As farmers, we have learned over the years that Mother Nature isn’t always the easiest business partner to have. However, we strongly believe that the kinder to her that we are, she in turn, does her best to take care of us. At Grace Rose Farm, we treat everyday as if it were Earth Day. The official theme for Earth Day 2022 is Invest In Our Planet and we strive daily to make sure our investment is a successful one.

While the garden roses we grow are not grown for consumption, we make sure that how we grow is sustainable and organic, with the least harm to the environment possible. We are constantly reminded that our farming practices have a direct link to the environment and that we need to ensure our contributions to Mother Nature are not hurting her. Advances in technology have made many farming practices sustainable and compatible with nature and the environment. Biopesticides - also known as biologicals - are natural materials such as animals, plants, bacteria, and certain minerals that are used to combat pests such as insects, diseases, and weeds. These agricultural advancements have made it possible to eliminate (or greatly minimize) the use of synthetic chemical pesticides. Additionally, we have developed an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) system that helps ensure that our farming methods at Grace Rose Farm have the least possible hazard to our plants, employees, farm, community, and environment. The IPM at Grace Rose Farm was developed as way to sustainably conserve the natural enemies in our roses.

In the hustle and bustle of daily life, it’s easy to forget how important our actions are towards the well-being of the earth. How the little things we do each day can easily add up to larger negative contributions to the environment. We would assume that almost everyone reading this article (found on a website of garden roses) is a lover of nature and the environment. That you appreciate the beautiful things the earth gives us; are already well aware of the importance of your daily actions on the environment; and likely have recycling, composting, water conservation, etc. methods in place. As we work on investing in our planet at Grace Rose Farm, we encourage everyone to continue to find ways to make even the smallest change in a daily habit so that their environmental investment has positive results. As Gandhi said, “You must be the change you want to see in the world.”