Turfgrass-sod: A viable farm enterprise

Relatively low prices for many traditional agricultural products and the resulting adverse impacts on income caused many farmers to search for alternative uses for resources in the 1980s and early 1990s. This study evaluates the competitive advantage of three warm-season grasses commonly grown in the South and the economic feasibility of including turfgrass-sod as an enterprise on a representative farm. Production and marketing practices evaluated are based on those common to turf and farming operations currently in production in south Alabama. Costs and returns estimates for turf were developed based on information from current producers and input suppliers and reflect early and late season establishment and reestablishment for bermudagrass (Cynodon sp.), centipedegrass (Eremochloa ophiuroides (Munro) Hack.), and zoysiagrass (Zoysia sp.). Two optimization models were used in the study: (i) a multiperiod linear programming model dealing with the optimal combination of turf species for selected situations given specified resource constraints and (ii) a mixed integer programming model dealing with crop-mix decisions on a representative southeastern cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), and soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) farm having 948 acres of available land. Both models isolate enterprise combinations that maximize net returns for a 7-yr period given alternative resource constraints. Bermudagrass was found to have a competitive advantage over other turf species for a fairly wide price range around typical prices of 1, 1.22, and 1.85/sq yd for bermudagrass, centipedegrass, and zoysiagrass, respectively. Turfgrass-sod was found to compete well with more traditional farm enterprises for farm resources. In fact, the price of bermudagrass could decrease to 0.50/sq yd and effectively compete with traditional farm enterprises.