McKay Nursery is first SANC-certified grower

Waterloo, Wis. -- McKay Nursery Company, a nursery specializing in growing and selling wholesale and retail plants, has announced that they are the first nursery certified in the national Systems Approach to Nursery Certification (SANC) program. After authority was granted through individual state statutes, state regulations and federal cooperative agreements, McKay Nursery was one of eight nurseries selected across the U.S. to participate in the pilot program before all nurseries can participate.

The SANC program is designed to address nursery certification of plants. The goal of this standard is to facilitate implementation of risk-based nursery and greenhouse certification system utilizing state authorities and programs to enhance uniformity, increase efficiency and reduce pest distribution through the nursery supply chain.

Of the company’s recent certification, McKay Nursery’s Head of Production Tom Buechel said, “Being certified in SANC guarantees customers the healthiest plants possible and they can rest assured in purchasing with us. Emerging and ongoing pest problems in the nursery production business costs businesses and consumers a lot of money. If you don’t know how your plants were produced, you run the risk of getting inadequate plants and will possibly end up spending more of your time and money. It is through these certifications that we can give consumers 100 percent confidence and McKay will continue to be a leader in the nursery industry.”

To gain this elite certification, McKay followed the SANC standard, which requires:
1. Certified plant material is free from quarantine pests based on regulatory compliance agreements.
2. Non quarantine plant materials have been actively scouted, problems mitigated and eliminated using effective methods responsibly.
3. Plants have been grown in a management system that prevents and minimizes plant pest risk.
4. Ensure the integrity of the SANC program is preserved through plant material traceability records, staff training, documenting/taking corrective actions and completing multiple annual internal and external audits.

McKay is a nursery and landscaping company based in Waterloo, Wis. Founded in 1897, McKay has created and planted over three billion plants. McKay continues to focus on sustainability efforts & efficient production methods.