NATURAL GRASS SOD CHECKOFF VOTING OPENS IN JANUARY
By Casey Reynolds, PhD
Anyone who has read a Turf News article about the proposed checkoff, or been to a TPI or state sod association meeting in the last few years has probably heard me say before that the path to a checkoff is purposefully long. We’ve had industry discussions that I can recall as far back as 2018-19, and then initially approached USDA to discuss them as early as 2020. After five years of discussion, traveling to visit with producers, speaking at conferences, incorporating feedback, and so on, the USDA announced on December 10, 2024, that voting on the proposed U.S. Natural Grass Sod Checkoff program is set to open in January 2025. Te key details of the referendum are below.
Any U.S. sod producer who produced and sold natural grass sod during the 2024 calendar year is eligible to vote in the upcoming referendum. Te voting period is January 13, 2025, through February 11, 2025. To be eligible to vote, current natural grass sod producers must have sold natural grass sod products in the United States during the representative period from January 1, 2024, through December 31, 2024. Anyone who believes that they are eligible to vote in the referendum may request a ballot by emailing the contact provided in the ADDRESSES section to the right.
Eligible producers must provide evidence of natural grass sod sales during the representative period. A single copy of a transaction report, sales receipt, CPA statement, or tax document are all acceptable forms of documentation that can be returned with the ballots. Ballots will be mailed to all known eligible natural grass sod producers on or before January 10, 2025, and must be received by the Referendum Agents no later than the close of business 5 pm (Eastern Standard Time) on February 11, 2025. Ballots can be returned to USDA in the UPS envelope provided in the ballot package or can be emailed to an electronic inbox that USDA will set up before the voting period opens on January 13, 2025.
46 Referendum Summary
• Voting on the proposed checkoff is open from January 13 until 5:00 pm EST on February 11, 2025.
• Ballots will be mailed to all known U.S. sod producers. Additionally, any U.S. sod producer who wants to vote may request a ballot by emailing Maribel Reyna at the address below.
• Sod producers must provide evidence that they sold sod at least once from 1/1/24 to 12/31/24. Acceptable documentation could include only one copy, not the original, of any of the following documents:
- Transaction report, sales receipt, CPA statement, tax document, or other appropriate documentation that verifies they are a sod producer.
• Ballots can be returned to USDA in the UPS envelope provided in the ballot package or can be emailed to an electronic inbox that USDA will set up before the voting period opens on January 13, 2025.
• Ballots must be received by 5:00 pm EST on February 11, 2025.
• ADDRESSES
Maribel.Reyna@
usda.gov
Postcards like the adjacent one were mailed on December 10, 2025, to all known eligible natural grass sod producers. If you did not receive one, please contact Maribel Reyna of USDA at the above email address. A ballot package consisting of a producer letter, checklist, ballot, copies of the proposal, and a return shipping label/envelope will also be mailed out prior to the beginning of the voting period, which opens on January 13, 2025, so that sod producers have it prior to the voting period opening date. If you do not receive a ballot package, please contact Maribel Reyna at
Maribel.Reyna@
usda.gov. All ballots can be returned to USDA in the pre-paid UPS envelope that arrives with the ballot package, or they can be emailed to an electronic inbox that will be set up prior to the voting period opening date of January 13, 2025. All ballots must be received by 5:00 pm EST on February 11, 2025.
TPI Turf News January/February 2025
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