The U.S. Department of Agriculture is deciding whether to create a national program to strengthen demand for the $2.2 billion natural grass industry since American sod is facing an eroding market from plastic turf and consumer misconceptions.
Concern is growing in the federal government and among natural grass sod producers about social notions influencing more people to devalue the benefits of natural grass in favor of its removal or plastic substitutes.
“These trends minimize the value of natural grass lawns and athletic fields in urban and suburban environments and have resulted in consumers reducing the amount of grass they manage and/or replacing it with other products,” USDA stated. “Plants, including natural grass, are often viewed as requiring large amounts of inputs from water, fertilizer, and chemicals, with few valuable outputs. This view frequently results in an inaccurate determination that natural grasses are resource intensive.”
Misconceptions about Natural Grass Sod
Most people are unaware about new technologies, drought-tolerant types of grass and advanced irrigation methods regarding the care of natural grass. Also natural grass landscapes in populated areas can provide ecosystem benefits such as carbon sequestration, oxygen, filtering pollutants and lowering water runoffs.
In addition, the federal government estimates the supply chain for natural sod helps sustain local economies with revenue generated by home improvement centers, services for landscaping and lawns, and related equipment and product purchases.
This issue is being evaluated by the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service, which has been seeking public input since 2023 in proposed rulemakings. The latest two notices are a final rule and rule order/referendum issued Dec. 10 in Federal Register notices called a “Natural Grass Sod Promotion, Research, and Information Order” and a companion one for “Referendum Procedures.” The referendum asks sod producers to vote on creating a national industry-funded promotion, research and information program for natural grass sod products.
Sod Generates Billions in U.S. Economy
“The $2.2 billion of natural grass sod produced in 2022 by U.S. natural grass sod farms enters the market where it contributes significantly to industries that focus on sustainable growth through public and private initiatives supporting environmentally responsible investments, as well as those industries that support it,” USDA stated in a natural grass industry overview.
Natural grass sod mainly comes from 1,500 documented farms that span a total of about 376,300 acres across the country. Different regions yield specific varieties that have adapted to grow in certain climates. Grass species such as bentgrass, fine fescue, tall fescue, and Kentucky bluegrass thrive in six different USDA plant hardiness zones from the 11 located in the continental U.S. Six other types of natural grass (bermudagrass, buffalograss, centipedegrass, seashore paspalum, Saint Augustinegrass, and zoysiagrass) are mainly grown in three warmer zones. Other specialty grass crops can be found in different regions.
“Seed industries, primarily in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest, supply seed for sod farms growing cool-season grasses including ryegrass, fescues, bluegrasses, and native or adapted mixtures. This industry produces over 600 million pounds of natural grass seed in Oregon alone, much of which is distributed to U.S. natural grass sod farms to produce sod that is then sold to other segments of the green industry,” USDA notes.
The Fake Grass Threat
Although natural grass is being replaced in homes and public areas by mulch, brick, concrete pavers and some rubberized playgrounds, its main economic threat is from fake grass.
“Plastic, artificial turf is the primary competitor and most common alternative to natural grass for athletic fields on school grounds, public parks, and collegiate or professional sports venues,” the government says. It cited a 2020 Synthetic Turf Council Market Report for North America listing a 15% growth rate since 2017 in the current $2.7 billion artificial turf industry, with increasing demand coming from athletic field and landscaping applications.
Numerous grass growers and organizations that rely on natural sod backed the federal government’s overture (through the USDA’s proposed rule in 2023) to step in and help create the industry-funded promotion, research, and information program for natural grass sod products. A request for public comments resulted in 173 comments submitted prior to a December 2023 deadline.
Supporters Include Producers, University Professors, Health Researchers
Allen Woerner, managing partner of Woerner Farms in Alabama, favored public education to overcome negativity. The company produces natural grass sod in Alabama, Colorado and Florida on over 3,000 acres. “We care about the future and success of our industry and are concerned about the negative perception natural grass currently has. We believe with proper educational and marketing efforts we can combat this perception with research-based information,” Woerner said.
Kevin Morris, president of the National Turfgrass Federation and executive director of the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program, told USDA the public should be made aware that water utilities, counties and municipalities favor removing lawns and natural grass, which sometimes includes supporting adding artificial grass. “Plastic grass is neither environmentally friendly, healthy for play, nor good for U.S agriculture,” Morris wrote. “Federal turfgrass research funding is scarcely available as the crop is neither food nor fiber, however, this program will change that and allow turfgrass research programs suffering from a scarcity of resources to not only survive, but thrive.”
Three faculty members from Mississippi State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences explained their support to the USDA in a joint letter.
“The natural turfgrass industry currently grapples with several pressing issues, most notably the rapid proliferation of synthetic surface alternatives. The environmental implications of these alternatives have only recently come under scrutiny. Other current issues driving our efforts, as well as those of fellow researchers, include water usage, wildlife habitat, nutrient and pesticide management, and carbon sequestration,” the letter stated. “We are committed to utilizing potential funds to enhance the sustainability and productivity of one of the nation’s most significant cropping systems through research in various facets of turfgrass science, including improved cultivars and efficient, sustainable practices.”
The nonprofit National Center for Health Research’s Diana Zuckerman supported creating the organization to promote natural grass sod products. “We are very concerned about the impact of artificial turf on the health and safety of children and adults, due to the lead and endocrine-disrupting chemicals in artificial turf, as well as the increase in injuries compared to grass fields. In addition, artificial turf retains heat, often reaching temperatures of 150-180 degrees Fahrenheit on warm, sunny days. For these and other well-documented reasons, artificial turf poses health and environmental problems that natural grass does not.”
Weighing Public Benefits of Natural Materials or Plastics
Technological advancements in growing different types of natural grass and finding new, better ways to care for it are not widely known by most people. More public information is beneficial about the advantages and disadvantages of natural grass sod versus artificial turf. There are many important factors to consider: economic, health, environmental and wildlife impacts.
