National Clean Plant Network

2021-2025 Strategic Plan and Program 

Implementation Guide
2021-2025 Strategic Plan and Program Implementation Guide Page 2

Contents

Welcome to the National Clean Plant Network (NCPN) Strategic Plan and Program Implementation 

Guide......................................................................................................................................................... 3

Program Organization and Governance.................................................................................................... 4

Establishment............................................................................................................................................ 5

Mission, Vision, Purpose.......................................................................................................................... 6

Background and History ........................................................................................................................... 7

Supported Clean Plant Centers and Locations.......................................................................................... 8

Strategic Goals – An Overview.............................................................................................................. 11

Program Values ...................................................................................................................................... 12

Perspectives for Network Advancement 2021-2025 .............................................................................. 13

Goals and Objectives.............................................................................................................................. 15

Goal 1 – Network Program Operations.............................................................................................. 15

Goal 2 - Advancing Special Initiatives............................................................................................... 15

Goal 3 – Governance and Networking ............................................................................................... 16

References............................................................................................................................................... 17

Contact Information................................................................................................................................ 18

Document History................................................................................................................................... 19

Appendix................................................................................................................................................. 20

Document Control Information:

This document will always be a work in process, influenced by the changing needs of industry, 

scientific advances, and regulatory requirements. A record of all revisions is maintained on the 

Revision History page at the end of this document.
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Welcome to the National Clean Plant Network (NCPN) Strategic Plan and 

Program Implementation Guide

This document serves as a guide and resource for Network leaders, managers and members. 

Specifically, it: 1) highlights the primary goals and objectives, 2) outlines activities to accomplish the 

stated mission, and 3) provides the framework to create a path forward for the next five to ten years 

and 4) guides all levels of Network membership in planning and/or implementing operations. With this 

approach in mind, the document should serve as a template for organizing and prioritizing Network 

and commodity governance activities, while ensuring Network activities align with the defined 

strategic goals and objectives. 

The National Network managers identified and enlisted a group of representatives from each of the 

seven Network commodity governance bodies (i.e., berries, citrus, fruit trees, grapes, hops, roses and 

sweet potato). The assembled planning team also included a representative from industry to provide 

input from the industry perspective at a national level. The composition of the smaller strategic 

planning team was designed to complement the diversity of the larger Network membership which 

includes nursery owners, brokers, growers, industry representatives, virologists, plant pathologists, 

extension agents, laboratory technicians, Center Directors, and principle investigators as well as 

regulators, managers and officials from the state departments of agriculture and Federal agencies.

Simply stated, this plan was built by Network members for Network members. 

Network members are united by their shared interest in the production and use of clean plant material. 

For that purpose, Federal funding promoted the creation of an interconnected network of wellequipped Clean Plant Centers with skilled, dedicated staffs. To continue to accomplish the NCPN

mission effectively and efficiently, it is critical that membership is guided and united strategically in 

planning and implementation processes, to strengthen and advance the Network. 

Initially, Network members focused on establishing an interconnected group of laboratories capable of 

producing clean plant material. Now that the Network is matured with solid membership, its members 

can further improve and strengthen critical linkages through advanced planning and budgeting, in 

hopes of positioning the Network to optimally adopt new ideas and technology that will help it adapt, 

as necessary, to meet the changing business models and needs of our industry and other stakeholders. 

To the level that an individual’s personal or business plan overlaps with the Network’s goals, each 

member should strive to become involved in planning and implementation of Network goals and 

objectives. Furthermore, each Network member should see themselves somewhere in this plan whether 

it is in Network planning and program implementation or, ultimately, in promoting clean plants 

through the purchase and use of clean propagative plant material.

As part of an ongoing planning process, commodity governing body members and leaders should 

return to this planning document on a regular basis (at a minimum, annually) to ensure that their efforts 

remain focused on serving stakeholders’ needs while proactively protecting the health and value of 

American agriculture.
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Program Organization and Governance

Figure 1. Organization chart depicting the upper-level national management structure (e.g., Governing 

Board and Network managers), the crosscutting leadership teams (e.g., Education & Outreach, 

Economics, Quality, Coordinators Team) and the seven grassroots-level, crop-specific commodity 

groups.
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Establishment

The Farm Bill – H.R. 6124 Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 –

became law in June 2008. Section 10202 directs the United States Department of 

Agriculture (USDA) Secretary of Agriculture to establish the “National Clean Plant

Network” (NCPN), a program under which:

• Partnerships of clean plant centers are organized;

• Centers focus on diagnostic and pathogen elimination services; • Activities produce clean propagative plant material;

• Centers maintain blocks of pathogen-tested plant materials in sites throughout the United

States.

Clean plant material may then be made available to States for certified clean plant programs and to

private nurseries and producers.
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Mission, Vision, Purpose

In carrying out the NCPN mission, the program:

• Consults with State departments of agriculture, land- grant universities, non-land-grant colleges

of agriculture, and industry;

• Uses existing Federal or State facilities to serve as clean plant centers to the extent practicable.

Figure 2. Using accepted planning methods, the planning team generated a simple, focused mission 

statement and then produced complementary vision and purpose statements.
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Background and History

At its core, the Network is a collaborative effort among three USDA agencies: 

• Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) for quarantine and regulatory programs

• Agricultural Research Service (ARS) for technology and germplasm issues

• National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) for outreach and partnership initiatives

As a concept, however, the Network began in November 2006 when a steering committee, with

representatives from the nursery industry, the grower community, the National Plant Board and other

state regulatory agencies, the land-grant university system, and USDA was formed to review existing

clean plant programs, prioritize a list of specialty crops for funding, and propose an NCPN

implementation process.

A series of national workshops followed in fiscal year (FY) 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011, designed to

further hone the Network mission, strategic plan, establish program direction, policies, and

procedures, and to address critical and emerging program issues.

Basic to NCPN are stakeholder-driven specialty crop governing bodies composed of state, university,

and industry partners. By FY 2010, stakeholders representing fruit trees (pomes and stone fruit),

grapes, berries (strawberries, blueberries, and cane fruit), citrus, and hops formed NCPN governing

bodies entrusted with harmonizing and networking clean plant activities for their crop groups under 

the NCPN banner. 

In FY 2010, NCPN established an Education & Outreach Working Group to develop and deliver

extension materials to nurseries and growers.

In FY 2014, the Agriculture Act 2014 reauthorized NCPN under

Section 10007(e) and made it permanent. Two additional specialty crops, 

sweet potato and roses, joined the network in FY 2015, extending

coverage to seven specialty crops. 

In FY 2018, NCPN established additional special initiatives teams–Economics and Quality 

Management–as well as groups exploring scientific advances in diagnostics and therapeutics. 

The program is currently codified under the Plant Protection Act Section 7721.

Since its inception in 2008, the Network Governing Board and national 

managers have used cooperative agreements to provide over $60 million in

support of 47 initiatives at 34 Clean Plant Centers and locations in 20 States and 

U.S. Territories. Depending on the crop and location of a Clean Plant Center, 

economic studies indicate a return on investments in clean plants of between 

10x-400x the public’s contribution to the program.

2014

Plant Protection Act Sec. 7721
2021-2025 Strategic Plan and Program Implementation Guide Page 8 

Supported Clean Plant Centers and Locations 

Figure 3. As of 2021, the Network funded 47 collaborating programs with 34 Centers or locations in 

20 States and territories.

V

A 

L 

U 

E 

S 
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Grapes 

Cooperating Institution Description

UC Davis (CA) Full service center* and quality management initiative

Cornell (NY) Imports, diagnostics, therapy, and economics

WSU at Prosser, WA Full service center*

Florida A&M University Full service center for muscadine and southern grapes

MO State University at Mountain Grove, MO Full service center*

North Carolina State University Full service center for muscadine and southern grapes

Fruit Trees 

Cooperating Institution Description

UC Davis (CA) Full service center*

WSU at Prosser, WA Full service center*

Clemson (SC) Historical field foundations w/Full service center*

Berries 

Cooperating Institution Description

USDA/ARS at Corvallis, OR incl. OSU Full service center*

University of AR at Fayetteville, AR Diagnostics Methods Development / Full service center*

North Carolina State University Full service center*

UC Davis (CA) Full service center*

Citrus 

Cooperating Institution Description

UC Riverside (CA) incl. Lindcove Facility Full svc center* and quality – found. only at Lindcove

FL Div. Plant Ind. Gainesville and Winter Haven Full service center*

USDA/ARS at Riverside, CA Full service center*

TX A&M University Kingsville and Stephenville Full Service center* - foundation only at Stephenville

University of AZ Foundation block

Auburn University (LA) Foundation block

Louisiana State U. Foundation block

UC Davis (CA) Full service center*

University of HI at Manoa, HI Full service center*

University of Puerto Rico at Juana Diaz, PR Foundation block

Georgia Dept. Agric. Foundation Block - Proposed

USDA/ARS at Beltsville, MD Citrus Diagnostics index collection

Hops 

Cooperating Institution Description

WSU at Prosser, WA Full service center*

Sweet Potato 

Cooperating Institution Description

North Carolina State University Full service center*

Louisiana State U. at Baton Rouge and Chase Diagnostics/Therapy-Baton Rouge / Foundation-Chase

University of AR at Pine Bluff, AR Foundation block

University of HI at Manoa, HI Full service center*

Mississippi State Univ. at Pontotoc, MS Foundation Block

UC Davis (CA) Full service center*

Roses 

Cooperating Institution Description

Texas A&M University at College Station, TX Full service center*

UC Davis (CA) Full service center*

USDA/ARS at Beltsville, MD Roses Diagnostics index collection

Table 1. Listing of clean plant programs by specialty crop during 2008-2021

*Full Service Center >>> Imports, diagnostics, therapy, nuclear stock and foundation blocks. NOTE > several Centers such as UC/Davis, WSU, NCSU, 

and UHI are listed several times since they work on multiple crops; TAMU and LSU also, but at various locations
2021-2025 Strategic Plan and Program Implementation Guide Page 10

Cross Commodity Special 

Initiatives

Leading/Cooperating Institution(s) Description

Education & Outreach UC/Davis w/multiple locations in support NCPN Education & Outreach Program

Communications Planning 1 MI State University (Past) Dev. comprehensive NCPN comm. plan

Communications Planning 2 WA Wine Industry Foundation w/other support NCPN Education/Extension/Communications

Lab Information Systems Purdue Univ. (IN) (Past) Lab Data needs analysis

Economics Oregon State U. (Past) Cornell Univ. (NY) (Present) Economics Program Development

Quality Management UC Riverside (CA) / Cornell University (NY) Lab and Foundation Quality Systems/Controls

Virus Information Sharing USDA/ARS at Corvallis; also w/6 others above Virus Info Sharing among labs and w/growers

Table 2. Listing of clean plant programs which provide leadership and expertise in special initiatives.
2021-2025 Strategic Plan and Program Implementation Guide Page 11

Strategic Goals – An Overview

Goal 1 - Network Operations 

Optimize the production, maintenance and distribution of clean plants.

Goal 2 - Advancing Special Initiatives

Optimize the adaptation and implementation of novel technologies and new ideas while 

increasing the awareness of the importance, availability, and use of clean plants.

Goal 3 – Governance and Networking

Optimize Network resources.

Figure 4. The strategic planning team identified and lumped all planning elements into three 

fundamental strategic goals.
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Program Values

Figure 5. The planning team identified five values to guide its members during the planning process. 

V

A 

L 

U 

E 

S 
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Perspectives for Network Advancement 2021-2025

The following perspectives are based on observations by the Network managers and are anecdotal in 

nature. The intent is to characterize our situation in general terms so that Network members can better 

understand how they interact, communicate, govern, and plan. The perspectives should be debated and 

refined for each commodity group to avoid over generalization or a one-size-fits-all approach, as well 

as promote buy-in and ownership, without which we cannot move forward with mutually acceptable 

action steps.

Over the last ten years, we have accomplished the following: 

• Established a basic organizational structure (e.g., seven commodity governing bodies, 

membership based on broad representation, special focus teams, and a Governing Board)

• Upgraded and equipped our Clean Plant Centers, 

• Characterized the disease situation for our specialty crops, 

• Refined methodologies for diagnostics and therapeutics, 

• Established foundation plantings, 

• Hired and trained personnel, and 

• Completed many of the basic tasks identified in the 2007 strategic plan.

The last ten years of the Network’s focus and activities could be considered as the Era of the Center

where funding mainly went to support the immediate needs of the involved Clean Plant Centers. In 

addition to the production and distribution of clean plant material, sustained funding during this initial 

growth stage supported facility improvements, equipment purchases, establishment of foundation 

plantings, as well as the annual gathering of national experts and industry members to assess and 

respond to plant disease challenges in U.S. specialty crops. By comparison, the next ten years could be 

considered as the Era of the Network where a portion of future funding will support crosscutting, 

Network-level activities that cannot be effectively conducted by one Center or commodity group, and 

must be directed by external experts with appropriate representation and contributions from each 

commodity group and the dedicated Clean Plant Centers.

A traditional organizational chart may not adequately represent our governance structure (see Figure 

1). Such charts are useful to identify chain of command and supervisory control. As an interconnected 

group of “volunteers” or “associates”, we do not report to or take direction from a single Network 

director or solely from leadership groups identified and linked higher in the organizational chart. The 

chart separates higher-level governance and coordination activities that pertain to the entire Network,

as compared to those activities that occur at the grassroots level in the commodity governing bodies. 

Much of the Network’s success is due to the quality and expertise of the involved State, university, and 

industry cooperators. Over the last decade, key individuals have diverted significant time from their 

full-time jobs and worked in a volunteer capacity to 1) lead and participate in the seven commodity 

groups, 2) refine emerging technologies for diagnostics and therapeutics of plant stock, and 3) conduct 

critical Network administrative tasks. The Network has achieved a good balance between its 

operational priorities for its core activities (i.e., diagnostics, therapeutics, foundation establishment) 

and basic governance activities such as internal and external communication and planning. However, 

there is a continual tension between the need to produce clean plant material (i.e., operations) and need 

to organize our actions (i.e., governance). Whenever the discussion moves away from technical and 

operations related topics, many Network members quickly arrive at this tension point and ask: How 

much governance can we tolerate? Where is the balance?
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Network members generally gather annually or a bit more frequently during face-to-face commodity 

group meetings, or by other means, to share information, assess progress, prioritize needs, and plan 

next actions. Consequently, important discussions and decisions are anchored to an annual or 

infrequent meeting cycle. Members often require 2 or 3 meetings to fully consider information before 

making even routine decisions because of the need for broad, consensus-based buy-in and ownership 

on a given topic or situation. Therefore, decisions that require input and feedback from most of the 

Network members, like this national strategic plan, may require several years before representatives 

from the seven commodity groups review, adjust, and adopt actions items tailored to their specialty 

crop.

As individuals, we purchase various kinds of personal insurance to protect ourselves from the full 

impact of catastrophic events like car accidents, house damage, personal injury and medical issues. 

Somewhat similar to an insurance policy, the Network can serve the seven specialty crop groups as an 

emergency or crisis management response plan during damaging disease outbreaks. During outbreaks, 

the Clean Plant Centers can provide 1) technical expertise, where the staff could even be considered as 

first responders, 2) a stockpile of clean plant material to support the replacement of destroyed 

plantings, 3) diagnostic capability for disease detection and delimitation, and 4) a source of industryselected varieties in foundation plantings. From this perspective, the Network Centers could be more 

fully adapted for such a role as part of a backup plan when crisis hits a specific crop or region.
2021-2025 Strategic Plan and Program Implementation Guide Page 15

Goals and Objectives

Goal 1 – Network Program Operations 

Optimize the production, maintenance and distribution of clean plants.

Objectives:

1.1 Stakeholder Driven Clean Plant Centers: Develop a network of Centers that is focused on 

stakeholders and their needs for clean plant material.

1.2 Existing and New Centers: Optimize the number of NCPN Centers to ensure optimal and 

complete specialty crop coverage.

1.3 Protocols, Standards, Collaboration, and Coordination: Improve and coordinate cleanup 

activities and maintenance of clean plants.

1.4 Foundation Management: Assess, support, and manage a network of nationally-focused 

clean plant foundations and collections.

1.5 Plant Availability: Develop and maintain up-to-date lists of available cultivars. Facilitate the 

distribution of clean products at Clean Plant Centers.

1.6 Permitting and Associated Regulatory Matters: Facilitate discussions with permitting, 

regulatory, and related program officials in support of Network activities.

1.7 International Clean Plant Program Connections: Support a Network of centers that are well 

connected internationally for material access and regulatory purposes.

Goal 2 - Advancing Special Initiatives

Optimize the adaptation and implementation of novel technologies and new ideas while 

increasing the awareness of the importance, availability, and use of clean plants.

Objectives:

2.1 Use Advanced Diagnostics: Use more accurate, sensitive and comprehensive detection 

methods to accelerate the production of clean plants. Additionally, identify risk, including 

that of not adopting new technologies.

2.2 Foundation Protection: Use new technologies to safeguard and back up foundation material.

2.3 Natural Disaster Preparation: Secure clean material in case of natural disasters or disease 

outbreaks.

2.4 Clean Plant Material Demand: Determine industry needs for clean plant material.
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2.5 Clean Plant Program Education & Outreach: Facilitate the adoption of plants coming from 

Clean Plant Centers by nurseries and growers through extension and outreach activities.

2.6 Economics: Assess the economic impact of the clean plant programs.

2.7 Quality Assurance and Quality Control: Establish formalized programs and processes for 

program quality coordination and management.

2.8 Scientific Information Development, Use, and Sharing: Develop agreement and establish 

procedures for internal and external data and information development and sharing.

2.9 Interface with Nursery Clean Plant Programs: Facilitate communication among regulators, 

research scientists, industry, and Centers to develop clean plant nursery programs to 

increase the use of clean plant material.

Goal 3 – Governance and Networking

Optimize Network resources.

Objectives:

3.1 Program Governance: Assess and ascertain NCPN governance and administration needs for 

fiscal year 2021-2025.

3.2 Governing Bodies: Accommodate governance for new crops, including funded members and 

non-funded members.

3.3 Program Scope: Revisit and re-circumscribe the scope and parameters of the Network with 

regular reviews and updates.

3.4 Clean Plant Specialty Crop Business Plans: NCPN specialty crop groups and Clean Plant 

Centers develop business plans to ensure for the long-term financial stability of specific crops 

and Centers within the Network

3.5 NCPN Planning Harmonization Strategy: In developing and implementing national, cropspecific, and center-oriented plans, as well as special topics initiatives, NCPN managers will 

strive to coordinate and harmonize all efforts. This will include the creation and coordination 

of technical proposals and other plans.

3.6 Funding Stability: Identify complementary sources of funding to support and/or enhance 

clean plant programs.

3.7 Succession Planning: Develop Succession plan resources to address people, plants, and 

infrastructure.

3.8 Program Networking: Governance bodies should meet regularly with stakeholders and 

networking groups for continuing collaboration and to engage in critical discussions around 

pertinent network/commodity topics.
2021-2025 Strategic Plan and Program Implementation Guide Page 17

References

Links or references to core NCPN documents foundational to the Network and to this Strategic Plan 

and Program Implementation Guide 2021-2025.

NCPN Communications Plan:

• National Program Communications Plan – 2019-12-31 version

NCPN Governing Board – Charter and Membership:

• Charter of the NCPN Governing Board – 2020-01-16 version

NCPN Legislative Authority:

• Plant Protection Act Sec. 7721; paragraphs (e) and (g)

NCPN Open Letters of the Governing Board:

• NCPN Governing Board Position Opinions of FY 2015, 2016, and 2017

NCPN Strategic Plan – Historical:

• NCPN Initial Strategic Plan – 2007-05-07 version

NCPN Strategic Planning Process – SWOT and TOWS Analysis:

• Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Treats – 2017-09-01 version

• TOWS analysis of the NCPN SWOT – 2017-09-01 version

NCPN Web Presence:

• NCPN Cooperator Driven Website

o http://nationalcleanplantnetwork.org/

• USDA Federal Website

o https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/planthealth/ppa-ppdmdpp/sa_ncpn
2021-2025 Strategic Plan and Program Implementation Guide Page 18

Contact Information

USDA, APHIS, PPQ

Science and Technology

920 Main Campus Drive, Suite 200

Raleigh, NC 27606

Phone: (919) 855-7447

Phone: (30) 851-2160 (Riverdale, MD Office)
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Document History

Document Date Description of Changes Additional Notes (as needed)

2007-05-30 Original NCPN Strategic Plan created

2020-06-22 New NCPN Strategic Plan developed 

and issued in draft

The original Strategic Plan had 

served NCPN for 13 years. 

Goals and Objectives needed to 

be revisited, renewed, and 

reissued

2021-02-26 Reformatted for visual consistency and 

ease of navigation; corrected several 

errors in text

2021-03-12 Accepted revisions of 2021-02-26. New 

version of the NCPN Strategic Plan 

issued on 2021-03-12

Document split into 2 

documents; the Strategic Plan 

proper and the Appendix

2021-03-28 Separated into 2 documents and revised 

Appendix footer to reflect unique title of 

that section. 

Completion of above change

2021-06-07 USDA logo applied to header of 1st page 

of Strategic Plan and 1st page of 

Appendix; contact information updated

2023-06-01 Updated format of Tables for 

accessibility
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Appendix

Appendices, including Objectives, Actions, Inputs, Outputs, Outcomes, Metrics, and Timelines, are 

maintained as a separate document for ease of distribution and update.