Funding Research to Help Bring Grass to Life

By Casey Reynolds, PhD

Can you envision what the future of your farm would look like if millions of dollars were being invested in research annually that could ensure your legacy? Can you imagine the endless opportunities that could come from a group of sod producers just like you working to ensure there is a market and demand for your product for years and even decades to come? How would you feel about not only creating the largest single recurring source of annual natural grass research funding in the world—but having sod producers in charge of it? These are the many realities of a U.S. Sod Industry Checkoff. The Sod Checkoff’s singular goal will be to increase the value per square foot of sod, and in turn, increase profit opportunities for sod producers like you. This can include programs that will increase preference for sod, promote sod to consumers nationally, and conduct research to educate and inform industry regulators and politicians. While there are countless things checkoffs can do to drive demand through marketing, there are many in our industry who also see the potential for powerful and impactful scientific and consumer research programs.

Protect and Grow Markets

A recent survey of sod producers revealed the most meaningful checkoff initiative was research and insights, highlighting the need to learn more about the way consumers think, and what impacts their purchasing decisions. A U.S. Sod Industry Checkoff could fund that exact type of research to gain insights into generational attitudes towards lawns, helping to shift perspectives for future consumers, strengthen current markets, and build new demand.

As an example of potential challenges ahead, recent consumer research shows that younger people (18-34 years old) are simply less interested in lawns. When it comes to prioritization, more than half of them would choose to eliminate lawn care if it were necessary to remove one item from their budget. In fact, 77 percent do not want to spend time maintaining their lawn at all. And while decks, patios, gardens, hardscapes, and artificial turf are competing with lawns for space, up to 72 percent of people do not understand the lifestyle, property, and environmental benefits of a lawn. A sod checkoff could change that and shift consumer attitudes back in our favor.

It's not just the perception of lawns that can be changed through research but other areas as well such as athletic fields. Recent research published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine has discovered and highlighted significantly more lower body injuries occurring on synthetic turf than on natural grass among elite NFL and NCAA athletes. This is a story that needs to be told. A U.S. Sod Checkoff can not only fund this type of research but also can use it to change attitudes by coupling that research with a highimpact marketing and advertising campaign targeting end users such as sports field managers, consumers, city managers, school systems, and other key decision-makers based on the latest industry research. A U.S. Sod Checkoff can conduct consumer messaging research to find out what it is that resonates with these key leaders about our products, and to educate them on the benefits of sod so they can make more informed decisions. Consumer research like this also can serve to educate city council men and women, school boards, parent teacher associations, legislators, and others who make decisions on how and where natural grass is often used. This type of research is vital to understanding how to protect and grow our market against not only the many alternatives that compete with it for space, but also from the misinformation that so often plagues us in the market.

Elevate the Benefits of Natural Grass

Lawns and other natural grass sites such as athletic fields, parks, golf courses, roadsides, and more are routinely under attack for being harmful to the environment when in fact an emerging area of research in ecosystem services is beginning to shed light on the many benefits of natural grass areas. From carbon sequestration to runoff reduction, cooling potential to fresh air, the list goes on and on. These are the stories that we need to be telling and a U.S. Sod Checkoff could fund important research to do that and more. In a two-day workshop at the National Arboretum, over 40 participants from green industry environmental groups, industry executives, university professors, and trade association representatives gathered to develop a list of nationally recognized research priorities. This group ranked one of their highest priorities as social research to identify gaps between the green industry benefits that lawns and other green spaces provide and societal values. What will motivate millennials and the next generation of home buyers to see and understand these benefits? These are our next generation of consumers, customers, and policymakers and we need to fund research to show them that natural grasses are a net positive to urban and suburban ecosystems. In this way, we can ensure the legacy of our farms and our products for future generations. Are there other research priorities out there? Absolutely! One of the most important points to share repeatedly about the sod checkoff is that if passed it would be run entirely by sod producers. So, what’s important to you? Improved farming practices? Improving sod shelf-life? Reducing inputs? Creating new technologies or products? Adding value to products? Water conservation? Dispelling environmental myths about natural grass? Any and all of these have potential solutions that can be discovered or created through sod checkoff research.

Return on Investment through Research

One of the best and most recent stories of an industry coming together to showcase the importance of their product, protect their market from regulators, and to return value to their industry is the United States Golf Association (USGA) Green Section. Recent research on the ecosystem services of golf courses funded by the USGA demonstrates the many environmental benefits of golf courses in urban and suburban spaces. Through their $2 million annual investment in research, and $10 million annual investment in the Green Section, they have projected $1.8 billion in annual savings for golf courses through green construction, water budgeting, fertilizer and pesticide BMPs, and new cultivars. These are real-life savings that golf course superintendents experience each and every day. Just as importantly, it showed that golf courses were a better use of land than at least five other land use scenarios for urban planning purposes. There is no doubt that a U.S. Sod Checkoff could fund similar research to change the current narrative and public perception of lawns and natural grass athletic fields from being a liability to them being an asset to urban and suburban neighborhoods worldwide. It could also fund research to reduce inputs and increase savings on farms, create new technologies or products, drive demand for current products, and more, all in an effort to drive value directly back to U.S. sod farms. Again, these are the many realities of the power and impact of a U.S. Sod Checkoff research program. With an industry-wide checkoff, we can build a unified voice and change the narrative around the benefits of natural grass through insightful research and impactful promotions for many years to come. If you are interested in learning more about the U.S. Sod Checkoff, please visit the website www.sodcheckoff.org.

Sod industry research at Purdue University. Photo courtesy of Dr. Cale Bigelow, Purdue University

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