It has been an unusually cool spring in many parts of the Northeast. Turf farms in this region have experienced a set-back in early growth of their turf crops, and a delayed start to the peak sales season is anticipated.
Te Midwest and mid-South region of the U.S. are experiencing excessive rainfall. Te Arkansas, Missouri and Mississippi Rivers are above flood stage. In some areas, flooding has caused crop damage. Farms in this area are experiencing setbacks related to harvesting difficulties, and fungus and disease pressure related to excessive moisture. While sales are negatively impacted in the short term, this weather pattern will create high demand later in the year when homeowners are looking to repair or replace damaged areas of their lawns.
Te spring has been cool and gray in many parts of the West and the Pacific Coast. Production rates are slightly slower than usual.
Many parts of the country and world remain at full throttle in regard to sales, trucking, and overall business growth. Te overall economy remains strong, but weather challenges are causing setbacks in several areas of the U.S. Te outlook into the future is mixed depending on region and weather patterns.
Market Trends - Te year has seen a strong start in turf sales for many parts of the country. Exceptions include sections of the Mid-West, Upper Mid-West, and portions of the Northeast and West where it has been a cool and wet spring. Winter was the tale of extremes as it was mild in the South and Southeast with barely a freeze in some locations, while extreme record-settng cold snaps froze the upper Mid-West. With some exceptions, inventories of grass have been low to steady in the first and second quarter while demand remains strong. Te market remains favorable as most growers are even or just below last year. Indications are that the turf market remains strong but may be at a peak. Above average growth since the recession is catching up with demand. Prices are steady with slight pull back in certain regions, but the rapid upward trend has settled.
Cost of production continues to increase because of the rising cost of labor, equipment, production inputs, and trucking. Growers must continue to analyze the cost of production and pricing to ensure business sustainability. In order to remain profitable, turf prices need to continue to increase to keep up with the rising cost of production. As the market reaches a peak and levels off, growers need to be aware that new producers are jumping into the market and planting acres along with existing grower expansions. A significant amount of non-proprietary commodity turf has been planted by new growers and should be carefully analyzed on a local level when planning for summer 2020 and beyond. Tis forecast could change significantly if
TPI Turf News July/August 2019
weather patterns push planting late into the season in areas of high rainfall or if drought continues to be an issue in other regions.
Sod Solutions varietal inventories remain in high demand as sales are at a peak across much of the cool- and warm-season market. Sod Solutions’ grasses Palmetto® St. Augustine, EMPIRE® Zoysia, HGT™ Bluegrass, Celebration® Bermuda, Latitude 36™ Bermuda, and NorthBridge™ Bermuda - are experiencing high demand resulting in limited supply. As a result, pricing for these varieties is strong and steady. Growers are expanding production to meet demand, but shortages are expected to continue through 2019 into 2020. Tese varieties are well established in the market, are grown by top tier growers, and are proven technically superior grasses. Tey are specified by landscape architects, golf course designers, sports field specifiers, and have positive name recognition across many regions.
Sod Solutions newest releases CitraBlue™ St. Augustine, Innovation ™ Zoysia, and NorthBridge Bermuda are all in major expansion mode. NorthBridge is not a new release, but is being planted in new areas, particularly in the South. Oklahoma State has done an excellent job developing and releasing grasses with verified improvements with proven impact as NorthBridge and Latitude 36 are regularly seen in major sports events televised nationwide. Te recent use of Latitude 36 at San Diego’s Petco Park is a great testament of an improved natural turfgrass having an impact on sports. Other venues including the Jacksonville Jaguars with NorthBridge Bermuda and six major PGA events using Celebration Bermudagrass show the positive impact of improved grasses.
CitraBlue™ St. Augustine, a joint release from the University of Florida, the Turf Producers of Florida, and Sod Solutions, is a highly touted grass and plant stock and is in high demand by growers. CitraBlue is a unique and notable dark blue/green turf that demonstrates drought tolerance, shade tolerance, shows disease resistant, and is generally tough. CitraBlue requires less mowing than other St. Augustine varieties, and growers love how it grows in fast and blocks like a board. Nearly every acre of CitraBlue harvested is being expanded in 2019. St. Augustine growers outside of Florida should take note of CitraBlue St. Augustine as it has potential to be a real game changer for an improved St. Augustine. Plant stock availability is very limited but should be improving later this summer.
Innovation Zoysia was developed and released by Kansas State and Texas A&M University and is currently in a major expansion mode. Grower reports are very positive as Innovation is a fine/medium very cold hardy grass. Innovation is a versatile grass growing from Missouri to Texas and Maryland to South Carolina. Reports
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