Donna didn’t have background in any of the processes and no formal training in it. “She’s entirely self- taught,” reports John Sr. “She set up our QuickBooks system and has kept it running for years as we’ve expanded. Now all the business is tracked on the computer. We’ve only recently hired someone to help in that area.”
John Jr. had always helped out on the farm and early-on demonstrated his skills in fabrication, often shadowing his uncle on projects. He had the entrepreneurial gene, too, producing and marketing pumpkins throughout his high school years. Joining the family business was his goal. In 2005, he graduated from Delaware Valley College with a BS degree in agronomy and a minor in agribusiness. He says, “Tey didn’t have a minor in turfgrass science, but I took all the turfgrass classes offered. Tat was really helpful as we were just getting into sod production. I could bring home what I was learning, such as fertility requirements and pest management strategies.”
Teir first sod harvest—and sales— came in 2000. John Sr. says, “We’re 40 miles from Philadelphia, about 100 miles from Long Island and Washington DC, all highly populated areas with an abundance of golf courses. It’s a great market for sod.” Joining TPI in 2000 was a good move, John Sr. reports. His first Conference was February of 2001 in Albuquerque, NM. “I found the TPI members were very educated business people. I was used to meetings with dirt farmers, as opposed to business people. I was intrigued by that and the science- and business-based education and loved the networking and exchange of ideas. We all have the same issues even though all of our businesses are different in many ways. I have served the community, been on various boards, and have always gleaned something I can use to enhance Coombs Sod Farms. TPI has been the most enjoyable and educational board that I have had the privilege to serve on.”
Coombs Sod Farms, LLC
Begins From the outside, multiple sibling farming operations often appear seamless. On the inside, these partnerships are complex. With family life and work life tightly interwoven, dynamics are continually changing. Te entrepreneurial spirit that drives success often produces strong ideas and opinions that can be difficult to reconcile.
Te economic downturn of 2008 put added stress on all farmers, with sod producers especially hard hit. Jim’s family wanted to explore agritourism to increase revenues. John’s family wanted to find ways to improve profitability with the existing crops, including sod.
In 2009, Jim and John parted ways. John Sr. says, “We split the 1,200 acres. John Jr. and I were doing more of the sod, so we received half of the land as part of our share, and all the sod equipment. Jim kept the home farm, with the house and buildings, as part of his share, and all the potato equipment. Fortunately, everything was paid for; had there been a lot of debt involved it would have been even harder. Te split was the right decision in hindsight, but it sure didn’t feel that way at the time.” Donna adds, “Te split was hard for all of us, but we pulled together as a family and kept moving forward.”
Te transition required all three sons to make some decisions of their own. John Jr. was firmly committed to starting a new operation. Kevin is eight years younger than John, Jr. He says, “I’d grown up working on the farm, but didn’t really get interested in it until late in my high school years. Tat’s when I started focusing on the sod. I’d always been a Penn State football fan, and they have an excellent turfgrass program, so it made sense to go there. During the summers, I put some of what I was learning to work back on the farm. I committed to the new operation, planning to join John and Dad full time after graduation.”
George, the middle son, knew early on that he’d develop a career off the farm. He graduated from the University of Delaware with a BS in Plant Science. He worked at garden centers before finding his calling as a research horticulturist. He manages the trial gardens for native plant species for Mt. Cuba Center in Delaware and writes articles and gives talks about what native plants are best to use in different circumstances.
In 2009, Coombs Sod Farms LLC was formed between John Sr. and his sons, John and Kevin. With that in place, John Sr. says, “Te first thing I did was find more ground to rent. It was necessary, but farming more ground with half as much equipment was tough.”
Donna says, “We picked a site on the farm to build new. Tat brought challenges, but also the freedom for John, John Jr. and Kevin to determine what they wanted to accomplish and the open space to design and construct it. Our sons know they’ll need to continue to work really hard to make the money to carry out their dreams.”
Tree generations of Coombs stand beside the 4-pallet transporter, showing John Jr.’s double-pallet lift fabrication mounted on the front.
TPI Turf News November/December 2017
Tey built the new shop in 2010. Te office is 30-feet by 50-feet with radiant heat in the floor. It’s connected to the shop, making staff and management interaction very convenient. Designated space is
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