FISH WRAP
February 2014, Issue 21
DO NOT BLOCK
Your “Genius”
TOBEY WAGNER , President of Sod Solutions
It’s hard to believe 2013 is behind us. 2013 closed as a great year for the industry and a strong year from our company. We see bright prospects in 2014. Most
regions are seeing a steady to robust comeback of the industry in regards to
residential, commercial, golf and sports turf while others have stabilized and are
seeing some growth. Record rainfall along with reduced acreages has slowed
some production rates. A shortage of turf is predicted for spring 2014 in various
locations due to these and other factors described below. Pricing is also steady
JERAD MINNICK
Head Grounds Manager:
Maryland SoccerPlex
2013 is coming to a
close. What a year it
has been! The possibilities for natural
grass athletic fields
have been completely
re-defined.
Sports
Field
Managers
around the world
have
proven
that
grass fields CAN take more traffic! The high
quality fields they have produced with natural
grass have previously been considered impossible.
Impossible. Why is something impossible?
Who gets to decide what is and is not possible
from our own natural grass fields?
IMPOSSIBLE through history:
to rising with some regions predicting
significant increases for 2014.
Growers are realizing the necessity to
increase profit-per-acre to provide a
sustainable business.
The South and particularly the Southeast had record rainfall this year.
Some areas had the average yearly
total by June! Business has been
steadier this year from month to
month due to weather and short
supply. The supply issue is still sorting
itself out after the severe recession
that started in 2007.
There are
30-40% fewer growers now in business
than 2006 and many farms have been
conservative with expansions. Acreage
is also down in some markets as much
as 50%. Growers cannot afford to
carry forward excess inventory. This
means shortages this spring as
production has been slowed by weather. Row crops continue to yield good
profits, which reduces turf being planted and reduces supply.
Sod Solutions has been very active this
year with several of our varieties
having breakout years. The big three
(EMPIRE Turf, Celebration Bermuda
and Palmetto St. Augustine) continue
continued on the next page
1492: It was IMPOSSIBLE to sail around the
world because it was flat. Christopher Columbus had no trouble!
1903: Flight was IMPOSSIBLE before the
Wright Brothers flew the first airplane. The
number of people that flew on airplanes this
year was 3 billion.
1976: Steve Jobs was told it was IMPOSSIBLE
for the world to accept personal computers.
continued on page 4
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