By Cecilia Brown, Media and Content Manager for Sod Solutions McCall Sod Farm was founded by Howell McCall in 1967, and a few years later James “Jimmy” Maulden, Jack Laird and Percy Simmons bought the farm as partners. “Originally we bought the land for real estate, but Percy was a farmer at heart,” Maulden...Continue Reading
By Cecilia Brown, Media and Content Manager for Sod Solutions Paul Grose grew up as a preacher’s kid. Born in New Hampshire, he spent his early childhood traveling with his family in Southeast Asia as missionaries of the Methodist Church. They went from Malaya (later Malaysia) to Singapore and four years later, ended up...Continue Reading
2021 Vegetative and Seed Market Update Adam Russell, Director of Product Development, Mountain View Seeds This last year has been one of upheaval for our industry, yet incredibly, most of us were able to overcome while fighting through the pandemic – in many cases profiting from it. That’s a huge credit to your resiliency as...Continue Reading
Brown to Coordinate Turf Research at UF/IFAS Plant Science Unit Dr. Scott Angle, Vice President for Ag & Natural Resources, UF/IFAS We have a new coordinator to take care of Dr. Kevin Kenworthy’s turf breeding plots and Dr. Billy Crow’s work on the biology, behavior and diagnosis of turfgrass nematodes and development of new treatment...Continue Reading
The 2021 Spring Clippings newsletter is now online! In this issue: Could a Sod Checkoff Help Florida? Vegetative & Seed Market Update TPF Member Scholarship: A Unique Opportunity EREF: Miami Dade and Naples Ordinance Update Member Profiles: Paul Grose Reflects on Nearly 40 Years with King Ranch McCall Sod: Surviving – and Thriving – in...Continue Reading
– Dr. Kevin Kenworthy, UF/IFAS and Dr. Ambika Chandra, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, a member of the Texas A&M University System (TAMUS) By the late 1960’s, things looked bleak for Texas sod producers. Lawns and sod fields were being ravaged by what was eventually identified as St. Augustine Decline (SAD), a viral disease first diagnosed...Continue Reading
– Dr. Scott Angle, Vice President for Ag & Natural Resources, UF/IFAS I’ve got some good news: we’re getting a weed scientist in Gainesville. You’re a big reason for that.I’ve spent the first six months at the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences listening to producers. Few industry groups expressed as precise...Continue Reading
– Cecilia Brown, Media & Content Manager, Sod Solutions Sod Solutions is excited to announce Mark Kann has accepted the position of Florida Territory Manager. He will begin employment in February, bringing over 25 years of experience in the turfgrass industry to the company and who for the past 14 years has run the turf...Continue Reading
Gabe Saldana, Communications Manager Texas A&M Agri-Life Research & Extension Center of Dallas The latest turfgrass variety in a recent string of releases by Texas A&M AgriLife Research breaks new ground among market zoysia grasses, especially in its viability for golf course putting greens. “Zoysias have typically not been considered for widespread use on putting greens,”...Continue Reading
Dr. Scott Angle, Vice President for Ag & Natural Resources University of Florida/IFAS Turf science wasn’t my first love. Golf was. When I was growing up, I aspired to be a pro. When I discovered late in high school I probably would not be able to make a living playing golf, I decided the...Continue Reading
