Florida grower wins ag-environmental leadership award

In October, Fla. Ag Commissioner Charles Bronson presented Loop’s Nursery and Greenhouses in Jacksonville, Fla., with a 2009 Commissioner’s Ag-Environmental Leadership Award. The grower won the award along with Dairy Production Systems in High Spring, Fla. Started in 1959 by Carl Loop, the company operates 650,000 sq. ft. of greenhouses in 2 locations. The grower sells about 70% of its flowering potted plants to supermarkets, 20% to wholesalers and 10% to florists and other retailers.

 Loop is considered a true pioneer in horticultural practices. His company has always sought new ways to produce plants in a cost-effective, efficient and environmentally sound manner.

Loop ran the business for 33 years before becoming president of Fla. Farm Bureau in 1983. That year, his son David, who is the company’s current president, took over from his father.

Nominees for the Commissioner’s Ag-Environmental Leadership Award come from different segments of Florida’s ag industry. All of the nominees share a commitment to protect and preserve the state’s resources while continuing to provide ag products. Winners are selected by an independent committee of representatives from environmental groups, ag organizations and government agencies.