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NYFVI-Funded Project Breaks New Ground for Sod Producers
Production efficiencies and faster sales of sod are the goals of a
ground-breaking New York Farm Viability Institute, Inc.-funded accelerated sod
project. Cornell University Turfgrass Science
Professor A. Martin Petrovic and Senior Extension Associate Joann Gruttadaurio
are working directly with growers in Orange County and Western New York to
evaluate the speed, efficiency, quality and costs of various production
systems.
Petrovic
says, “This project is groundbreaking in that it may be the first time that
research is directly focused at the growers’ needs. In the past we have been
oriented to end users: sports field and golf course managers, landscapers and
landowners.” (Photo: DeBuck’s Sod)
Leonard DeBuck of DeBuck’s Sod Farm, Pine Island, NY, says, “This is the first
opportunity sod growers have had to have university research scientists verify
some of the trial and error success that we have had at the practical, farm
level. We are always trying new growing methods. With the professors behind us
we believe we can produce results more quickly for the entire sod industry.”
New York has 14 sod farms, each growing an average of 582 acres of sod. In
2003, the value of sod sold by NY farms was $3.6 million. Establishing new
production fields on sod farms costs about $1,221 per acre. Sod as turfgrass
covers 3.43 million acres in NY with 93 percent as private lawns and golf
courses. (2003 NYS Turfgrass Survey).
Sod takes from nine to 24 months to produce, depending upon soil type, grass
species, climate and management practices. DeBuck estimates that speeding
production by even six months and reducing costs through less irrigation, pest
control, fertilizer, mowing, labor and fuel could produce a 40 percent gain in
crop value.
New York State Turfgrass Association Executive Director Elizabeth Seme says,
“The New York State Turfgrass Association supports this vital research because
it will have a positive economic impact on the sod industry in New York State.
To stay competitive, sod growers require continual improvements to enhance
production methods.
I believe research is the key. The ability to provide quality sod to the
consumer at an accelerated rate is a win-win situation. ”
John and Ed Braddell of Lakeside Sod in Clarence, NY, say if they can
successfully and quickly grow the varieties of Kentucky bluegrass being tested
in their fields, others will be able to as well. John says, “If we can produce
a crop and save six months or a year’s worth of time, we move toward sales and
profitability that much faster. If we use less fertilizer, we cut direct costs
and save money. There are different ways to reach profitability.”
Gruttadaurio says, “Having the analysis of a range of production enhancement
options - from intensive management to as simple a change as growing a
different variety of grass - will allow every New York sod producer the
opportunity to adopt one or more methods to reduce costs and production time,
and to increase efficiency and profitability.”
Speeding a Green Carpet Roll-Out
Eight New York farms are evaluating sod-growing techniques that could speed
production and cut costs up to 40 percent. That is the focus of a two-year
Cornell University project funded by a $40,000 grant from the New York Farm
Viability Institute.
The opportunity for enhanced sod production is especially critical for growers
in Orange County, NY. In October 2005, flooding destroyed fields, particularly
younger plantings.
Leonard DeBuck, owner of the 450-acre DeBuck’s Sod Farm in Pine Island, says:
“This is a great opportunity for sod growers to have university research
scientists verify some of our trial-and- error successes at the practical,
farm level. With the professors behind us, we believe we can produce results
more quickly for the entire sod industry.”
“This project is ground-breaking,” says A. Martin Petrovic, Cornell turfgrass
scientist and project leader. “It may be the first time that research is
directly focused at the growers’ needs. In the past, we have been oriented to
end users: sports field and golf course managers, landscapers, and
landowners.”
Faster in-ground action
Preliminary
results indicate that time to harvest may be reduced by using selected
varieties and nitrogen application levels, notes Petrovic. Seeding rate and
phosphate fertilization are under scrutiny in new seeding plots. Growth
regulators, designed to inhibit vertical growth and promote root growth, also
are being evaluated.
Normally, it takes nine to 24 months to produce a salable sod crop. DeBuck
estimates that accelerating bluegrass production by even six months and
simultaneously reducing input costs for irrigation, fertilizer, mowing,
pesticides, labor and fuel could add up to a 40 percent cost savings.
Establishing new fields costs approximately $1,221 an acre, according to the
2003 NYS Turfgrass Survey.
A specialized machine tests the tearing point of the sod - defined as grass
held together by its root strength. Tension value helps determine an
acceptable harvest time. With a mid-March to mid-December marketing season, a
“major key to our success, as in any other supply business, is not to run out
of inventory,” DeBuck says.
Working on root regrowth
If cut fields are managed properly, the next crop of sod might be voluntary
regrowth from the approximately 90 percent of the roots remaining in the
ground. This would speed production plus save time and cost of reseeding a new
crop.
“Currently, regrowing sod from the previous crop’s roots can be tricky,”
concedes DeBuck. “So far, I have regrown fields from voluntary growth only
about 20 percent of the time. But the economic advantages can be very
positive.
“With this project, I hope to learn and enhance regrowth management practices
that will accelerate growth of a high-quality turfgrass sod. After all,”
DeBuck adds, “time is money. We need to turn the fields - my inventory - over
fast. This research will help us make decisions to improve productivity and
just-in-time harvesting for buyers, such as landscapers and wholesale garden
centers. I need to meet their time and quality requirements to keep these
customers.”
For more info on this accelerated sod production project:
• A. Martin Petrovic. Cornell University, 607-255-1786
This profile first appeared in the December 2007 issue of American
Agriculturist.