TPI Provides a See-and-Learn
Advantage Conferences!!! Study Tours!!! Daniel says, “Te people willing to explore the industry outside of their marketing area will discover how others develop solutions to common problems and incorporate new technology into their operations. Tose who take advantage of the opportunities TPI provides for that exploration will improve their business operations and grow their profits.”
the leadership of Executive Director Dr. Casey Reynolds, TPI got turfgrass sod acknowledged and listed as an agricultural product by the DOT.
Now there is another challenge with a Minnesota court ruling prompted by one sod farmer’s violation of the H-2A program. Te ruling currently stands in one district. It restricts sod farm H2-A workers from working off the farm and questions H-2A drivers making deliveries off the farm. H-2A drivers for nurseries and any other horticultural operations can deliver materials and also make installations at the customer’s site. Daniel says, “One DOL subparagraph places sod installation in the same category as swimming pool, sidewalk, and deck installation. TPI is working to get sod removed from that paragraph. At its November meeting, the TPI Board agreed to take a proactive approach to address this issue before it escalates to other districts and states.” TPI is available to apply the same proactive action to water bans and other legislative actions that restrict the ability of sod producers to sell more sod.
Strategic Business Moves Daniel and Jamie’s latest overseas adventure was the TPI Study Tour in Italy.
Daniel and Jamie took part in the recent TPI Study Tour to Italy where they learned about the operations of several farms and saw a new freeze-tolerant Bermudagrass that stays green from Australia. Daniel says, “Another highlight of the trip was the networking opportunity across the generations. Cross-communication with participants in the TPI Future Leaders Fellowship, hearing the really good questions they asked and their perspectives of the shared information, was enlightening and thoroughly enjoyable. It raised our expectations for the future of TPI and the turfgrass production industry.”
TPI Tackles Legislative Challenges
“TPI also gives us the ability to tackle legislative challenges at the national level that would be pointless to challenge only at the state or regional level,” says Daniel. “It’s a combination of expertise and the clout of a united voice that makes our positions heard, acknowledged, and acted on.”
For example, sod farmers found they could keep their customers in high-end, high-wage secondary markets longer because their lower labor costs gave them a competitive advantage in shipping. Tat worked for a long time. Ten the Department of Transportation (DOT) tightened its regulations, limiting what products qualified as agriculture for farm license plates, requiring over-the- road equipment standards, and requiring logs to track the hours of service. Without sod officially listed as an agricultural product in DOT documentation, many states held sod truckers to those higher national standards. Under
TPI Turf News January/February 2025
TPI inspired Daniel’s switch to rotary mowers which saved his business time and money.
Daniel credits TPI and his TPI connections for sparking his top four business strategies. Te first was the switch from reel mowers to the new, rotary cut mowers introduced by Progressive Turf Equipment. He says, “We purchased two of their mowers and they consistently delivered that high-quality cut. Our maintenance of the rotary mowers was ten times less than that of the reel mowers, requiring fewer parts and labor.”
Another TPI-inspired labor-saving tool, the auto-stack sod harvester reduced the field crew size from twelve to two.
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