Ball Tagawa Growers of Arroyo Grande, Calif., has been certified under the VeriFlora sustainability certification program for fresh cut flowers and potted plants. This company is a joint venture of Ball Horticulture of Chicago and Tagawa Greenhouses of Colorado and produces small liner plants and plugs and sells them to wholesale nurseries.
Certification for VeriFlora is conducted by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS), an independent third party which offers auditing and certification services and is a leader in sustainable agriculture, fisheries and forestry standards development.
Ball Tagawa products which have been VeriFlora certified include annual and perennial bedding plants for plugs, cut flower plugs, and ornamental plants. General Manager of Ball Tagawa, Dave Prutt, hopes “that our certification can help encourage others in the industry to become VeriFlora certified as well.”
The VeriFlora program has grown more popular in 2007 and has seen a surge in demand. This has led retailers to request VeriFlora products and it has also increased the value and benefits of certification for plant and floral products.
Ball Tagawa is seen as an example of the standard of VeriFlora and a sustainable agricultural business. “Sustainable agriculture” encompasses farming practices that promote environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and economic viability. VeriFlora’s standard has served as a template for the new Sustainable Agricultural Practice Standard — Draft National Standard for Trial Use, developed by SCS and published by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
There are currently 13 growers in South America and a total of 32 farms that are either certified or will soon be certified by VeriFlora. In the U.S., there are six growers and a total of 18 farms that are certified or will be soon. These include such businesses as Sun Valley Group and B&H Flowers.
For more information about VeriFlora and SCS, visit www.veriflora.com.
