Three Kalamazoo, Mich., greenhouse growers (Sportel Greenhouses, Westrate Greenhouses and Wenke Greenhouses) have initiated the MPS-ABC certification program at their operations.
Ron Sportel said his company began the program because he thought it was well-suited for his business and “not too cumbersome”.
Dennis Wenke saw the program as an opportunity to track his company’s input costs such as chemicals and it provided benchmarks to compare to other growers. It also enabled the company to be a better environmental steward. Wenke said the MPS reporting provides better inventory records for chemicals and fertilizers and helps the company be more responsible in their use.
David Westrate said the program provides his company with quarterly MPS reports that document its performance and improvement in the use of energy, chemicals and fertilizers and demonstrates its environmental awareness. He said this information can help to show customers what the company is doing to be a better supplier. The company recently began a recycling program for paper, cardboard and plastic, which Westrate said was not difficult to implement.
Sportel said the MPS program has helped his company’s “growers be even more accurate and accountable on their record keeping and use of all inputs”. He said the increased awareness is good for all employees and helps the bottom line.
In addition to these three growers working on obtaining certification, the Kalamazoo Flower Group has taken steps to obtain its MPS Florimark TraceCert certification for handlers/wholesalers of flowers and ornamentals.