DS Cole Growers Becomes 1st Operation to be Both SANC and GCP Certified!
DS Cole Growers located in Loudon, New Hampshire, is the latest facility to become fully SANC certified. They had been in the U.S./ Canada Greenhouse Certification Program (USCGCP) for 6 years and saw SANC as the next logical step.
What was the USCGCP? It was a program administered by the USDA that facilitated the trade of greenhouse grown crops between the US and Canada.
This existing program was replaced by the US-Canada Greenhouse-Grown Plant Certification Program (GCP). Any participants in the USCGCP had to be re-authorized under the GCP.
The GCP’s new requirements placed a greater emphasis on systems approaches, creating opportunities for greenhouses interested in dual certification through SANC and the GCP.
DS Cole Growers agreed to serve as the pilot nursery to see if this goal to have both programs work in tandem was possible. In short, the answer was yes- but it took some serious work on the part of Piera Siegert (pictured center) and Morgan Dube from the NH Dept. of Agriculture, Markets & Food (not pictured) and of course great cooperation from Doug Cole (owner, pictured left) and Chris Schlegel (head grower, pictured right).
Did You Know?
- The SANC pilot phase ends in late 2020 and the program will “Go Live!” January 1, 2021.
- The SANC Governing Board has specific responsibilities through its voting and non-voting members. (See below)
SANC Inspector Manual Now Available from the SANC Website
Chapters contain text and graphics that will help inspectors regarding topics below.
- Program Overview
- Getting Started
- Risk Assessment
- Manual Review/Approval
- Audits
- Final Approval
The SANC Inspector Manual web page Table of Contents is available at https://sanc.nationalplantboard.org/resourceslinks/sanc-for-states/sanc-inspector-manual-links/.
The SANC Inspector Manual as a PDF file is available at https://sanc.nationalplantboard.org/wp-content/uploads/docs/SANC_Inspector_Manual-Final_8-14-19.pdf.
A Quick Glance Through the Years
- 2011: 1st SANC meeting held in Riverdale, MD
- 2014: 1st pilot nurseries selected
- 2016:
- Phase 2 nurseries selected
- August, 2016: 1st nurseries became fully SANC certified –
Conard-Pyle/Star Roses (PA) and McKay Nursery (WI) - Original SANC Governing Board charter drafted
- 1/1/2021: SANC “Pilot Project” ends and operations begin
under purview of the SANC Governing Board
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Pilot Nursery Updates (3/23/20)
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SANC Governing Board
Voting Members
- One from each of the 4 NPB regions
- One American Hort representative and two nursery industry representatives
Non-voting Members
- One APHIS/PPQ representative
- As the need arises, subject matter experts (SMEs) may be brought in to work on issues as they arise
Responsibilities
- Provide oversight of the SANC program
- Ensure equal implementation and performance of the program by every state
- Identify future issues
- Provide a forum for resolving issues between states and/or industry
- Provide guidance on participation and training
