WHATELY — Nourse Farms Inc. announced that founder and President Timothy Nourse has transitioned from overall leadership of Nourse Farms to chairman of the board of directors. He is leaving the day-to-day operational oversight in the hands of John Place, who has been promoted to CEO.

Over the past 90 years, Nourse Farms has grown to be a leader in berry-plant propagation in North America and now produces more than 30 million strawberry plants in addition to 6 million raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, currant, gooseberry, elderberry, asparagus, rhubarb, and horseradish plants each year to customers around the world.

Tim Nourse is recognized as a pioneer in tissue-culture propagation, having built the first lab at Nourse Farms over 40 years ago. Establishing this capability in the 1980s was a key to growth and innovation for customers around the world.

Before joining Nourse Farms as chief operating officer in 2019, Place built his career in Pennsylvania at Keepsake Farm. He holds a degree in agriculture and animal science from the University of Delaware and is a highly accomplished farmer and successful business executive. In nearly three years at Nourse Farms, he has made a significant impact on the company’s performance to date, with an entrepreneurial eye to future opportunity and growth and an appreciation for the loyal employees that make everything possible.

“I have been looking for the right leader to take the reins at Nourse Farms for quite a while. John is the right guy, and he has proven himself in the time he has been here,” Tim Nourse said. “I have full confidence the farm will continue to prosper under John’s leadership and service our customers at the outstanding level they expect from us.”

Added Place, “the core business is performing very well, and our relationships with our outstanding network of customers remains our first priority. Nourse Farms is constantly innovating to meet the ever-changing needs of our customers to produce fruit from our plants. I am excited and honored to be able to lead Nourse Farms through the next chapter of the company.”