springs, KS, Loma Vista Nursery produces field-grown shade and ornamental trees, upright junipers, and spruce on 650 acres. The company ships to retail and wholesale customers in the Midwest and Rocky Mountain states.
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