Turf News July/August 2021

July/August 2021

Turf News A publication of Turfgrass Producers International

The only magazine devoted exclusively to turfgrass production

Annual Seed & Vegetative Stock Issue IN THIS ISSUE New Variety Preview 2021 Seed & Vegetative Stock Crop Outlook TGA “Meet the Grower”

... And Much More

July/August 2021

Turf News A publication of Turfgrass Producers International

The only magazine devoted exclusively to turfgrass production

Annual Seed & Vegetative Stock Issue Issu ue IN THIS ISSUE

IN THIS ISSUE FEATURE ARTICLES

New Variety Preview 2021 Seed & Vegetative Stock Crop Outlook TGA “Meet the Grower”

... And Much More

Cover: Tahoma 31 goes golfing Photo by Sod Production Services

FOCUS: Annual Seed & Vegetative Stock Issue

10 New Variety Previews Introducing 16 new varieties from 8 different suppliers.

TURF NEWS Vol. 45 No. 4 July/August 2021

14 Turfgrass Seed & Vegetative Stock Sources

Published by

Contact these 22 TPI supplier members for your seed and vegetative stock needs.

Turfgrass Producers International 444 E. Roosevelt Road #346 Lombard, IL 60148 U.S. & Canada Tel: 800-405-8873 International Tel: 1-847-649-5555 Fax: 1-847-649-5678 Email: info@TurfGrassSod.org Website: www.TurfGrassSod.org

17 Turfgrass Seed & Vegetative Stock Listings Available by Company

TPI Contact Information

34 Cool-Season & Warm-Season Grasses Overview

Executive Director Casey Reynolds, PhD creynolds@TurfGrassSod.org Membership & Marketing Manager Allie Shriver ashriver@TurfGrassSod.org

Supplier companies provided their list of available seed and vegetative stock varieties.

24 Crop and Market Predictions Suppliers provide their input on the turfgrass seed and/or vegetative stock crop and market outlook.

Kevin Morris, executive director, National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP), summarizes the data collected in the NTEP trials.

48 TPI Introduces New Women in Turfgrass Group for Members

Advertising Sales/Classified Ads Geri Hannah ghannah@TurfGrassSod.org

Learn about TPI’s new Turfgrass ProducHERS International community for TPI members and find out how to join the group.

Co-Editors Steve & Suz Trusty stevetrusty@TurfGrassSod.org suztrusty@TurfGrassSod.org

50 North Carolina and Georgia Issue Sod Producers’ Reports

Art Director Jane Tomlinson jane@inkumbrella.com

54 U.S. Sod Checkoff Program Update

Director of Meetings Liz Lonsbrough liz@lsquaredevents.com Policy Consultant Jonathan Moore jonathanm494@gmail.com Editorial Advisors John Sorochan, PhD University of Tennessee (warm-season grasses) sorochan@utk.edu Aaron J. Patton, PhD Purdue University (cool-season grasses) ajpatton@purdue.edu Turf News is published bi-monthly (January/ February, March/April, May/June, July/August, September/October, November/December) with a $25 subscription fee from Membership dues, by Turfgrass Producers International 444 E. Roosevelt Road #346, Lombard, IL 60148 Periodical postage paid at Jefferson City, MO POSTMASTER Please send address changes to Turf News 444 E. Roosevelt Road #346, Lombard, IL 60148 USPS no. 003 255; ISSN 0899-417K Canadian Post: Publications agreement No. 1479148

TPI Turf News July/August 2021

Check out these reports on the trends for the natural grass market in these two states.

Consider the impact adopting a sod checkoff program can bring to the U.S. sod production market.

58 Rooted in Research—Zoysiagrass, How Did It Get to the U.S.?

Part two in this issue covers more of the history of this important grass and how it got to the U.S.

60 TPI Government Relations Update Learn how TPI’s ongoing government relations initiatives benefit your business.

62 Association Updates—TGA Launches Its “Meet the Grower” series Check out the new “Meet the Grower” section the UK’s TGA has added to its website.

66 Four Things You May Not Know About Reaching Goals New York Times bestselling author Jon Acuff provides tips to successfully reach your goals.

DEPARTMENTS President's TURF.............................................2 Executive Director's TURF.................................4 TPI News.......................................................6 The Lawn Institute News.................................8 Happenings...................................................70 Turf Industry News.............................72 & 74 Classified Ads.................................................78

Advertisers Index.....................................79 Welcome New & Returning Members.....78 Turf Industry Calendar..........................80

BONUS Weather Watch...........….....................76 TLI Helpful Hints......................................9

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2021

PRESIDENT’S TURF

TPI Board of Trustees Officers

Reap What You Plant

Steve Griffen

Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant. - Robert Louis Stevenson As we approach planting season here in the northeast, I am reminded of the importance of using quality inputs to produce the quality products that our customers both demand and expect. As highlighted in this issue of Turf News, the value of starting with quality seed cannot be overlooked. From choosing the right varieties and cultivars to focusing on purity, germination and NTEP results, it all starts with the seed and vegetative stock we plant. Then we all reap what we planted.

Our businesses operate in similar fashion. Investments in our people, equipment, and technology are all critical components that we must foster and cultivate to grow our businesses.

The same holds true for TPI. As a trade organization of and for turfgrass sod producers and vendors, membership is not only our major input, but our lifeline to success. I know that as a member, I have benefited greatly both professionally and personally. The conferences and resources provide exceptional education, but the real value is in the relationships I have made with other sod growers. I cannot begin to put a value on how much I have gained from the knowledge and experience of fellow members.

Some of us are lucky to have excellent state associations, but there is a lot of benefit in casting a wider net with TPI. Whether it is a grower from my state or halfway across the country or globe, I know there are people out there dealing with the same challenges I am facing. Each has a different way to overcome challenges, and quite frankly, many of them have a better way.

President Steve Griffen Saratoga Sod Farm, Inc. – U.S.A. +1-518-664-5038 steve@saratogasod.com Vice President Jim Keeven SelecTurf, Inc – U.S.A. +1-573-634-3444 jim@selecturfsod.com Secretary-Treasurer Bob McCurdy McCurdy Farms - U.S.A. +1-731-692-3515 mccurdysodfarms@gmail.com Past President Hank Kerfoot Modern Turf – U.S.A. +1-803-713-8873 hank@modernturf.com Executive Director Casey Reynolds, PhD Turfgrass Producers International – U.S.A. +1-847-649-5555 creynolds@TurfGrassSod.org Trustees Dan Huggett Columbus Turf Nursery – U.S.A. +1-740-983-6580 danielh@columbus-turf.com John Keleher Australian Lawn Concepts - Australia +61 61755430145 john@alcturf.com.au Larry LeMay A-G Sod Farms, Inc. – U.S.A. +1-559-289-2302 llemay@agsod.com

The common bond we have as sod growers also opens the door for many friendships and can even provide a sort of extended family. I have had some great conversations with my TPI friends about the challenge of balancing family, farm, faith, and fun. We all know it can get a little tricky in the busy months of a sod season, and it is helpful to know that others experience similar trials and tribulations.

Aaron McWhorter NG Turf – U.S.A. +1-770-832-8608 amc@ngturf.com

I encourage everyone to analyze your inputs, as a producer, as a business owner, and as a member of TPI. Attend the next conference, join a committee, or talk to your neighbor about joining TPI. By becoming involved in association activities and events, we have planted seed that has yielded so much in return.

Ron Schiedel Greenhorizons Group – CANADA +1-519-778-7500 ron@greenhorizonssod.com

Warm regards,

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Diane Mischel DeBuck’s Sod Farm, Inc. +1-810-653-2201 office@debucksodfarm.com

Cliff Stewart STEC Equipment, Inc. +1-864-225-3666 cliff@stecequipment.com

TPI Turf News July/August 2021

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S TURF Going Together Casey Reynolds, PhD

There is an old saying that I am sure we’ve all heard that states, “If you want to go fast go alone, if you want to go far go together.” As I often reflect on this, I think to myself that I cannot name a single case of when that is not true.

Whether it is running a farming operation or supplier company like many of our TPI members do, or even our staff here at TPI, it really does take a collective effort to truly go far. I am positive that TPI would not be in its fifty-third year without the collective effort of many TPI past presidents, board of trustee members, committee members, members, and staff. Fast forward to today, and we would almost certainly not have scored some of our recent successes in government regulations around CFAP2 funds and sod as agriculture without the support of TPI members and the efforts of our staff and consultants.

While these successes will serve us well for years to come, our largest and most significant opportunity to continue moving our industry forward is just around the corner with an upcoming vote on the U.S. Sod Checkoff program sometime next year. If you look at recent and past successes that have been funded by just TPI duespaying members, think of how much impact a U.S. Sod Checkoff board could have if they brought every U.S. sod farm to the table. Current estimates project that 1/10 of one penny for every square foot of sod sold could raise as much as $14 million or more annually to fund powerful and impactful programs in research, promotion, building codes and regulations, and more to protect and grow our industry.

Furthermore, there is no reason that sod farmers should have to carry this burden alone. The saying about checkoffs that “everyone contributes because everyone benefits” is not only true for sod farms but also for our customers. When I talk to landscapers, sports field managers, and others in our industry and tell them that

this program equates to just around 50 cents per pallet of sod they tell me they would pay that knowing that it is going to protect and promote their industry as well. Sod farmers are fully within their rights to add the checkoff assessments to their invoices and again, everyone benefits.

Many of our sod customers know just as well as we do the threats we face from misinformation aimed at limiting or banning natural grass all-together.

There is still plenty of time to learn more about the proposed program ahead of next year’s vote, and there is even more information on pages 54 – 56 of this issue of Turf News. You can also visit the website SodCheckoff.org.

And you can check out the Turf Industry Calendar on page 80 of this issue for an upcoming meeting near you— or call me to schedule one. As always, please reach out anytime, and I will answer any questions you have on this or other topics. Thanks for all you do for our industry!

Cheers,

There is an old saying that I am sure we’ve all heard that states, “If you want to go fast go alone, if you want to go far go together.”

Please follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!

@TPITurfTalk @TheLawnInstitute

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@TurfgrassProducersInternational @TheLawnInstitute

@TheLawnInstitute

TPI Turf News July/August 2021

TPI NEWS

MARK TO WHAT YOUR KNOW CALENDAR TWO UPDATED MEMBER BENEFITS MAILED The updated pest control guide and the 2021 Membership Directories have been mailed to all TPI members!

The NEW 2021 Weed, Insect, and Disease Control for Turfgrass Producers TPI Member-Only benefit contains 109 pages of information on pest control in sod production.

The 2021 Membership Directory provides contact information for members, staff and other important industry entities and people; information on member benefits; supplier information; history; and much more.

If you didn’t get your FREE copies, please contact our office at 847-649-5555.

TPI WORKING WITH USDA ON CROP INSURANCE FOR SOD Interested in Crop Insurance? TPI is working with the U.S. Farm Service Agency to develop potential crop insurance plans specific to sod production. If you are interested in learning more or willing to serve on an exploratory committee, please contact Dr. Casey Reynolds at CReynolds@TurfGrassSod.org or 847-7371846 to learn more.

FEATURE YOUR INTERESTING WORK ON TLI WEBSITE Do you have high-resolution photos of your seed or sod in home lawns? We’d love to feature your farm and products on the NEW TLI website. Please submit any images to CReynolds@TurfGrassSod.org and include the species and variety name, your farm’s name, and the city or location of the lawn.

FOLLOW TPI AND TLI ON SOCIAL MEDIA Turfgrass Producers International Twitter: @TPITurfTalk Facebook: @TurfgrassProducersInternational

The Lawn Institute Twitter: @TheLawnInstitute Facebook: @TheLawnInstitute Instagram: @TheLawnInstitute

UPDATED INFO ON SOD CHECKOFF PROGRAM The U.S. Sod Checkoff Program website is live at Sodcheckoff. org! Head on over to learn more about this initiative and upcoming referendum. The Draft Order of the proposed U.S. Sod Checkoff program has hit the USDA-Ag Marketing Service website. Please visit the following link to view the entire draft and the proposed order. https://www.ams. usda.gov/rules-regulations/research-promotion/natural-sod

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TPI Turf News July/August 2021

TPI NEWS

WHAT TO KNOW

ATTEND A SOD CHECKOFF MEETING NEAR YOU Want to hear more about the proposed U.S. Sod Checkoff program? See the Turf Industry calendar on page 80 of this issue for an upcoming event near you or contact Dr. Casey Reynolds at creynolds@ TurfgrassSod.org or 847-737-1846 to schedule an event near you.

WHAT TO MARK YOUR KNOW CALENDAR 2022 FEB 14-17 TPI 2022 International Education Conference & Field Day San Diego, CA

TPI

2022 FEB 14-17

International Education Conference & Field Day

Shortly after the California Governor’s announcement on April 5 that he planned to have the state fully reopened by June 15, TPI signed the contract with Loews Coronado Bay Resort as the headquarters for the 2022 International Education Conference. The Field Day will be hosted by American Sod Farms in nearby Escondido. Make sure you start making your plans now to be in the San Diego area February 14-17. This is an excellent opportunity to learn, connect with your peers, see new equipment, and catch up with what is going on in your industry.

TPI Turf News July/August 2021

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THANK YOU TO ALL 2021 DONORS The Lawn Institute sincerely thanks ALL members that have already donated to The Foundation in 2021. In recognition of the Forever Green, Platinum Patron, Gold Benefactor, Green Partner, and 500 Club members, the lists below recognize those who donated as of 6/1/2021.

FOREVER GREEN/LEGACY GIVING Hank & Mary Kerfoot (Modern Turf, Inc.) For more information contact the TPI office at 800-405-8873 or 847-649-5555.

PLATINUM PATRON/over $10,000 Heritage Turf, Inc—Ron Nixon

GREEN PARTNER/$1,000–$4,999 Cameron Financial—Darryl Yochem Coombs Sod Farms, LLC—John Coombs DeBuck's Sod Farm of NY, Inc.—Greg DeBuck Emerald View Turf Farm—Eddie Keeven Jasperson Sod Farm—Randy Jasperson Jasperson Sod Farm—Ryan Menken JB Instant Lawn, Inc —Mark Tribbett Jonathan Green & Sons, Inc.—Barry Green Laytonsville Landscaping, Inc.—Doug Lechlider Locus Agricultural Solutions—Walter Hechenbliekner McCurdy Sod Farms, LLC—Bob McCurdy Newsom Seed, Inc.—Allen Bohrer Saratoga Sod Farm, Inc.—Steve Griffen SelecTurf Inc.—Jim Keevan Trebro Manufacturing, Inc.—Gregg Tvetene Turf Merchants, Inc —Nancy Aerni Turf Mountain Sod, Inc.—Linda Bradley Turf Producers Association—Jenny Carritt Woerner Farms—Graham Simmons

500 CLUB/$500—$999 A & W Southern Sod Farm—William Head Aqua Yield—Clark Bell Barenbrug USA—Micah Gould Bethel Farms—Will Nugent Central Turf Farms, Inc.—Herman Wittig DeBuck’s Sod Farm—Diane Mischel DG Turf Farm—James Gibson DMG Turf, Inc.—Clay Gardner Eagle Lake Professional Landscape Supply—Eric Heuver Emerald View Turf Farm—Matt Keeven Evergreen Turf—Jimmy Fox H & E Sod—Darin Habenicht Harmony Outdoor Brands—Mike Pope Heartland Turf Farms—Tom Keeven, Jr. Kogelmann’s Creek-Side Sod Farm, Inc.—Charlene Kogelmann Magnum—Steven Dover Modern Turf, Inc.—Hank Kerfoot Oakwood Sod Farm, Inc.—Gary Wilber Oregon Turf & Tree Farms—Tom DeArmond Pine Island Turf Nursery, Inc.—Chip Lain Prime Sod—Ryan Thomas R & R Products—Tom Rogers R.B. Farms, LLC—Robbie Brady Reid Sod Farm—Randall Reid Rolawn Limited—Paul Dawson Royal Sod Farms, LLC—Brian Shufelt Sod Solutions—Tobey Wagner Sporting Valley Turf Farms—Matt Wimer Summit Seed – Profile Products—Ron Edwards Sumter Sod—Chip Block Thomas Turfgrass—Emory Thomas Todd Valley Farms, Inc.—Wayne Thorson Tri-Turf Sod Farms, Inc.—Jason Pooler Tulsa Grass & Sod Farms, Inc.—Richard Stunkard Valley Irrigation—Will Sheets Vandemark Sod Farms—Trevor Vandemark Virginia Beef Corp—William Brockett West Coast Turf—John Foster Winstead Turf Farms, Inc.—Bobby Winstead

For more information on how you can support TLI and make a donation in 2021 contact the TPI office at 800-405-8873 or 847-649-5555.

Contributions help support tufgrass research, education, scholarships, and the campaign to promote natural grass. Donations made in the calendar year will receive personal recognition in our publications and in The Lawn Institute booth at the following levels:

FOREVER GREEN/LEGACY GIVING

PLATINUM PATRON/OVER $10,000 GOLD BENEFACTOR/$5,000–$9,999

GREEN PARTNER/$1,000–$4,999 500 CLUB/$500–$999

Helpful Hints from The Lawn Institute can be copied to hand out to your customers. To obtain a pdf version to copy for handouts just contact Turf News co-editor Steve Trusty at stevetrusty@TurfGrassSod.org. Then print and share with your customers—it’s free!

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TPI Turf News July/August 2021

HELPFUL HINTS HINTS HELPFUL HELPFUL HINTS FROM THE THE LAWN LAWN INSTITUTE INSTITUTE FROM FROM THE LAWN INSTITUTE LAWN LIFE

There is another lawn “life” that exists right beneath your feet. This life just happens to be going on quietly underground while families and kids enjoy all that natural grass lawns have to offer on the surface.

Yes, there is a living, thriving, and breathing abundance of life that lawns support just beneath the surface. From plant and soil processes to arthropods and micro-organisms, natural grass lawns sustain a wide range of life in urban and suburban neighborhoods all over the world.

We all know the process of plants capturing atmospheric carbon dioxide and converting it into fresh oxygen, but the benefits of carbon capture by lawns do not stop there.

As carbon is deposited into the soil, it contributes to soil organic carbon, and can have a profound influence on ecosystem sustainability, soil fertility, and soil structure.

Urban and suburban cities in many areas of the world are often developed on former agricultural land. As neighborhoods and communities are developed, hundreds of years of organic carbon deposited by plants are stripped off during construction practices so that homes and roads can be built onto the underlying mineral subsoils. Planting natural grass lawns, trees, shrubs, and other plants is the most effective way to return these disturbed soils into a more native state. The carbon deposited by these plants improves soil structure and aggregation, creates pore space for water and oxygen, and improves runoff capture. But did you also know that it serves as a habitat for a thriving system of soil arthropods and micro-organisms?

period. Researchers in Australia found that grasses had the greatest diversity of both ants and beetles on five of their six sampling dates and had the greatest diversity at the taxonomic level order on half of their sampling dates.

They also found 21 orders of arthropods in just four lawns.

Researchers in Canada have found that lawn ecosystems made up of perennial grass species, even when intensively managed, support a diverse fauna of arthropods including herbivores, natural enemies, and decomposers. In just one study, researchers found a diverse population of 17 species, ten genera, and seven tribes present in lawns. It also showed that as lawns mature, there are up to six times the number of natural enemies when compared to new lawns.

In addition to soil arthropods, natural grass lawns support a diverse soil microbiome that is made up of a complex network of micro-organisms including bacteria, fungi, and singlecelled organisms called archaea. These micro-organisms are vital to soil health and sustainability and are supported by the high carbon sequestration rates of the grass they flourish under. Recent research has shown that natural grass lawns enhance soil microbial diversity when compared to bare soil and help regulate microbial community composition.

Be sure to check out the all new TLI website at www.

TheLawnInstitute.org to learn more about the many environmental benefits of urban and suburban lawns!

Managed lawns can host as many as 52 different arthropod families, with over half of them representing beneficial insects such as predators and parasitoids. Researchers in the United States found over 330,000 arthropods in 20 home lawns within just a three-month sampling

For more information on lawn care and helpful “How to” tips, visit The Lawn Institute at: www.TheLawnInstitute.org.

TPI Turf News July/August 2021

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NEW VARIETY PREVIEW Use this guide to learn what your supplier member companies are saying about their 2021 turfgrass seed and vegetative stock introductions.

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TPI Turf News July/August 2021

BENTGRASS

007XL (MGH) creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera) is a member of the Super Bents™ with superior qualities for use on greens, tees, and fairways. 007XL produces a uniformly dense turf with a bright, mediumgreen leaf color. 007XL has excellent traffic tolerance and the ability to maintain a tight turf surface under an extremely low mowing height of cut, but also has shown excellent fairway performance. In addition, 007XL will not turn purple during the cool weather months and has excellent cool weather active growth. 007XL has excellent disease resistance to Dollar Spot, Brown Patch, Anthracnose, and Pink and Gray Snow Mold. After establishment, 007XL will not produce an overly thatchy and spongy turf, but it does respond well to traditional aerification and grooming practices. 007XL will not produce a turf that becomes "puffy" and "scalpy."

Seed Research of Oregon

KingdomTM creeping bentgrass is a new generation bentgrass with aggressive lateral growth and less top growth, allowing it to spread without growing tall. Kingdom continues the tradition of T-1 as a high quality, yet lower maintenance bentgrass that performs beautifully whether planted on moderate-budget or high-end golf courses. Developed over a period of more than ten years, Kingdom’s parentage includes selections of T-1 creeping bentgrass combined with germplasm collections from historic golf course putting greens throughout the United States. The breeding lines used to create Kingdom were screened using Jacklin’s “spot plot” Poa annua putting green for aggressiveness against Poa. Kingdom combines the world-renowned color of T-1 with great drought and traffic tolerance. It thrives across the cool, temperate regions of the world, and it is adapted well into the transition zone between warm- and cool-season areas.

Barenbrug USA

TPI Turf News July/August 2021

BERMUDAGRASS

Lawnifi® Bermudagrass Seed: Lawnifi Bermudagrass is an elite seeded bermudagrass that offers exceptional turf quality and density.

Lawnifi Bermudagrass’s adaptability allows it to grow into the transition zone as well as in warm, humid climates with improved heat tolerance and drought tolerance.

One of Lawnifi Bermudagrass’s key features includes its salt tolerance, which makes it an excellent choice for projects using effluent water or in areas under water restrictions.

Lawnifi Bermudagrass seed is coated with Lawnifi fertilizer to promote faster and more successful establishment.

Sod Solutions - Lawnifi® Seed Program

BLUEGRASS

BlueMagic America type bluegrass: Looking for an America type bluegrass with color similar to Midnight and resistance against the many diseases that have plagued Midnight type varieties? Look no further than BlueMagic.

TMI is pleased to offer this breakthrough variety that has been selected for some amazing attributes.

Most noticeable is the color of BlueMagic which is a dark green, very similar to that of Midnight. BlueMagic retains that color during the winter better than other Midnight type varieties and has noticeable earlier spring green up. Medium leaf textured, this variety provides a very uniform turf with excellent resistance to crown rust, summer patch, dollar spot, melting out, and stem rust diseases.

Wear and tear? BlueMagic has rated highly in the traffic tolerance department as well. You have shade?

BlueMagic again has been rated as one of your best choices. In fact, the ground cover ratings for all seasons have proven to be excellent. Request BlueMagic to enhance your Kentucky Bluegrass blends. Limited pounds available this first year of 2021 harvest.

Turf Merchants, Inc. (TMI)

Solar Texas “Hybrid” Bluegrass: • Extreme drought tolerance • Survives in heat up to 104 degrees F • Beautiful dark green color • Plant straight or with Black Beauty Tall Fescue • Superior disease resistance • Grow sod without netting Jonathan Green

Zip Kentucky Bluegrass has quick establishment, excellent seedling vigor, and dark green color. It has superior long term turf persistence.

Zip is ideal for home lawns and commercial properties.

Columbia River Seed

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CENTIPEDE

Lawnifi® SanteeTM Centipede Seed: Lawnifi Santee Centipede is now offered as a seeded variety. Its massive root system allows it to recover from damage quickly by rapidly covering the ground. The roots encourage better water and nutrient uptake from the soil making it an excellent grass selection for drought conditions. Santee Centipede Seed is a great way to fill in bare spots or to start a new centipede lawn. Santee Centipede seed grows in faster than Common Centipede and features a good fall color retention and spring green-up. Santee is an improved, more robust centipede.

Sod Solutions - Lawnifi® Seed Program

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FINE FESCUE

Leeward (DLFPS-FRC/3057) Chewings Fescue (Festuca rubra ssp. commutate) has high overall turf quality and especially high marks for disease resistance. It performs well in traffic, heat, and shade. Leeward has superior performance at all mowing heights from fairways to no mow. With high levels of naturally occurring endophyte, Leeward will repel surface feeding insects, thereby reducing stress and vulnerability to disease. Leeward is designed to be used in mixtures, typically with other fine fescues, perennial ryegrass, and Kentucky bluegrass. It has a rich green color that blends well, and it adds increased disease resistance and wear tolerance to the mix.

DLF Pickseed

PASPALUM

Lawnifi® Paspalum Seed: Lawnifi Paspalum is the newest and best seeded seashore paspalum on the market. Featuring Lawnifi fertilizer coated seed, Lawnifi Paspalum is faster to establish.

Lawnifi Paspalum’s breeding objectives include a tighter density, better disease resistance, and improved spring green-up. Lawnifi Paspalum shares the benefits of vegetative paspalum such as salt tolerance once it has matured, quick recovery, dark green color, and an upright growth habit for excellent playability. As a seeded variety, Lawnifi Paspalum may be easier to acquire for countries with import restrictions on vegetative paspalums.

With its durability and maximum flexibility of mowing heights, Lawnifi Paspalum meets the needs of most sports field applications and is suited for golf courses wall-to-wall.

Sod Solutions - Lawnifi® Seed Program

TPI Turf News July/August 2021

TALL FESCUE

Dynamite G-LS (PPG-TF 254) Tall fescue is a fall standout for Turfgrass Quality. With Lateral Spread technology, Dynamite G-LS produces rapidly establishing, quick tillering plants that are perfect for shade and sod production. Major characteristics are bulleted below: • Gray Leaf Spot Resistant • Lateral Spread™ (LS) Technology • Great Seedling Vigor • Quickest Tillering • NTEP Shade Winner • Highest Quality in Fall Dynamite G-LS seed will be available for Fall 2021.

Mountain View Seeds

Firecracker G-LS (PPG-TF 308) is a breakthrough Tall Fescue cultivar, combining Lateral Spread toughness with the first NTEP-proven resistance to Gray Leaf Spot! Firecracker G-LS sets a new standard for durability thanks to its aggressive recovery and density, which allows it to shine in summer’s heat and resist disease that takes out the competition. Major characteristics are bulleted below: • Gray Leaf Spot Resistant • Lateral Spread™ (LS) Technology • Tops in NTEP Quality Scores • Dense, Compact Growth Firecracker G-LS Tall fescue seed will be available for Fall 2021.

Mountain View Seeds

Raceway (DLFPS-321/3696) tall fescue (Schedonorus arundinaceus) has demonstrated excellent turf quality nationwide. It has superior Gray Leaf Spot resistance and high resistance to Pythium and Brown Patch for reduced inputs. Raceway has superior traffic tolerance in multiple locations. It has shown the highest shade tolerance. In NTEP trials it has shown superior drought tolerance and recovery. These attributes combined with rapid establishment, dark green color, and fine leaf texture make for a superior tall fescue stand.

Seed Research of Oregon

TPI Turf News July/August 2021

TALL FESCUE

Soft Blade Tall Fescue: * The softest to-the-touch tall fescue grass plant available today * Vastly improved tillering for better turf density * The first of a new elite generation of Black Beauty Tall Fescue Varieties * Mixes great with Blue Panther Bluegrasses * Beautiful rich dark green color * Superior disease resistance and drought tolerance Jonathan Green

XanaduTM Tall fescue combines beautiful turf qualities, like fine texture and dark color, with excellent resistance to environmental stressors like disease, drought, and traffic. Xanadu has received impressive ratings for performance under shade and drought conditions and shows exceptional resistance to Brown patch disease.

Its excellent turf quality is demonstrated in multiple regions of the U.S. in the 2018 NTEP, including the Southeast, Mountain West, Northwest, and Transition Zone. For use in sun or partial shade, Xanadu is an excellent choice for home lawns, parks, athletic fields, golf courses, and community green areas.

Barenbrug USA

TRANSITIONAL RYEGRASS

Remedy (IRT-1-15) transitional ryegrass (Lolium hybridum) is an advanced transitional ryegrass with increased turf quality and performance. Remedy is recommended for use in overseeding southern golf course fairways and roughs, either alone or as a 20 percent to 40 percent component blended with perennial ryegrass.

It also is excellent for overseeding sports fields for quick repair, even at cold times of the year. Remedy germinates faster than perennial ryegrass, particularly in cooler conditions. Remedy was bred to disappear smoothly and quickly in the late spring as bermudagrass is ready to grow, for a smoother transition even without chemistry. In permanent turf sites, it can be used as a substitute for perennial ryegrass with many advantages including less expensive seed, lasts only one to two seasons, germination and growth at cooler temperatures, and does not over dominate mixtures. Compared to using annual ryegrasses it shows improved mowing quality and less mowing requirement.

DLF Pickseed

ZionTM is another hearty tall fescue offered by Barenbrug USA. It displays fine leaf texture and a medium-todark green color. In national tests, Zion shows excellent resistance to brown patch—in both cool and warm climates—plus resistance to gray leaf spot and pythium blight. Zion was developed for use on home lawns, golf courses, parks, and sports fields, and thrives in varying environments including the Southwest, Southeast, and Western regions of the United States (2018 Tall fescue NTEP). Once established, Zion will provide yearround groundcover that greens up quickly in the springtime when you need it to look its best.

Barenbrug USA

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TURFGRASS SEED AND VEGETATIVE STOCK SOURCES The following TPI member companies provided information for the turfgrass seed and vegetative stock listing. Turf News is not responsible for companies that did not submit information by the deadline. You also can use this listing to see the location of company advertisements.

Barenbrug USA In the fall of 2020 Barenbrug USA purchased Jacklin Seed Company. While you may see various branded products carry the Jacklin name in the market today, these brands are produced and managed under Barenbrug USA as part of an overarching portfolio of unique turfgrass genetics.

33477 Highway 99E P.O. Box 239 Tangent, OR 97389 Contact: Alyssa Cain Tel. 541-926-5801 Cell 503-602-2388 Fax 541-926-9435 acain@barusa.com Contact: Margaret Childers Tel. 509-321-8873 Cell 509-202-3981 Fax 509-319-3181 mchilders@barusa.com www.barusa.com

Bethel Farms 8780 NW Bethel Farms RD Arcadia, FL 32466 Contact: Cherie Velez Tel. 800-226-3057 Direct 863-441-0819 cvelez@bethelfarms.com www.bethelfarms.com Page 67

BrettYoung PO Box 99 Stn St Norbert POSTAL Station Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Contact: Travis Unger Tel. 780-985-7307 travis.unger@brettyoung.ca www.brettyoung.ca

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Columbia River Seed 187405 S. Plymouth Industrial Road P.O. Box 66 Plymouth, WA 99346 Tel. 509-783-4052 Fax 509-783-4056 Contact: Ryan Jeffries Cell 303-522-6296 ryan@columbiariverseed.com Contact: Paul Hedgpeth Cell 509-832-0287 paul@columbiariverseed.com www.columbiariverseed.com

Columbia Seeds 130 NW Hickory St. Albany, OR 97321 Contact: Scott R. Harer Tel. 888-681-7333 Cell 541-990-8865 Fax 541-791-7540 sharer@columbiaseeds.com www.columbiaseeds.com

DLF Pickseed P.O. Box 229 Halsey, OR 97348 Contact: Sean Chaney Tel. 800-445-2251 Direct 541-918-1001 Cell 541-409-7201 schaney@dlfna.com www.dlfpickseed.com

Doguet Ventures/Bladerunner Farms Inc. 4406 Merle Drive Austin, TX 78745 Contact: David Doguet Tel. 830-276-4455 Fax 830-276-8618 david@doguetventures.com www.doguetventures.com

GO Seed 4455 60th Avenue NE Salem, OR 97305 Contact: Jerry Hall Tel. 503-566-9900 Cell 503-559-1823 Fax 503-566-9901 jhall@GOSeed.com www.GOSeed.com

Landmark Turf & Native Seed 32320 Brandon Place Avon Lake, OH 44012 Contact: Larry Humphreys Tel. 888-763-8873 Cell 440-785-8873 Fax 440-930-2775 lhumphreys@landmarkseed.com www.turfandnativeseed.com Outside Back Cover

Jersey Seed, Inc. 18B Jules Lane New Brunswick, NJ 08901 Contact: Ken Griepentrog Tel. 800-828-5856 Fax 732-247-3514 ken@jerseyseed.com www.jerseyseed.com

Jonathan Green, Inc./ Cascade International Seed Company Contact: Barry K. Green II P.O. Box 326 Farmingdale, NJ 07727 Tel. 800-526-2303 Cell 908-217-0818 bgreenii@jonathangreen.com www.jonathangreen.com Contact: David Bradley Cell 828-606-7186 dbradley@jonathangreen.com Contact: Michael Vanden Bosch Cell 732-804-1743 mvande@jonathangreen.com Contact: Bruce Rose brose@grass-seed.com Contact: Rob Harris rob@grass-seed.com www.cascadeinternationalseed.com Page 5

Mountain View Seeds 8955 Sunnyview Rd. NE Salem, OR 97305 Contact: Duane Klundt Tel. 503-588-7333 Cell 503-877-8855 dklundt@mtviewseeds.com www.mtviewseeds.com Page 65

Newsom Seed PO Box 510 Fulton, MD 20759 Contact: Allen Bohrer Tel. 240-554-0359 allen@newsomseed.com www.newsomseed.com

Pennington Seed, Inc. 1280 Atlanta Hwy Madison, GA 30650 Contact: Michael Deaton, PhD Tel. 706-752-4187 Cell 706-319-9827 mdeaton@penningtonseed.com www.pennington.com Page 51

TPI Turf News July/August 2021

Profile Products LLC Formerly Summit Seed 22110 S. State Rt. 27 Rockford, WA 99030 Contact: Ron Edwards Tel 800-457-6748 Direct 509-413-0713 Cell 815-405-8810 Fax 815-468-7450 redwards@profileproducts.com www.summitseed.com Page 68

Sod Solutions, Inc. P. O. Box 460 Mount Pleasant, SC 29465 Contact: Tobey Wagner Tel. 843-284-2332 Cell 843-224-1435 Fax 843-849-1415 twagner@sodsolutions.com www.sodsolutions.com Page 49

Pure Seed 29975 S. Barlow Rd. Canby, OR 97013 Contact: McKayla Fricker Tel. 503-651-2130 info@pureseed.com www.pureseed.com

Seed Research of Oregon PO Box 229 Halsey, OR 97348 Contact: Mike Billman Tel. 541-369-2251 Direct 541-918-1011 Cell 541-657-9055 mbillman@sroseed.com www.sroseed.com

SiteOne Landscape Supply 1130 Liberty Street SE, Suite #3 Salem, OR 97302 Contact: Debra Barnes Tel. 503-363-6668 Cell 503-507-7139 Fax 503-364-1244 dbarnes@siteone.com http://www.SiteOne.com http://www.Lesco.com

Sod Production Services 18161 Sandy Point Road Charles City, VA 23030 Contact: Chad Adcock Tel. 757-345-1120 chad@sodproservices.com www.sodproductionservices.com Page 75

The Turfgrass Group, Inc. 1225 Savannah Lane Monroe, Georgia 30655 Contact: Bill Carraway Tel. 770-207-1500 Cell 404-276-4141 bcarraway@theturfgrassgroup.com Contact: Lindsey Lindsey Tel. 770-710-8139 llindsey@theturfgrassgroup.com www.TheTurfgrassGroup.com

Turf Merchants, Inc. (TMI) 33390 Tangent Loop Tangent, OR 97389 Contact: Nancy Aerni Tel. 541-926-8649 or 800-421-1735 Cell 503-508-6437 Fax 541-926-4435 nancy@turfmerchants.com www.turfmerchants.com

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TPI Turf News July/August 2021

TURFGRASS SEED AND VEGETATIVE STOCK LISTING Turf News invited suppliers to provide a list of turfgrass seed and/or vegetative stock currently offered by their company. Suppliers are listed alphabetically. Lists are in the order supplied by the companies.

BARENBRUG USA

In the fall of 2020 Barenbrug USA purchased Jacklin Seed Company. While you may see various branded products carry the Jacklin name in the market today, these brands are produced and managed under Barenbrug USA as part of an overarching portfolio of unique turfgrass genetics.

For more information: www.barusa.com

WEEPING ALKALIGRASS (Puccinellia distans) Salt Survivor Fults

POA TRIVIALIS Havana

SEEDED BERMUDAGRASS Monaco Hollywood Chilly Verde Transcontinental Bargusto

ANNUAL RYEGRASS Panterra Panterra V BarTerra

PERENNIAL RYEGRASS Peak Pinnacle Parkside Pinnacle III Premier III Barlennium Barbeta RPR Barlibro RPR Barprium RPR Accent Accent II Caddieshack II Goalkeeper II Infusion

TPI Turf News July/August 2021

Revenge GLX Spyglass Top Gun Top Gun II

FINE FESCUE Hardtop – hard EcoStar Plus - hard Contender – strong creeping red Audubon – strong creeping red JF-209 – strong creeping red Bridgeport II – chewings Sandrine – chewings J-5 - chewings Barcrown II – slender creeping red Barpearl - slender creeping red Sprinkler - slender creeping red Lighthouse - slender creeping red Marco Polo - sheep

TALL FESCUE Barrington II BarRobusto Barvado Bearcat Zion* (new for 2021 crop) Xanadu* (new for 2021 crop) Arid 3 Bonfire Dallas KY-41 Inferno Jaquar 4G Quest Siesta Summer

KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS Barvette HGT Barserati Barrari Barrister Barimpala Baron Barduke Action After Midnight Award BlueChip BlueChip Plus Camas Everest Impact Jackpot Liberator Midnight Navy NuBlue Plus NuGlade Rugby II

CREEPING BENTGRASS Alpha Armor Kingdom* (new for 2021 crop) L-93 L-93 XD Nightlife T-1 V-8 TourPro Penncross Penn A4 Bengal Crystal BlueLinks Pure Distinction Pureformance Pure Select PennTrio Pennway Seaside II

COLONIAL BENTGRASS Capri

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BETHEL FARMS For more information: www.bethelfarms.com

ST. AUGUSTINE Scotts™ProVista® – Florida only CitraBlue® Floratam™ Palmetto® Seville

BERMUDAGRASS Bimini® TifTuf™ Celebration®

ULTRADWARF BERMUDAGRASS Imperial®

ZOYSIA EMPIRE® ICON®

BRETTYOUNG For more information: www.brettyoung.ca

PERENNIAL RYEGRASS Reservoir Sunburst Riptide Sunstreaker Dominator IQ Citation III Passport Plateau Catalyst

TALL FESCUE Showdown Swagger Doubletake Deputy Coronado Gold Fury Fastlane

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REV – creeping red Aberdeen – creeping red

Unitus Essential Garrison Rhizing Star Foxhound

COLUMBIA RIVER SEED

KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS

FINE FESCUE

For more information: www.columbiariverseed.com

KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS Zip* (new for 2021 crop) Aviator II Corsair Dauntless Heartland Blue Coat Pivot Rubix Blue Devil

TURF TYPE TALL FESCUE Black Tail Tank Thor Thunderstruck Tough Temple Warrior

HARD FESCUE Gladiator Sword

DLF PICKSEED For more information: www.dlfpickseed.com TALL FESCUE Nightcrawler Mustang 4 Crossfire 4 Firewall Bladerunner II Fayette Rhizing Moon Bloodhound Houndog 8 Turfway

Armada Granite Mercury Blue Velvet Jackrabbit Fielder Blue Ghost Rhythm Sombrero Heidi Keeneland

PERENNIAL RYEGRASS – DIPLOID Fiesta Cinco Allstar Fore Wicked Karma Fiesta 4 All Star 3 Express II Thrive Aspire Bandalore Diligent Banfield Hancock Stamina Gator 3

PERENNIAL RYEGRASS – TETRAPLOID Tetradark Replicator

FINE FESCUE Leeward - Chewings* (new for 2021 crop) Windward - Chewings Longfellow 3 - Chewings Wrigley 2 - Chewings Garnet - strong creeping red Jasper II - strong creeping red Chantilly - strong creeping red Class One - strong creeping red Cindy Lou - strong creeping red Eureka II - hard Spartan II - hard TPI Turf News July/August 2021

Samanta – slender creeping red fescue Shoreline - slender creeping red Quatro – sheep

Prizm Stadium

INTERMEDIATE TURFTYPE RYEGRASS

GO SEED

Remedy* (new for 2021 crop) Transit 2600 TransAm

ANNUAL TURF-TYPE RYEGRASS Candidame Quickston Quickdraw

CREEPING BENTGRASS MacKenzie Cobra 2 Macdonald

BERMUDAGRASS Yukon Mirage 2 Pyramid 2

POA TRIVIALIS Darkhorse Racehorse Sabe III

POA REPTANS Two Putt

MICROCLOVER Microclover

DOGUET VENTURES

For more information: www.doguetventures.com

ST. AUGUSTINE

For more information: www.GOSeed.com

KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS Milagro Prosperity Skye Starr (GO-2628)

TALL FESCUE Birmingham Escalante Memphis Olympus Wichita

PERENNIAL RYEGRASS Barbados Belize Belize 2 (GO-142) Cayman (GO-143) Fiji II Oahu

JONATHAN GREEN INC./ CASCADE INTERNATIONAL SEED CO.

Cutlass JaMur Trinity (L1F) Lazer LeisureTime (Y2) Zeon Primo TPI Turf News July/August 2021

FINE FESCUE Carson - chewings Custer - creeping red Eugene - creeping red Harpoon - hard Heron - hard Hood – chewings

TURF TYPE TALL FESCUE Compacta Dakota Future Golconda Montana Taos Tara Thunderbolt Toltec Tonto Soft Blade* (new for 2021 crop)

PERENNIAL RYEGRASS Dark Link Frontier High Life Pasco Pershing Singular Spirit

LANDMARK TURF & NATIVE SEED For a complete Landmark turfgrass listing and more information, please visit: www.turfandnativeseed.com

For more information: www.jonathangreen.com www.cascadeinternationalseed.com

BENTGRASS

KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS

BLUEGRASS

FJ’s Select Turf

ZOYSIAGRASS

Solar Texas Bluegrass Hybrid* (new for 2021 crop)

Blue Coat Blue Gem Texas Bluegrass Hybrid Blue Knight Deepblue Krypton Madison Pivot

Luminary MatchPlay Memorial

BlueBank BlueStar Fullback Gaelic Hampton Lunar Midnight 19

Noble Shannon SPF30 United (NAI-13-14) Yellowstone

TURF TYPE TALL FESCUE Maestro Meridian Reflection IRT Regenerate IRT Xtender IRT

PERENNIAL RYEGRASS Approach (Improved annual) Benchmark Expedite Gallop Fade (Improved annual) Intense Red Hawk Sox Fan Spark Xcelerator

FINE FESCUE Marvel - creeping red Minimus - hard Sword - hard Woodall - chewings

MOUNTAIN VIEW SEEDS For more information: www.mtviewseeds.com

BENTGRASS Piranha (DC-1) - creeping Barracuda - creeping Shark - creeping Heritage - colonial Musket - colonial

BERMUDAGRASS Rio (Seeded) IronCutter (Vegetative)

KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS Arrowhead BlueNote 20

Bolt Geronimo Kelly Legend Merit Volt Fahrenheit 90 (Texas Hybrid)

PERENNIAL RYEGRASS Academy III Big League Black Cat II Black Pearl Blackstone Confetti III Apple 3GL Apple SGL Fastball 3GL Fastball RGL Grandslam GLD Homerun LS Slider LS Slugger 3GL Stellar 3GL Stellar 4GL Superstar GL Torsion

FINE FESCUE Compass II - chewings Radar - chewings Sonar - chewings Cardinal II - creeping red Navigator II - creeping red Orbit - creeping red SeaMist - slender creeping red Beacon - hard Jetty - hard Blue Hornet - sheeps

POA TRIVIALIS

Spyder 2LS (ZRC-1) Spyder LS Stealth (PPG-TF 238) Stingray Supersonic Titanium 2LS Titanium G-LS (PPG-TF 255) Valkyrie LS

TRANSITIONAL RYEGRASS Breakout II Solstice II Breakout

PENNINGTON SEED INC. For more information: www.penningtonseed.com

TALL FESCUE Rebel Advance Rebel IV Rebel V Rebel XLR Rebel Xtreme Virtue II Justice Pennington RK4 Pennington ATF 1258 Pennington ATF 1376

KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS Mallard Ridgeline Aries

Starlite II Laser

AMERICAN RYEGRASS

TALL FESCUE

PERENNIAL RYEGRASS

Avenger II Avenger III (PPG-TF 308) Dynamite G-LS (PPG-TF 254) * (new for 2021 crop) Dynamite LS Firecracker G-LS (PPG-TF 315) * (new for 2021 crop) Firecracker SLS Raptor III Raptor LS (PPG-TF 336) Screamer LS

Minuteman

Trek Legato Pennington APR 2237

BERMUDAGRASS Arden 15

TPI Turf News July/August 2021

PURE SEED For more information: www.pureseed.com

PERENNIAL RYEGRASS Gray Wolf Silver Sport New Sealand Silver Sun Gray Hawk Gray Fox Brightstar SLT Silver Dollar Estelle Citation Fore Carly

TALL FESCUE GLX Aced Lifeguard Rain Dance Saltillo Cumberland Inspiration Tar Heel II Endeavor II Dynamic II Coronado TDH Gazelle II

KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS New Moon Desert Moon Endurance Tirem Full Moon Jumpstart Right Moonlight SLT

FINE FESCUE Xeric - creeping red Bighorn GT - hard Soil Guard - hard Enchantment - chewings Shademaster III - creeping red Seabreeze GT – slender creeping

TPI Turf News July/August 2021

SEED RESEARCH OF OREGON For more information: www.sroseed.com

TALL FESCUE Grande 3 Rebounder Rowdy SR 8650 Guardian 41 Speedway Blackwatch 2 Trending Raceway* (new for 2021 crop)

INTERMEDIATE TURFTYPE RYEGRASS TransAction

CREEPING BENTGRASS 007XL* (new for 2021 crop) 777 007 Flagstick MacKenzie SR 1150

BERMUDAGRASS Yukon Royal Bengal

POA TRIVIALIS

KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS

Darkhorse Racehorse

SR 2150 Arcadia Fielder Granite SR 2284 SR 2100 Mercury Heidi Quantum Leap Blue Ghost

POA REPTANS Two Putt

MICROCLOVER Microclover

PERENNIAL RYEGRASS – DIPLOID

SITEONE LANDSCAPE SUPPLY

Sideways SR 4650 SR 4660ST SR 4600 SR 4700 Harrier Zoom

TALL FESCUE

PERENNIAL RYEGRASS – TETRAPLOID Tetradark

FINE FESCUE SR 5130 – Chewings Ruddy - strong creeping red SR 5250 - strong creeping red SR 3150 - hard Shoreline - slender creeping red Quatro – sheep

(List of LESCO seed varieties as offered by SiteOne Landscape Supply) For more information: http://www.SiteOne.com or http:// www.Lesco.com

Bandit Bravo 2 Copious Catalyst Kingdom Padre Padre 2 Reunion Stetson II Technique

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PERENNIAL RYEGRASS Align Align II Allsport 5 Evolution Evolve Peridot Prosport 4 Virte

FINE FESCUE Foxfire 2 – creeping red Brittany 2 - chewings Foxfire – creeping red Lacrosse - chewings

CREEPING BENTGRASS Princeville S1

BERMUDAGRASS Dune Pyramid 2 Sunstar KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS Shamrock Gladstone (Also marketing two cultivars below for Columbia River Seed) Amaze Jersey

ZOYSIAGRASS EMPIRE CitraZoy Geo Innovation

BERMUDAGRASS Celebration Discovery Latitude 36 NorthBridge Lawnifi Bermudagrass* (new for 2021)

ULTRA-DWARF BERMUDAGRASS

BERMUDAGRASS Tahoma 31

KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS Bedazzled Bewitched BlueMagic* (new for 2021 crop) Bonaire Brooklawn Waterworks

TALL FESCUE Adventure II CENTIPEDE Aquavita Lawnifi Santee* (new for 2021) Aztec II Bonsai 2X BLUEGRASS Traverse 2 SRP Lawnifi Elite Kentucky Bluegrass 2nd Millennium 4th Millennium TALL FESCUE Rhambler SRP Lawnifi Elite Tall Fescue Rhambler 2 SRP Traverse 2 SRP

PASPALUM

Lawnifi Paspalum * (new for 2021)

www.TheTurfgrassGroup.com

BERMUDAGRASS TifTuf TifGrand

ZOYSIAGRASS For more information: www.sodsolutions.com

Zeon Trinity (L1F) Stadium JaMur

ST. AUGUSTINE

CENTIPEDEGRASS

Palmetto Captiva CitraBlue

TifBlair (Seeded)

SOD SOLUTIONS

For more information: www.turfmerchants.com

Sunday

SOD PRODUCTION THE TURFGRASS GROUP, INC. SERVICES For more information: For more information: SodProductionServices.com Tahoma31Bermudagrass.com

TURF MERCHANTS, INC. (TMI)

PERENNIAL RYEGRASS Allaire 3 Evening Shade Manhattan 5 GLR Manhattan 7 GLR Pangea GLR Paradox GLR Paragon 2 GLR Patriot 4 Rainwater Rodeo 3

FINE FESCUE Intrigue EWS - chewings Heathland - chewings Celestial - red Nanook - hard

TURF TYPE ANNUAL RYEGRASS Gamechanger Palmetto

BENTGRASS Trueline

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TPI Turf News July/August 2021

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CROP AND MARKET PREDICTIONS Compiled by Suz Trusty Each year, Turf News invites suppliers to provide their input on the turfgrass seed and/or vegetative stock crop and market outlook based on: Their assessment of the impact of weather conditions on crops to-date and on the anticipated impact of weather conditions predicted in their area; Trends they are seeing in their market; The production they are anticipating in terms of quality and quantity; And their assessment of anticipated pricing for those crops as: stable, higher or lower.

Industry comments for the seed and vegetative stock crop outlook were provided from mid-May to the end of May. Please note that weather conditions can impact final yields, and that seed harvests in July and August may differ from the forecasts shared here. In addition, there are multiple factors, other than weather conditions, that impact the crop and the overall market within the sod industry. Turf News welcomed input from your seed and vegetative stock sources on these factors as well. Though no one can accurately predict the future, these industry perspectives provide insights into the outlook for these valuable crops.

Turf News thanks all those who provided the information for this article. That input is arranged in alphabetical order, by the respondent’s company name.

Note: In the fall of 2020 Barenbrug USA purchased Jacklin Seed Company. While you may see various branded products carry the Jacklin name in the market today, these brands are produced and managed under Barenbrug USA as part of an overarching portfolio of unique turfgrass genetics.

BARENBRUG USA Provided by David Johnson, Director of Production Weather extremes are going to affect crop yields in many production areas this year. The Pacific Northwest region has had one of the driest springs on record. According to the website Drought.gov, “Statewide total March and April precipitation ranks as the driest on record for Idaho, second driest for Oregon, third driest for Montana, and fourth driest for Washington since 1895.” One positive from the dry spring weather is that it has been good for chemical application timing, and fields are looking clean going into harvest.

Kentucky Bluegrass: The dry spring is impacting the nonirrigated Kentucky bluegrass yields in the north-central area of Idaho. We finally saw some rain in late May, but it could be too little too late. With inadequate moisture we are predicting below average yields for dryland produced varieties.

Irrigated production areas in the Columbia Basin region of Washington and Oregon are in better shape than the dryland areas, but extreme temperature fluctuations are affecting plant development. We expect average yields for most varieties grown in the irrigated production areas.

Perennial Ryegrass: Drought in the Oregon production area is a concern for perennial ryegrass yields, but recent rains have given us hope for improving yields. The impact will not be completely known until further into harvest; it’s up to the plants to determine if it’s too little too late.

Tall fescue: The primary concern with tall fescue is vole-damage in the South Valley, which could have some 24

impact on yields. This is also a problem on some perennial ryegrass fields, but new rodent chemistry might be improving the situation.

Market Outlook: We are seeing a grower trend away from elite-type Kentucky bluegrasses. Growers are looking for big yield numbers to incentivize them to place acreage in Kentucky bluegrass, and they are pushing for higher prices on lower-yielding varieties. Fertilizer and commodity prices are also trending up, which means there will be competition for acres. As a whole, corn prices are high, wheat prices are high, and fertilizer costs are high. This puts a tremendous amount of pressure on production to place acres for turfgrass varieties, but it will also help to clean up some of the inventory issues on dryland varieties.

The continuing story on perennial ryegrass is that inventory is extremely short, and everyone still wants it. In addition to short inventory, growers are moving away from perennial ryegrass production to tall fescue. Tall fescue is easier to produce and has better stand longevity. Fields can remain in for seven to ten years for tall fescue versus two years for most perennial ryegrasses. We also anticipate prices on tall fescue to move up a little as customers look for something to replace the shortfall on perennial ryegrass.

Barenbrug gained some excellent field representatives with the acquisition of Jacklin Seed last fall. Our combined production team is unique with field reps working closely with growers in every growing region Being in the field every day with growers means our reps can identify issues with the farmers before they become serious problems.

TPI Turf News July/August 2021

with key Universities have helped fuel our Research and Development efforts. As the company expands, so does our team. Our HR initiatives to find, lead, and develop the best talent, are a key focus for us. Our investments in efficient systems, infrastructure, and distribution methods are imperative for our success.

We look forward to The Landscape Show in August to reconnect with our partners in the industry. The future is bright for us all!

Bethel Farms’ latest venture, Bethel Innovations, is dedicated to research and development of new products. It was prompted by Bethel Farms collaborative relationships with university turfgrass researchers.

BETHEL FARMS Provided by Will Nugent, President Observations and Expectations: We are thankful for the past years’ success and are expecting continued growth in 2021 and beyond. Our prediction is that growth will be driven by new Post-Pandemic Gardeners, Builder Demand, and continued e-commerce growth.

The rise in time consumers spent at home directly correlated to a desire to have a beautiful outdoor space. This has resulted in more garden spend as well as an increase in consumer confidence. The work-from-home dynamic also inspired younger homeowners to garden. As consumer needs have changed, we have adapted. This spring we launched our new SodPods Brand which will help educate consumers on the benefits of grass plugs. Overall, consumers plan to continue to garden, we feel this is great for all lawn and garden providers.

BRETTYOUNG Provided by Erik Dyck, Forage and Turf Senior Product Manager The Western Canadian seed production region experienced drought or less than adequate moisture conditions last year. Subsoil moisture has been depleted from these dry conditions. A prolonged, dry spring has delayed crop development. End of spring showers have provided much needed moisture giving stands a chance to produce a decent seed crop. More timely rainfall is needed to ensure viability of production. Dry conditions have resulted in some fields coming out of production and there will be fewer acres to harvest in 2021.

We are forecasting below-average seed yields on perennial ryegrass, annual ryegrass, and tall fescue. In the Peace River Region, we are expecting an average seed production year for creeping red fescue. Adequate fall moisture and stable acres have set the stage for average creeping red fescue yields.

Housing demand has driven the builder market to new heights. In turn, our industry has seen increased demand for sod and related products. Sports turf has also benefited from this boom, with emphasis on the latest innovations.

Our Bimini Bermuda turfgrass bookings continue to drive our sports turf growth. All indications are these trends will continue for the foreseeable future.

E-commerce growth continued into 2021, the increase in online marketing techniques continues to fuel this trend.

Online platforms are evolving to meet consumer needs at an increased speed. Having an online presence has become a consumer expectation and has driven the need for improved content. Evolving with the latest media formats will be imperative to a company’s success.

Investments: As our company grows, we will continue to invest in the future. Our organization is focused on creating products that meet consumer needs. Our latest venture, Bethel Innovations, is a testament to our commitment to invest in new products. Our collaborative relationships TPI Turf News July/August 2021

Columbia River Seed’s Black Tail Turf-Type Tall Fescue is looking great in this production field.

COLUMBIA RIVER SEED Provided by Ryan Jeffries, North American Sales Director, and Paul Hedgpeth, General Manager The grass seed crop (Kentucky Bluegrass, Perennial Ryegrass, Fine Fescue and Tall Fescue) in the lower Columbia River Basin is looking very good. We might be a tad late as of late May. We did lose a few places within some circles/fields due to wind desiccation over the winter 25

on some juvenile plants. Rouging crews have been out working and seed growers have been spraying fields. Those services will stop shortly as we get closer to harvest. We should start to receive some Kentucky Bluegrass in our plant around June 11 or so. The tall fescue crop in the middle to upper Columbia River Basin looks pretty good.

Spraying and roguing crews are also about done. Yields in the Columbia River Basin for most grass seed crops look to be average to slightly above average. Right now, the crop in the basin looks to be very nice which means it will combine great and process great. Dryland grass seed production in the Grande Ronde Valley (Kentucky Bluegrass and Fine Fescue) of Eastern Oregon does not look very good due to the lack of precipitation. Grass seed crops in Western Oregon are under stress where water has not been applied. Very little supplemental irrigation is used in Western Oregon. The grass seed industry is anticipating a below average yield on most items coming out of Western Oregon though mother nature has a way of correcting herself. Grass seed movement around the globe has been above average the last 12-18 months and looks to continue this fall. It is safe to say going into harvest 2021 in North America for cool-season grass seed species, inventories are at historic lows from the processing side of the equation

DLF Pickseed’s Banfield Perennial Ryegrass is developing well in this production field.

DLF PICKSEED Provided by Sean Chaney, Vice President, Professional Turf Division Weather Impact: In the Willamette Valley of Oregon and Southeast Washington state, we are in either moderate or severe drought according to the late May drought monitor.

Acres that are not irrigated are experiencing stress in these areas. In Oregon, this will affect turf products the most as they normally need more moisture later in the season than earlier maturing forages. In Washington, the drought will affect dryland Kentucky Bluegrass production, which is generally the higher acreage in Kentucky bluegrass and is where most mid-range varieties and common 98/85 comes from. With 2021 acres in this area already sharply reduced for crop ‘21, further reduction of the crop due to drought will surely cause bluegrass prices to continue to strengthen.

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Market Trends: Global usage of grass seed products during the pandemic has been historically high. Usage in the U.S. continues to be high due in part to distributors and their customers trying to position seed with the anticipation of a strong Fall season and rising prices. Golf, retail consumers, and residential landscapers have largely led the way for the grass seed industry over the past year. We anticipate that continuing to an extent, even with some discretionary spending going to other areas like travel with the removal of Covid-19 restrictions in full swing.

Anticipated Production Quality and Quantity: Overall production will likely be down on most turf species from what we received in 2020. The droughts experienced in the main production areas are significant and are likely to lead to significant yield reductions. Perennial ryegrass production looks in good shape in the northern Minnesota production region, but just north of that in Canada, there is significant drought stress that will limit production for them once again. Already fields have been removed due to insufficient establishment.

In short years, quality does take a bit of a hit overall. There are generally different reasons for it though. In drought stressed years, there are more opportunities for weeds and other crop seed to grow into that space that otherwise wouldn’t have been available. Labor is also a major challenge for our farmers. Many growers can achieve the best quality when they can hire crews to remove unwanted plants from fields through spot spraying, but it is harder than ever to find workers to do that job. Additionally, because the farmers and seed processors need to make sure they get every usable pound they can, this means some will likely not try quite as hard to get everything out in order to avoid throwing away good seed.

Assessment of Anticipated Pricing: The carryover levels of our cool-season turf species are at record lows. Even species like tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass that started the year at reasonable levels have been depleted. Perennial ryegrass shortages have been well known throughout the year, and this same level of shortage currently applies to tall fescue, Kentucky bluegrass and all fine fescues. Naturally, this has put upward pressure on prices. Seed dealers are bracing for the 2021 crop to be the most expensive in history.

This close-up shows the seed development on DLF Pickseed’s Tower Tall Fescue.

TPI Turf News July/August 2021

GO SEED Provided by Jerry Hall, President The 2021 crop is going to be very interesting as inventory stocks on many turf, forage, and cover crop seed species are at all-time lows. There will certainly be a lot of jockeying for position on cleaners by a lot of companies for a lot of different species. The Oregon seed industry will be working diligently to try to get as much seed out as quickly as possible but there will be issues. Distributors can help by trying to give suppliers accurate demand schedules. When palletized seed loads are slow to ship, the warehouse will clog up quickly which in turn slows down seed that can be moved in from the farm. Once the cleaning warehouses see slow movement they will move on to a different species, so it is important to give your supplier an accurate time frame of when you need product and then receive the product on the agreed upon schedule.

TPI Turf News July/August 2021

Production fields looked rough going into the winter and many fields didn’t look a whole lot better coming out of it. The damage last summer/fall from voles was real and devastating, in some areas, leaving fields lacking in plant population. Below is the late May status of the drought situation in Oregon. Not a bright outlook for late May when we are at the period moisture is critical for seed development.

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However, to really understand how the crop is looking we need to examine the rainfall over the growing year.

To the right is a table that shows the precipitation in Salem, Oregon, over the last five crop years.

When looking at precipitation, there are two critical periods for seed production, fall and spring. The rainfall that is received between November-February is largely irrelevant as the grass plants are generally in winter dormancy and not actively growing. The Fall critical period is more important for tall fescue than other grasses as the precipitation is needed to develop new tillers prior to vernalization. Seed yield from tall fescue can be estimated by the number of new tillers heading into the middle of January. The Spring critical period is important as that is the precipitation that ultimately allows the seed crop to develop.

So, when you look at the 2020-21 averages compared to the five-year average you will see that during the Fall critical period, we only received 45 percent of the average rainfall. That spells potential bad news for the tall fescue crop. Then when we look at the Spring critical period, we are only at 48 percent of the five-year average with six days left in May. These two deficits are likely to lead to a smaller crop than average on the dryland acres which constitute the bulk of the Willamette Valley production.

There is however a glimmer of hope as much of the rainfall in May has been concentrated during the third week. This should provide enough moisture in the soil for the tall fescue crop to get through pollination and keep the perennial ryegrass from getting too stressed at the current head emergence stage.

Average to above average precipitation in the first half of June is needed for the perennial ryegrass crop to develop and to maximize the tall fescue crop.

JONATHAN GREEN, INC. Provided by Bruce Rose, Cascade International Seed Company and Barry Green Western Oregon has had a rough year. Wildfires in September burned over 100,000 acres of forest and filled our valleys with smoke.

Then there was the ice storm in February that closed roads and ripped down power lines.

The good news is that the seed that we will harvest should be cleaner than normal as growers have had a plethora of dry days for spot spraying out contaminants. I cannot recall when the last year was that I saw so many spot spraying crews out in March and April removing annual ryegrass and other troublesome weeds from the field. The Oregon farmer has really stepped up and is spending money to make the best out of a potentially bad situation.

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TPI Turf News July/August 2021

With that all being said, fall planting was pushed back several weeks resulting in some very weak stands of Perennial Ryegrass and Tall Fescue. Also, western Oregon experienced a drier and warmer winter. Due to this, we expect the grass seed yields at harvest time to be below average with persistent weed issues. As is usual, the contaminants of most concern in “sod-quality” grass seed production are Poa annua and Annual Ryegrass.

Perennial Ryegrass: Perennial Ryegrass is the cool-season turfgrass that is in the shortest supply. With everyone staying home and working on their lawns during the pandemic the already short supply of Perennial Ryegrass was exhausted months ago. The acres will be increased after the harvest this year; however, this will not help in the short term.

Perennial Ryegrass acres are up only marginally from a year ago and supply of good quality seed will be on the tight side. Pricing is trending much higher. As of this writing it is anticipated to be $0.25-$0.30 per pound higher at the farm-gate contract price. The high price for Perennial Ryegrass will continue until the new crop of 2022.

Fortunately, Perennial Ryegrass is not a big component in sod growers’ seed mixtures.

Tall Fescue: More acres of Tall Fescue were planted in the fall; however, the seed was planted late and the fall growing season was not favorable. Tall Fescue is currently the number one cool-season turfgrass in production in Oregon, however “old crop” sod-quality Tall Fescue seed is in very short supply.

As of mid-May our supplies were over 90 percent exhausted.

Normally, we are able to carry over six to eight sod grade Black Beauty Tall Fescue varieties in reasonable amounts, but this year we have only four Tall Fescue varieties and these are likely to be sold out before the new crop acres become available. At this time, we predict that pricing will also be higher for sod-quality Tall Fescue and seed yields will be below normal. The drier and warmer winter in Oregon did not help seed farmers in their quest to produce Tall Fescues that will achieve sod-quality.

Kentucky Bluegrass: The entire Kentucky Bluegrass crop is much smaller than it was twenty-five years ago. The rise in interest for turf-type Tall Fescues put a damper on the demand for Kentucky Bluegrass. It has become increasingly difficult to produce sod-grade seed in western Oregon due to Annual Ryegrass and Annual Bluegrass issues. This has meant that most of the high-quality Kentucky Bluegrass production has moved to the high desert irrigated fields in eastern Oregon and Washington.

the supply of sod-quality seed and varietal availability can vary greatly from one year to the next. Kentucky Bluegrass production acres seem to be stable at present and are about the same as last year. However, most of the dryland acres have taken a hit with such a dry winter and spring and we don’t expect much of a seed yield. Pricing for sod-quality Kentucky Bluegrass will be stable this year, however we expect higher prices for 2022. As usual, the very best varieties are in short supply since they usually yield the least amount of seed. This is most likely with our new Hybrid Texas Bluegrasses which were in great demand with sod growers in 2020 and spring 2021.

Fine Fescues: The acres of Creeping, Chewings, and Hard Fescue are stable but, due to the timing of the wildfires coming soon after harvest, most of the Fine Fescue fields were unable to be burned. The Silverton Hills in Oregon, which is a major production region for sod-quality seed, was severely impacted by these wildfires. Much of the Hard Fescue production is grown here; achieving sod-quality is almost always a challenge even during a normal year.

We anticipate that Fine Fescue yields will be much lower than normal, and contaminants could be a problem.

Pricing will clearly increase with lack of seed yield and strong demand.

LANDMARK TURF & NATIVE SEED Provided by John Brader, Director Turfgrass seed and sod producers face many of the same risks and challenges. Weather, pests, freight, fuel, and fertilizer costs, along with forces of supply and demand, and agronomic, logistic, labor, and fiscal management are part of our everyday business routines. Strong markets in other crops increase land rent costs, and both must plan and plant a crop that won’t be marketable for 1 to 3 years after seedling emergence. But we are both motivated and rewarded for our risks with the valued long-term relationships we share, and in the Turfgrass industry that provides for our businesses and families that we are passionate about.

There is no year in recent memory with similar supply shortages across all major cool-season turfgrass species.

Our seed production team is reporting at this time that yield potential of the 2021 Crop is expected to be “reduced to average at best” across all North American Sod seed production regions. Reduced yields and increased weed pressure are anticipated.

Much of Kentucky Bluegrass is grown as a rotational crop under pivots on one-year crop rotations to ensure that the seed harvest will be the best possible. This means that TPI Turf News July/August 2021

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2021 Sod Quality Seed Outlook:

Species Bentgrass

Supply Outlook Sod

Good

Good Good to Limited

Bluegrass: Elite Economy

Sod

Fine Fescue

Sod

Good to Limited

Turf-Type Tall Fescue

Sod

Good to Limited

Perennial Ryegrass

Sod

Limited

Chart provided by Landmark Turf & Native Seed.

MOUNTAIN VIEW SEEDS Provided by Duane Klundt, Vice President of Turf As we go into another season, many are left wondering “what just happened, what was that we just went through?” The 2021 crop may be more of the same, after record consumption of grass seed from the 2020 harvest, which led to higher prices and limited availability, conditions in Oregon have not been ideal. At the time this was written, we were roughly five to six inches below normal on rainfall this spring, at one of the most critical times of seed development. This will put pressure on the pounds produced and the yields the farmers get per acre.

Now for some good news, because we have been dryer, and with prices being higher, many farmers have been able to spot spray their production fields a few times, which should result in better availability of high-quality seed. The farmers who started irrigation earlier than normal will be extremely happy with the results. Overall, the grass seed growers are doing all they can to deliver the most and highest quality seed they can.

As for the crops, as with most everything these days, expect to see higher prices across the board.

Kentucky Bluegrass dryland production will be down quite a bit for the 2021 crop. Not that sod farmers use this type of material, but it will impact high end varieties as the demand for bluegrass overall will be increased.

Tall Fescue demand has continued to increase over the years and as some inventory still exists, acres are about the same as previous years. Overall, if demand stays steady, all should be just fine with supply and quality.

Perennial Ryegrass has proven to be a challenge as consumption outpaced supply this last year, which in turn will put tremendous pressure on getting the new crop processed and moving this fall. Prices right now are at an all-time high, and these numbers could become the new benchmark, within reason of course.

Bentgrass should be about the same as previous years with a slight increase in price.

Regarding Fine Fescues, last year’s fires did not allow for normal practices to occur which will influence this year’s production yields. This, coupled by increased demand, has caused product to be limited and it will probably remain that way until the 2022 harvest.

Another concern in the vole problem. Last year these tiny rodents wreaked havoc on some fields devastating the total pounds produced. With the dry conditions we are experiencing, we could see a repeat of last year, but the farmers are doing their best to make sure it stays at a minimum.

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Overall, with higher prices and limited inventories, the 2021 crop could turn out to be one of the most interesting years in my 30-plus years in the industry. As I say every year, talk to your seed provider, work with them for the long term, and not the quick fix. Planning and preparation will help all of us avoid the pitfalls of times like these.

TPI Turf News July/August 2021

Sod Production Service’s Tahoma 31 Bermudagrass thrives in this home lawn. Photo by Lance Maxwell

Sod Solutions’ Tobey Wagner (left in photo) is shown here with pallets of CitraBlue St. Augustine sod which will be installed on this home lawn.

SOD PRODUCTION SERVICES

SOD SOLUTIONS

Provided by Chad Adcock, Vice President of Business Development

Provided by Tobey Wagner, President

Market Trends: This past year, we had another cold winter with record low temperatures. In the south-central region of the United States specifically, cold damage and winterkill on older bermudagrasses was widespread. Golf courses and sports fields alike lost massive amounts of grass, especially in Oklahoma and northwest Texas. Yet, Tahoma 31 Bermudagrass, with its excellent cold hardiness, did really well.

Demand to replace older bermudagrass varieties with Tahoma 31 is so high that our growers in the region can’t grow enough to replace all of their customers’ lost bermudagrass. As you can imagine, our Tahoma 31 licensed growers are trying to balance harvesting and selling the acreage they have with expanding sod farm field acreage to meet future demand.

Tahoma 31 is really taking the market by storm along the Eastern Seaboard. We are gaining a lot of traction in the northeast as the grass is planted in many more locations on sports fields and on golf courses. We are seeing this from Maryland to Georgia as turf professionals realize it’s a great grass and they’re talking about it with their colleagues. Superintendents tell other superintendents.

Sports turf managers talk to other sports turf managers. When the word on the street is good, it starts to snowball. That's what we’re seeing now.

Anticipated Production Quality and Quantity: Inventory of Tahoma 31 is on the upswing. Demand for the grass is high, so our growers continue to expand their acreage to serve future projects. As of May, we have about 1,000 acres of Tahoma 31 in production, with more coming online this summer. We currently have approximately 45 licensed Tahoma 31 sod producers globally in markets such as China, Australia. and Japan. Around 30 of our growers are in the United States. With licensed Tahoma 31 producers located from California to New Jersey, and Colorado to Texas, we are still offering a limited number of licensing opportunities in strategically placed markets here in the U.S. TPI Turf News July/August 2021

General Update – 2021: Sales of warm- and cool-season turfgrass are setting records across most of the nation.

Reports from growers have many at maximum harvesting and trucking capacity with some farms on the cusp of cutting out all inventory by early summer. Many farms are limiting quantities of pickup/delivery to longtime customers and not accepting new customers. Sod Solutions has seen rapid growth of existing and new varieties. Mature varieties EMPIRE® Zoysia, Celebration® Bermuda, Palmetto® St. Augustine, NorthBridge® Bermuda and Latitude 36® Bermuda are in high demand. A grower recently reported over 40 acres of EMPIRE Zoysia harvested and sold in just a few weeks in early spring, breaking all previous records. Additionally, pricing is up significantly across the industry with some regions up as much as 20 percent year to date.

Sod Solutions Innovation® Zoysia, developed by Texas A&M and Kansas State, has surged in popularity as it performed very well through the major cold event throughout the Midwest and Texas in mid-February.

Innovation has also performed well both in drought and through regional floods this past year. It is a tough and persistent grass and is having major positive impacts throughout the southern half of the United States. Acres are increasing and demand is strong.

CitraBlue® St. Augustine, developed by the University of Florida, is one of our fastest-growing programs. Demand is outpacing supply as the grass has improved disease resistance, drought tolerance, and exhibits a stunning blue-green color. It only takes one lawn in a neighborhood to create envy throughout the street. Customers have complained about growers “painting” the grass, mistakenly thinking the color is not natural! CitraBlue is both a beauty and a beast and is poised to have a significant impact on the Sunshine State and beyond.

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Palmetto® St. Augustine continues to be a steady and true St. Augustine for the South. Palmetto has been found to be resistant to Lethal Viral Necrosis (LVN), the result of a combination of viruses devastating lawns in Florida.

Palmetto is a time-tested variety with thousands of acres in production throughout the world. Supply is very short this year with many Florida growers completely running out of inventory. It will be mid-summer to the early fall before new fields are ready for harvest.

Trends: Many farms are transitioning and adopting a new e-commerce model. They are now selling grass, palletized products, and other services online that they previously had not been capable of organizing. This is changing the business operations for many growers as the public expects the ease of buying online post-pandemic. The Turf Logistics team has been extremely busy signing up new farms to sell online through our custom-built ClickSod websites and platform.

NorthBridge® Bermuda has surged in use as well.

NorthBridge performed exceptionally well this year in areas affected by the major freeze, separating it from other grasses.

Demand is high and availability is short. A highlight use has been on the new PGA headquarters golf courses, which are on track to open next summer in Frisco, TX.

Several university research programs that Sod Solutions is involved with will impact new grass production over the next year or two, with multiple new grass introductions taking place. The best is yet to come, and the future is bright for the natural turfgrass industry.

Pandemic Impact What a difference a year makes!

One year ago, the nation was locked down with major uncertainty regarding Covid-19, with impacts to the economy and general impacts in the United States and throughout the world caused by the worldwide pandemic.

Fortunately, turfgrass production and sales were allowed to continue under agriculture exemptions. Although the impacts varied from state to state, many turf farms remained open. Many regions experienced record sales as people were locked down at home and used the opportunity to do landscape projects.

Future: Sod Solutions is passionate about the natural turfgrass industry. Faith, passion, innovation, commitment, and hard work are critical to success. In my opinion, it all starts with faith and passion. 2020 was a difficult year for many. As we roll through 2021, we want to express our appreciation to everyone who works and serves in this industry. We need to recognize more often those who work tirelessly for our businesses and associations. The status of the industry is strong and will get stronger with cooperation and looking after each other. Now let’s all make 2021 the best year yet as we leave the pandemic in the rearview mirror!

Managed by ClickSod™ technology, Sod Solutions and its partner farms’ e-commerce sales increased substantially during Covid. Demand for Turf Logistics® software also soared during the pandemic. There were farms that due to Covid outbreaks had to shut down and work remotely. For growers, it was an eye-opening experience that highlighted their level of readiness to shift to remote work and digital sales.

Growers that were prepared with Turf Logistics were able to completely operate their businesses from homes with minimal to no personnel requirements at the farm. Growers without technology struggled to keep basic operations running. One of the revelations of the pandemic has been a reshaping of the office workforce. Employees working in an office environment with traditional 9 am-5 pm hours has potentially changed forever. Companies have learned through the pandemic better ways of getting work done with a mix of time working in the office and time working at home.

Fast forward to today. A booming economy, labor shortages, major trucking issues, unprecedented money infusion by the government, consumer demand beyond expectations, and shortages of basic materials is changing the landscape of the turf industry. Inflation is no longer a theory. Current inflation rates are reported to be over 4 percent. Some recent data show it to be much higher. All these factors contribute to the status of the Turfgrass Seed and Vegetative Stock reports for 2021 and beyond.

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Sod Solutions’ Latitude 36 Bermudagrass greets players on the golf course at The Loxahatchee Club in Jupiter, FL.

TPI Turf News July/August 2021

TMI’s BlueMagic America type bluegrass is thriving in this production field.

TURF MERCHANTS, INC. (TMI) Provided by Nancy Aerni, Vice President A Quick Spring 2021 Overview: Oregon is in need of RAIN! Dry conditions in March and April have increased concerns about summer drought impacts across most of the state. Pollination time determines everything. The story goes, an early crop is a light crop, and if we don’t see rain in May, this could be the outcome for our 2021 crop.

This Pandemic has caused turfgrass seed usage like no one has ever witnessed. It truly is staggering the amount of seed that has been pushed through the system and into the marketplace, with many species and varieties sold out at the wholesale level until after this coming harvest.

This coming season, our number one priority here at TMI is all about processing, testing, and getting seed into the marketplace. With virtually no carryover, we can predict a bottleneck to meet fall planting requirements. Coupled with that, transportation issues continue to abound, and are not predicted to get any better in the next “while.” We appreciate the opportunity to serve our clients, and quick decisions and patience will be needed as the industry, as a whole, does its best to fill the pipeline.

In addition to waiting for product to be processed, expect higher seed costs across the board compared with last fall.

You may as well go to your banker now and get your credit line increased if you haven’t done so already.

Specifically, Tall Fescue: Sod Quality seed will be available as it is processed at the cleaners. There’s no carryover of Sod Quality seed to speak of. The mature production fields—where the Sod Quality normally comes from—look in good condition at this time. The new plantings are a bit thin. This writer believes overall yields will be average to below average.

Kentucky Bluegrass: Sod Quality: This past year, we saw Sod Quality Bluegrass inventories clean up—we will be waiting on new crop availability. The stands of irrigated elite bluegrass are looking good.

Perennial Ryegrass: Overseeding: Testing facilities (labs) will be overrun with samples to test out of the gate. Until a new fluorescence test is developed, delays in reporting (thus also shipping) will continue to be the norm. The crop looks like it will yield around average.

Fine Fescues: There are a few wholesale suppliers with product on hand, though most have been sold out over the past month. Production acres look like they should have an average yield.

Voles: These little pests are again a concern for the Willamette Valley. The restrictions for vole and mouse baiting have been lifted, providing farmers a fighting chance to eradicate these hungry little guys.

All photos and graphics were provided by the supplier company unless otherwise noted.

TPI Turf News July/August 2021

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COOL-SEASON AND WARM-SEASON GRASSES OVERVIEW

By Kevin Morris

NTEP Data Presentation

2021 is the twenty-second year that Kevin Morris has provided Turf News with an update on the data collected on commercial varieties and experimental turfgrasses entered in the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP). This information helps turfgrass producers choose the varieties that will best perform in their specific growing area and under their management programs. TPI and Turf News wish to thank Mr. Morris for the significant amount of time and effort he puts into providing this valuable overview.

NTEP information includes data collected on many descriptive and performance characteristics.

Descriptive characteristics describe the entries tested, i.e. genetic color, leaf texture, and density characterize a grass’ appearance. Performance characteristics document the response to various stresses, such as disease, cold, and drought. For instance, the percent ground cover rating, although not necessarily affected by a single stress, reflects the grass’ ability to withstand and/or recover from a stress or a series of stresses.

The most widely used data in NTEP reports are the turfgrass quality (TQ ) ratings. Quality ratings are collected monthly during the growing season using a 1-9 scale with 9=ideal turf. Turfgrass quality ratings are collected by evaluators considering all the factors that make good turf, i.e., good green color, density, adequate ground cover, freedom from disease, and other stresses, etc. Quality ratings show a lot about the grasses, that is why they are so important.

NTEP turfgrass quality tables focus on grouping by region or management level. In addition, we have the data from each state available on our website. Hopefully,

At any one time, the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP) is evaluating over 600 cultivars and experimental selections in nationwide tests. Data collected and summarized from these trials can be obtained directly from the NTEP website (www.ntep.org). We still have, however, printed copies of reports available on request.

Years of research and development are required to bring a new turfgrass cultivar to market. This photo shows Hank Kerfoot leading group inspection of the Sod Solutions research plots at Modern Turf. Photo courtesy of Sod Solutions

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TPI Turf News July/August 2021

this makes the data more useful to growers within their geographical region or under their specific management level. NTEP recommends that growers first review data collected in their state or region, also under the management regime most suited to their needs. To find data for a specific state, go to www.ntep.org/states/states.htm.

NTEP Implemented Improved Data Reporting Procedure NTEP is committed to improving its data collection, analysis, and reporting. To that end, NTEP spent ten years researching new statistical methods and is now implementing a new reporting procedure, the ‘Location Performance Index’ or ‘LPI,’ on its newest trials. The LPI is based on ‘AMMI,’ a more complete, accurate statistical analysis program for predicting cultivar performance across many locations.

The LPI is only used on turfgrass quality data, but in reading the turfgrass quality tables, you will notice that locations may not be grouped by any apparent geographical orientation. For instance, in the 2012 data from our 2011 Kentucky bluegrass trial, ‘LPI Group 1' included Amherst, MA, West Lafayette, IN, Urbana, IL, St. Paul, MN, Manhattan, KS, and Pullman, WA. It seems that these locations have nothing in common, geographically, or climatically. However, what they do have in common is a very important similar ‘interaction pattern,’ i.e., the varieties performed in a similar manner, relative to each other, at each of these locations in that year. For that reason and most appropriately, the LPI groups them together for analysis.

And that ‘interaction pattern’ can, and very often will, vary from year to year. Therefore, investigate the LPI Group data containing locations that are closest to you, or your market.

The LPI is used on new trials as they are initiated.

Go to the website, www.ntep.org, to read more about the LPI and the reasons for utilizing this new procedure.

Focus On Specific Traits NTEP is designing its trial programs such that more data on specific traits are collected. For instance, standard trial locations, conducted at university sites using prescribed management schemes, collect traditional data, such as turfgrass quality, color, density, any diseases present, etc. NTEP also sponsors ancillary trial locations that collect data on specific traits, such as shade tolerance, traffic tolerance and sod strength. These ancillary trials must often be conducted in unique locations (i.e., under shade trees) or using specialized equipment (i.e., a traffic simulator).

Because ancillary trials are applying unique stress to the entries, the data from these locations are often summarized and reported in separate tables.

NTEP plans on conducting more of these ancillary trials in the future and is in fact, co-sponsoring with USGA, an entire trial just to evaluate cool-season and warm-season grasses for drought resistance and water use.

The cool-season water use trial was established in fall 2016, TPI Turf News July/August 2021

with ten locations conducting drought evaluations through 2019 or 2020. The warm-season version of this trial was established in summer 2018, so the first data from warmseason grasses is included in this report. In addition, NTEP sponsored a low input trial for cool-season grasses and mixtures in fall 2015, while also establishing a warm-season low input trial in summer 2018. It is our hope that this type of data will provide much needed information to consumers on these important traits.

Update On Cultivars Covid-19 presented some challenges for NTEP data collection in 2020. Several universities limited employees in how often they visited research facilities and in staff available to maintain trials. This situation tended to loosen over the growing season, with data collection at many sites only restricted early, and possibly into midgrowing season. Therefore, we were fortunate to receive most required data from NTEP trial sites. The following is an overview of the latest information on commercially available and experimental cultivars.

COOL-SEASON Kentucky Bluegrass Our latest trial of Kentucky bluegrass was established in 2017; this report focuses on its third annual report (2020 data). Typically, first year data strongly reflects rate of establishment, as well as the performance without significant thatch development. Second-year data is the first indication of longer-term performance. Year three data, particularly from Kentucky bluegrass, often contains responses to stresses such as disease, shade, drought. In this summary, we look at locations in the different regions and identify top performers.

This Kentucky bluegrass cultivar is making an excellent showing as a trial entry in Blacksburg, Virginia.

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DLFPS-340/3552, NAI-15-80, and NK-1 with the best resistance. Stem rust ratings from two locations again demonstrated some entry differences, with A11-26, Barserati, A16-17, and DLFPS-340/3552 showing the least disease damage.

Tall Fescue

Blue Coat Kentucky Bluegrass, a cultivar developed by Columbia River Seed, is shown here growing in one of the company’s production fields.

Photo courtesy of Columbia River Seed

Data analyzed by Location Performance Index Groups resulted in greater statistical differences than past years. Bombay, Starr, Cloud, Barserati, and PPG-KB 1131 performed well overall in each LPI group.

Bombay, Starr, and Cloud also performed at the top of turf quality under Schedule “A” (1.5-2.5 inches mowing height, 3-4 lbs./N/1000 sq. ft., irrigation to prevent stress or dormancy) and Schedule “B” (2.5–3.5 inches mowing height, 1 lb./N/1000 sq. ft., no irrigation after establishment) managed locations. These same entries also performed consistently well in data analyzed by region in 2020 (Northeast, Transition, North Central, and Upper Mountain/West).

As with past trials, the 2017 Kentucky bluegrass trial consists of several ancillary locations testing for tolerance to various stresses. Shade tolerance was evaluated at Ames, IA, in 2018, 2019, and 2020, where no statistical differences were noted among entries.

Traffic tolerance was evaluated at four locations in 2020. Finish Line was statistically the top overall entry in quality ratings collected at Amherst, MA, with also the highest wear tolerance ratings. North Brunswick, NJ, simulated traffic for four weeks in summer and four weeks in fall. At the end of the fall traffic season, the top statistical group entries were BAR PP 7K426, Barvette HGT®, and DLFPS-340/3552. Only small statistical differences were noted among the entries in traffic data collected at Blacksburg, VA, and Fayetteville, AR. Data on various diseases such as summer patch (Magnaporthe poae), dollar spot (Clarireedia spp.) and stem rust (Puccinia graminis) were reported again in 2020. Data on summer patch, one of the most devastating diseases on Kentucky bluegrass, was collected at three locations with Barserati, Bombay, A15-6, DLFPS-340/3550, and DLFPS-340/3551 finishing with the highest tolerance ratings. Dollar spot ratings collected at North Brunswick, NJ, identified AKB3241, Blue Gem, DLFPS-340/3551, 36

Second year data from our latest tall fescue trial, established in fall 2018, is now available. This new trial contains 132 entries, of which almost all are experimental.

Year one data typically reflects establishment rate, with year two data being a better reflection of future performance.

Turfgrass quality ratings from 2020 are organized and analyzed within five LPI groups and seven geographical regions. Statistical differences were small within the LPI groups, with more statistical separation noted within the regional analyses. The entries TD2, K18-RS6, Spyder 2LS, and AH2 were among a group of excellent performers finishing in the top statistical group in each of the seven regions.

Tolerance to stresses such as traffic, shade, drought, and brown patch are being evaluated throughout the trial period. Shade data collected at Ames, IA, yielded no statistical separation again in 2020. Similarly, data collected in 2020 from a low mowing height trial (1.5 inches) at Blacksburg, VA, and drought data collected at Logan, UT, did not result in statistical significance. With three more years of trial data, we expect these trials will show interesting results and useful data.

Some of these studies initiate after full establishment, therefore the first significant data was initiated in 2020. Traffic applied at Amherst, MA, yielded good statistical separation with TMT1 and AH1 finishing with some of the highest traffic tolerance ratings, as well as the top turfgrass quality ratings. Intensive traffic was applied on the tall fescue trials at North Brunswick, NJ, during summer 2020. Although statistical differences among entries were small, large differences in ground cover and canopy fullness were noted with some of the best entries maintaining more than 65 percent ground cover after four weeks of traffic damage, versus the poorest performing entries with less than 25 percent ground cover.

Entries with the highest ground cover under traffic include Degas, GLX Aced, and RH3.

Brown patch (Rhizoctonia solani) is typically the most prevalent disease on tall fescue, and as is typical, several locations noted and rated the disease in 2020. Year two data yielded more statistical significance for brown patch than year one, with about one-third of the entries performing similar to the top entries. Some of the highestranking entries for brown patch in 2020 include Dynamite G-LS, PPG-TF 323, RH3, DLFPS-321/3705, and PPGTF 316.

TPI Turf News July/August 2021

Perennial Ryegrass Perennial ryegrasses are occasionally used in sod mixtures because of positive attributes such as fast germination, better establishment under low and high temperatures, and traffic tolerance. A new trial of perennial ryegrass, established in 2016, consists of 114 entries, most being new experimentals. Fourth year data from this trial (2020) is now available on our website.

Data from 2020 showed significant performance variation among the fifteen locations submitting data.

Some entries that finished the year in the top statistical group at several locations include Stellar 4GL, Pharaoh, and 02BS2. Drought tolerance was tested at Logan, UT, again in 2020, alongside a standard irrigation trial regime.

As in previous years, statistical differences were not large among entries, but PPG-PR 370, PPG-PR 423, Furlong, NP-2, and Slugger 3GL were the five highest rated entries in the drought tolerance evaluation. Entries performing in the top statistical group under both normal irrigation and drought include NP-2, PPG-PR 370, and PR-6-15.

Traffic tolerance was tested at two locations, Amherst, MA, and Corvallis, OR, in 2020, with each site using different methodology. Even though several entries performed well in only one of the two sites, there are several that performed well at these two diverse sites, 3,000 miles apart. Entries 02BS2, SR4700, Furlong, Apple 3GL, and Stellar 4GL, among several others, finished at the top of quality rating averages at Amherst, while also finishing in the top group at Corvallis.

A few diseases were noted on these trials in 2020. Unfortunately, only data from pink snow mold (Microdochium nivale) collected in St. Paul, MN, showed significant entry separation. Some of the best pink snow mold entries in 2020 were PPG-PR 372, Slugger 3GL, and DLFPS-236/3547.

Fineleaf Fescues The term “fineleaf fescue” includes several species.

Strong creeping red fescue (Festuca rubra spp. rubra) and slender creeping red fescue (Festuca rubra var. littoralis) possess rhizomes and therefore add knitting ability to a sod mixture. Chewings fescue (Festuca rubra ssp. fallax) has a bunch-type growth habit and traditionally better disease resistance than the creeping red-types. Hard fescues (Festuca brevipila) are also bunch-type grasses but have generally better drought tolerance than Chewings or creeping types.

Sheep fescue (Festuca ovina L. ssp. hirtula) is best suited for low maintenance sites because of its unique, swirly, growth habit from within the crown of the plant.

A new fineleaf fescue trial was established in 2020, but the most recent data available is a five-year summary from our 2014 trial. The 2014 trial consisted of 42 total entries, broken down into hard fescue (10), strong creeping red fescue (16), slender creeping red fescue (3), chewings fescue (12), and sheep fescue (1). The trial was planted at ten standard trial locations and eleven ancillary trial locations.

TPI Turf News July/August 2021

Data summarized for each year, while also summarized over all years and locations, show variation in performance. The LPI groups often were sorted based on groups of species that performed well at selected locations.

For instance, 2018 data was sorted into three LPI groups, the first with hard fescues as top performers, the second dominated by chewings fescues, and the third with top turf quality from the strong creeping red fescues. This trend continued throughout the trial; therefore, a purchaser must look closely to trials in their area to gauge the best species and cultivars for their market. For hard fescue, some of the best quality was noted with Gladiator, Jetty, Minimus, Resolute, and DLFPS-FL/3066. Chewings fescue entries Bolster, Compass II, DLF-FRC/3057, Leeward, Momentum, and Radar were the top overall performers.

And 7C34, Cardinal II, DLF-FRR 6162, and PST-BEN posted some of the best turf quality scores of the creeping red fescue entries.

Traffic tolerance of entries in this trial is conducted under both fairway mowing height and lawn mowing height at sites such as St. Paul, MN, (fairway), East Lansing, MI, (fairway), Storrs, CT, (fairway), Amherst, MA, (lawn), Corvallis, OR, (lawn), and North Brunswick, NJ, (lawn). The fairway sites utilize an apparatus that simulates golf cart traffic and damage. The locations used a similar protocol: two passes per day with the traffic simulator, three times per week from May through September.

At the Storrs, CT, site, chewings fescues such as Radar, Bolster, and BAR VV-VP3-CT were the top performers over the trial period. At nearby Amherst, MA, but with home lawn management, a mixture of chewings, hard, and slender creeping red fescues were the best for quality under traffic. The Corvallis, OR, site, also managed as a home lawn, finished in similar fashion as the Amherst site with a mixture of species performing well. In Corvallis, the strong creeping red entry 7C34 and slender creeping red entry Beudin were the best overall performers.

Consistency in performance was evident in the fairway traffic sites at East Lansing, MI, and St. Paul, MN. SeaMist (slender creeping red), Bolster, Leeward, and BAR-VV-VP3-CT (all chewings fescues) and Resolute (hard fescue) were top performers at both sites. And the best entries at the North Brunswick, NJ, lawn traffic trial were hard fescues Sword, Jetty, Gladiator, Resolute, and MNHD-14, and chewings fescues Bolster, Leeward, and Castle.

Other ancillary trial sites evaluated performance under unique environmental or management conditions.

Shade tolerance was evaluated at Carbondale, IL, where entries from different species were included in the top group. Chewings fescues such as DLF-FRC 3338, Leeward, Compass II, Bolster, ‘BAR-VV-VP3-CT, Castle, and Radar led the way under shade, but strong creeper DLF-FRR 6162 and slender creeping red entry SeaMist also matched the performance of the top 37

chewings entries. Riverside, CA, collected data from a trial that is mowed only once or twice a year. Hard fescues Minimus, PST-4BND, Jetty, Sword, and Gladiator, along with creeping red entry DLF-FRR 6162 were the best entries under the infrequently mowed management at Riverside. And the California Golf Club of San Francisco site on a golf course fairway, found SeaMist, Momentum, Beudin, Navigator II, and PST-BEN as the best performing entries.

Several diseases were noted and rated at various locations over the trial period. Leaf spot (various species) was rated at three locations, with the hard fescues Minimus, Resolute, DLFPS-FL/3066, Jetty, and MNHD-14 showing the best resistance. Data on dollar spot was collected at eight locations with a mixture of hard fescues (i.e., Gladiator, Compass II, and Jetty) and chewings fescues (i.e., Bolster, Leeward, and RAD-FC44) showing the best tolerance. Several hard fescues, including Gladiator, Beacon, DLFPS-FL/3066, MNHD-14, and Jetty finished with the highest ratings for red thread tolerance. And Jetty, Minimus, and DLFPS-FL/3066, all hard fescues, were the top summer patch performers.

Bentgrass New trials of bentgrass were established in fall 2020, but the first data will not be released until spring 2022. Therefore, the most recent data available is from the 2014 bentgrass trials, which finished in fall 2019.

Two species are included in those trials: creeping (Agrostis stolonifera) and colonial (Agrostis tenius). The five-year summary compiled from the 2014 trials is available on our website and is the basis for the bentgrass discussion that follows.

Putting Green Trial This trial, containing twenty creeping bentgrasses, was established at nineteen locations. Turfgrass quality ratings collected throughout the five-year trial have revealed several new cultivars that can exceed the quality delivered by previous top performers Declaration, V-8, Penn A-1, and Luminary. MacDonald was the only entry that finished in the top statistical group within each LPI designation for each year, which is quite an accomplishment. Also performing very well overall during the five-year period were Piranha, L-93 XD, 777, and DLFPS-AP/3058.

Ancillary trials of reduced irrigation, traffic, and golf course use were conducted at a limited number of sites.

Traffic evaluations conducted at Amherst, MA, from 20152018 showed Pure Eclipse, MacDonald, Tour Pro, and Piranha with the top overall turf quality scores. The Logan, UT, site managed their trial by reducing irrigation based on ETo (potential evapotransporation), which resulted in Piranha, Kingdom, MacDonald, Pure Select, and DLFPS-AP/3058 landing in the top statistical turf quality group.

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This trial was also evaluated ‘on-site’ at three golf courses, Los Angeles Country Club, the California Golf Club of San Francisco, and North Shore Country Club in Glenview, IL. Many NTEP bentgrass trials have been evaluated at North Shore over the years, with excellent results. However, this trial demonstrated very few statistical differences over the trial period. This result contrasts with the results seen at other ‘on-site’ locations. The California Golf Club of San Francisco location ended with Pure Select as the top overall entry, statistically better than all other entries. The Los Angeles County Club trial also included Pure Select in their top overall group, along with L-93 XD, MacDonald, Piranha, and Shark.

Disease ratings were collected at several locations during the five-year trial. Dollar spot tolerance was rated at eleven locations with L-93XD, Declaration, Tour Pro, and DLFPS-AP/3058 with the highest average ratings. Brown patch and anthracnose (Colletotrichum cereale) were rated at several sites during the trial, but very little statistical differences were noted among entries.

Fairway/Tee Trial With the new 2020 trial just starting, the 2014 trial is the latest five-year summary of data on fairway and tee bentgrass. The 2014 trial consisted of fourteen creeping and three colonial bentgrass entries and was planted at nineteen locations.

Several entries delivered excellent performance across LPI groups and in different years of this trial.

Creeping bentgrasses were overall the best performing entries, although colonial bentgrass entries DLFPSAT/3026 and Musket performed well in particular locations. Barracuda, a creeping bentgrass, was the most consistent turf quality performer over the trial length and across locations with top statistical performance in each LPI group, and each of the five years. In addition, creeping bent entries Piranha, Chinook, 007, V-8, and Crystal Blue Links finished in the top statistical grouping in most LPI groups and most years.

Both the Logan, UT, and Riverside, CA, locations managed as ancillary sites utilized reduced irrigation. At Logan, the five-year data summary showed very good entry separation with Armor, Kingdom, and Nightlife in the top statistical turfgrass quality group. At Riverside, less statistical separation was noted with 007, Penncross, PST0RBS, and Shark tied at the top for overall quality at 6.2.

Traffic tolerance, evaluated at three sites, yielded important data over the trial period. The most statistically significant data from our traffic sites was collected at Amherst, MA, with Piranha, DLFPS-AT/3026, Nightlife, and Kingdom. The Blacksburg, VA, traffic site evaluated turf quality based on divot damage and recovery in 2017, with Greentime, Crystal Blue Links, DLFPSAT/3026, Penncross, Musket, and V-8 posting the best quality ratings.

TPI Turf News July/August 2021

Since fairways and tees occupy the majority of managed turf on any golf course, disease resistance that will allow for fungicide reduction on fairway and tees is a major need for golf course superintendents. Brown patch and dollar spot were major diseases noted over the trial period.

Brown patch data collected on a few dates at four locations showed the creeping bentgrass entries with the best tolerance overall, as entries such as Chinook, L-93 XD, and Piranha exhibited very little disease. Dollar spot data was rated at six locations and Chinook, DLFPS-AT/3026, Piranha, L-93XD, Musket, 007, Barracuda, and V-8 were the highest rated entries over the five years.

Low Input Cool-Season In 2015, NTEP established its first managementbased trial, with seventeen locations that manage under ‘low input.’ The first trial of this type includes cool-season grass cultivars, experimentals, blends and mixtures of grasses and other species. Thirty-two entries were submitted by sponsors, including single cultivars and blends of Kentucky bluegrass, fine fescue, tall fescue, and perennial ryegrass; mixtures of several grass species, with some including strawberry, white, or Microclover® (Trifolium spp.); and even a western yarrow entry (Achillea millefolium L.).

Management is minimal for the five-year trial, with no fertilizer applications or irrigation after establishment, no pest control at any time during the trial, and mowing at 3 – 3.5 inches on the thirteen standard trial sites. Three ancillary trial sites evaluate the effect of one annual grass pre-emergence application (spring 2016) only, then following standard trial protocols for the remaining four years of the trial. One additional trial location (West Lafayette, IN) made an additional fertilizer application on one half of each plot for 2016 and 2017 only, to evaluate the effect of the small increase of fertilizer on performance and survival. Overall, these locations are maintained very minimally, which is of interest to an increasing number of our customers.

The entries in this low input trial, with no annual grass or broadleaf weed control, need excellent establishment, and then good ground cover to resist weed invasion and deliver good quality. With many different species, mixtures with clovers and even non-grasses (western yarrow), turfgrass quality ratings are more difficult to assess, sometimes leading to less significance among entries. And considering the trial length, entry performance in a low input trial is expected to decline over time.

The final trial year finished with turfgrass quality ratings from many entries lower overall than a typical NTEP trial, with some locations again finishing with a turfgrass quality average score below 5.0, the NTEP threshold for minimum acceptable quality under low maintenance. In particular, overall ratings from Logan, UT, Kennett Square, PA, and Corvallis, OR, were below 5.0 for every entry. In contrast, sites at Blacksburg, VA, East Lansing, MI, and Storrs, CT, finished the trial with many TPI Turf News July/August 2021

entries of the 5.0 turf quality threshold.

Fourteen locations submitted data in 2020.

Overall, the mixtures containing the three percent of less aggressive clovers (Microclover® or strawberry clover) were some of the most consistent performers in 2020, either mixed with improved tall fescue cultivars (DLFPS TFAM or DLFPS TFAStC), or chewings and strong creeping red fescue (DLFPS ChCrM). Possibly, the clovers’ nitrogen-fixing ability added density and survivability to the turf stands. The tall fescue blend DLFPS TF-A and hard fescue MNHD-15 were also consistently good in 2020, along with Vitality Double, a 90 percent tall fescue/10 percent Kentucky bluegrass mixture, and Vitality Low Maintenance Mixture.

Yaak, the western yarrow entry, that is interesting as it is not a grass, nor a legume, was initially a good performer, but has declined the last three years. Yaak was still a top entry at Logan, UT, and performed reasonably well at Mead, NE, W. Lafayette, IN, St. Paul, MN, and Raleigh, NC. Yaak’s performance at Blacksburg, VA, and Corvallis, OR, has declined however since 2019. Yaak performance may have suffered from the fact that it is a ‘non-traditional’ lawn species and therefore its appearance is quite different from grasses, which may hurt its quality ratings. Therefore, Yaak may still have a place as a lawn species or ground cover where low maintenance and native plants are requested.

Cool-Season Water Use With the need to reduce turfgrass water use, the United States Golf Association (USGA) is partnering with NTEP to evaluate both cool- and warm-season grasses for water efficiency and performance under lower water use.

The USGA has paid to install rain exclusion shelters at ten sites, five in the northern or transition zones (to evaluate cool-season grasses) and five shelters in the southern U.S. to evaluate warm-season grass water use and drought tolerance. Within these shelters, cooperators restrict irrigation for a period of 100 days on cool-season grasses,

This photo shows the 2015 National Low Input Cool-Season test plots at Corvallis, Oregon.

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or 120-150 days for warm-season grasses. These ‘drought seasons’ under the shelters are part of Approach 1, which is a measurement of the amount of water needed to maintain a prescribed level of green during that period.

Ten trial locations in the drier western U.S. states (five each for cool-season and warm-season grasses) manage under Approach 2, which utilizes three evapotranspiration replacement rates (ETo). In Approach 2 locations, researchers replace either 40, 60 or 80 percent of ETo (as determined by local weather station data) for cool-season grasses, or 30, 45, or 60 percent ETo for warmseason grasses. This scenario is more typical of irrigation patterns in the western U.S. with 25 inches or less of annual rainfall. Approach 2 data indicates the reduced irrigation level each entry will survive, and at what level each entry will deliver acceptable turfgrass quality.

Therefore, the two approaches address the needs across the U.S., from the humid, eastern U.S. with 30 plus inches of annual rainfall but with occasional prolonged drought periods, to the arid western U.S. where annual summer drought periods are expected.

The warm-season version of this trial was established at ten locations in summer 2018. The coolseason version of this trial was established in fall 2016 or spring 2017 at ten total sites, five under rain exclusion shelters in the eastern U.S. (Approach 1) and five in western U.S. field sites (Approach 2). The cool-season version includes fifteen Kentucky bluegrasses, nineteen tall fescues and one perennial ryegrass (as a control entry).

The first data from the cool-season trial was collected in 2017 at six of the ten locations. Four Approach 1 (shelter) locations collected data during a 100-day induced drought period, and in some cases, large differences were noted in the amount of water used by entries, however very small statistical differences were noted among entries. For 2018, we changed the rewatering procedure threshold to 65 percent green cover, as well as expanded our statistical analysis for all sites to include separate Kentucky bluegrass and tall fescue tables.

In 2018, all Approach 1 locations noted large differences in water needed to maintain 65 percent green cover.

Four locations that were unable to collect three years of data by 2019, concluded their data collection in 2020. The Fayetteville, AR site’s (Approach 1) seasonal water needed ranged from 34.0 mm to 80.7 mm in 2020.

No statistical differences were noted among water needed when comparing all Kentucky bluegrass and tall fescue entries. However, there was some statistical significance among tall fescues when compared only to other tall fescue entries. Nonet (38 mm), MRSL TF15 (47 mm), BarRobusto (51 mm), Stetson II (51 mm), and Titanium 2 LS (51 mm) used the least water of the tall fescue group.

Various factors resulted in limited data collection in 2019 at the Amherst, MA, site (Approach 1), therefore they collected 2020 data using two distinct dry-down ‘seasons.’ The first dry-down season of 2020 showed 40

excellent entry differences under the rainout shelter with NAI-13-14 and PST-K11-118 Kentucky bluegrass requiring the least water to maintain green cover (8.7 mm). Other bluegrasses such as Everest, Babe, Midnight, and NAI-13-132 also finished in the top statistical group, surprisingly ahead of every tall fescue entry. The second dry-down season delivered very similar water use numbers, but with much less statistical significance. NAI-13-14, PST-K11-118, Babe, and Everest needed the least water again in ‘Season 2’ but with several tall fescues performing equally well.

Two sites, Logan, UT, and Fort Collins, CO, collected 2020 data under the Approach 2 regime. In 2018 and 2019, no Kentucky bluegrass season average reached the acceptable lawn quality level at any ETo level in Logan, with many falling below even the minimally acceptable quality score for low maintenance (5.0). This trend continued in 2020, except a few bluegrass entries did finish with turf quality averages of at least 5.0. Under the 40 percent ETo regime, Dauntless, NAI-13-14, and PST-K13-137 finished at 5.0 or 5.1 in turf quality. Under the 60 percent ETo level, those same entries were at or above 5.0, also with PST-K13-141 and PST-K11-118 (6.0). At 80 percent ETo, only PST-K13-141, Dauntless, and NAI-13-14 finished above 5.0.

Tall fescues again performed better overall than Kentucky bluegrass at Logan as several entries maintained lawn turfgrass acceptable quality (6.0+) under 40 percent ETo. Tall fescue entries Kingdom, Thor, and PST-5SDS finished with the highest turfgrass quality under the 40 percent ETo replacement with season average turfgrass quality scores of 6.6, 6.5, and 6.4, respectively. Also noteworthy is that the turf quality scores of those three tall fescue entries did not fall below acceptable (6.0) for any of the last eight weeks of the drought ‘season.’

The story with the 2020 Fort Collins, CO, data was 1) statistical significance was very small, and 2) no entries delivered acceptable turfgrass quality scores (6.0 or above), even under the optimum 80 percent ETo replacement level. All entries struggled under 40 percent ETo replacement as tall fescues DLFPS 321/3677 and PST-5SDS had the highest average turf quality at 4.3.

The 60 percent ETo level did deliver one tall fescue entry (Thunderstruck) with a minimally acceptable average score of 5.0. Several tall fescues, but no Kentucky bluegrasses finished with a minimally acceptable average quality under 80 percent ET0 replacement. The best tall fescues under this level were PST-5SDS (5.5), DLFPS 321/3679 (5.4), Kingdom (5.4), and Thor (5.4).

Other Species Other cool-season species, such as prairie junegrass (Koeleria spp.), tufted hairgrass (Deschampsia cespitosa), rough bluegrass (Poa trivialis), supina bluegrass (Poa supina), and annual bluegrass (Poa annua) are potential sod products, although limited in their utility and geographical TPI Turf News July/August 2021

area of adaptation.

Native species, such as junegrass and tufted hairgrass, under low maintenance can form a dense sward with an appearance somewhat like perennial ryegrass or Kentucky bluegrass. One tufted hairgrass cultivar has been tested by NTEP (1998 NTEP Fineleaf Fescue trial). The other bluegrass species, rough, annual, and supina are still very much under development without a lot known about their performance characteristics and production needs.

Other native species, such as inland saltgrass (Distichlis spicata) and poverty grass (Danthonia spicata), have special traits such as salt tolerance (inland saltgrass) or tolerance to infertile soils (poverty grass), but are probably several years away from commercialization.

Marked differences are shown in fall growth and color retention in the bermudagrass cultivars in these trial plots at College Park, Maryland.

WARM-SEASON Last year’s article reported on five-year summary results from three warm-season trials: bermudagrass, zoysiagrass, and warm-season putting green, established in 2013. New versions of each of these three trials were established in summer 2019. Therefore, the first data from these new trials (2020) is published and now available.

Bermudagrass The 2019 bermuda NTEP trial contains thirteen (13) seeded entries and twenty-two (22) vegetative entries, established at twenty-one (21) locations across the southeast, Transition Zone, and southwest U.S. Many of these entries are experimental cultivars or new commercial cultivars. NTEP evaluates warm-season grasses by comparing seeded and vegetative entries, also by separately comparing seeded vs. seeded and vegetative vs. vegetative.

The first year of any new trial is highly influenced by establishment rate. This is especially true for the warmseason grasses as many entries are vegetatively propagated types. Typically, seeded entries establish quicker than vegetative types, and this is what we have seen thus far with this trial. Establishment rates are analyzed and reported by individual location, and not summarized across locations. However, some trends in the data are apparent.

The seeded entries as a group overall established faster than the vegetative entries. Entries such as Mississippi State University entries MSB-1017, MSB-1042, and MSB-1050 were often the fastest establishing vegetative entries, rivaling the establishment rate of some of seeded entries. Overall, large statistical differences were noted in establishment rate, which is a boon for producers and endusers.

Turfgrass quality data from thirteen standard trial sites was divided into four LPI groups when statistically analyzed. As with past analyses, seeded and vegetative TPI Turf News July/August 2021

groups were compared separately, as well as against each other. Also, as in the past, the best vegetative entries often outperformed the best seeded entries in 2020 turfgrass quality data. Only small statistical differences were noted among seeded entries, but greater overall statistical differences were seen among vegetative entries. The vegetative entries Tahoma 31, MSB-1017, Latitude 36, TifTuf TM, OKC1876, and Astro were the only entries to finish in the top of each LPI group.

Ancillary trial testing is underway at several locations for this trial. The first data on traffic tolerance was collected at Raleigh, NC. A mix of seeded and vegetative entries filled the top statistical group at Raleigh. The highest overall turfgrass quality ratings under year one traffic were delivered by vegetative entries TifTuf and Latitude 36, and seeded entries OKS2015-3, JSC 201310S, and Riviera.

Other ancillary trials include drought tolerance, salinity tolerance, shade tolerance, spring dead spot (Ophiosphaerella spp.) tolerance, and divot recovery. No statistical differences emerged in year one data from the Las Cruces, NM, salinity tolerance evaluations. Spring dead spot ratings collected at West Lafayette, IN, showed statistical differences. And initial shade evaluations showed several entries including MSB-1020, MSB-1017, and MSB-1042 with better tolerance of shade than twentyfour (24) other entries. Additional years of testing and data are needed for each of these characteristics.

Drought tolerance is being evaluated at both College Station, TX, and Riverside, CA. These two sites utilize different methods to impose drought, with College Station eliminating irrigation for a block of time (‘acute’ tolerance) and Riverside managing using a reduced ETo replacement (‘chronic’ tolerance). Greater statistical differences were noted at Riverside in 2020, with only MSB-1017, TifTuf, OKC1873, OKC1876, and MSB1042 vegetative entries in the top turf quality statistical group. Fewer statistical differences were noted in 2020 data from College Station but several of those same entries finished with the highest quality ratings. In addition, 41

drought dormancy differences were noted among entries, even though statistical differences were small.

Divot recovery was also rated at Stillwater, OK, in 2020. Divots cut in early August were measured regularly throughout the next four weeks to assess speed of fill-in and recovery. Recovery averaged over ten ratings varied from 81.7 percent - 59.8 percent (LSD = 5.0). Several seeded entries including JSC 2013-10S (81.7 percent), JSC 2013-7S (81.3 percent), Riviera (81.1 percent), JSC 77V (80.9 percent), and JSC 2013-8S (80.8 percent) demonstrated the fastest recovery from divot injury.

Zoysiagrass Meyer zoysiagrass was released in the early 1950s and has been a standard in the industry ever since. Meyer is known for its medium leaf texture (for a zoysia japonica type) and excellent winter hardiness. Zeon is a zoysia matrella type that is finer textured than Meyer. Zeon is a standard for use on golf course fairways and tees because it can develop a dense turfgrass at mowing heights of 0.5 inch or lower. Both grasses are included in this trial as standard entries.

Our latest zoysiagrass trial, established at nineteen locations in 2019, consists of thirty-nine (39) vegetative entries, almost all experimental. These new entries are demonstrating how far zoysiagrass breeding and development has advanced in the last few years.

At least some of these new experimentals are destined for commercialization within the next few years, which is exciting news for the future of zoysiagrass use and adaptation.

As a historically slow establishing species, one of the most important traits in a new zoysiagrass cultivar is spread rate. Several locations rated establishment rates, with many entries establishing much faster than Meyer, and several faster than Zeon. However, establishment rate was dependent on location as some entries were fast establishing at one or more locations, but not all locations. Some entries that were consistently at the top for establishment include FZ 1440, Empire, and FZ 1410.

Zoysiagrass is one of the more winter-tolerant warm-season species, but still has limits to its adaptability and survivability in northern locations. Plant breeders strive to incorporate a mixture of traits into each cultivar that suits their intended market. Finer-textured zoysias have been less winter-tolerant than broader-textured types. Breeders, however, work to include more winter tolerance into finer-textured types to broaden their geographical adaptability. It is too early to tell if they have been successful with this group of experimentals, but our northern most locations will most likely help us to sort out those entries with superior winter tolerance. The identification of winter tolerant experimentals and cultivars has started in our northernmost location, West Lafayette, IN. Spring 2020 revealed ground cover ratings ranging from 97.7 – 0 percent, with ten entries falling below 50 42

percent living ground cover.

Turfgrass quality ratings collected in 2020 were divided into four LPI groups by our software. LPI groups 1 and 4, mainly representing southeast U.S. locations, showed only small statistical significance among entries. However, a few entries, such as FZ 1727, FAES 1319, FZ 1440, and FZ 1722 finished in the top ten of entries in both LPI groups. LPI group 2, with data from Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Fayetteville, AR, and Riverside, CA, showed great statistical separation with DALZ 1048 and FX 1436 tied at the top with an average quality score of 7.6. LPI group 3 (West Lafayette, IN, Columbia, MO, and Manhattan, KS) delivered the most statistical separation with several entries shining possibly due to differences in cold tolerance.

Fine-texture standards Zeon and Emerald topped the turf quality ratings in group 3, followed by DALZ 1808, FAES 1319, FX 1422, and DALZ 1707.

Ancillary trials of traffic, drought, and shade tolerance were initiated in 2020. The first-year traffic tolerance data from Raleigh, NC, ended with good entry separation, and DALZ 1601, FX 1407, DALZ 1311, and FX 1410 with the highest turf quality scores. Shade tolerance was tested at College Station, TX, with excellent separation among entries. DALZ 1807, DALZ 1802, and UGA-GZ-17-4 were the highest scoring entries under shade, followed by four other entries in the top statistical group. And drought tolerance was evaluated at Dallas, TX, with DALZ 1311, FZ 1410, Empire, FZ 1407, and DALZ 1603 demonstrating the best recovery from drought.

Warm-Season Putting Green In 2013, the U.S. Golf Association (USGA) co-funded a trial with NTEP to identify warm-season grasses that can provide acceptable putting surfaces where course owners want to save water, pesticide, and fertilizer inputs. That trial included not only bermudagrass, but also zoysiagrass and seashore paspalum. Seashore paspalum has been utilized on putting greens for the last decade or so, but zoysiagrass has almost no history as a putting green surface in the U.S. (zoysia has been a mainstay of ‘summer’ putting greens in Japan for decades). Including three different species in one trial offered challenges, particularly in management specifics that may differ from one species to another.

The 2013 trial is now complete and data from 2013-2017 has been summarized into a final report that is available on NTEP’s website. A new trial containing nineteen entries (nine bermuda, six zoysia, and four seashore paspalum) was established at ten locations in 2019. The first data on this new trial is now available, with data being reported by location and not summarized over all locations.

As with the 2019 bermuda and zoysia NTEP trials, establishment rate is a contributing factor to the first year’s performance of this trial. At most locations, several bermuda entries including MSB-1050, Tahoma 31, TPI Turf News July/August 2021

OKC0805, Tifeagle, and OKC3920 were the fastest to full cover. At a few locations (Griffin, GA, Columbia, MO, and Las Cruces, NM) seashore paspalum entries such as SeaStar and UGA 16-1105 established at a rate equivalent to the top bermudas. The zoysias are typically slow to establish but at Griffin, GA, and Mississippi State, MS, entries Diamond and FZ 1710 showed greatly improved establishment.

Data from 2020 showed significant differences in genetic color, leaf texture, and density. Differences were also noted in spring greenup, fall color retention, and seedhead production. These traits will be interesting to track over time, along with reaction to diseases and other stresses.

For now, turfgrass quality ratings are the best gauge of the first-year performance. Eight locations submitted 2020 turfgrass quality data and entry performance was relatively consistent across locations. Two seashore paspalum entries, SeaStar and UGA 16-1105 finished in the top statistical group at seven of the eight sites. Bermudagrasses Tifeagle, MSB-1050, Tahoma 31, and seashore paspalum UGA 17-653 also performed well in 2020 landing in the top turf quality statistical group at six locations. The most consistent zoysia to date has been FZ 1710, as it finished in five location’s top statistical group. In 2021 and beyond, more data on long-term performance, diseases, and other stresses will be collected and available from this trial.

St. Augustinegrass and seashore paspalum cultivar development has been fairly limited in the U.S. for a long while. The situation changed in the early to mid-

TPI Turf News July/August 2021

2000s when new plant breeders were hired at southern universities like Texas A&M, University of Florida, and North Carolina State University. With those folks in place, along with established programs at the University of Georgia and Mississippi State University, and with a major federal (USDA) grant from the Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI), an increase in breeding of warm-season species is occurring across the southern U.S. Growers and consumers are now seeing new cultivars of St. Augustinegrass and seashore paspalum in the marketplace.

These new cultivars will have improved drought and salt tolerance, as well as other improvements. To evaluate some of those new experimental grasses, NTEP initiated new trials of St. Augustinegrass and seashore paspalum in summer 2016. Fourth year data from those trials (2020) is now available and is discussed below.

St. Augustinegrass St. Augustinegrass is a species where several older cultivars are still competitive in the marketplace. Floratam, developed by the University of Florida and Texas A&M and released in 1973, Raleigh, a cold tolerant cultivar, and newer releases Mercedes and Palmetto still compete in the U.S. market. In some areas, sod producers grow and market their own local selections while there are still common-type cultivars, like Texas Common sold extensively in some markets. New releases such as TamStar and CitraBlue are making their way into the marketplace, which means more, and better, cultivar choices will soon be available for sod growers and homeowners alike.

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Turfgrass producers, such as Biograss Sod Farm in Vernon, Utah, (shown in this photo) use the data from NTEP trials to select the cultivars they will grow to meet the needs of customers in their marketing area.

Our newest St. Augustinegrass trial includes three standard entries (Floratam, Raleigh, and Palmetto) and twenty-four experimental entries, planted at ten locations.

Turfgrass quality data from year one and two (2017 and 2018) showed several entries often outperforming the standard entries. In 2020, entry performance varied significantly by region. Similar to 2019, CitraBlue was the highest scoring entry at the two Florida locations, Fort Lauderdale and the western panhandle site at Jay, Florida.

FSA 1610 and FSA 1606 were also good performers at both Florida sites. CitraBlue, FSA 1606, FSA 1605, FSA 1610, and Palmetto were particularly good in the Ft. Lauderdale, FL, ancillary trial location where plots are maintained with about one-half of the nitrogen level of the standard trial site.

The Dallas, TX, location had three Texas-bred entries, DALSA 1502, DALSA 1618, and DALSA 1501 in the top statistical group, along with Palmetto.

Results from our drought tolerance ancillary trial in College Station, TX, showed only small statistical differences in 2020, but DALSA 1618, DALSA 1623, DALSA 1502, and FSA 1613 finished with the highest overall turf quality.

Other entries, including Palmetto, Floratam, and UGA TX SA26 also performed well under drought in 2020.

Three southeastern U.S. locations collected data that resulted in some consistent performances. FSA 1613, CitraBlue, and FSA 1608 were the only entries to finish in the top statistical group at Raleigh, NC, Mississippi State, MS, and Auburn, AL. Entries that performed well by landing in the top turf quality statistical group at two of the three sites include FSA 1614, Palmetto, USGA TX SA26, Raleigh, DALSA 1618, and DALSA 1501.

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Fall color retention is an important characteristic, particularly in southern regions where turfgrasses are expected to provide green turf for eight months or more.

Locations from Auburn, AL, to the Panhandle of Florida ( Jay), to south Florida (Ft. Lauderdale) collected fall color retention in different months of the year in 2020. Overall, Florida-bred entries outperformed many other entries with superior fall color retention demonstrated by entries such as CitraBlue, FSA 1606, FSA 1605, FSA 1601, FSA 1610, and FSA 1604.

Seashore Paspalum Seashore paspalum is known for its salt tolerance, however turfgrass managers are now considering paspalum for its unique turfgrass quality as well. NTEP initiated testing of seashore paspalum in 2007. Eight new entries plus two standards are included in the new seashore paspalum trial, planted at eight locations in 2016.

Summarized turfgrass quality data from 2020 at six locations again showed that good progress has been made by breeders as several new experimental entries are performing well. At most locations, small or little statistical significance of overall turf quality ratings was noted among entries. SeaStar did, however, finish at or near the top of turf quality average scores at four of the six locations. UGP 73 was consistently good at four locations as well. The greatest performance difference was observed at Auburn, AL, with UGP 94, SeaStar, and UGA HYB2 alone in the top statistical group.

No diseases were noted on this trial in 2020.

Fall color retention was rated by several locations but the results were somewhat inconsistent. At Stillwater, OK, TPI Turf News July/August 2021

UGA SR15-15 and UGA SR15-14 held color the longest throughout the fall. At Riverside, CA, Salam had the best fall color, followed by UGA SR15-14 and UGA 1743. The Jay, FL, location recorded UGP 94 and UGP 73 with the best October fall color retention. October fall color ratings from both Griffin, GA, and Auburn, AL, showed UGA SR15-14 at the top.

for 120-150 days (compared to 100 days for the coolseason trial). Plots were rewatered when percent green cover reached 65 percent.

Low Input Warm-Season In 2018, a new warm-season grass trial, including multiple species managed under low inputs was established at eleven locations. Year two data from that trial, (collected 2020) is now available on the NTEP website.

The trial, partly supported by the U.S. Golf Association, intends to determine adequate to high performing warm-season grasses under golf course rough or similar-type maintenance. Maintenance parameters include mowing at two inches or higher, no more than weekly mowing, two lbs. of nitrogen or less per 1000 sq. ft. per year, irrigation only to relieve severe drought stress, and minimal pest control. The trial consists of ten total entries, of which four are bermudagrass, four are zoysiagrass, one is buffalograss, and one is a mixture of buffalograss, curly mesquite (Hilaria belangeri), and blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis).

Data from 2018 focused primarily on establishment, due to late spring or early summer planting dates. At some locations, full establishment was not achieved until sometime in 2019, therefore, more establishment data was collected. Data collection in 2020 therefore, concentrated more on turfgrass quality along with percent living ground cover, weed invasion, and canopy height measurements between mowings.

Turfgrass quality ratings collected in 2020 had Tifway and Midirion bermuda, both old standards, along with XZ 14069 zoysia, as the most consistent performers, finishing in the top statistical group at seven of eight sites.

Entries also performing well overall include Meyer and 16TZ-14114 zoysia, along with FB 1628 bermuda.

Canopy height measurements are required for this trial, and subsequently are collected at several locations.

Data collected in 2020 was consistent with 2019 data as zoysia entries, XZ 14069 and FAES 1322 frequently had the lowest canopy height between mowings.

Warm-Season Water Use As described in the cool-season water section, this trial features ten sites evaluating water-use, five under rain exclusion shelters and five managed using reduced levels of ETo replacement. The seventeen total entries (11 bermudagrass, four zoysiagrass, and two buffalograss) were planted in 2018, but due to slow establishment of some entries, water use evaluations were first initiated in 2020.

As stated above, management procedures were slightly different for the warm-season version of this trial with irrigation restriction in the shelters (Approach 1) conducted TPI Turf News July/August 2021

All Warm-Season Water Use trial entries are holding up well while under only 30 percent ET 0 replacement irrigation at Fort Lauderdale, FL.

The reduced irrigation sites (Approach 2) utilized 30, 45, or 60 percent ETo as their replacement levels (as compared to 40, 60 and 80 percent ETo for the cool-season trial). Approach 2 sites were also designed to conduct their evaluations for 120-150 days (sixteen to twenty weeks); however, one location (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) ran their trial for thirty-three weeks. Another difference with the warm-season version is that the mowing height was ½ - 1 inch, where the cool-season trial was managed at a more typical lawn mowing height (2 – 3 inches). This change did affect some species, particularly the buffalograsses, which struggled at some locations due to the low mowing height.

Data from 2020 was submitted by eight of the ten locations. In year one, compared to the cool-season trial entries, much greater statistical significance was noted between these entries. For instance, at the Approach 1 site in Stillwater, OK, the amount of water needed to maintain at least 65 percent green cover over the drought period varied from 0 – 160.7 mm (0 – 6.3 inches). Rio bermuda (0 mm), Prestige buffalograss (8 mm), Meyer zoysia (25 mm), and Dog Tuff bermuda (33.7 mm) finished in the top statistical grouping. Large variations in water needed to maintain 65 percent green cover were also noted at the Approach 1 site in Mississippi State, MS. The lowest water users were all bermudagrasses, ASC 118 (25.3 mm), FB 1628 (33.7 mm), ASC 119 (42.3 mm), Rio (84.3 mm), Monaco (84.7 mm), and TifTuf (84.7 mm), where the entry with the greatest water use needed 262.7 mm.

At the Approach 1 sites in Lexington, KY, and Jay, FL, TifTuf required the least water of all entries (59 mm and 4.3 mm, respectively). At Lexington, the only other entry that performed statistically equal to TifTuf for water used was ASC 118 bermuda. Even though water applied 45

an acceptable quality rating in week 10. Over the twentyweek drought stress period, FB 1628, TifTuf, Tifway, Tahoma 31, and Dog Tuff had statistically equal overall turf quality averages.

At College Station, TX, the entries also performed surprisingly well under the 30 percent ETo level with several finishing at turf quality 6.0+. TifTuf, Tahoma 31, and Tifway bermudagrasses, along with Meyer zoysia, were the only entries in the top statistical group to maintain at least a 6.0 quality score on each rating date across the twenty-week trial period. Similarly, Las Cruces, NM, Approach 2 data showed four entries, TifTuf, FB 1628, Tifway, and Tahoma 31, with a 6.2 or higher average turf quality rating. TifTuf was the only entry to maintain a minimum quality score over seventeen weeks, falling just below 6.0 on the final rating date.

Drought conditions impact all turfgrasses. This photo shows drought stress on a tall fescue lawn in the fall at a park recreation area in Silver Spring, Maryland.

at Lexington ranged as high as 423.3 mm (16.6 inches), the highest turf quality ratings did not always correlate with the lowest water use. Dog Tuff had the highest overall turfgrass quality score (6.1), but used 160.7 mm of water, which was significantly more than the best entries, and in the middle of all entries.

At Jay, FL, besides TifTuf, zoysias Stellar (8.3 mm) and FAES 1307 (29.7 mm), bermuda entries FB 1628 (29.7 mm), Tahoma 31 (34 mm), and Tifway (46.3 mm), and Prestige buffalograss (55.3 mm) finished in the top statistical group. Curiously, Stellar was one of the least water using entries at Jay, FL, but one of the greatest water users at Lexington, KY, (339 mm).

As mentioned above, the Ft. Lauderdale site ran their Approach 2 trial from mid-December 2019 to the end of July 2020 (about 33 weeks). The buffalograss entries did not acclimate to the south Florida climate and died before irrigation treatments could be initiated. Besides the demise of the buffalograss, the surprising result from 2020 was how well the entries performed even at the 30 percent ETo replacement. On most turf quality rating dates, all entries had scores at or above the minimum acceptable quality level of 6 under the 30 percent ETo. This is the only Approach 2 site that saw this result, and while being totally unexpected, may require a rethinking of irrigation requirements for south Florida. Since severely reducing irrigation did not significantly affect these entries, most entries finished in the top statistical group, with Tifway (TQ=7.0), FB 1628 (6.9), Tahoma 31 (6.8), and TifTuf (6.8) as the top four.

The Riverside, CA, Approach 2 location, 2,600 miles away and a Mediterranean climate, posted much different results from the subtropical Ft. Lauderdale site.

No entry finished with the minimum overall turf quality average of 6.0 under 30 percent ETo replacement. Several entries, however, did maintain acceptable quality for up to nine weeks into the stress period, with only TifTuf posting 46

Buffalograss There has not been sufficient interest to start a new buffalograss trial, therefore, the data that we compiled from 2002-2006 is the most recent we have available. Considering the four years of data from the 2002 trial, cultivar performance depended mainly on geographical location.

The vegetative cultivar Density had high quality ratings in the southern locations of Tucson, AZ, Riverside, CA, and Dallas, TX, with lower turfgrass quality ratings, relative to other entries, at more northern locations. Legacy, another vegetative entry, had the highest quality rating at Logan, UT, Manhattan, KS, and Lincoln, NE. Several seeded entries again performed well during the trial period, with Tech Turfgrass 1 and Bowie each performing well at more than one location. In addition, Tech Turfgrass 1, Density, and SWI 2000 were consistently the fastest to establish.

A few buffalograss cultivars have been released since our last NTEP trial was initiated, two of those cultivars are from the University of Nebraska. Prestige is a commercially available vegetative cultivar released in 2003.

And most recently, the University of Nebraska released the seeded cultivar Sundancer.

Centipedegrass Centipedegrass performs well in the more acidic, dense soils of the southeast U.S. and does so with probably the least maintenance required of any warmseason species. Curiously though, improved centipedegrass cultivars have been slow to become commercialized. In fact, NTEP has never tested centipedegrass due to the lack of a significant number of cultivars available. Seeded centipedegrass cultivars are dwarfed in the marketplace by common centipede, the major centipedegrass seed sold.

One of the few improved cultivars, TifBlair, reportedly more cold-tolerant than other cultivars, has been commercialized within the last several years.

Kevin Morris is executive director of the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP).

All photos by Kevin Morris unless otherwise noted.

TPI Turf News July/August 2021

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TPI INTRODUCES NEW WOMEN IN TURFGRASS GROUP FOR MEMBERS

By Allie Shriver Turfgrass Producers International is thrilled to announce our newest initiative—Turfgrass ProducHERS International. This community will be dedicated to the networking, education, and empowerment efforts of all TPI women members.

Sparked from a successful happy hour at the 2020 TPI International Education Conference & Field Day in Orlando, FL, TPI realized our women need more than once a year to meet and greet. We decided to take the group one step further in February at the 2021 TPI Growing Forward Virtual Series with a full-hour roundtable discussion. This discussion covered various topics important to our community. We discussed how everyone was adjusting to working during a pandemic, areas we would like to grow in professionally, how we stay connected to other women, and so much more.

This discussion further solidified our need for a women’s community within TPI and Turfgrass ProducHERS International was created. We’re happy to bring this group a place to speak openly with other women about the challenges and accomplishments they face in the natural grass industry. The name and the logo created for this group emphasizes the role women fill at the center of this industry and this association.

Much has happened since then and our community is growing stronger with each connection. Our first quarterly conference call on May 11 drew even more ladies to the group and the idea-sharing was amazing!

We thrive on learning from those who share the same challenges we face in balancing work and family time and are willing to bring those problems to the discussion and dig into ways to resolve them. We’ve opened ongoing discussions on topics such as finding good employees in the tight labor market and navigating through family business transitions.

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We’ve created a Facebook Group as an avenue to keep the idea-sharing flowing and have already seen how that interactive exchange leads to positive action.

It’s a “Master Mind” group focused on what matters most to you and we’d love to have you join us!

How to Get Involved with Turfgrass ProducHERS International There are several ways you can get involved within this group starting now!

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Join our Facebook Group dedicated to the women of TPI—Turfgrass ProducHERS International at the link that follows: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ turfgrassproduchers. Here you can ask questions, share experiences, and collaborate with other women in the natural grass industry.

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You can also register for emails from TPI on Women in Turfgrass topics at the link that follows https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe4rLgGG7 7ErBiFNhInrkE1vsjB64RWWf5lpuuMIUy9_ jNqBA/ viewform

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Join our quarterly conference calls! The links for these will be emailed to you prior to the meeting.

Mark your calendar for 2021: August 12, 11 am EST November 11, am EST

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Join us at the TPI International Education Conference & Field Day

Growing in 2021 TPI is ready to see this community take off and bring you the platform to do so. If you have questions, suggestions, or general comments you can reach out to me at ashriver@ h TurfGrassSod.org.

Allie Shriver is TPI’s membership and marketing manager and coordinator of the Turfgrass ProducHERS International community.

TPI Turf News July/August 2021

TPI Turf News July/August 2021

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SOD PRODUCERS’ REPORTS ISSUED FOR NORTH CAROLINA AND GEORGIA Compiled by Suz Trusty Two states—Georgia and North Carolina—have again issued Sod Producers’ Reports examining sod inventory and pricing within their state. Information is gathered by survey from the sod producers and the information analyzed and compiled to generate a comprehensive overview of that state’s natural grass sod market. In North Carolina, the report is conducted by North Carolina State University, coordinated by Dr. Grady Miller, professor and extension turfgrass specialist for NCSU. In Georgia, the report is conducted by the Georgia Urban Ag Council, coordinated

by Dr. Clint Waltz, professor and extension turfgrass specialist for the University of Georgia.

An overview of these reports follows along with links to the complete reports. Turf News and TPI thank Dr. Waltz and Dr. Miller for providing this valuable service to sod producers and the turfgrass industry.

2021 Sod Producers' Report for North Carolina In March 2021, North Carolina State University conducted the seventh annual survey to examine inventory and pricing of North Carolina sod. The link that follows provides access to the complete report. https://content.ces. ncsu.edu/sod-producers-report-for-north-carolina

North Carolina Report Overview •

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Supply of bermudagrass sod is similar to 2020, with most suppliers saying they have adequate supplies for their expected demand in 2021. There still may be some shortages.

Supply of zoysiagrass and St. Augustinegrass are expected to be worse in 2021 compared to 2020, with more than 60 percent of surveyed producers expecting shortages in zoysiagrass and more than 40 percent expecting shortages in St. Augustinegrass.

This was the fourth consecutive year that about one-third of the producers predicted they could have shortages of centipedegrass sod.

No shortages for tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass sod were predicted for 2021.

Only three North Carolina growers reported growing pure stands of Kentucky bluegrass whereas 11 grow tall fescue interseeded with Kentucky bluegrass.

There are expected price changes for all the turfgrass species in 2021 except for bermudagrass (no change).

Zoysiagrass and tall fescue had price reductions of 6 percent and 11 percent, respectively. Of the actual prices reported for early 2021, Kentucky bluegrass had

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the greatest increases (24 percent). Centipedegrass and St. Augustinegrass had a 7 percent increase compared to 2020.

There was a 21 percent reduction in growers reporting that they grew proprietary grasses and a 25 percent reduction in certified sod growers.

Production acreage was projected to increase in 2021.

The primary market for North Carolina sod producers continues to be landscape contractors.

There was a 31 percent increase in sales directly to homeowners with a slight decrease in sales to the landscape contractor sector of consumers compared to previous years. The golf course sector replaced sports/ athletic fields as number three in sales.

There was a 24 percent reduction in the average number of full-time employees per producer.

Total sod sales were reported to be 52 percent lower than the previous year.

North Carolina Sod Producers Survey Details Twenty-five producers representing the following farm sizes completed the anonymous online survey: • less than 200 acres (13 participants) • 201 to 500 acres (six participants) • 501 to 800 acres (two participants) • more than 800 acres (four participants) North Carolina Sod Producers Association (NCSPA) records suggest the number of completed surveys represents about 60 percent of the sod farms in North Carolina. The number of farms for the respective farm sizes suggests that this survey represents an overwhelming majority of the sod production acreage in the state.

Georgia 2021 Sod Producers’ Report The Georgia Urban Ag Council conducted their twentysixth survey of sod producers. The purpose of the survey was to determine the status of inventory levels and projected price changes for spring 2021. That report was issued on January 27, 2021. For the complete report, visit the link that follows. https://files.constantcontact.com/1bf98167001/b08ca376-e7f84fc7-808b-84f9a5c1dca0.pdf

Georgia Report Survey details Due to an insufficient sampling size of the industry, there was not a 2020 sod survey. This year’s results will be compared to 2019 responses. In 2021, 20 producers participated in the survey, representing farm sizes which were: TPI Turf News July/August 2021

affected spring 2020 sales, already low inventories could be pressured further resulting in producers adjusting prices accordingly.

less than 300 acres (7 participants) 300 to 600 acres (7 participants) 601 to 900 acres (2 participants)

Table 5.

Ranking of industry segments for sale of turfgrass

more than 900 acres (4 participants) Acreage in production Like 2019, seven producers indicated they planned to add acres into production during 2021. The cumulative total for this year’s increase is approximately 600 acres.

Comparing the responses from this survey with the UGA Agribusiness and Economic Development 2018 Farm Gate Value Report (https://caed.uga.edu/publications/ georgiaagricultural-statistics.html#farm-gate) and the past two years Georgia Crop Improvement Association’s “Georgia Certified Turfgrass Buyers Guide”(www. georgiacrop.com/turfgrass) there has been a 3 percent to 4 percent annual increase in production over the past three years. Similarly, the USDA Census of Agriculture had a 4 percent increase in sod production acres from 2014 to 2019 (www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/ Highlights/2020/census-horticulture.pdf).

Industry segments Landscape contractors Existing developers Golf courses Garden centers Homeowners Brokers Sports/athletic fields Landscape designers

2021 Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Average* 45.6 15.2 14.7 13.3 12.8 10.6 10.0 4.2

2019 Rank 1 6 2 7 4 3 5 8

Average* 50.9 11.0 23.0 6.6 13.7 14.4 12.6 0.3

* Average percentage of total sales.

Georgia Markets The 20 producers that participated in this survey estimated that nearly half the grass sold was to landscape contractors (Table 5). This industry segment continues to be the perennial leader and is consistent with national trends where landscape contractors are the largest marketing channel for horticulture and specialty crops (www.nass. usda.gov/Publications/ Highlights/2020/censushorticulture.pdf ).

Previously ranked 6 of 8, existing developers took the second position, accounting for 15 percent of sales in 2021. Sod sales to brokers reversed a previous trend of increasing in rank.

This may substantiate the strong sod sales of spring 2020 as Georgians sheltered in-place for the coronavirus pandemic, and producers being less reliant on a third party to sell their product.

2021 Georgia Sod Producers Report Summary 2021 will be a year of higher sod prices.

With a potential of thin inventories for bermudagrass, zoysiagrass, and centipedegrass it can be speculated that prices will be greater than the increases forecast in this survey. It is hard to predict consumer demand for grass in early spring. But if spring 2021 has strong sod sales, similar to how the coronavirus pandemic TPI Turf News July/August 2021

QUALITY SEED FOR SOD PRODUCTION

Gold Tag Certified Seed Gold Tag certified seed is the highest standard for seed purity in the industry, however at Pennington Seed we go beyond the industry standard by requiring our seed be free of many more contaminants. We ensure that our seed is free of all crop and weed seed* when sold as Pennington® Gold Tag Seed. Our increased scrutiny ensures our customers are receiving the best sod quality seed available. *Our Pennington® Gold Tag is verified as free of all crop and weed seeds in two independently drawn samples and submitted to two separate seed testing labs. While guaranteeing any lot of seed as being completely free of crop and weed seed is not possible, our testing procedures offer the highest verification offered.

Sod Resources WATER STAR® QUALIFIED GRASS SEED Pennington Seed has committed to the research and development of Water Star® Qualified grass seed.

CUSTOM SEED MIXES Pennington has the experience necessary to blend a seed mixture that is suited specifically for your region.

NEXGEN TURF RESEARCH Pennington is one of the only seed companies with its own research and development facility.

WWW.PENNINGTON.COM/PRO-TURF PROTURFSOLUTIONS@PENNINGTONSEED.COM Pennington, Pennington with design, ProCare and Water Star are registered trademarks of Pennington Seed, Inc. Echelon is a registered trademark of FMC Corporation. Turfgrass Water Conservation Alliance is a registered trademark of Nexgen Turf Research, LLC. UFlexx and UMaxx are registered trademarks of Koch Agronomic LLC.

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WANT TO INCREASE VALUE PER ACRE? A U.S. SOD INDUSTRY CHECKOFF CAN BE THE SOLUTION

By Kiersten Schroeder and Casey Reynolds, PhD At the heart of every checkoff, from mangoes to blueberries, propane to paper packaging, soybeans to softwood lumber, is a mission to benefit every producer.

And in turn, every producer supports the checkoff at an equal rate per acre.

A group of volunteer sod producers has been working diligently the last few years to create a national sod checkoff program. The reason? To ensure long-term preference and demand for sod, even in the face of growing regulations and shifting consumer attitudes.

The overall goal of the U.S. Sod Checkoff program will be to increase value and profitability per square foot for every producer involved, and programs funded by the checkoff must meet that objective. Whether it’s increasing the preference for sod over competitive products, promoting sod to consumers nationwide, conducting research to better understand consumer demands and values, or educating industry regulators and elected officials—everything ladders back to creating more value per square foot.

U.S. sod producers, with a vote expected in the next year.

And if approved, the decision to continue the checkoff will also live with producers, with periodic votes for continuation every seven years.

Snapshot of a Successful Checkoff About ten years ago, U.S. softwood lumber producers made the decision to start a national checkoff program.

Their number one priority was increasing demand for softwood lumber, with work focusing largely on consumer and customer promotion, converting construction projects to timber, and influencing codes and standards.

After just a decade of checkoff investments, softwood producers have seen an increase of 6.3 billion board feet (about a 25 percent increase in demand) and an incremental $2.4 billion in sales revenue. And softwood lumber advocates are currently sitting on multiple code committees and work directly with decision-making trade organizations.

At a local level, checkoff dollars will be used to equip producers with customizable promotional tools.

Checkoff dollars will be invested by a group of 13 volunteer sod producers who make up the checkoff board of directors. Board members will represent the diversity of U.S. sod producers, including geography, type of farm, and size. One of the first responsibilities of the board will be setting strategic priorities and in turn, creating a budget. Every checkoff dollar spent will be the decision of these producer directors. And that means every checkoff program will be decided on by actual sod producers.

The decision to move forward with the checkoff lives with Softwood Lumber 2020 Funding Priorities & Budget

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TPI Turf News July/August 2021

Consider a Sample Sod Checkoff Budget While a Sod Checkoff budget won’t be finalized until the checkoff is passed and a board of U.S. sod producers is seated, a group of producers created a sample budget, including priority funding areas: promotion, research, and codes and regulations.

amount of grass they use on new projects. Lastly, this still leaves $2 million to fund local sod or other associations and universities to promote natural grass or perform local research in their area. All of this is possible with a U.S. Sod Checkoff Program!

The draft order for the sod checkoffs caps administrative costs at 15 percent, but the majority of checkoffs stay at or near five percent. The estimate presented here of seven percent administrative costs includes enough funds for the checkoff board of sod producers to hire full-time staff and private contractors to manage all checkoff programs for research, promotion, compliance, building codes, market and consumer research, and more.

Of course, these are all just ideas to demonstrate the power of checkoffs! Any and all decisions involving checkoff funds or programming expenses will be made by a representative board of 13 sod producers from throughout the United States.

Do you have other ideas of what could be done through the power of a sod checkoff? Share them today at https:// sodcheckoff.org/benefits/.

U.S. Sod Checkoff Sample Budget $14,000,000

These sample checkoff budget numbers reflect actual costs to work in these areas in a way that will have a meaningful impact. For instance, funding $3.4 million annually in research will far outpace any current research funding program in sod production. Funding $6 million in national and local natural grass promotion efforts means a substantial marketing program that professional marketing firms tell us can move the needle. This type of investment could create a national campaign and brand for our industry to compete with alternative products. Funding $1.5 million annually in building codes and regulations will allow our industry to work in the various building codes standards that currently tell consumers to limit the TPI Turf News July/August 2021

Checkoff Success Checkoffs have seen success across multiple industries.

See the graphic on the following page for just a few examples of how they’ve helped their industries grow.

Want to learn more about how the Sod Checkoff can deliver game-changing results to producers? Visit sodcheckoff.org.

Kiersten Schroeder is vice president, Reputation+Relevance, with CLUTCH, an agriculture marketing and consulting firm that works with several commodity checkoffs. Casey Reynolds, PhD, is executive director of Turfgrass Producers International.

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CHECKOFF SUCCESS STORIES CHECKOFF SUCCESS STORIES Checkoffs have seen success across multiple industries, from mangoes to softwood lumber. These are just a few examples of how they’ve helped their industries grow.

NATIONAL MANGO BOARD

SOFTWOOD LUMBER BOARD

Since 2005, the National Mango Board promotion programs have helped increase per capita consumption of mangos by 73 percent.

From increased consumption and importation of mangos, the value generated by National Mango Board programs over the last 6 years has resulted in an additional gain of $508 million for the mango industry.

Since the beginning of the Softwood Lumber Checkoff, demand has increased by 6.3 billion board feet, translating into an incremental $2.4 billion in revenue. Their biggest success was in 2018 when the International Building Code was expanded to include softwood lumber in the Tall Wood Building Code.

2012–2019 CUMULATIVE IMPACT

Programs resulted in additional

$508

MILLION OF REVENUE

THE SLB CREATES MORE DEMAND FOR LUMBER.

Since 2012, the SLB has generated BILLION OF REVENUE

NATIONAL HONEY BOARD In 2020, national brand partnerships and direct outreach through foodservice operators helped to drive honey as the #1 preferred sweetener, beating sugar for the first time ever! With increasing consumption driven by these campaigns, the price per pound has risen from $1.60 in 2010 to $2.16 in 2018, a 35% increase.

dŚŽŵĂƐ͛ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞ EĂƚŝŽŶĂů ,ŽŶĞLJ ŽĂƌĚ team up for the Sweetest Promotion Ever!

A perfect marriage: 57% off honey consumed during breakfast, and muffins/bagels are #2 use for honey behind beverages Eye-ĐĂƚĐŚŝŶŐ ŚĞĂĚĞƌ ĐĂƌĚƐ ;ηϭ ďĞůŽǁ ͿŽŶ ũŽŝŶƚ ĚŝƐƉůĂLJƐ ŽĨ dŚŽŵĂƐ͛ ĂŶĚ ŚŽŶĞLJ ĂƚƚƌĂĐƚ ƐŚŽƉƉĞƌƐ͛ ĂƚƚĞŶƚŝŽŶ ĂŶĚ ƐƉƵƌ ŝŶĐƌĞŵĞŶƚĂů ƐĂůĞƐ Millions off high-value on-pack instant-redeemable coupons (#2 below) drive impulse purchases off both products Plan your feature and merchandising activity now to leverage this volume-building program m during d i Q1 2017! (#1 #1) 1) (#1)

(##2 (#2) #2)

Key Ke ey Selling llingg Points Points int for fo Honey Honey H oney neyy R Retail Retai Re ta accounts cco ounts unt for fo 40% 40% % off alll U.S. U sales s lees volum volume v lu lum mee ((Tech (T (Te (Technomic) TTechn Te ch chn hn no o om m mic ic ) ic) Onee off fastest-growing fastest-growin fastest owing grocery g categor categories categories, tego tegories egoriesss, with wit w wi ith th h do doll d dol dollar o olla oll lllllar aarr ssa sale sales alllees aale sur surging urging g ng +9.0 +9.0% +9 9.0% 9. .0% 0% % in n 201 2015 201 15 5 (Nielsen) ((Nie Nielsen) Nielsen 0% off U.S. U S HHs HHs purchase purchase honey, honeyy and an 45% 5% % off consumers consum consume cons meers r use usssee 80% hon one at home ome aat leas least once or twice per week honey Strong positive posit perceptions perception rceptions rcep eptions nss off honey: consumers rank rraaank nkk key n kkeey Strong, attribut as natural, n unpr unprocess processed rocessed ocessed ess and flavorful attributes unprocessed

<ĞLJ ^ĞůůŝŶŐ WŽŝŶƚƐ ĨŽƌ dŚŽŵĂƐ͛ <ĞLJ ^ĞůůŝŶŐ WŽŝŶ <ĞLJ ^ĞůůŝŶŐ WŽŝŶƚƐ ĨŽƌ dŚŽŵĂƐ͛ Flagship brand owned ow wned by Bimbo Bakeries Bakeri errieess USA USA US SA (part off Grupo ŝŵďŽ͕ ǁŽƌůĚ͛Ɛ ůĂƌŐĞƐƚ ďĂŬŝŶŐ ĐŽŵƉĂŶLJͿ ŝŵď ďŽ͕ ǁŽƌůĚ͛Ɛ ůĂƌŐĞƐƚ ďĂĂĂŬ ĂŬŝ ŬŝŶŐ Đ ŝŝŶŐ ŶŐ ŶŐ Ŷ ŐŐ Đ Ő ĐŽŵ ĐŽŵ ĐŽ Žŵ ŵƉ ƉĂĂĂŶ Ɖ ŶLJͿ #1 selling English muffins with 71.5% d dollar ollla llar ar SOM* ar SO M SOM M** do olllllar ol ar SOM* ar SSO OM* #1 selling groceryy bagels with 63.2% dollar 1B brand (bigger than Cheerios!)* Ch C h hee eeeer erri rio ios! io s!)* ))** 136 year-old, $1.1 $1.1B d nd d Industry leading direct-store delivery and merchandising support su upp port ortt

*IRI, 52 wks endingg 7 7/10/16 /10/16 6

Over 8 years, the price per pound has risen

$1.60 to $2.16 35%

BILLION BOARD FEET

of new demand has resulted from SLB investments since 2012.

$25.22 : $1 AVERAGE RETURN ON $ INVESTED SINCE 2012

INCREASE

ALMOND BOARD OF CALIFORNIA Checkoff funds used for human health research helped Almonds obtain an FDA heart-health claim, bolstering media presence and making almonds a go-to snack for consumers.

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$2.4 6.3+

AMERICAN PECAN COUNCIL Checkoff dollars are invested in marketing and promotion to build preference and demand for pecans; for example, social media recipe sharing and partnerships with food bloggers to help to showcase the health benefits and versatility of pecans.

In the last four years, consumption of American Pecans has grown 33.5%, and 8.6% during the pandemic.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE U.S. SOD CHECKOFF, VISIT WWW.SODCHECKOFF.ORG TPI Turf News July/August 2021

TPI Turf News July/August 2021

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ROOTED IN RESEARCH

ZOYSIAGRASS, HOW DID IT GET TO THE U.S.?

—PART TWO

In 1898, Dr. David G. Fairchild was named the first head of the USDA’s Office of Seed Plant Introduction.

In 1906, early in his Asian travels, Frank N. Meyer submitted two zoysiagrass varieties from North Korea to the U.S.

By Mike Fidanza, PhD Let’s continue our historical review of the plant explorers who first introduced zoysiagrass to the United States.

Dr. David G. Fairchild (1869-1954) was a botanist and was named the first head of the USDA’s Office of Seed Plant Introduction, in Washington, DC, in 1898. In 1902, he traveled to Yokohama, Japan, and collected what he listed as Zoysia pungens and described it as “very fine-leaved” and a “lawn grass which forms a most beautiful velvetlike turf.” The plant was sensitive to frost and may have originated from southern Japan. Therefore, it is speculated that what he may have collected was either Zoysia matrella or Zoysia pacifica.

Dr. Fairchild collected another zoysiagrass also from Yokohama, also listed as Zoysia pungens, and described it as having coarser (wider) leaves and better hardiness.

It is assumed this meant cold hardiness, and therefore it is speculated that it was most likely Zoysia japonica.

However, both submissions were labeled as Zoysia matrella in the U.S. National Plant Germplasm System as PI 9299 and PI 9300. Unfortunately, neither specimen is available today for further examination and correct identification.

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Dr. Fairchild (left) hired Frank N. Meyer (right) as a plant explorer which led to Mayer’s 13 years of travel throughout Asia.

In 1912, Charles V. Piper introduced Zoysia matrella to the U.S. from the Philippines.

Of note, Fairchild was responsible for the introduction of more than 200,000 exotic plants and varieties into the U.S. including mangos, nectarines, dates, bamboos, flowering cherries, pistachios, kale, quinoa, avocados, soybeans, wheat, rice, and cotton. Fairchild wrote four books that described his work and world travels, including The World Was My Garden: Travels of a Plant Explorer, which was published in 1938. He used his own photographs and illustrations for his books, and from his travels, he was able to provide descriptions of native cultures before their modernization.

In 1916, Fairchild and his wife, Marian (daughter of Alexander Graham Bell), bought a winter home in the Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami, FL. He named the home “The Kampong,” in honor of the place he lived in Java (Indonesia) where he spent time collecting plants. He established gardens on his nine-acre property that contained plants he collected from Southeast Asia, Central and South Americas, the Caribbean, and other tropical locations. Today the Kampong Garden is one of five gardens in Florida that form the National Tropical Botanical Garden, and it is open to visitors.

TPI Turf News July/August 2021

“Fairchild wrote four books that described his work and world travels, including The World Was My Garden: Travels of a Plant Explorer, which was published in 1938.”

Fairchild was a member of the Board of Regents of the University of Miami from 1929 to 1933 and served as Chair in 1933. Also in 1933, he was awarded the Public Welfare Medal from the U.S. National Academy of Sciences “…for his exceptional accomplishments in the development and promotion of plant exploration and the introduction of new plants, shrubs, and trees into the United States; …in recognition of distinguished contributions in the application of science to the public welfare.” It is the most prestigious honor conferred by the Academy. In 1938, the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Coral Gables, FL, was named after him.

Frank N. Meyer (1875-1918) was born Frans N. Meijer in the Netherlands, and was educated at the Hortus Botanicus, a famous and historical botanical garden in Amsterdam. There he worked as an assistant to Hugo de Vries. Of note, de Vries was a botanist and one of the first geneticists, known for suggesting the concept of genes, and for rediscovering the laws of heredity thus confirming Gregor Mendel’s earlier work on the subject.

Meyer immigrated to the U.S. in 1901 and started working for the USDA in Santa Ana, California, and eventually became an American citizen. Fairchild hired Meyer as a plant explorer, which led to his relocation to Washington, DC. Of particular focus was finding drought resistant plant varieties suitable for dry land farming driven by agriculture expanding into the Great Plains at that time.

In 1905, Meyer began his 13 years of travel throughout Asia. The plants he sent back were distributed to various USDA plant introduction stations and incorporated into plant breeding programs. He sent back over 2,500 plant varieties including alfalfa, sorghum, citrus, stone fruits, nuts, and soybeans, including the first oil-bearing variety. He also sent tree and shrub specimens to Harvard University’s Arnold Arboretum. Fairchild reported that Meyer’s notes about the plants he collected “…are full of suggestions to plant breeders.”

Early in his travels in 1906, Meyer submitted two zoysiagrass varieties from North Korea. The first he described as “a perennial grass growing but a few inches high, well adapted for lawn purposes.” The second he noted as “…excellent for golf links, lawns, etc.” In 1907, he submitted zoysiagrasses from Shanghai, Shantung, and TPI Turf News July/August 2021

Tainfu, China. All his samples from Korea and China were considered to be Zoysia japonica.

During Meyer’s last expedition in 1918, he collected wild pears that were naturally resistant to fire blight disease.

He was traveling down the Yangtze River, but a few days after boarding the boat, his body was found in the water.

The cause of death was listed as accidental drowning, and he was buried in Shanghai. His unfortunate death and the circumstances of the incident are still a mystery, and a Hollywood movie about Meyer would probably sensationalize him as “plant explorer by day, secret spy by night.” His travels are chronicled in the book Frank N. Meyer, Plant Hunter in Asia (1984).

Because Meyer was so well-respected among his peers and colleagues, The Frank N. Meyer Medal for Plant Genetic Resources was established in “recognition of his contributions to the plant germplasm collection and use in the United States and his dedication and service to humanity…” The award is presented annually by the Crop Science Society of America. In addition, zoysiagrass seed collected in Korea in 1930 was further propagated and eventually released in 1951 as the variety ‘Meyer’ zoysiagrass in his honor.

Charles V. Piper (1867-1926) introduced Zoysia matrella from the Philippines in 1912. He described it as “… abundant near the seashore…” and “where closely clipped it makes a beautiful lawn.” Manila is the capital of the Philippines, and thus ‘manilagrass’ is a common named still used today for Zoysia matrella. Piper was an agrostologist with the USDA’s Division of Forage Plants.

Later in his career, Piper shifted his focus from forages to turfgrass. In 1917, he coauthored one of the first turfgrass science textbooks, Turf for Golf Courses, with Russell A. Oakley.

Piper’s career and accomplishments in turfgrass science warrant coverage in his own article for Rooted in Research.

There have been others who collected zoysiagrass germplasm from far and wide, but these botanists, agrostologists, plant explorers, and adventurers were the first to bring zoysiagrass into the United States.

Source: Patton, A.J., B.M. Schwartz, and K.E. Kenworthy.

2017. Zoysiagrass (Zoysia spp.) history, utilization, and improvement in the United States: A review. Crop Science 57:S37-S73. (doi: 10.2135/cropsci2017.02.0074) Mike Fidanza, PhD, is a professor of Plant and Soil Science at Pennsylvania State University, Berks Campus. Cale Bigelow, PhD, is a professor of Turfgrass Science and Ecology in the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture at Purdue University in Indiana. They are teaming to provide a Rooted in Research article for each issue of Turf News.

All photos courtesy of Mike Fidanza, PhD.

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TPI GOVERNMENT RELATIONS UPDATE

By Casey Reynolds, PhD Turfgrass Producers International has been working closely with various U.S. governmental agencies on issues impacting sod producers. One of the many benefits of being a TPI member is having a collective voice in governmental policy, and the last couple of years have seen significant regulatory successes. They have also brought new and renewed relationships with policy makers that will only serve to benefit us in the future. Below is a quick recap of a few of the areas TPI has been working diligently on with regard to public policy.

Transportation A new mandate on Electronic Logging Devices and Hours of Service Supporting Documents was published in the federal register in 2015. This mandate established minimum performance standards for ELDs and required their use for documenting hours of service after 2019. While the rule and the date seemed clear, it caused much confusion among truck drivers and law enforcement officials with regard to who could claim agricultural exemptions relieving them of HOS and ELD requirements. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced on November 24th, 2020, an Interim Final Rule (IFR) on agricultural commodities, and TPI was there with them every step of the way making sure our industry’s voice was heard.

This IFR defines agricultural commodities under 49CFR 395.2 as follows: Agricultural commodity means: (1) Any agricultural commodity, non-processed food, feed, fiber, or livestock as defined in this section.

(2) As used in this definition, the term “any agricultural commodity” means horticultural products at risk of perishing, or degrading in quality, during transport by commercial motor vehicle, including plants, sod, flowers, shrubs, ornamentals, seedlings, live trees, and Christmas trees.

Under these regulations, drivers transporting agricultural commodities, including sod, from the source of the commodities to a location within 150 air miles of the source, during harvest and planting seasons as defined by each State, are exempt from the HOS requirements.

TPI is pleased to provide its members with a Glove Box Doc! This gives your drivers the documentation for the Hours of Service and Agricultural Exemptions which they can use if they are pulled over by authorities to prove sod is listed as exempt in the latest legislation. The front page of the document is shown on the adjacent page. The full list of exemptions is on the back of the document as provided to TPI members.

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Coronavirus Relief U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced on May 19, 2020, details of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), which provided up to $16 billion in relief to America’s farmers and ranchers impacted by Covid-19. While sod producers were initially left out of the initial CFAP program, TPI worked with the U.S. Farm Service Agency (FSA) to allow sod farmers to apply for federal relief through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP2). We released a call for information in late 2020 and sod farms from throughout the United States responded with pricing and volume data for 2020, when Covid-19 impacts were most substantial.

Representing TPI in my role as executive director, I also visited with USDA Under Secretary Bill Northey in October at Turf Mountain Sod in Hendersonville, NC, to discuss this important topic. As a result of these efforts, sod farmers were included in CFAP2 relief funds and farmers throughout the U.S. have applied for, and received payments, from this program.

Crop Insurance TPI has been working with the U.S. Farm Service Agency to develop a specialty crop insurance program specifically for sod producers. Many farmers have told us that the Non-Insured Assistance Programs (NAP) and Whole Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) programs are not a good fit for many sod farms, but FSA also offers specialty crop insurance programs. We are working with them now to develop a program for sod and are seeking sod farmers who may be willing to serve on a committee to develop this program.

And More TPI has also recently been monitoring other programs including herbicide re-registrations important to sod producers, various state laws aiming to ban or limit natural grass, and health insurance for TPI members and their employees.

If you would like to learn more about any of these programs, please contact TPI’s office at (847) 649-5555 and we will be happy to assist you.

Casey Reynolds, PhD, is executive director of Turfgrass Producers International.

TPI Turf News July/August 2021

TPI Turf News July/August 2021

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ASSOCIATION UPDATES

TURFGRASS GROWERS ASSOCIATION UPDATES A TGA Update from the Chairman, Richard Owens.

Richard Owens, TGA Chairman

As I write this update (in early June), the sun is shining, and the world is moving carefully, and slowly towards some form of normality.

Back in the turf world, irrigation season, certainly for us, is now in full swing, and it is definitely noticeable in our neck of the woods that there seems to be an ongoing trend towards “Drought Springs.” After an unseasonably cold May, the lack of precipitation, coupled with night-time temperatures still regularly around freezing, certainly added yet another challenge to an already challenging industry. We have just entered the British summer time, the warmer temperatures and sunshine levels feeling more normal for the time of year.

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A few months ago, we held our Spring meeting (virtually once more), where our affiliate members were given the opportunity to update grower members on new developments within their respective line of business. It was great to catch up with everyone, and it was good to see all the companies involved doing well, and as always, offering advanced and innovative solutions to all of our needs and requirements, in all areas. A big thank you to all those companies and representatives who kindly took the time to talk to us.

Regarding future “live” meetings/events, we are constantly monitoring the government guidelines and will once more be organizing events as soon as it is safe and sensible to do so.

The Association has just launched our “Meet the Grower” promotion, and you will see on the following pages our first article, featuring Stephen Edwards from Inturf.

Editor’s note: This “Meet the Grower” article was provided by TGA’s Coral Russell. As she reports, “With the launch of the new TGA website, we are also launching a “Meet the Grower” section. Each month there will be an opportunity for one of our grower members to introduce themselves and their company, both on our website and via our social media channels.” The “Meet the Grower” article that follows is in the question-and-answer format as developed by TGA, with the grower’s answers printed as provided.

TPI Turf News July/August 2021

Meet the Grower— Stephen Edwards of INTURF Tells All How long have been growing turfgrass?

We have been turf growing for 36 years, and it all started with 50 acres, we now produce well in excess of 2000 acres, or more than 800 hectares in new money. My father, Derek Edwards, worked with another turf growing company in the late seventies and early eighties, and helped shape the face of the cultivated turf industry into what it is today, but wanted to carve his own path in the sportsturf World. This was extremely successful, customers included: the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTCC) in Wimbledon, Wembley National Stadium, and many famous golf courses.

Since then, we have mechanised and now supply nearly all of the national DIY chains, various Building Merchants, and many Open Championship Golf Courses. We also grew turf in Northern France in the 1990s from where we re-turfed the Parc des Princes, Paris, using our patented ‘turf tile’ and ‘thickcut big roll’ systems; pioneering systems which were adopted by a handful of other turf growers across the UK and Europe and helped numerous football clubs re-turf during the playing season. We also introduced the ‘standard big roll’ turf format in 1991, and by 1992 no other turf grower anywhere in the world was using this so ubiquitously as Inturf!

Tell Us About Your Team We have a very dedicated team at Inturf, the majority of whom have been with us for many years, 30 years plus in a few cases, and we are hiring new recruits regularly to keep pace with an inexorable increase in demand for our turf. As the business grows, we will require more and more staff to drive the latest technology and to occupy the growing office.

Employee training and engagement are key markers to retain staff and for success, and we leave no stone un-turned in the respect. Valuing staff is a priority for Inturf.

What is your proudest achievement?

There are many, however, I think the proudest moment was re-surfacing ‘Centre Court’ at the AELTCC in August 1997.

My brother (Alex) and I completed this work behind closed doors for the club during a very long hot summer. Nearly every court had been re-surfaced using our custom-grownturf service (another first in the turf world), either before or following the centre court re-turf… to my knowledge, this had not been undertaken before or since our time working with the AELTCC, which spanned circa 20 years.

Why do you love producing turfgrass?

Most importantly, turf is good for our planet… socially, environmentally, and economically and generally speaking, the people who operate within the industry are down to earth and helpful. We have an amazing manicured 2000-acre plus garden too, so we benefit from the abundance of positive health benefits turf offers. For instance, its noise reduction qualities, flood defensive applications (it reduces water run-off ), it has a high efficacy

TPI Turf News July/August 2021

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of carbon capturing, in fact, better than any tree per square metre of plantation, and turf really does have the ability to calm even the busiest of minds… just try walking on your natural lawn in bare-feet… wearing footwear is an exclusively human characteristic!

What is your favourite piece of machinery?

It has got to be the turf harvesters, albeit they are temperamental, they cut 4 million square metres of natural turfgrass every year, and without them, we simply could not grow the business in the way we have… hats-off to the Americans for this technology!

If you had one piece of advice for turfgrass customers, what would it be?

100 mm or 4 inches and for no longer than 28 days.

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing the future of the turf growing industry?

In the short-term, artificial turf has become more ubiquitous and the money and marketing behind the carpet manufacturers are matchless. That said, I think that in the medium- to long-term, we have to be careful not to ‘over-cook’ the current high demand for natural turf by using quicker growing methods, such as using plastic netting, which isn’t good for the environment and will only serve to offer the artificial turf producers more ammunition and indeed mitigation against using natural turf in the future… oh, and another global pandemic, because next time, we might not be so lucky!

For more information on INTURF, visit their website https:// www.inturf.com/.

Prior to turfing, get the ground preparation right by following our ‘online’ advice and easy steps or call a trusted landscaper, lay the turf as quickly as possible (preferably on the day of delivery) and water it well until it is rooted to approximately The Turfgrass Growers Association (TGA) is a membership organisation representing UK turfgrass growers. It is the only professional organization in the UK and Ireland dedicated to the advancement of quality turf production. Richard Owens is the Chairman of the TGA and leads the work of the TGA with the aid of the TGA Council. Owens is the Golf and Technical Manager anager g at Tillers Turf. Coral Russell is the Company Secretary for the TGA, managing all processes involved with running the day to day with the Association. For more information, visit the website at www.turfgrass.co.uk, or contact Coral Russell at Coral.russell@ ll@ britishgrowers.org.

The logo and photos are courtesy of the Turfgrass Growers Association (TGA) and INTURF.

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TPI Turf News July/August 2021

The Natural Choice.

elite vegetative bermudagrass “After growing IronCutter for 11 months, I’d recommend this bermudagrass to anyone!”

Plant a better vegetative Bermuda. One that grows vertically; one that harvests early, with deep roots. One with a legendary cold-tolerant lineage from the Oklahoma plains, bred by Dr. Charles Taliaferro (of Patriot, Northbridge, & Latitude 36 fame). IronCutter: A new, natural solution for sod producers wanting consistency, lowered inputs, & elite performance from bermudagrass forged for golf, sports turf, & landscapes.

At MVS, we believe an elite variety can only reach its full potential with help from an exceptional sod producer. Producers like Eddie Moore & his family. Iff you agree, please contact us to join the IronCutter family!

-Eddie Moore (TPI Member), Collins-Wharf Sod Farm, Maryland

IRON CUTTER IS AVAILABLE FOR LICENSE ASAP Exclusively from Mountain View Seeds!

#1 IN TURFGRASS QUALITY (GEORGIA, FLORIDA, KANSAS AND MARYLAND) #1 IN SPRING GREENUP (INDIANA) #1 IN FOR DIVOT RECOVERY (ARKANSAS) #1 IN SUMMER LIVING GROUND COVER % (CALIFORNIA)

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www.mtviewseeds.com 503-588-7333 info@mtviewseeds.com

THE SURPRISING TRUTH—FOUR THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT REACHING GOALS

By Jennifer Shike

Get the Size Right

Why don't we finish goals? Jon Acuff, best-selling author and motivational speaker, says we often focus on the wrong thing when we talk about our goals. It’s kind of like a marathon, he describes. Everyone cheers you on at the beginning and the end, but no one’s there in the middle— and that is the toughest part.

The very first thing to do with any goal is to figure out what the size of the goal should be. After all, Acuff says goals in and of themselves are not complicated. There are four parts of a goal: the results you want, the timeline, the actions, and the motivation. “The problem with these four different components is we tend to be really terrible at estimating what we can accomplish,” Acuff says.

“Most people think a goal is like this,” Acuff explains. “If you have 30 days, the beginning will be days 0 through 10.

The middle will be days 11 through 20. And the finish will be days 21 through 30. That feels right mathematically; unfortunately, that's not how it goes. Usually, the beginning is day one, the middle is days 2 through 29.

And the finish is day 30.”

There's a lot of middle to every goal. That’s why he says our focus should be on finishing, not starting. He wanted to dig into this topic more and commissioned a research study with a PhD student at the University of Memphis.

They studied 900 people for six months who were working on a variety of goals to see if people could go from being chronic starters into consistent finishers. Acuff shared the results and what it takes to finish the goals that matter during the Online Top Producer Summit.

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In the study, researchers asked participants to cut their goal in half and evaluated what happened. They learned that people who cut their goal in half were 63 percent more successful. Acuff says this proves how bad most people are at figuring out their goals. But he says there is hope because most people are good at results and timelines. That leaves more time to focus on the parts of a goal that people can actually have the most control over: motivation and actions.

Choose What to Bomb One of the most important things you can do with a goal is choose what to bomb, Acuff explains. Recognize some things matter, some things don't.

“When you lean into new goals, you have a really simple choice: shame or strategy. Shame says you should be able to do it all. Strategy says these are the things that matter, these are things that don't. It's important to figure that out because there's so many things trying to take your time right now,” Acuff says.

TPI Turf News July/August 2021

Sometimes, even if you can't stop something, you can simplify it, he suggests. Ask yourself hard questions. Are we doing this in a complicated way? During this season, does this matter as much as it might matter during another season? Can I bring on help? What can I stop?

“The one thing you can't stop are relationships,” Acuff says. “And the challenge with that is a lot of you didn't get into farming so you could manage people. However, you can’t ignore the people challenges.”

This is where empathy comes into the picture. “I know empathy is one of those soft sounding words, it sounds like a candle flavor at Bed, Bath and Beyond...sandalwood and empathy,” he jokes. “But here's how I define it in the context of business. Empathy has two parts, understanding what someone needs and acting on it.”

Jon Acuff says, “I love goals.

Why? Because a goal is the fastest path between where you are today and where you want to be tomorrow. Best of all, finishing a goal feels amazing.”

“Sometimes when we see the word fear, we think of the negative connotations only. When I say fear, I mean consequence. If you ever got something done on a Thursday, because you had a Friday deadline, you experience a positive motivation from fear,” he says.

He says if you want to ruin an employee or vendor or customer relationship, understand what people need and then don't do anything about it. Empathy is essential if you want to grow teams and grow what you are doing. So, how do we know what people care about?

“Read less minds, ask more questions.

What I've learned over the years is it's much better to meet a need than it is to invent a need,” Acuff says.

Make It Fun Make it fun if you want it done. The most surprising part of the research for Acuff was discovering that fun, joy, engagement, and fulfillment matter to all goals. “Most people think a goal has to be difficult or miserable to count,” he says.

In the study, researchers asked participants to make what they were doing fun. The people that did had a 31 percent increase in satisfaction and felt more connected to the work, Acuff explains. The research also showed they had a 46 percent increase in performance success. People actually performed better when they made their goals fun. “Like every job, every goal has difficult parts, whether you're going to lose weight or get your finances in order. So, don't hear me saying everything will be fun,” he says.

It’s not necessarily about having fun, though. He says it’s about making your goals fun. There are two ways to do that: reward and fear.

• Resilient turf for tough players • Tolerant of shade, cold, and drought • Outstanding Color

• Very fine, ultra-dwarf leaf texture • From springs to greens in 8 weeks • High Stimp Speed

• 50% Less Mowing* • Eco-Conscious Lawn • Shade Tolerant *Compared to conventional St. Augustinegrass

bethelfarms.com (863) 494-3057

TPI Turf News July/August 2021

67

If you really want to grow, borrow someone else's diploma.

Where does it say you must have the experience to learn from the experience? Acuff says it’s important to have mentors—ahead of you and behind you in age. When we are humble enough to “borrow that diploma,” we’ll grow in a way we never expected, he adds.

For others, rewards may incentivize them to stick to their goals. Rewards can be as a simple as attending a movie all by yourself, Acuff says. But it’s up to everyone to figure out what motivates them. Is it a little bit of reward or is a little bit of consequence?

Eliminate Your Secret Rules Everybody brings secret rules into goal setting, Acuff says.

These are often things people don't even know they're doing that get in the way.

“We're not talking about being perfect. We're talking about being better than we were yesterday, and then repeating that tomorrow. That's our goal,” Acuff says.

“When it comes to finishing, starting is fun. But the future belongs to finishers.”

“Secret rules are often inherited,” Acuff adds. “Maybe a teacher told you one time that you're not a leader. Maybe you've been believing it for 10, 20, 30 years. Every time you get an opportunity to be the leader, you feel this pulling back because you've got this secret rule that's getting in the way.”

Jennifer Shike is editor and brand leader for Farm Journal’s PORK, a part of Farm Journal Media. Her articles frequently appear in thedailyscoop.com, as did this one. Jon Acuff is the New York Times bestselling author of seven books, including his newest release, Soundtracks: The Surprising Solution to Overthinking. He’s an INC Magazine Top 100 Leadership speaker and has spoken to hundreds of thousands of people at conferences and companies around the world. His large and highly engaged social media following includes nearly 300,000 Twitter followers, more than 187,000 Facebook followers, more than 125,000 Instagram followers, and more than 90,000 email subscribers who look to him for his unique blend of humor, honesty, and hope.

When you feed a secret rule time, energy, and creativity, Acuff says you get stuck believing that lie. That’s why it’s important as you work on new goals, to decide not to be held back by secret rules. One of the most common he sees is the rule that says you must have it all together.

“There's this old school mentality that said, ‘If I share my weaknesses, people won't trust my strengths,’” Acuff says.

“I think new school leadership is ‘If I pretend I don't have weaknesses, people won't trust my strengths.’”

Helping You Find Your Happy Place.

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TPI Turf News July/August 2021

FEBRUARY 14-17, 2022 We're heading to California for four days of top-notch education and networking with fellow turfgrass producers and suppliers.

Don't miss Field Day at American Sod Farms!

HAPPENINGS

Mike Loan of Blue Grass Enterprises Recognized by ITI An April email from Blue Grass Enterprises announced that the Iowa Turfgrass Institute (ITI) had selected Mike Loan as their 2021 recipient of the Meritorious Service Award. The email stated, “We are very proud of Mike for his contributions to this industry and to our community as a whole.”

Mike Loan is owner of TPI member Blue Grass Enterprises, Inc., located in Alburnett, Iowa.

The Iowa Turfgrass Institute's Meritorious Service Award is presented by the Board of Trustees to an individual who has provided extraordinary service to the Iowa Turfgrass Institute or to the Iowa turfgrass industry in general. With Mike, that service is to both. Always a forward-thinking innovator, Mike’s contributions have strengthened the turfgrass industry while increasing the knowledge of the benefits of natural grass and its proper care and maintenance throughout the company’s marketplace, across the state, and beyond.

With Covid-19 restrictions still in place, the award was presented to Mike Loan (center in photo) at the Blue Grass Enterprises’ office by Randle J. Robinson, executive director of ITI (right in photo) and Dr. Adam Thoms, Iowa State University assistant professor specializing in commercial turfgrass management and ISU representative on the ITI Board of Trustees.

That legacy of service and innovation is being continued as Mike’s daughter, Sarah Nolte, has joined Mike in the business. For more information on the innovations of Blue Grass Enterprises see the article, “Blue Grass Enterprises Shares Their Story on Customer Engagement, in the May/June 2020 issue of Turf News.

Ryan Jeffries Joins Columbia River Seed Columbia River Seed has announced the hiring of Ryan Jeffries as their North American Sales Director.

Jeffries graduated from Missouri Western State University in 1989 with a BS in Agri-Business and a minor in Management. Jeffries began his career with Land O’Lakes in 1990 in St. Joseph, Missouri. In 2006 he went to work for Columbia Seeds located in Albany, Oregon.

Jeffries lives in Prescott Valley, Arizona. His hobbies include Jeeping, hiking, various other outdoor activities, and activities with his church.

“I am very excited to join the Columbia River Seed team,” says Jeffries. “I look forward to this new opportunity promoting Columbia River Seed in the North American trade.”

GO Seed Hires Dr. Shannon Cappellazzi to Head Research GO Seed co-founder and president Jerry Hall has announced that Dr. Shannon Cappellazzi has been named to lead its research into sustainable seed solutions to combat climate change.

70

“Shannon is one of our country’s most highly respected scientists in the field of soil health analysis,” said Hall. “Leveraging her expertise in soil and plant relationships and her wide network within the agricultural research community, we’re going to be able to understand so much more about the impact of products and current management practices on the environment.”

Cappellazzi will be working with GO Seed’s partners and customers, Ag Research Services, the National Ecological Observatory Network, Oregon State University (where she serves on the courtesy faculty) and research collaborators across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico on soil health studies and policies that will encourage producers to adopt best management practices to significantly change the environmental impacts of agriculture.

Prior to serving as SHI’s liaison for the western United States and the disciplinary lead for the Institute’s analysis of soil health in pastures and rangelands, Cappellazzi, an Oregon native, was Manager at the Oregon State University Central Analytical Laboratory. Earlier in her career, she was the Equestrian Manager for Wheelbarrow Creek Ranch and an agricultural commodities trader for Wilbur-Ellis Company.

Cappellazzi is a member of the Soil Science Society of America and serves as a board member of the Oregon Society of Soil Scientists and the Oregon Forage and Grassland Council. She received her B.S. in Animal Science and her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Soil Science from Oregon State University.

Ben Addington Named Director of Marketing for DLF North America DLF Seeds has announced the promotion of Ben Addington to director of marketing for its North America strategic business unit.

Addington's background includes over 15 years of marketing and communications experience, most recently as manager of marketing and customer experience for La Crosse Seed in La Crosse, WI. He is also a member of the American Seed Trade Association communications committee and the National AgriMarketing Association.

"I look forward to working with our customers and teams across North America to deliver technology-driven, sustainable seed and marketing solutions, as well as sharing the great stories that exist within DLF," said Addington. "It's important that we pair product innovation with new marketing tools that add real value to our distribution partners and their customers."

DLF's North American operations encompass research, development, production, and distribution of turfgrass, forage, cover crop, and other seed through its various companies including DLF Pickseed Canada, DLF Pickseed USA, DLF Moore Seed, and La Crosse Seed.

DLF Discounts Seed for Golf Project Benefiting Military Families A recent article online from Turf magazine talks about the conversion of the historic Grand Haven Golf Club into the American Dunes Golf Club. This new public course on the shores of Lake Michigan honors American warriors and provides a gathering place for patriots to share their love of golf.

The U.S. professional turf team at DLF, led by Bill Dunn, was approached about this project by Jon Scott, formerly of the Nicklaus agronomy team. The organization’s involvement was embraced by

TPI Turf News July/August 2021

HAPPENINGS

management and together, DLF and its Seed Research of Oregon (SRO) team, along with La Crosse Seed, worked to provide all the grass seed for the course at a significant discount in honor of the patriots who have served our country.

SRO Super Bent™ varieties were exclusively used on the course, including 777 (Triple Seven) creeping bentgrass on the greens and Flagstick creeping bentgrass on the tees and fairways. Both varieties were selected for their superior disease resistance. In addition, Tradition fine fescue mix was seeded in the out-of-play areas for improved stabilization and appearance after a late inspection by Mr. Nicklaus.

100 percent of American Dunes’ annual profit will be given to The Folds of Honor Foundation to assist in its mission of providing educational scholarships to spouses and children of America’s fallen and disabled service members. The Folds of Honor name comes from the creases in an American flag after it is lifted from the casket of a deceased soldier.

The entire article is available at: https://www.turfmagazine.com/industry-news/new-americandunes-golf-course-features-dlf-seed/?

and Stone Center of Fredericksburg, LLC, (collectively, “Stone Center of Virginia”) joined SiteOne, effective December 31, 2020.

Stone Center of Virginia serves the Richmond and Fredericksburg, VA, markets with two locations focused on the distribution of hardscapes, natural stone, and landscape supplies to landscape professionals. Stone Center was the 11th acquisition in 2020.

Lucky Landscape Supply LLC, Katy, Texas, was SiteOne’s first 2021 acquisition. Lucky Landscape serves the Greater Houston market from a single location that is focused on the distribution of nursery products to landscape professionals. Lucky Landscape provides SiteOne with their fourth dedicated nursery branch within the Houston MSA. In April, SiteOne Landscape Supply acquired Arizona Stone & Architectural Products and Solstice Stone (collectively, “AZ Stone and Solstice”). AZ Stone and Solstice operates seven locations throughout Arizona and two locations in the Las Vegas, NV, market. The locations owned by AZ Stone and Solstice throughout the two states focus on the distribution of hardscapes, natural stone, and landscape supplies to landscape professionals.

SiteOne’s first May acquisition was Minnesota’s Timberwall Landscape & Masonry Products. Timberwall serves the Twin Cities market with one location in Victoria, MN, focused on the distribution of hardscape products and landscape supplies to landscape professionals and homeowners.

SiteOne also announced in May that Melrose Irrigation Supply and Sales has joined SiteOne. Melrose has six locations throughout the State of Florida focused on the distribution of irrigation, lighting, and drainage products.

On May 10, SiteOne announced it had acquired Rock & Block Hardscape Supply, which serves the San Diego, Southern Orange County, and Inland Empire markets in California through two locations.

“Rock & Block is a true market leader and a great fit with SiteOne as we expand and extend our existing hardscapes presence in Southern California,” said Doug Black, chairman and CEO of SiteOne Landscape Supply. This was SiteOne’s third acquisition of the month and fifth of 2021.

LOVING acquires Babcock Ranch Sod Farm in Fort Myers, FL LOVING expands their regional footprint once again with the recent addition of the Babcock Ranch Sod Farm located in Ft. Myers, Florida. LOVING and Kitson Partners worked diligently on the framework of the arrangement to ensure a smooth transition for employees, clients, and vendors.

“We are beyond excited to build upon the rich history that has been created over the past 23 years at the Babcock Ranch Sod Farm” says Mike Haynes, Founder and President at LOVING. “This is a farm that produces top-notch quality sod from a topnotch quality team. Syd Kitson and his entire team at Kitson Partners have done a great job of continuing the legacy of the Babcock family. We are grateful and excited to continue to build upon the history that has been created over the years at this farm.”

Babcock Ranch is a sprawling 17,000-acre property that is unlike any other in the world. It is the first community that is 100 percent powered by solar. The community will have nearly 20,000 homes at build-out, with multiple schools and a town center. The vision and development of this project is being led by Syd Kitson and the entire team at Kitson Partners. LOVING is honored to carry the torch in both serving the community and upholding the standard of environmental innovation.

LOVING is headquartered in Gastonia, North Carolina, and offers landscaping, outdoor living, and sod supply to both local and national homebuilding clients throughout the Southeast.

LOVING has grown at a rapid pace into one of the largest landscaping and sod farming operations in the United States.

Bethel Farms Introduces SodPods Bethel Farms has introduced a new product—SodPods. The idea behind it is modernizing grass plugs to educate consumers on what a grass plug is and the benefits of using it as a way to improve their lawn. The main use is placing it in bare or sparse sections of the lawn as “patches” for quick repair. Bethel Farms also presented two Do-It-Yourself (DIY) projects—a backyard checkerboard and a green walkway—in YouTube videos with “The Lawn Care Nut.” The two projects show the endless possibilities of a SodPod.

SiteOne® Continues to Make Acquisitions SiteOne® Landscape Supply, Inc. finished up 2020 with two acquisitions. Dirt and Rock, LLC, joined SiteONe, effective December 30. Dirt and Rock serves the Lake Oconee, GA, market, which is just east of the Atlanta metro area, from a single location focused on the distribution of hardscapes, natural stone and landscape supplies to landscape professionals.

SiteOne then announced that Stone Center of Richmond, LLC,

Turf Connections Launches New Website Turf Connections, a TPI member and sod producer of natural grass throughout North and South Carolina, has launched a completely redesigned website at TurfConnections.com. The new website was developed to serve as a lawn care informational resource as well as to educate homeowners and landscapers on the benefits of the zoysia, bermudagrass, and tall fescue turfgrass sod od grown at the firm’s four Carolinas sod farm locations.

TPI Turf News July/August 2021

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TURF INDUSTRY NEWS

Positive Outlook in Lawn & Landscape’s Grow the Market Survey Lawn & Landscape magazine has published the results of their “Grow the Market” survey investigating why homeowners spend money on the services offered by landscape contractors.

Their introductory page reports, “Through our Grow the Market survey, we find out what the consumer thinks of your services in general and dig specifically into maintenance, lawn care and hardscaping/ installation. We last published this study in 2016, so we’ll compare how things have changed in the five years since the last report.”

It’s clear from the numbers, consumers still value their lawn and landscape as much as they did five years ago—which is a lot. Compared to 2016, the ability to enjoy outside space and a sense of personal pride were the top two motivations to improve landscaping. But the number of people who scored it as influential to extremely influential increased by 12 percent for both compared to 2016. Homeowners are also factoring it into their discretionary spending more. About 60 percent said, compared to spending on vacation, entertainment, etc., that landscaping was important to extremely important. That number was closer to 50 percent in 2016.

To view the full report, check out the link that follows. https://giecdn.blob.core.windows.net/fileuploads/ document/2021/04/07/26_grow%20the%20market_april.pdf

STMA Publishes BMPs for the Sports Field Manager The Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA) has announced the publication of a comprehensive compilation of environmental best practices for STMA members and nonmembers. The book, Best Management Practices for the Sports Field Manager: A Professional Guide for Sports Field Management, is over 100 pages and is designed to provide sports field managers with the tools and resources to document solid environmental practices for legislators, regulators, employers, and community constituents. Although members have been following excellent practices, this program validates those and positions the Sports Field Manager as a strong steward of the environment, which will aid in educating decision makers.

More information can be found at the following link: https:// www.stma.org/knowledge_center/bmps/.

NALP Announces Officers and Directors for 2021/2022 The National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) has announced its Officers and Board of Directors for 20212022; term beginning October 1, 2021. Bob Grover, President, Pacific Landscape Management, will serve as the President of the association. Mike Bogan, LIC, LandCare, LLC, is the President-Elect. Brandon Sheppard, Weed Man, will serve as Secretary/Treasurer. Shayne Newman, LIC, YardScapes Landscape Professionals, moves into the Immediate Past President slot.

Claire Goldman, R&R Landscaping, and John Guth, Green Lawn Fertilizing, LLC, were selected as new members of the Board of Directors. Returning Directors include: Bruce Allentuck, Allentuck Landscaping Co.; Pam Dooley, Plants

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Creative Landscapes; Maurice Dowell, LIC, Dowco Enterprises Inc.; Lisa Fiore, Landscapehub, Inc.; Paul Fraynd, LIC, Sun Valley Landscaping; Ivan Giraldo, Clean Scapes; Phil Key, Ruppert Landscape; Roscoe Klausing, LIC, Klausing Group, Inc.; William MacMurdo, Bayer; Frank Mariani, LIC, Mariani Landscape; Joe Munie, Munie Greencare Professionals Inc.; Tim Portland, LIC, Yellowstone Landscape; and Chris Senske, Senske Services.

ODA Reaches Agreement on Grass Seed Mislabeling Case The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA), Dynamic Seed Source, LLC (Dynamic), and Dynamic’s owner, Trevor Abbott, have settled allegations that Dynamic and Abbott violated the Oregon Seed Law. An ODA investigation found Abbott and Dynamic Seed Source LLC mislabeled at least 161 seed lots as Kentucky 31, resulting in 207 violations. In Oregon, a single lot of grass seed can equal up to 55,000 pounds of seeds.

ODA issued Notices of Civil Penalty to Abbott and Dynamic Seed Source LLC in June 2019, and amended those notices in June 2020, January 2021, and February 2021. Trevor Abbott and Dynamic Seed Source LLC contested each of the notices.

ODA also issued a Notice of Proposed License Revocation or, alternatively, License Suspension, and Imposition of Probation and Final Order by Default to Dynamic in May 2020, which Dynamic contested. Both parties reached an agreement with ODA on May 6, 2021, avoiding additional litigation.

“ODA launched an industry-wide investigation in response to concerns submitted to us by the Oregon grass seed industry,” said Director Alexis Taylor, ODA. “We take every complaint seriously and thank the seed industry for its support and cooperation. Together with our agricultural partners, ODA is committed to keeping our industry reputable, strong, forward-thinking, and in compliance with state, federal, and international requirements.”

As part of the agreements, Abbott and Dynamic Seed Source LLC neither admit nor deny any wrongdoing and agree that ODA may find that Abbott and Dynamic committed the 207 violations alleged in the Notices of Civil Penalty. Dynamic and Abbott also each agree to pay $150,000 in civil penalties.

Dynamic’s wholesale seed dealer’s license will be suspended for one-year, effective June 30, 2021. Upon any reissuance of a wholesale dealer’s license, Dynamic Seed Source LLC, will be under three years of probation. Probation would include the following conditions, among others: 1) Twice yearly records audits (i.e., required to submit to the department all records related to seed sales for review). 2) Participation in at least one workshop or training on Oregon Seed Laws. 3) At least one inperson examination of records annually.

ODA’s investigation of mislabeling seed in Oregon continues.

Oregon is the largest producer of cool-season forage and turfgrass seed in the United States, producing nearly 591 million pounds in 2017. The Willamette Valley is the prominent place of production, and Linn County is affectionately referred to as the “Grass Seed Capital of the World.” Grass seed is the fifth largest agricultural commodity in Oregon, worth more than $517 million and driving more than $1 billion in economic activity.

TPI Turf News July/August 2021

TTPI TP PI TTu urf urff N ew ws JJu u ly ly/A /Augg u usst 22021 021 02 Turf News July/August

73 73

TURF INDUSTRY NEWS Fertilizer Markets Boom on Mixed Fundamentals International fertilizer markets are experiencing an unseasonal boost in prices and demand, with some prices hitting historical highs. While some markets are exclusively impacted by production cuts, rising feedstock costs, sanction cuts, and rising freight rates, a major driver giving the market confidence is record crop prices.

The above statement comes from an article by Julia Meehan, Managing Editor, Fertilizers at ICIS (Independent Commodity Intelligence Services). The article examines if current levels will be sustained and what availability will look like moving through the second half of 2021. It provides details on forecasts for each of the major fertilizers including Ammonia, Urea and Nitrates, Phosphates and Sulphur, and Potash.

The complete article can be found at: https://www.icis.com/explore/resources/news/2021/06/11/10651285/ insight-fertilizer-markets-boom-on-mixed-fundamentals.

ICIS covers the Chemicals, Energy, and Fertilizer markets and provides data covering a range of information besides pricing. ICIS has offices throughout the world. More information at icis.com.

EPA Wants Roundup Redo The following is from an online article in Progressive Farmer posted on May 19 by Staff Reporter, Emily Unglesbee. The Biden EPA has asked a federal court for a chance to review and possibly revise parts of the agency's 2020 interim decision to re-register glyphosate (Roundup) while leaving the herbicide on the market.

EPA's request was filed Tuesday in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, where it is facing a combined lawsuit from a coalition of farmworker and environmental groups, who are asking the court to vacate the registration of glyphosate entirely.

Specifically, EPA wants to reconsider its analysis of glyphosate's ecological risks and other costs of the herbicide and re-weigh them against the herbicide's benefits. However, EPA was clear in the filing that the agency will not reconsider its analysis of glyphosate's human health risks—the source of several successful lawsuits against glyphosate's primary registrant, Bayer. The agency says it is standing by its conclusions that, as registered, glyphosate doesn't pose major risks to human health and "believes that this component of its analysis should be sustained by this Court."

The complete article can be found at: https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/crops/article/2021/05/19/ biden-epa-asks-court-chance-decision?

Ag Economy Barometer Declines Sharply; Producers Remain Bullish on Farmland Values The Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer saw a significant decline in May, down 20 points to a reading of 158. This marks the lowest reading for the survey since September. Producers were less optimistic about both current conditions and the future of the agricultural economy. The Index of Current Conditions dropped 17 points to a reading of 178, and the Index of Future Expectations fell 20 points to a reading of 149. The Ag Economy Barometer is calculated each month from 400 U.S. agricultural producers’ responses to a telephone survey. This month’s survey was conducted May 10-14.

“The potential for changing tax rules and rising input costs

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appeared to be on producers’ minds this month and were the primary drivers for the Ag Barometer’s decline,” said James Mintert, the barometer’s principal investigator and director of Purdue University’s Center for Commercial Agriculture.

Producers expressed less optimism about their farm’s financial performance this month. The Farm Financial Performance Index declined to 126 from a record high 138 in April. Although May’s index was 12 points lower than a month earlier, it was still the second highest reading since the financial performance question was first posed in spring 2018, suggesting strong crop prices continue to support farm incomes.

In May, more producers said they expect to reduce their machinery purchases and construction plans in the next year.

The Farm Capital Investment Index declined 10 points in May to a reading of 65. This month’s survey included a new question focused on producers’ plans to construct new buildings or grain bins. Fifty-nine percent of respondents said their construction plans for the upcoming year are lower compared with a year ago, and just 28 percent said their construction plans were about the same as a year ago.

Read the full Ag Economy Barometer Report at the link that follows. https://ag.purdue.edu/commercialag/ageconomybarometer/ “Rising construction costs are likely a contributing factor to weaker construction plans,” Mintert said.

Producers remain very concerned about possible changes to U.S. tax policy. In a series of questions first posed last month, 78 percent of survey respondents said they are very concerned that the changes in tax policy being considered will make passing their farm on to the next generation more difficult. Additionally, 83 percent of producers expect capital gains tax rates to rise over the next five years; 71 percent are very concerned about a possible loss of the step-up in cost basis for inherited estates; and 66 percent say they are very concerned about a possible reduction in the estate tax exemption for inherited estates.

After declining last month, the Long-Run Farmland Value Expectations Index rose 10 points to a record high reading of 158, with two-thirds of producers in the survey saying they expect farmland values to rise over the next five years. The Short-Run Farmland Value Expectation Index remained near its all-time high, falling just 2 points below the record high set in April of this year.

The site also offers additional resources—such as past reports, charts and survey methodology—and a form to sign up for monthly barometer email updates and webinars.

Each month, the Purdue Center for Commercial Agriculture provides a short video analysis of the barometer results. You du/ can access it at the link that follows. https://ag.purdue.edu/ commercialag/home/resource-type/podcast/

TPI Turf News July/August 2021

Your New Go-To Grass

Developed by the turfgrass experts at Oklahoma State University, Tahoma 31 Bermudagrass pushes the geographic boundaries of bermudagrass into the northernmost reaches of the Transition Zone. Highly cold tolerant, the name “Tahoma” comes from the Native American word that means “frozen water.”

Call 757-345-1120 for Licensing Information.

All claims based on research results from National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP) trials & Oklahoma State University. Visit our website for full reports.

See Tahoma 31 in the Transition Zone for yourself at: Brook Hollow Golf Club, Dallas, TX (fairways, tees, roughs) Chillicothe Country Club, Ohio (fairways) Liberty National Golf Club, New Jersey (driving range tee)

COLD

PLAYABILITY

DROUGHT

Plant Tahoma 31 further north for a strong base in the winter that fights wilt in the sumner.

Thick, dense turf. ¼ to ½-inch mowing height for tees, fairways.

Use less water. Takes 18% less water than TifTuf.

COLOR

QUALITY

SHADE

Blue-green most of the year. Golden in dormancy. Earliest green-up for spring color.

Rated #1 for beauty and resilience.

Heals fast from divots & wear.

Got trees? Handles up to 63% shade.

Naval Academy Golf Club, Maryland (fairways, tees) Congressional Country Club, Maryland (8-acre driving range) Southern Hills Country Club, Oklahoma (collars)

SOD PRODUCTION SERVICES 18161 Sandy Point Road, Charles City, VA 23030 757.345.1120 | Tahoma31Bermudagrass.com

@Tahoma31 @Tahoma31Bermudagrass @Tahoma31Bermudagrass

WEATHER WATCH

A current weekly Drought Summary Map, like the one above, with updated information is posted each week with the most recent map available at the link that follows. https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap.aspx For local details and impacts, please contact your State Climatologist at the American Association of State Climatologists (https:// stateclimate.org/) or your Regional Climate Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) (https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/customer-support/partnerships/regional-climate-centers) Another resource for sod producers is the Crop Condition and Soil Moisture Analytics (Crop-CASMA), a new web-based tool to help visualize soil moisture and crop vegetation conditions. It was designed and developed by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) in collaboration with the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the George Mason University (GMU) Center for Spatial Information Science and Systems.

This tool is free to the public and available at: https://cloud.csiss.gmu.edu/Crop-CASMA/.

Crop-CASMA is not available for print because it is a web-based cloud image that constantly changes.

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TPI Turf News July/August 2021

TURF MARKETPLACE

See It In Action On

Kleen Sweep Vac

KLEEN SWEEP VAC-320 Phone: 519-527-2929 Fax: 519-527-2150 P.O. Box 818, 21 Birch St., Seaforth, ON N0K 1W0 Website: www.advancedequipmentsales.ca

THE WORLDS WIDEST GRASS COLLECTOR - www.trilo.com

Telephone: North America 864.332.9776 - Rest of the world +31 (0)33.456.4550

TPI Turf News July/August 2021

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CLASSIFIED ADS

Visit TurfGrassSod.org to view the advertiser's photos or click on the camera icon in the electronic version of this page.

/RRNLQJ WR ¿OO D SRVLWLRQ" FOR SALE: Big Roll Sod Tubes, 100% recycled cardboard, ship anywhere. Truckloads or pallets.

Contact info@rdmurphy.com or call 256-762-3564.

FOR SALE: Farm Equipment. All equipment listed is in good to excellent field ready condition: 2 - Magnum BR 42 - $20,000/ each; Brouwer 1560 Slab Harvester - $15,000; Progressive 22' Finishing Mower - $15,000; Navigator 5500 Forklift - $17,000 Contact Paul for pictures or questions at 662-357-5126 or email: pbattleiv@hotmail.com.

FOR SALE: Reinke & Shattuck Equipment, 1302' Reinke Alumigator IV 8 tower, 1992 – asking $35,000; 650' Reinke Alumigator 4 tower, 1992 – asking $23,000; 8" ring lock 1200', 6" ring lock 1140', 8" IPS 125 psi plastic 580'; 40' and 60' Shattuck mowers, reel and bed knife sharpener, JD 6300 tractor, cab, air, flotation tires, mowing tractor, located in Rockford, IL. Please contact Tim Colling at timc12@hotmail.com or 815-3788870 for more information and pricing.

FOR SALE: 2008 Trebro Autostack, S.N. # AS222; 12,820 hours.

Well maintained, service records available upon request. Located in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada; FOB; Asking $105,000 OBO. Please contact bmcewen@bg-rd.com or 403-588-0147.

FOR SALE: Two Trebro Autostacks for sale; serial #'s AS-51 and AS-85. High hours but well maintained and operational. Both machines have dual autosteer and John Deere engines. FOB: Plainfield, IL Asking $100,000 each and open to offers.

Please contact Stuart Warpinski at stuw@centralsod.com or 630-669-0868.

FOR SALE: 2019 Kubota M6S-111 4x4 with turf tires. Three to choose from. 1,000 - 1200 hours. Three hydraulic SUC's, clean tractors. Asking $52,000/each.

Please contact 904-540-1671 for more information.

TPI CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING— TARGETED TO TURFGRASS PRODUCERS WORLDWIDE Buying or selling equipment, supplies, properties, or looking for employees or employment opportunities?

TPI classified advertising is the answer! Reach your target market with a free or low cost classified ad in Turf News magazine and on the TPI website at www.TurfGrassSod.org.

The classified ad section is the first place many TPI members look when they receive the most recent issue of Turf News magazine and the most viewed area on the TPI website.

All classified ads are posted to the TPI website within 24 hours of approval and featured in the next issue of Turf News!

TPI Member: FREE Non-Member: $50 Rates are determined in one-inch vertical increments.

Please estimate approximately 65 words per inch.

Photos are limited to the website and no more than two photographs per ad.

View full details at www.TurfGrassSod.org/classifieds

FOR SALE: Two Progressive TD-92 Finishing Mowers for sale.

22’ cutting width. One is a 2000 model; the other is a 1995.

Some rust on the decks but otherwise work. $4000 each, OBO. Please contact Bob at bob@duntemanturf.com for more information.

WELCOME NEW & RETURNING MEMBERS Fred Carroll Carroll Sod Farm 2440 Hwy 57 Counce, TN 38326 731-689-5522 ftc1953@yahoo.com Harold Henriksen Tidewater Turfgrass PO Box 556 Beaufort, NC 28516 252-659-0198 sales@tidewaterturfgrass.com 78

Deadline: 30-days prior to Turf News issue date (e.g., September/October Turf News issue, ad is due by July 30).

Upload your classified ad at: www.TurfGrassSod.org/classifieds or send to Geri Hannah via... email: ghannah@TurfGrassSod.org fax: 847-649-5678 mail: Turfgrass Producers International 444 E. Roosevelt Road #346 | Lombard, IL 60148 U.S.A All classified ads are subject to review; TPI does not endorse any ad and reserves the right to edit or decline any ad.

TPI Turf News July/August 2021

AD INDEX FOR JULY/AUGUST TURF NEWS MAGAZINE Advanced Equipment ……....……........….…...……..…… 15, 77

Profile Products - Summit Seed .............…………..……...…… 68

Bethel Farms ……….....……..................................................... 67

Progressive Turf Equipment, Inc. ...........…………..……...…… 23

Brouwer Kesmac ……………................................................. 3, 77

R&R Products, Inc. ……………...........…………..…..........…… 43

Cameron Financial ………………....………….....…….…….…… 77

Sod Production Services ……………....………………..…...…… 75

FireFly Automatix .…..........................…….......…….….….…… 57

Sod Solutions ……………....………………........................…… 49

Jonathan Green & Sons, Inc. …....……….......…............…..………5

TAMANET (USA) …………..........…..…………..………...…… 16

KWMI …………........................……....…...............………73,77

Trebro Manufacturing, Inc. …………..............................…. 47

Landmark Turf & Native Seed ………….…… Outside Back Cover

Trilo …………....................................................…..........…. 77

Magnum .....................................… Inside Front Cover, 52-53

Turf Tick Products BV …..…….………….....….. Inside Back Cover

Mountain View Seeds ...........………...............…….......…..…65

Turfgrass Producers International …....…...............…... 69, 77

Pennington Seed .…...............…...…….....…….…........….…… 51

EDITOR’S NOTE FROM SUZ TRUSTY: MISSING ACKNOWLEDGEMENT! TLI Online Auction & More On page 18 of the article, “TPI’s 2021 Virtual Series Recap,” in the May/June issue of Turf News, in the coverage of the TLI Online Auction, I unfortunately missed acknowledging the Auction Item Contribution of one of the generous donors and acknowledging the high bidder of that item for their contribution.

The generous donor was Sarah Nolte of BG Sod (Blue Grass Enterprises), and the item was the Meat and Cheese Package. The high bidder on that item was Randy Jasperson of Jasperson Sod Farm.

That omission was totally my fault and I’m so sorry for overlooking their contributions. I greatly appreciate their support of TPI and TLI and feel terrible personally and professionally for slighting that support in any way!

I have reached out to both Sarah and Randy with a personal apology and—reflective of the kind and generous people that they are—both were most gracious in their response to me. What a great blessing to have the opportunity to work with such wonderful people.

TPI Turf News July/August 2021

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TURF INDUSTRY CALENDAR Editor’s note: Due to the coronavirus outbreak many events around the world have been CANCELLED or postponed. The following information was up to date as of June 10, 2021. Please check the websites listed for the most current information as you do your planning.

2021 JULY

NOVEMBER

July 19-20 Lawn Solutions Australia Conference Coolangetta, Gold Coast, Australia simon@lawnsolutionsaustralia.com.au/ July 20 Wisconsin Turfgrass Association Summer Field Day Verona, WI https://wisconsinturfgrassassociation.org/ July 21 Wisconsin Sod Producers Association Meeting Union Grove, WI Haltersod@wi.net July 21 UMASS Turf Research Day South Deerfield, MA https:/ag.umass.edu/events/fieldday21 July 27-28 Rutgers Turfgrass Research Field Days New Brunswick, NJ https://njta.wildapricot.org/ July 28 New Jersey Cultivated Sod Association Meeting New Brunswick, NJ https://njta.wildapricot.org/

AUGUST August 16 Rutgers Turfgrass Research Golf Classic Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club Bedminster, NJ https://njta.wildapricot.org/

SEPTEMBER September 26-28 - Postponed to June 18-20, 2023 demopark 2021 Turf Show with Golf and Sports Turf Eisenach, Germany https://demopark.de/en/

November 1-4 Deep South Turf Expo Biloxi, MS https://deepsouthturfexpo.org November 10 NC Sod Producers Field Day Laurinburg, NC https://ncsod.org/events/ November 2-3 UAC Georgia Sod Producers Field Day and 74th Annual Southeastern Turfgrass Conference Tifton, GA https://urbanagcouncil.com/sod-producers-field-day/ November 14-17 Southeast Regional Sports Turf Conference & Trade Show Myrtle Beach, SC https://sesportsturf.org

DECEMBER December 7-9 New Jersey Green Expo Atlantic City, NJ https://njta.wildapricot.org

FUTURE EVENTS 2022 Feb 14-17 TPI 2022 International Education Conference & Field Day San Diego, CA https://www.TurfGrassSod.org/events/

JULY July 10-15 -Rescheduled from July 11-16, 2021 ITRC 14th International Turfgrass Research Conference Copenhagen, Denmark https://itrc2022.org/

TPI

2022 FEB 14-17

International Education Conference & Field Day

OCTOBER October 20-22 GIE+EXPO Louisville, KY https://www.gie-expo.com/

If you are planning an industry event of interest to our readers please send the information to: creynolds@TurfGrassSod.org and put “Industry Calendar” in the subject line.

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TPI Turf News July/August 2021

We’ve Got

Seed Down To A Science.

180

IQ

intelligence

At Landmark Turf & Native Seed, we spend a lot of time thinking about sod seeds. And it shows. With a dedication to quality assurance, our Turf Producers’ Select™ (TPS) seed blends combine

superior genetics with top-performing, complementary seed varieties proven to produce pristine sod quality. We work with each grower to prescribe blends that perform beautifully for their customers’ specific region, environment or application. Backed by hours of performance testing—and proven by satisfied sod growers everywhere—so you can Seed With Confidence™.

8 0 0 -2 6 8 - 018 0 I t u r f a n d n a t i v e s e e d .c o m

To learn more about our current TPS sod seed blends for sports, lawn and landscaping applications, contact Larry Humphreys at larry@turfproducersselect.com.