less than 300 acres (7 participants) 300 to 600 acres (7 participants) 601 to 900 acres (2 participants)


more than 900 acres (4 participants)


Acreage in production Like 2019, seven producers indicated they planned to add acres into production during 2021. Te cumulative total for this year’s increase is approximately 600 acres.


Comparing the responses from this survey with the UGA Agribusiness and Economic Development 2018 Farm Gate Value Report (https://caed.uga.edu/publications/ georgiaagricultural-statistics.html#farm-gate) and the past two years Georgia Crop Improvement Association’s “Georgia Certified Turfgrass Buyers Guide”(www. georgiacrop.com/turfgrass) there has been a 3 percent to 4 percent annual increase in production over the past three years. Similarly, the USDA Census of Agriculture had a 4 percent increase in sod production acres from 2014 to 2019 (www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/ Highlights/2020/census-horticulture.pdf).


Georgia Markets


Te 20 producers that participated in this survey estimated that nearly half the grass sold was to landscape contractors (Table 5). Tis industry segment continues to be the perennial leader and is consistent with national trends where landscape contractors are the largest marketing channel for horticulture and specialty crops (www.nass. usda.gov/Publications/ Highlights/2020/census- horticulture.pdf ).


Previously ranked 6 of 8, existing developers took the second position, accounting for 15 percent of sales in 2021. Sod sales to brokers reversed a previous trend of increasing in rank. Tis may substantiate the strong sod sales of spring 2020 as Georgians sheltered in-place for the coronavirus pandemic, and producers being less reliant on a third party to sell their product.


2021 Georgia Sod Producers


Report Summary 2021 will be a year of higher sod prices. With a potential of thin inventories for bermudagrass, zoysiagrass, and centipedegrass it can be speculated that prices will be greater than the increases forecast in this survey. It is hard to predict consumer demand for grass in early spring. But if spring 2021 has strong sod sales, similar to how the coronavirus pandemic


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Sod Resources WATER STAR®


affected spring 2020 sales, already low inventories could be pressured further resulting in producers adjusting prices accordingly.


Table 5. Ranking of industry segments for sale of turfgrass


Industry segments


Landscape contractors Existing developers Golf courses


Garden centers Homeowners Brokers


Sports/athletic fields Landscape designers


* Average percentage of total sales.


2021 Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8


Average* 45.6 15.2 14.7 13.3 12.8 10.6 10.0 4.2


2019 Rank 1 6 2 7 4 3 5 8


Average* 50.9 11.0 23.0 6.6


13.7 14.4 12.6 0.3


QUALIFIED GRASS SEED


Pennington Seed has committed to the research and development of Water Star®


Qualified grass seed.


CUSTOM SEED MIXES Pennington has the experience necessary to blend a seed mixture that is suited specifically for your region.


NEXGEN TURF RESEARCH Pennington is one of the only seed companies with its own research and development facility.


WWW.PENNINGTON.COM/PRO-TURF PROTURFSOLUTIONS@PENNINGTONSEED.COM


registered trademark of FMC Corporation. Turfgrass Water Conservation Alliance is a registered trademark of Nexgen Turf Research, LLC. UFlexx and UMaxx are registered trademarks of Koch Agronomic LLC.


51 Pennington, Pennington with design, ProCare and Water Star are registered trademarks of Pennington Seed, Inc. Echelon is a


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