Advocates for a nationwide USDA turfgrass survey say it would create a reliable knowledge base to inform legislation and funding requests for turfgrass research. Photo by Tyler Stover
According to Kevin Morris, president of the National Turfgrass Federation, the USDA estimates that turfgrass is the third largest crop in the U.S. That’s an estimate, not a hard number, because turfgrass has never been surveyed as a crop.
“We can’t prove that because we don’t have the USDA going out and surveying this crop the way they do other crops,” Morris explains.
When the USDA performs a country-wide survey of a crop like corn, soybeans or wheat, it gives them a sense of how big that industry is — how much is being grown, how it’s used, the standards used in growing and harvesting. That, in turn, has a direct bearing on research funding and government regulations. A nationwide survey of turfgrass, Morris says, would provide similar benefits.
“There are many instances when we go to congress to advocate, and they’ll say ‘Who cares? How big is your industry?’ That even happens at the state level, and the university level, when faculty are trying to advance a turf program,” says Morris, a 12-year GCSAA educator member. “If you have numbers to give them you can say, ‘We’re this big.’ Right now, legislators don’t have that information from a credible source.”
GCSAA is joining the American Golf Industry Coalition and the National Turfgrass Federation in requesting $3 million in funding for a USDA national turfgrass survey as part of the latest version of the Farm Bill. That request will be among this year’s National Golf Day advocacy efforts. Chava McKeel, GCSAA’s director of government affairs, says it’s an important potential step that can turn the conversation with legislators from “we believe” to “the data shows.”
“That shift is powerful in appropriations, regulatory debates and policy design,” McKeel says. “It creates a trusted national baseline, demonstrates clear economic contribution and creates a benchmark everyone from industry members to regulators to researchers can rely on.”
More than that, such a survey would provide solid, data-based evidence to help shift the legislative view of the turfgrass industry.
“It helps shift perception from ‘cosmetic landscaping’ to ‘essential infrastructure’ and reinforces turfgrass as part of community health, recreation and environmental management,” McKeel says.
The proposed turfgrass survey would include data covering a number of elements of the turfgrass industry, including:
- Total turfgrass acreage,
- Number of farms, golf courses, athletic fields, cemeteries, lawns, parks, miles of roadside turf and other use categories,
- Total production, management, value and costs,
- Total employment for turfgrass-related operations,
- Equipment and retail sales related to all industries utilizing natural turfgrass and
- State-by-state comparisons of natural turfgrass’ economic impact.
Currently, Morris says, advocates for the USDA survey have been able to request appropriations from 37 congressional offices. GCSAA’s partnership has been an important part of that progress.
“Part of the reason we got that appropriations language in the Farm Bill was that we got help from GCSAA. They’ve been an important partner in this,” Morris says. “This effort matters, and you have to do it consistently. I applaud the folks who take time out of their schedule and their budget to come out and do this because it does make a difference.”
Abby Olcese is GCM's online editor.