LAWN & ORDER: TPI’S IMPACT ON PUBLIC POLICY By Casey Reynolds, PhD
*Editor's note: Te underlining of sod and sod farming in excerpts from governmental documents is added for emphasis and is not present in the original documents.
Turfgrass Producers International (TPI) has a long- standing history of positively impacting rules and regulations that affect sod producers. Since our inception in 1967, Advocacy has been one of the key components of TPI business. So much so, that it is included as one of our Core Values in our Strategic Plan. I have often said that if we had the budget to hire a full-time public policy advocate, we could easily keep them busy tracking various rules and regulations at the national, state, and local levels.
Navigating national and state legislatures and agencies can be daunting, but being at the table when key decisions are being made can often pay big dividends. So much so that in recent years the TPI Board has asked me to provide a government relations update called Lawn & Order at our annual TPI International Education Conference. If you couldn’t attend this recent session at TPI 2025 in San Antonio, Texas, please take a look at this recap article to see many of the impactful things your TPI membership dollars have helped make possible!
Figure 1.
Historically speaking, turfgrass sod has been somewhat of a misunderstood product in federal and state laws. Why is that? Well, it’s not a traditional agricultural commodity like corn, wheat, soybeans, etc.; nor is it often considered a nursery or horticulture crop such as flowering annuals or perennials, shrubs, or trees.
As a result, when personnel in various legislatures or agencies must make policy decisions, they often have to draw lines as to what should or should not be included in a pending rule. Does every person in these roles know and understand sod? Do they know and understand every possible definition or legal interpretation of prior codes and laws? Of course not. Tat’s where industry groups get involved and there have been several cases where TPI has had to step in and take action when sod has been left out of important policies, exemptions, and laws impacting sod producers.
Sod farming is included in the definition of a “farming business” under 26 CFR 1.263A-4(a)(5) where it states, “A farming business means a trade or business involving the cultivation of land or the raising or harvesting of any agricultural or horticultural commodity. Examples include the trade or business of operating a nursery or sod farm.”
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TPI Turf News July/August 2025
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