John Deere, though their Sabanto system is on a Kubota. “Te autonomous system we purchased has been a powerful addition to the farm. Te path that the ‘autonomous world’ is headed towards will help enhance the future of natural grass production,” Duey says, “Te Sabanto system has been a huge asset for efficiency and precision.”
Te Lawrence farm brings in ten to fourteen seasonal H-2A employees each year. Duey says, “We have three designated as truck drivers and assign the other H-2A employees to our installation division.”
Duey’s path to the turfgrass industry is unique. He and his future wife, Emily, met in the small town of Hudson, Kansas (population 95), about 100 miles from Wichita (population 396,119). Tey met when he was working on a large conventional farming and cattle operation owned by Wade Wilbur’s brother-in-law. Tis was Duey’s pathway to Sod Shop, Inc. When they decided to move closer to family in Wichita, Wade hired him as the assistant farm manager for the Sod Shop at the Wichita, KS, location in early 2022.
Duey says, “Growing turfgrass was new to me, but the farm manager in Wichita, Travis Achilles, who had earned his degree in turfgrass management from Kansas State University, was great at sharing information, and I was a sponge, soaking it all in and gaining a lot of insight on turfgrass production. I now have an absolute passion for green grass and healthy lawns. When Wade believed I was ready for the challenge of farm manager of the Lawrence operation, he talked to me about moving my family there in the summer of 2024.
Duey adds, “Emily and I have three daughters: 8-year-old Grace, 3-year-old Charlotte, and 15-month-old Hailey. We’re expecting a baby boy in September. We’re both involved in our small community. Te girls enjoy weekend and evening trips to the sod fields with me. Emily holds the house together and coordinates all the family activities. After I’ve put in a full workday, I come home and know my job is not as hard as hers. With the early October timing and our new baby, I won’t make the cohort’s trip to Washington, DC.”
Wade recommended the Future Leaders Fellowship program to Duey while he was still in Wichita. “I was all in for anything about turfgrass and leadership,” Duey says. Te wide-ranging experience Nathan Whitaker brings to his interactions with the cohort, and the way he facilitates group discussions, rate high with Duey. “I’ve learned lifelong leadership skills that I now use both at home and at work,” he says.
Duey has connected with his first cohort mentor, Greg Mischel, and his board member mentor, Eric Webb, at the TPI Conference in San Antonio. Duey’s family joined him at that conference, which made it an exciting experience for all of them. “Selling TLI raffle tickets at the Super Bowl Tailgate party pushed me way out of my comfort
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David Bradley is a sales representative for Jonathan Green Inc., focused on the sod production market. Founded in 1881, Jonathan Green is a six-generation family business headquartered in Farmington, New Jersey. A supplier member of TPI, the company opened Cascade International Seed, a turfgrass research farm located in Aumsville, Oregon, in 1986, to study and breed patented, high-performance turfgrass seed. Sod-quality seed is marketed to the turfgrass production industry. Jonathan Green grass seed and fertilizer products are also sold to homeowners through independent garden centers and hardware stores.
David says, “When I started working with Jonathan Green’s sod producer customers, I had a small sales area
TPI Turf News September/October 2025
zone,” he says. “But Grace wanted to help, and she really enjoyed it. Tat made it fun for me, too.” Duey was part of the shuttle service at the San Antonio Field Day. “I was on one of the early shifts,” he says. “I picked up people at the bus drop-off, and we visited as I drove them to the field. I got to hear a little bit about the turfgrass operations of people from all across the world, and I really enjoyed that.”
Duey says, “Tis program has been so beneficial to meet other people in the turfgrass industry and share how each operation does things, good or bad. I have learned so much valuable and practical information. I’ve built a lifelong network to continue to ask questions and share information with other leaders across the world. I would recommend the program to others for the networking relationships, the friendships, and the opportunity to gain experience personally and professionally.”
David Bradley Jonathan Green Inc.
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