Rocket Farms and Ecke Ranch Announce Poinsettia Certification Program

SALINAS, Calif., Aug. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Rocket Farms has partnered with Ecke Ranch, the industry's oldest and most respected poinsettia breeder, to create a comprehensive training program that will provide growers with the knowledge to grow superior poinsettias.  Poinsettias are a highly technical crop, and given the lack of universal standards, there can be wide variations in quality.  Rocket Farms will leverage Ecke Ranch's established expertise to teach best practices, ultimately giving both retailers and consumers confidence that the poinsettias they buy will be the highest quality and longest lasting value possible.

"The Ecke Ranch name is synonymous with the best poinsettias in the industry, so we are incredibly pleased to work with them on this certification program," Marc Clark, EVP of Rocket Farms.  "We look forward to drawing on a combined 150 years of growing expertise to bring a new standard of quality to the market."

Ecke Ranch and Rocket Farms recognize that staff training is not only essential to increase productivity and improve product quality, but also to inspire workers by highlighting the importance of their jobs and providing them the tools needed to do a quality work.

The training began on June 3rd and will continue through October, covering sophisticated techniques in crop care including irrigation, fertilization, lighting, height management, disease/ insect control and black cloth management, and other methods to increase crop quality.  These techniques will be applied on plants throughout the growing cycle.  Training will take place on site at both Ecke Ranch in Encinitas and Rocket Farms in Salinas.  Upon completion of the established metrics for training and material comprehension, growers will receive a certificate for successfully completing the training program.  

"Even though they are so prolific during the holiday season, many people don't realize how challenging poinsettias are to grow," said Steve Rinehart, COO of Ecke Ranch.  "We realize that consumers want to know the poinsettias they buy will last once they leave the store, so we have gone the extra mile in training to grow the best possible product."

In addition to other quality measures, some of Rocket Farms poinsettias are cold grown for energy conservation and sustainability.  To find out more about how to purchase, please contact Doug Brothers at [email protected].

About Rocket Farms

Rocket Farms is a California nursery company with over 25 years of history in the Salinas Valley and California. Rocket Farms is the fourth largest greenhouse grower in the country with over 5.5 million square feet of greenhouse space, distributed over nine growing facilities throughout California. In addition to being one of the largest poinsettia and orchid growers in the country, Rocket Farms grows living organic herbs and vegetables, calla lilies and potted specialty crops.  Rocket Farms travels the globe to keep pace with rapidly changing consumer trends, design, and technological innovations. As part of the company's dedication to its Code of Sustainability and finding solutions for long-term sustainable markets, Rocket Farms has pioneered the shipping of orchids by ocean container and is leading the way in organic production and food safety protocol. For more information on Rocket Farms, visit www.RocketFarms.com

About Ecke Ranch:

The Paul Ecke Ranch, like the poinsettias we grow, has become in many ways part of the American tradition. Now in its third generation, the ranch focuses on maintaining the long-term customer relations forged by Paul Ecke Sr.  From finding new ways to reduce grower risk to adopting new business solutions, the Paul Ecke Ranch commitment goes well beyond its advanced poinsettia genetics. Increasing production capacity to meet grower demand, our regionally-based technical support staff, and our 24/7 support from our web site are all a part of how this traditional company is growing solutions for today. For more information on Ecke Ranch, please visit www.Ecke.com.

SOURCE Rocket Farms