Lina Nissley
ECB Publishing, Inc.
Florida’s oldest nursery, Simpson Nurseries, was started in 1902 as a family business and later became known as the largest watermelon seed and pecan tree producer in the nation.
In 1974, which was 72 years after the nursery's creation, Fred Beshears, along with a group of business partners, bought Simpson Nurseries. In 1995, Beshears and his sons became the sole owners of the deciduous nursery. Today, Beshears is now the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Simpson Nurseries.
In Jefferson County, Simpson Nurseries spans 1,000 acres and is cared for by 150 employees. In total, the 1,500 acre wholesale company is split between two Florida locations and a location out-of-state in McMinnville, Tenn.
Simpson Nurseries continues to support its hometown, the Monticello community by donating funds into the community's local schools.
Simpson Nurseries is regarded nationally as the largest source of crepe myrtle trees, pecan trees and evergreens, as well as deciduous nursery stock. The nursery also provides fruit and shade trees.
“We are basically a plant factory,” Beshears joked.
There are two ways that the nursery employs to reproduce plants: seeds or cuttings.
Cuttings are pieces from the plant: the stem, root or leaf that are capable of growing into a new plant of the same kind. The nursery includes a propagation area where cuttings are prepared to be re-planted to produce more plants. The plants that are reproduced from these cuttings are called clones.
Greenhouses at the nursery are also specially made to allow the correct amount of sunlight for the nursery's specific plants.
Simpson Nurseries strives to be environmentally conscious, and one of its most notable innovations is its irrigation system. This system was adopted in 1994 and combines a whole site drainage system with water recycled from the City of Monticello, using two million gallons of water a day pumped from the city’s treatment plant into two ponds located at the nursery.
Previously, the city’s waste-water was pumped into a wetland. This technology gives the nearby city a more environmentally friendly way to disperse its used water and also benefits the nursery by offering a supply of water for the plants.
Drip irrigation is also used to reduce the waste of water. “Every drop of water is recycled,” said Beshears.
Numerous garden centers with locations in Florida, such as Lowes and Home Depot, all sell plants grown at Simpson Nurseries. Since it is regarded as a leading source of many plants, it produces products for many retail nurseries, landscapers and mass merchandisers.
Online shopping is increasingly becoming the “new norm” and Simpson Nurseries is continuing to keep up with online demand. Depending, the nursery could ship out a thousand boxes in a day to be delivered to certain locations.
“We are in the internet plant business,” said Beshears.
Always seeking ways to be technologically innovative and environmentally responsible, Simpson Nurseries has won many awards over the years, including the Northwest Florida Agricultural Innovators of the Year by the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences in 2014.
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