It seems like we've just gotten through the holiday season, but did you know that plants have already been imported to North America for the spring and Valentine’s Day? Greenhouses and farms from around the world are using Crux Systems to track their containers, including tulip farms in the Netherlands.

A lot of work is involved in importing plants to North America. As a supplier, you have to follow the specific regulations and rules from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Plant Protection and Quarantine regulates the import of plants and plant products "to safeguard U.S. agriculture and natural resources from the risks associated with the entry, establishment, or spread of animal and plant pests and noxious weeds."

To help prevent your plant cargo from being delayed at the terminal due to inspections or quarantine, follow the USDA's recommendations regarding monitoring and cleaning shipping containers to prevent contaminates such as insects, snails, seeds, and animal droppings from entering your containers at the point of loading:

• Ensure cargo packed into ocean containers is clean and free of visible contaminants.
• Clear the cargo staging and packing area to ensure that it is free from plants and visible plant pests. Containers placed on grassy areas may be more vulnerable to contamination by insects and snails.
• Do not keep containers under bright lights, which will attract insects to the cargo staging area and increase the likelihood of contamination. If containers must be kept under bright lights, check them regularly for signs of insects and egg masses and clean containers as needed to remove these contaminants.
• Where appropriate, use baits, traps, or barriers to keep pests out of the cargo staging and packing area. For example, you can use a salt barrier to prevent snail infestations.

If you're shipping plant and plant products to North America, track your containers on the Crux Systems dashboard to get the most recent status of your cargo.