Oct 3, 2023

Nourse Farms expands with lab, greenhouses

Nourse Farms, a North American berry plant propagator, is partnering with an investment management firm to expand and modernize its propagation footprint.

Nourse Farms has partnered with Solum Partners, which is focused on the food and agriculture industry.

One of the early innovators in tray plant strawberry and long cane bramble propagation in North America, Nourse Farms plans to increase its focus on these products to support rapidly increasing interest and demand.

This expansion will include a modern tissue culture lab and a 7-acre greenhouse for foundation material in Whately, Massachusetts. Additionally, Nourse Farms has acquired a 15-acre greenhouse in North Carolina to expand operations. These facilities will amplify Nourse Farms’ commitment to innovation and will open in 2024.

Through this expansion, Nourse Farms remains committed to its mission of delivering high-quality plants and exceptional customer service to meet the evolving needs of berry growers around the world. In doing so, it will leverage its many decades of expertise in the industry to remain the propagator of choice for growers looking for high-performing plants.

“Our top priority is to ensure that every plant grown by Nourse Farms continues to meet the highest standards of quality and performance,” John Place, Nourse Farms CEO, said in a news release. “We understand how important it is for growers to be able to trust that high-quality, high-performing plants will be available where and when they need them.”

Place said the future of berry production will demand more substrate-grown plants,” Place said in the release. “After spending the last several years developing our substrate production processes, we are excited to expand this area of the business and are confident that we will maintain the same level of trust with our valued customers.”

Tim Nourse, board chairman, said he’s pleased to see the berry plant propagation business continuing to advance and evolve with the needs of growers.

“Berry growers around the world are facing unprecedented challenges and we are excited to support their adoption of more sustainable growing practices,” Nourse said in the release. “I have been farming my entire life and the one constant is change. This is an exciting time for our team and for the industry!”

Top photo: Nourse Farms recently acquired this 15-acre greenhouse in Mills River, North Carolina.