Seller’s market in the turf & grass seed industry

Source: Seed World 

The turf and grass seed industry remains extremely competitive and continues to grow rapidly due to a strong demand for both residential and commercial property development, and the environmental and aesthetic benefits of turfgrass, particularly in urban landscapes.

The industry contributes to the national economy through employment, spending on inputs, income from sales of turfgrass and lawn care products and services (irrigation, pest control). There’s also business taxes and supporting sectors, such as lawn equipment manufacturing, sod farms, golf courses and more.

Kevin Morris, president of the National Turfgrass Federation (NTF) in Beltsville, Md., says the grass seed portion of the turf industry has always been very competitive.

“Most turf species are cross-pollinated and population improvement results not in hybrids, but multiselection-based cultivars,” he says. “This system does not lend itself to patent protection; therefore, there is less opportunity to protect and market extremely unique cultivars.”

He says the turf industry, even with increasing competition from synthetic turf, the flattening out of the number of golfers, and the recession (which not only reduced the number of golf courses, but also demand for seed/sod used in new housing) has been growing steadily during the past 25 years or so.

To read the entire article, go to http://seedworld.com/sellers-market/.