Daniel first saw the automatic stacking harvester in action in Fort Collins, Colorado, in 2003. At the time he had three hand-stack harvesters and up to 12 staff members on the harvesting field crew. “I had the opportunity to purchase a four-year-old Trebro auto-stack harvester in 2007,” says Daniel. “Tat was my second strategic decision. I purchased a second used one in 2020 to replace the first one. Tose harvesters changed how we did business. We were able to cut faster and reduce our field crew to two people. We added a tractor-mounted pallet carrier that could handle three pallets at a time so we could turn a field even faster.”
From the beginning of Columbus Turf Nursery, Daniel had worked with his turfgrass seed suppliers to develop a “Premium Hybrid Bluegrass Blend” composed of top- ranked NTEP Kentucky Bluegrass cultivars. Initially, it made up 90 percent of his sod sales, with a Tall Fescue blend accounting for the other 10 percent.
He was introduced to Barenbrug’s RTF during the TPI Conference in Santa Barbara, California, in 2004. He planted some on his farm that spring and by fall had become a member of the RTF Turf Producers Association (now Turf Producers Association). Tat was his third strategic decision. “RTF is a proprietary brand, a blend of multiple Rhizomatous Tall Fescue cultivars, rather than a single cultivar,” he says. “Te individual cultivars within the blend will change with cultivar improvements, but the high-quality performance of the brand remains consistent.” Members of TPA function much as those licensed to grow proprietary grasses. Tey serve a specific marketing area, are the exclusive suppliers for that market, and pay royalties on the sod they produce. Daniel says, “It was performing well on golf courses on the PGA tour and all the golf courses wanted it, including those in my territory. It was a great boost in sales and a higher market.”
Bluegrasses require approximately 18 months from planting to harvest, making them a two-year crop. Tat Tall Fescue blend can be planted in the spring and harvested in the fall. Daniel says, “I plant it on a quarter of my land, but because it’s a one-year crop, it accounts for 50 percent of my sod sales.”
In addition, Daniel started growing Scotts ProVista as an experimental grass in 2014. It’s an engineered Kentucky bluegrass that grows more slowly than standard bluegrass varieties, reducing mowing needs by one-half to two-thirds. It also can be mowed down to one-half inch and tolerates glyphosate for weed control. It is the third grass Columbus Turf now offers.
Te fourth key strategy was the purchase of the Poyntz Covered Wagon for all four of the Columbus Turf Trucks. Daniel says, “Te high-quality graphics present a professional image and a rolling commercial for the first presentation to customers and potential customers. We used
22 Daniel calls these trucks “rolling commercials.”
Columbus Turf sells bulk mulches and several types of aggregate. TPI connections led Daniel to the BigYellowBag which provides another income source. He says, “You have your money before it is delivered which works well in the spring for start-up money.” He also uses Order Sod Now and participates in the Harmony Grower network.
Staffing
Daniel says, “You have external customers who buy your sod and internal customers who are your staff members. Your business can’t operate efficiently or effectively without a good staff that works together well. I hire the best people I can, and I respect them as much for who they are as for what they do. Most of our people have been with us for 20 years or more. Tey’re not on the leading edge of technology, but they love what they do, and I can count on them to make sure the job gets done right. We’re a family business operating in a family and high-value atmosphere, so word-of-mouth is our best recruiter.”
to cut sod, put it in one of the buildings, and then load it onto a truck for delivery. So now we can cut sod, load it into the covered truck, and park it so it’s ready for our drivers to deliver. Tat eliminates two steps of labor. Unexpected benefits are that it keeps the sod cool in the summer and keeps it from freezing in the winter. In addition, a covered wagon truck is less likely to have issues with the DOT than a truck with conventionally tarped sod.”
Columbus Turf Nursery’s staff consists of local employees and H-2A workers. TPI Turf News January/February 2025
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