Tag: Regulatory Compliance

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5 Reasons Your Business Should Use Plant Sentry™

Women at a nursery planting, plant nursery, plant sentry logo, regulations

5 Reasons Your Business Should Use Plant Sentry™

So chances are that if you’re reading this blog, you probably have read our other blogs. Yet, despite all our writing we’re still looking to expand our reach and increase our clients. That’s why today we’re talking to you about the 5 Reasons That Your Business Should Use Plant Sentry™!

1.  We’re One-Of-A-Kind 

In the Garden Industry, there is truly no one else like us. We’re the ONLY us!! The benefit of Plant Sentry™ is that we uniquely and expertly identify pathways to ship plants from point A to point B while remaining fully compliant with Federal & State Regulations.

2.  Knowledge is power!

Unlike any other service in our industry, we have compiled a database full of regulatory information exclusive to our clients.  While businesses can often fall victim to pitfalls from a lack of knowledge, Plant Sentry™ can fill your business’ regulation “holes” and open up pathways for sales that may not have been there before. All because our information provides you with the full scope of effort for your needs.

 3.  We Understand The Industry

Perhaps the most important reason your business should work with Plant Sentry™™ is that we KNOW the industry! Listen, at the end of the day we know that while 2020 provided a great opportunity to many of the growers and sellers in our industry, we know that this wasn’t the case for everyone. The bottom line at the end of the day is the Bottom Line. We know that affordability is a big deal in our industry, that’s why we offer fair and competitive pricing for our services. Whether you’re looking for just a consultation or for help regulating year-round, we can help you! 

4.  We have over 30 years of experience under our belt!

Believe it or not, we have been in this industry for quite a while. Our Chief Compliance Officer has not only dedicated the time to gain the necessary experience to make Plant Sentry™ the best but also goes the extra mile by sitting on various invasive species councils. Expertise is fundamental in our business, so we persistently pursue the latest regulatory insights throughout the nation. When it comes to tracking regulations that may be coming down the pipeline, Plant Sentry™™ can see what’s coming and help you and your business prepare for any necessary changes.

5.  We’re really fun to work with!

You can talk to our clients, or simply take our word for it, but there isn’t another team out there quite us! While we may be small, we are most certainly mighty, and incredibly dedicated. We prioritize both the positive change that our business can create and help our friends in the industry. We know business isn’t always a walk in the park, but we do our best to keep things as fun, and professionally optimistic as possible while keeping you informed and up-to-date.

We know that invasive pests, invasive diseases, and invasive plants happen, but we also know that every problem has a solution. Here at Plant Sentry™, we know we can’t always solve the problem before it starts. But, we know that consistent, stringent solution-based efforts can make a significant difference in the efficiency of your business. That’s why we take the initiative from the start to target compliance efforts and protocols to decrease the damage and harm that these invasive species can have on your business and to your customers.

When considering your next steps in managing your regulatory compliance, reach out to us here at Plant Sentry™ and let us show you how our efforts can save you time and money!

Are you an AmericanHort member? Did you miss Cultivate ’21? Check out our educational session at AmericanHort’s Cultivate ’21 On Demand!

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For the Love of Plants: How Regulations Protect Your Garden

hedge with a heart cutout; Plant Sentry

For the Love of Plants: How Regulations Protect Your Garden

It’s no secret that we love plants around this place. Everything that Plant Sentry does is for the love of plants! 

But in some parts of the world loving plants is a secondary task. Too often the regulations set out to keep the very plants we love safe, take a back burner to the threats that surround them.

There’s a lot that goes into protecting different plants and their well being! Did you know that some plants are so harmful that they can’t be in the same environment as other plants?

As a means to try and protect plants from the threat they pose to one another, regulatory officials prohibit and regulate certain plants in certain parts of the country in hopes to protect natural ecosystems.

Much like the efforts of Plant Sentry™, decision-makers keep the threats of invasive plants, pests, and diseases at the forefront of their considerations of what plants are safe, and which ones are not.

So what goes into prohibiting a plant? How do regulators and officials decide which ones are safe and which ones are dangerous? 

In today’s blog, we’re going to find answers to this very question.

Identifying Invasive Relationships

First thing is first when it comes to determining whether or not to prohibit a plant, officials have to determine whether or not the plant is an invasive species. 

Invasive species overcrowd healthy plant populations and suppress their ability to grow successfully.

By prohibiting invasive species regulators and growers are better able to protect current plants from their exposure. Invasive species have costly damages that no one wants to pay.

Identifying invasive species quickly and early can save a whole lot of trouble later on. 

Sometimes growers don’t realize that the plants they’re selling may be invasive. Sometimes, the consumer may not realize the plants they’re buying are invasive.

If you’re unsure what plants are and aren’t invasive to your local environment visit the USDA Invasive Species Information Center.

This site provides access to all 50 states’ lists of invasive species [1]. The more you know about the rules surrounding these species, the better you can protect your garden!

A Negative Attraction

Trying to predict the future and see if something could be prohibited later on? A great way to predict what plants may be up for new regulations is to keep an eye on the pests.

While it is incredibly uncommon, plants can be prohibited or removed from environments simply because an invasive pest really likes them. 

While it most certainly seems unfair to plant lovers, the harsh reality is that without stringent protection from these pests the plants we love would be lost anyway. As a result, many states will either discourage or prohibit the planting of certain species of plants in hopes of starving out the pests.

Before the USDA moved to remove Federal Regulations on the Emerald Ash Borer, states spent millions of dollars combatting it!

Many states kept a watchful eye on the pest, hoping to protect their beloved Ash trees and prevent an invasion of the EAB.

In the state of Nebraska, one action of protection was to discourage the sale and movement of Ash trees within the state. The hopes were to slow down the spread of the invasive pest by limiting their resources. and still, keep the trees within the state.

However, after the damages continued Nebraska decided to remove a lot of the trees. In many parts of the state, the damage has been so extensive that treatment isn’t possible and removal is the only option.

Now, Ash trees in Nebraska are often removed throughout the state in efforts to starve out the EAB and hopefully regrow the Ash trees at a future date.

Keeping a watchful eye on how pests affect plants can give you indications of whether or not you’ll want to purchase these plants for yourself. 

With quarantine federal deregulation, it will be important to keep up with the state by state measures for the EAB that will develop over the next coming years.

To learn more about how you may combat the Emerald Ash Borer and other invasive pests visit the USDA’s APHIS page [2].

A-Noxious Behavior

Another category that gets identified in lists of plants that can be prohibited is Noxious Weeds.

Noxious weeds are identified as weeds that are harmful to the environment or animals. In the U.S. each of these weeds participates in the USDA’s APHIS Plant Protection and Quarantine Risk Assessment. 

In this program, the APHIS PPQ evaluates each of the species of weed for their abilities to spread, establish, and cause harm to the U.S. environments. The assessments can be conducted for really any reason that may suggest a threat to the U.S.

For many of these plant species, they overcrowd the native plants and radically change the local ecosystems. Many states independently identify Noxious Weeds within their environments and prohibit their sale or distribution within their borders in hopes of preventing their spread and threat. 

To learn more about the plants on this list, and who’s on it visit the APHIS page for Noxious Weeds [3].

Helping Healthy Plants 

While many plants are restricted throughout the U.S., it doesn’t mean that they aren’t still sold or distributed. In the gray area of the Garden Industry, somewhere between not knowing better, and not caring, these plants are still sold to communities nationwide.

As officials continue the uphill battle against these plants, some of the best methods of combat are community education and programs like Plant Sentry™.

Much like the regulatory officials working hard to protect your environments, at Plant Sentry™ we know the damage these plants cause. We know that it takes a community effort to prevent the spread and sale of these species. This is why we work tirelessly to provide our clients with the tools and insights they need to protect themselves from these plants.

Now that you understand a little bit more about why plants get prohibited, we hope that you too will share with your community to help prevent their spread!

Important Resources:

[1] https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/subject/lists

[2] https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/planthealth/plant-pest-and-disease-programs/pests-and-diseases

[3] https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/planthealth/plant-pest-and-disease-programs/pests-and-diseases/SA_Weeds/SA_Noxious_Weeds_Program

[4] https://plants.usda.gov/java/noxiousDriver

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5 Important Topics For The Garden Industry In 2021

rows of plants at greenhouse/hoop houses Plant Sentry

5 Important Topics For The Garden Industry In 2021

It’s officially a new year and the highly anticipated Spring season is just around the corner! Here at Plant Sentry™ this new year means a fresh start, full of new opportunities. That’s why we’re diving into the new year head first to look at the “5 Important Topics For the Garden Industry In 2021”. 

1. Integrated Pest Management Plans:

 We wouldn’t be who we are today, if this wasn’t the first conversation that we asked you to have with your teams. Integrated Pest Management plans are the backbone of a grow operations pest management efforts. The efforts are both effective and environmentally sensitive. [1] They consider the life cycle of pests that threaten their stock, and how to best combat them. 

Every growing season brings new challenges, and this year will be no different. Before and after the grow season sit down with your team that manages your IPM. Ask them how effective and efficient their efforts were before the big growing season, and what changes could be made now that it’s over.

Having a strong plan in place is how the best IPMs succeed!

2. Regulatory Compliance: 

Not to be outdone by the importance of a quality IPM, Regulatory Compliance comes in at number two. While it may appear second ranked in this article, it could arguably have been number one. Regulatory compliance efforts are essential for any business in the green and garden industry. 

Whether or not most buyers realize it, regulatory compliance is set out as rules and guidelines from the Federal and State governments [2]. Each of these regulatory bodies monitor and regulate invasive plant, pest, and disease movement throughout their lifetime within the U.S. As time passes they’ll pass rulings that can ban certain plants from moving from one place to another based upon their vulnerability. 

Each part of the country belongs to a different ecoregion. Sometimes, the ecoregion will also be determined by government bodies as to what plants will do best in those areas. All of these tools guide and tell growers where their plants can and cannot be shipped or sold. However, it is the responsibility of the growers and sellers to seek out and apply these regulations.

Proper following of these regulations can have HUGE impacts on a company’s bottom line. If plants are shipped or sold by someone and they have rulings around them that say otherwise, officials will burn and destroy the entire lot of those plants. These damages can result in the loss of thousands to millions of dollars.

This is why Plant Sentry™ [3] is so important! We’ve developed a database with consistently maintained regulations for compliance to help growers and sellers from losing their plants.

3. Scalability: 

Coming in at number three is the topic of Scalability. While the previous two topics were more focused on management systems for a business, we know that both of them play a bigger part in how successfully your business can grow.

2020 was a mad dash to pivot and create increased success from a booming opportunity within the green and garden industry. With a little bit more time for preparation this year, scalability should be easier to achieve for the expected influx of business. 

But, the pivots and foresight for growth shouldn’t end with the Spring 2021 season. Scaling your business can continue to grow well after the season has ended as you put together the pieces for the next growing season. Topics that you might want to focus more closely on, if you haven’t already, are going to be E-Commerce developments, curbside pick-up and shipping opportunities, and increased labor to pace the growth of your business. 

4. Sustainability:

If Sustainability wasn’t on your radar before, it most certainly should be in 2021. Across every sector and industry of the economy, businesses are pivoting in a greener direction. For much of the green and garden industry this idea of sustainable development has already been a large part of their practice. 

But there are still many who haven’t quite made it that far. If you’re one of the many businesses looking to buff up the sustainability of your business, there’s a few things to consider.

While much of the efforts towards a more sustainable future focus solely on greener actions, that’s not the only part of being sustainable. When developing ideas that might be best adapted for  your practices you should consider the longevity of your business as well. Greener efforts within your business should contribute to higher returns long-term. 

Some sustainable ideas worth adapting might include container recycling programs, selling more native plants, using more compostable materials, and many more. We recommend you take some time to chat with your team, ask their ideas, and then see what could work best for your business.

5. Trade Shows and Conferences

With the exciting arrival of vaccines for COVID-19 it’s starting to look like there very well could be some Trade Shows and Conferences this year. We’re not sure about you, but we’re pretty excited about possibly seeing our colleagues again!

Trade show season is always fun, but can also be a little overwhelming if you’re new to the business. There’s so many! 

Determining how many trade shows your business will attend should be a part of your business and marketing strategy for the year. If not every trade show will be feasible or possible due to other attendance barriers, look at attending trade shows that are going to have a maximum return for your attendance. 

Things you’ll want to consider are the demographics of the show and ask if they’re your target audience. Look at how many people will be attending for the best brand visibility possible. Work with what is going to be the best price with the best quality to really make your trip worthwhile.

While this year is almost guaranteed to be better, let’s not hedge our bets! Consider these important topics throughout the year to help improve your practices and your business.

Citations:

[1] https://www.epa.gov/safepestcontrol/integrated-pest-management-ipm-principles

[2] https://www.usda.gov/topics/plants

[3] https://www.plantsentry.com

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First National Invasive Plant Database

First National Invasive Plant Database

Plant Sentry™ Helps Stop the Spread of Invasive Plants

With a threatening accumulation of regional plant problems, groups fighting invasive plant species are increasing across the US. As states spend millions of dollars battling such plants, these groups are attempting to protect the healthy environment. The efforts underway work to suppress the spread of unwanted plants that destroy both landscapes and habitat.

A new group of enthusiastic residents from Hamilton County, Indiana has formed to help control invasives. Specifically those that the Indiana Native Plant and Wildlife Society speculates cost the state more than 5.7 million dollars annually.

Phil Flannagan, a group spokesperson, says, “Invasive species can cause a domino effect that harms ecosystems. Some of the berries invasive plants produce, birds eat them, but it’s like a sugar high. There’s no real nutrition there.”

Flannagan is referring to the laxative effect, which causes wildlife to lose energy, making them more susceptible to poor health and even survival. The laxative effect has been proven to spread the invasive plant problem at a more exponential rate, as well.

According to Flannagan, “I think most people, if they knew what was going on, they would not plant something like that.”

So now we raise the question: how do you know what to plant – or even more importantly – what plant could pose a problem in your area? To answer this question, we must navigate plant shipment regulation.

This can be difficult for both consumers and growers, as plant shipment regulation is so complex. To find out whether a plant can or cannot be shipped to a certain state, loads of information is compiled.

To make things even more challenging, such information must be sorted, maintained, and kept up-to-date. So how we do answer our critical questions efficiently?

Luckily, a solution for the struggle is here. Through Plant Sentry™, the first national database is newly available, and it can be used by growers to help promote shipping the right plant to the right place. Plant Sentry™ utilizes every available tool to stay ahead of regulation, saving growers time and money. This allows them to concentrate on new plant varieties that do not cause problems.

Not only will this solution help nation-wide, but it will assist small groups such as the one in Indiana, allowing them to get a foothold on what invasive plants are present. It will also prevent the wrong plants from being shipped to their state.

Additionally, education and the evaluation of potentially problematic plants will further the goal of protecting the environment and landscape from invasive species. Pre™ Tool , developed by Plant Right® with the help of researches at the University of California-Davis and the University of Washington will also help feed the proactive effort to prevent new regional invasive plant species.

Fortunately, our team at Plant Sentry™ is watching changes in plants that might occur with the assistance of great programs like Pre™ Tool so you do not have to.

Though not widely known, every state battles some type of invasive plant problem. Even more, every state has groups that exhaust efforts to clean up invasive plant problems.

With great optimism, we can say that the upward trend of efforts to eliminate invasive species will only increase over time. If you are a landowner, you may or may not have experienced an invasive plant issue; however, those that have should be excited to know that the proactive movement to stop the spread is growing.

We encourage everyone to support this movement in any way. Together, and with great determination, we can eliminate invasive plant species from our quality landscapes and environment.

References

Plant Right®

University of Washington

University of California-Davis

Current in Wesfield-Current Publishing, Carmel Indiana

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Plant Sentry™ Maximizes Your Profits

Plant Sentry™ Maximizes Your Profits

Plant Sentry™ is Very Easy to Use

Nurseries across the country are taking a serious look at Plant Sentry™. Their goal in using the tool to protect their business in the face of an ever-changing regulatory climate.

Here’s how it works. It starts with providing your botanical plant inventory and the locations you ship from and to. From there, the Plant Sentry™ team audits each plant article and identifies the state and federal regulations for pests, diseases, and invasive species for your plants and locations. Once complete, you’ll have access to your database of plants & shipping restrictions through our web portal and you’ll receive a suggested compliance list for each plant article that may need some resolution.

This includes general purpose information as to why it a plant article may not be shippable to a particular state. The information will alert you with simple reasoning: often pest, disease, or invasive plant. This analysis helps prevent the accidental shipment of the plant article in question that may pose a threat to shipment region.

Each plant article with reasoning should be submitted to your state or federal regulatory official. We’ll provide information that will help you coordinate with the appropriate officials. Then, your state and/or federal official will instruct you on what needs to be done to become compliant if a pathway exists for shipment of the plant article.

Once compliant, you will be able to add the blocked states back onto plant availability and shipment lists, enabling you to re-open that market. If there are multiple regulatory items, you must decide which ones are feasible or economical for you based on the product that the market will serve. Thus, every plant article you receive compliance for adds more markets to your list to serve.

Plant Sentry™ also offers more stringent guidance for plants that may be in question.  Hence, Plant Sentry™ provides you with vital plant regulatory information to determine whether a plant is safe to ship to an area. This is part of our unique model in which multiple methods are utilized to ensure we reach the green industry’s goal of minimizing, reducing, and eliminating the spread of pests.

This leading approach adds one more line of defense to place the right plant in the right environment. You’ll be able to maximize out on happy customers and profits while keeping your company image intact.

Additional, innovative developments to the Plant Sentry™ Approach align with our continued improvement motto. Plant Sentry™ not only helps point you in the right direction for efficiently completing processes needed for full compliance, but it also offers direction on plant inspection, assistance in locating state or federal official contact information, and guidance as to how to interact with the regulatory officials.

In addition, this approach can deliver sound educational advice to aid in making solid economic decisions based on any plant issues in question. Our team’s years of production experience, combined with our work alongside established organizations and use of predictor tools, can help determine future outcomes of plants and their potential effects on the environment, agriculture commodities, and more.

Expansions coming soon will further allow for faster processing, making it easier to get the information you need. Extra features will include alerting you to an unrecognizable container size. Altogether, it is our priority to listen to our extensive network of professional growers that includes some of the nation’s best.

The information growers provide is crucial to optimizing the tools that will help their businesses. Most importantly, our mission of continued improvement will remain highly regarded as Plant Sentry™ moves forward in advancing the green industry.