INNOVATION AND GENERATIONS— COOMBS SOD FARMS, LLC


By Suz Trusty


Editor’s Note: Tis is the third in a series of articles showcasing TPI member businesses whose operations are growing through a combination of innovation, utilization of technology, and outreach to upcoming generations, internally and externally. If you have a story to tell, or know of someone that you’d like to hear more about, please contact your editors.


Turfgrass Producers International (TPI) is a conglomerate of family businesses; each based on the dream of the founders and built on their vision for the future. Teir commitment to achieving their goals took continual improvement accomplished through a combination of dedication and innovation. Tat laid the groundwork for the next generation and created the opportunity to grow the company by working together.


One Family’s Story Te detailed background on Coombs Sod Farms, LLC is covered in the article, “John Coombs, Sr.—Always Building for the Future,” starting on page 83. John Sr. is the eighth generation of the Coombs farm family. John and his wife, Donna, have three sons. Two of them, John Jr. and Kevin, the ninth generation, are their partners in Coombs Sod Farms, LLC. Tey currently are farming 1,500 acres located in Elmer, New Jersey, about 40 miles from Philadelphia, PA.


George A. Coombs and George Jr. (father of John Coombs, Sr.) stand in front of a wagon loaded with potatoes in the 1950s.


John Sr. and his brother, Jim, farmed the family’s 1,200 acres as partners, following the death of their parents. Tey had added sod to their vegetable and grain crops in 1999. John Jr. joined those operations full-time in 2005, after graduating from Delaware Valley College with a BS degree in agronomy, a minor in agribusiness, and participation in all the turfgrass courses the university offered. He would be working directly with his Dad.


Te Coombs Sod Farms staff gathers for this group photo. TPI Turf News November/December 2017 89


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