ABOUT OGLESBY PLANTS INTERNATIONAL, INC.
Oglesby Plants International, Inc. is a family farm that began in 1947 when Raymond Oglesby had just 7 acres with $300. He later expanded and in 1972 purchased land in Calhoun County to produce landscape and other ornamental plants for local and national landscape markets. Just three shorts years later, Oglesby would go on to pioneer the first plant tissue culture laboratory. It is not only the first structure built in the United States for the specific purpose of plant tissue culture propagation but was also the largest commercial plant tissue culture laboratory in the United States.
While the company continued expanding its production of commercial nursery plants, a mass-market novelty item called the "Test Tube Babies" thrust the company into the international spotlight as the leader in a new science. The publicity for this test tube grown plant helped Oglesby establish worldwide contracts for the propagation of elite plants and an international reputation as the world leader in this innovative technology.
Today, after over 70 years in business, Oglesby Plants International continues using tissue culture technology for the large-scale propagation of valuable ornamental plants. The company is also well known for its breeding and development of new plants varieties particularity in the tropical plant groups. The Company currently produces over 12 million plants per year consisting of 150 different varieties of ornamental plants, most proprietary to Oglesby.
In 2012, the company enrolled in Best Management Practices (BMPs). Some of the most effective BMPs implemented include irrigation boom technology to precisely apply water and fertilizer in exact amounts and where needed. In larger growing areas, drip irrigation is utilized to prevent runoff and reduce water use by 50%. Retention ponds store water draining from growing areas and filter out excess nutrients.
It is important to the company that practices, such as BMPs, continue to be used in order to minimize their impacts on the surrounding environment. Florida Farm Bureau Federation is proud to award a 2019 CARES designation and sign to David Oglesby, of Oglesby Plants International, Inc., for their dedication in being outstanding environmental stewards.
