TURFGRASS INDUSTRY NEWS


DLF Launches New Corporate Strategy and Purpose On June 12, 2025, DLF announced the launch of a new corporate purpose and a new group strategy. Both initiatives mark an important step in DLF's development as a global seed company and emphasize increased interaction with the outside world, customer focus, corporate culture, operational optimization, and the development of employees and the organization. “DLF is a forward-looking global company with operations on five continents and employees in 22 countries. We conduct research, produce, and sell seeds worldwide. Tat comes with responsibility. With our new purpose and strategy, we are creating a shared strategic focus. We will be stronger, respond faster, and take the lead in meeting the demands of the future—from customers, the climate, and the market,” says Søren Halbye, CEO of DLF. DLF’s new purpose is: “We enrich land, life, and people through seeds and science.” Tis statement expresses the impact DLF strives to make for its customers, end-users, owners, and the broader society. Te new strategic plan, titled “Connecting to Grow,” is built on three key focus areas: People and Culture as a driving force, Strengthened market leadership, and Efficient and standardized structures as a foundation With the strategy, DLF has set three overall objectives: To secure seeds as a high-value crop, invest in competitiveness, and build a robust financial preparedness. Te strategic plan runs until 2028, but the focus is also set further ahead. New species, traits, and solutions will be prioritized, with a focus on climate change and changing consumer needs. “Connecting to Grow is essentially about joining forces— internally and externally—to make us even stronger as a global seed company. We will grow, and we will do it wisely, sustainably, and together,” concludes Halbye. DLF is the global market leader in turf and forage seed, supplying seeds to more than 100 countries. Te company is owned by Danish seed farmers and has a complete supply chain within turf and forage seed, sugar and fodder beet seed, seed potatoes and the multiplication of vegetable seed. For more information on DLF’s North American business visit www.us.dlf.com or www.ca.dlf.com.


Annual Integrated Economic Survey Releases First Dataset On July 31, 2025, the U.S. Census Bureau released preliminary estimates from the Annual Integrated Economic Survey (AIES), which provides key measures of economic activity, including the only comprehensive national and subnational data on business revenues, expenses, and assets on an annual basis. Te AIES is one of the Census Bureau’s newest surveys, designed to replace and integrate seven different annual business surveys into a single survey. AIES data can be used to track economic trends, assess industry performance, support policy development, and inform economic planning, resource allocation, and market research. Today’s estimates, based on 2023 data, are available at the national, regional, and divisional levels for select two- and three-digit North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) industries. Learn more at the link that follows. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/aies/about.html


CoBank Quarterly: Shrinking labor force poised to threaten US economic growth In a July 10, 2025, press release, CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange issued its quarterly report, noting that labor supply challenges loom for businesses, and escalating housing costs continue to depress consumers. Declining labor force participation, lower birth rates, and a collapse in net migration are combining to squeeze the U.S. labor supply. With the labor supply about to get tighter, businesses and industries operating in rural America should be increasing their focus on technology to overcome labor availability challenges. “Barring an unforeseen change in labor force participation rates or immigration policies, the pool of available workers is set to shrink precipitously in the next few years,” said Rob Fox, director of CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange. “Te problem will be even more acute in states with lower population growth in the Upper Midwest, Corn Belt, and the Central Plains. Increased adoption of technology, namely AI and robotics, will likely be at the core of any strategy to address the oncoming labor squeeze.” Te labor force participation rate has trended downward since 2000, and the trend may be accelerating. Nearly 2.5 million working-aged people dropped out of the labor force in the past eight months alone. Te U.S. fertility rate has plummeted since the Great Financial Crisis in 2008, reducing the number of native- born citizens entering the workforce. Te loss of those new workers coincides with baby boom generation retirements, amplifying the impact on the overall labor supply. Tose two factors, combined with more restrictive immigration policies and aggressive deportation efforts, will put significant stress on the U.S. labor supply with the potential to impede economic growth. U.S. Economy While the economy appears to be running well, as evidenced by low unemployment and easing inflation concerns, consumer sentiment remains historically low. A major reason for the sour mood among consumers is the escalating cost of housing. Te monthly cost of homeownership in the U.S. rose 60 percent between 2021 and 2024 and there is little hope of improvement anytime soon. Rising unaffordability of homes has driven the homeownership rate lower for the first time since the aftermath of the 2008 subprime mortgage crisis. For homebuilders, the economic situation and outlook are equally painful. New single- family housing starts have dropped by 16 percent over the last three months, and the index of publicly traded homebuilders is down about 30 percent since late 2024. U.S. Government Affairs President Trump scored a major legislative victory with the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. As with all budget reconciliation efforts, politics took center stage—and this one may have caused the deepest political rift in a decade. Fights over the farm program policy and funding addressed in the OBBBA left the traditional farm bill coalition in Congress fractured, and longstanding industry alliances in doubt. Farmers and ranchers still walked away with significant wins. But rural economic development programs were cut or left out entirely, and domestic food assistance received its largest funding cut in history. In all, total farm bill program funding took a nearly $200 billion hit.


72 TPI Turf News September/October 2025


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