Page 8 - The Cut_Turf Catalogue_Dec 2020

CASE STUDY

Trimax USA's J.P. Brousseau recently had the opportunity to chat with
TPI’s Executive Director, Dr. Casey Reynolds, whose background in the turf and sod industry
spans every conceivable angle. They spoke candidly about a few of the challenges and opportunities
the turf market is seeing worldwide and what the future of the industry could look like.
JP: With so many in the media seemingly a few months away from our new website for here at certain times, so if I’ve got things I need
focused on the negative aspects of 2020, What the TPI Lawn Institute which we are developing him to do other than mowing I can’t schedule
do you think is biggest positive to come out of specifically to help sod farmers, and the turf him to mow. So I think robotics and automation
the challenges sod farmers faced? industry in general, by providing a source they are only going to get more important. The price
CASEY: The market overall has seen a significant can send people to that will be informative points just like a lot of new technology will start
increase in sales in 2020. With so many people and give clients useful information about the to come down as more and more growers adopt
spending more time at home and in local, nearby benefits sod brings into any space. and develop a more streamlined approach to
spots, people now see their greenspace a little "People want to get outdoors, growing sod. We saw this same thing occur with
more valuable than a year ago. The turf market and sod plays a major part in the introduction of automated harvesting 20 or
is fortunate in that aspect. It’s a silver lining. that experience." 30 years ago, and I don’t think automation will
And more and more people are exploring these be confined there. I think we see this trend creep
JP: What Shifts among growers do you see
spaces. People want to get outdoors, and sod happening now that didn’t exist just a few years into mowers and other systems that help people
plays a major part in that experience. A recent with labor.
ago?
study showed that 82% of people prefer to relax JP: Any other unexpected things you didn’t see
CASEY: With skilled labor becoming harder and
in natural outdoor environments. So if I were coming?
a sod farmer, that’s the messaging I would be harder to find, I think automation has become
something that is increasingly important within CASEY: The biggest thing that we didn’t see,
telling my customers right now. Hey, get outside,
the sod industry. I was at the European Turfgrass even just a year or two ago, is the tremendous
breathe some fresh air, walk barefoot on your growth in online sales. I remember when I started
lawn!… and hey, by the way, we have the product Producers show last year in Portugal where I saw
an automated, robotic mower for a sod farm. with TPI the attitude was you can sell… consumer
that can help you do that.
And I asked some of the growers there, is this items online, but you can’t sell sod online…
JP: You mentioned a new study, is that really something y’all need? And surprisingly the because it’s just too complicated. What we are
something TPI put together? overwhelming answer was a resounding YES! seeing is that this has shifted dramatically.
CASEY: TPI is here to help farmers. We are Partly because of the labor shortage, but partly [Companies] are now reporting that their online
constantly releasing resources and information because of the timing and the convenience. I can sales are thriving. People don’t mind buying grass
to help them sell more natural grass, and to set that mower to go whenever it needs to go. online. More and more people are doing their
sell them for higher amounts. In fact, we are Whereas with a laborer he gets here and leaves research online, and by the time they go online
8 | THECUT « 2021