PRESIDENT’S TURF
Working Together We Multiply Our Impact!
Thanks go to all of you for renewing your membership in Turfgrass Producers International. It’s inspiring and encouraging to see so many people getting engaged and supporting your association! Share the TPI story with your neighbors and invite them to join. It’s the only international organization for natural grass producers, with the greatest opportunity to network with other industry professionals and make the biggest impact on regulatory and governmental actions that affect our industry.
Advances in Turfgrass Seed and Vegetative Stock
Check out the supplier members’ information in this issue on how they’re meeting our needs through natural grass research and development. See the new cultivars they are introducing and the array of cultivars they offer.
Watch for opportunities to participate in the suppliers’ field days to visit research and production fields, see where your grasses come from, what precision agronomic processes they incorporate, and learn how grasses are harvested and prepared for sale.
Highlights from my 2024 visit to these multi-site events included seeing their use of drones and learning how they combine spectral color technology with lasers to pinpoint spraying of Poa annua in turfgrass production fields.
Daniel Huggett NTEP Needs Funding to Continue
Te National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP) report from Executive Director Kevin Morris is a timely reminder of how this program assists sod producers in determining which grasses to grow. TPI lobbied the USDA to continue funding NTEP through 2025, but with governmental budget cuts, future funding is uncertain. Be prepared to assist in developing and supporting the next steps for NTEP.
Study Tours are Immersive Learning Experiences
My experiences during the TPI Study Tours to Germany and Italy were awesome, combining networking with peers with visits to iconic sites and learning opportunities like tours of sod farms, and participation in a European Turf Producers event. We welcome members’ suggestions for future Tours.
Focus on Helping Producers Grow and Sell More Sod
Tat’s the driving purpose of TPI. Results from the Sod Checkoff initiative clearly show the research and promotion to accomplish that purpose will not be happening through a program with governmental oversight. Te challenge is finding the funding. TPI will continue to welcome member funding, but we also seek your ideas for additional sources, maybe other organizations in the natural turfgrass industry or even the public.
Working together we multiply our impact!
Daniel Huggett 2 TPI Turf News July/August 2025
2025 TPI Board of Trustees
Officers
President Daniel Huggett Columbus Turf Nursery – U.S.A. +1-740-983-6580
danielh@columbus-turf.com
Vice President Larry LeMay A-G Sod Farms, Inc. – U.S.A. +1-559-289-2302
llemay@agsod.com
Secretary-Treasurer Wade Wilbur Sod Shop – U.S.A. +1-913-814-0044
wade@sodshops.com
Past President Diane Mischel DeBuck’s Sod Farm, Inc. – U.S.A. +1-810-653-2201
office@debucksodfarm.com
Executive Director Casey Reynolds, PhD Turfgrass Producers International – U.S.A. +1-847-737-1846
CReynolds@TurfgrassSod.org
Trustees Charles Harris Buy Sod – U.S.A. +1-910-992-6080
charris@buysod.com
Eric Hjort Tater Farms – U.S.A. +1-904-692-2246
eric_hjort@taterfarms.com
Sarah Nolte Blue Grass Enterprises, Inc. – U.S.A. +1-391-842-2165
sarah@bgsod.com
Adam Russell MVP Genetics – U.S.A. +1-971-718-4525
arussell@mvpgenetics.com
Justin Thomas Prime Sod – U.S.A. +1-817-565-9960
justin@primesod.com
Kurt Vanclief Willowlee Sod Farms, Limited – Canada +1-613-966-0338
kurt@willowleesod.com
Eric Webb Raft River Sod – U.S.A. +1-208-878-5740
eric@raftriversod.com
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