News Release 

Date: Feb. 22, 2008

Contact: Rebecca Schuelke, communication specialist
Telephone: (315) 453-3823 extension 103
Cell phone: (315) 427-2714
Email: rschuelke@nyfvi.org


Sod farms rolling out the green carpet faster with accelerated production model


Watching grass grow is not as time-consuming as it used to be – at least for some New York sod farmers who are experimenting with faster growing techniques that could cut production costs in half.

Speed, efficiency, quality and costs of various sod production systems are getting a closer look in a two-year research project spearheaded by Cornell University. Eight farms are participating in the study.

“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,” says Leonard DeBuck, owner of DeBuck’s Sod Farm, a 450-acre operation in Pine Island, Orange County.

A $40,000 grant from the New York Farm Viability Institute, a farmer-led nonprofit organization dedicated to improving farm profits, helps fund the research.

Project leader A. Martin Petrovic said, “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.”

Factors under scrutiny in the study include variety selection, seeding rate, and fertilizing with nitrogen and phosphate.

New York has 14 sod farms, each growing an average of 582 acres of sod, according to the 2003 NYS Turfgrass Survey, which estimated the value of sod sold by New York growers at $3.6 million per year.

Establishing new fields costs approximately $1,221 per acre, the survey said.

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.

“Time is money. We need to turn the fields over fast. My inventory is in the field. 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,” DeBuck says.

New York State Turfgrass Association Executive Director Elizabeth Seme said, “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, Erie County, said if they can successfully and quickly grow the varieties of Kentucky bluegrass being tested in their fields, so can others.

John said, “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.”

Researchers conducted soil tests and seeded plots from mid-August through September. Most fields had seen applications of nitrogen, potassium, phosphate or lime. DeBuck said participating in the research is showing him the importance of nitrogen for pushing sod growth and is helping identify optimum application rates.

The research also tests growth regulators that are designed to inhibit vertical growth and promote root growth.

A machine tests the tearing point of the sod - defined as grass held together by its root strength. Tension value helps determine an acceptable time to harvest. With a marketing season stretching from mid-March to mid-December, “a major key to our success, as in any other supply business, is not to run out of inventory,” DeBuck says.

DeBuck harvests ready-to-install sod in 2-foot by 5-foot standard rolls or 4-foot wide by 75-foot long “Big Rolls.” Approximately 10 percent of the turfgrass plant’s root system is in the roll, making it paramount that harvested sod gets water quickly after installation at a job site. The sod should also be unrolled at its destination within eight hours of harvest to avoid spontaneous heating within the roll.

If cut fields are managed properly, the next crop of sod might be voluntary re-growth from the approximately 90 percent of the roots remaining in the ground. This would speed production, and save time and cost of reseeding a new crop.

“Currently, re-growing sod from the previous crop’s roots can be tricky,” concedes DeBuck. “So far, I have re-grown fields from voluntary growth only about 20 percent of the time. But, the economic advantages can be very positive.

For more information, contact A. Martin Petrovic, Cornell University, (607) 255-1786. – Article adapted from American Agriculturalist, Dec. 2007. That article was by Marjorie Struckle, a freelance writer in Jordanville.




New York Farm Viability Institute is an independent, farmer-led nonprofit organization that directs and funds farm-level research to increase profits, reduce costs and other barriers, create jobs and encourage practical innovation on the farm. The Institute receives funds from the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. Visit www.nyfvi.org.