2002 Ag Census Shows Strong Growth for $1Billion Sod Industry

 

What's the real value of turfgrass sod production in the U.S.?

sodfarm.jpg"We'll never really know," says Turfgrass Producers International (TPI) Executive Director Doug Fender. "However, we arrive at what we think is a conservative total of $1,001,250,000…. breaking through the billion-dollar business barrier for the first time."

Fender says that 2002 census numbers for the number of sod farms, and 1997 sales figures, were used to calculate what is believed to be a conservative current total. 2002 sales haven't been reported because of the way that the questions were asked, so TPI used 1997 sales figures. "What the Census of Agriculture for 2002 did show was that since the 1997 census the number of sod farms went up 13.6% to 2,124 and acres harvested went up 25% to over 386,500 acres. By multiplying the 2002 acres with the 1997 sales figures, we arrive at what we think is a conservative total."

When queried by TPI, National Agricultural Statistic Service (NASS) officials said they were mandated by Congress to reduce the number of questions in the survey form, so they chose to combine the sales of all landscape materials into a single answer. The result is that sales of nursery stock is mixed with corn, bulbs, tubers, shrubs, sod, etc. Now there is no way to determine the sales figures for any single component. Fender said, "It's a lot like trying to unmake soup and create a tomato… it can't be done, and we're terribly disappointed because this was a historical report the industry relied on heavily."

Absent accurate sales figures, the sod industry showed considerable growth in most parts of the U.S.; however, there was a decline in both farms and acres in some places. Florida, Texas and Alabama lead the states in farms and acreage, as they did in the 1997 census. New York, South Dakota, and New Mexico lead the decline in number of farms, with New Mexico, Iowa and Nevada leading the decline in acres harvested.

The Census of Agriculture is conducted approximately every five years, most recently by the US Department of Agriculture's NASS. Previously it was conducted by the US Department of Commerce's Bureau of the Census. As a Congressionally mandated census, all farms are required to complete the survey, giving it a high level of credibility.