Grass Roots: Growing World-Class Sod and Turf with Shawn Helt

sure sure sean one of the things that surprised me reading reading bill's article and doing a little bit of research for this was just how how expensive a crop like like sod is to to produce i mean i come from more the more the cotton world and you know from a row crop standpoint i know cotton is a is a pretty expensive crop But I had no idea how much it costs to, you know, to bring a roll of sod to market, I guess.

I mean, it has to look perfect when it leaves here, right?

Yeah, yeah.

You know, and that's one thing about the sod industry is, you know, we try to get a crop every year, but we don't always, you know, this isn't like corn and soybeans.

We don't necessarily get a crop every year, you know.

It may take a year and a half.

Sometimes it's taken two years to get a crop to where you can take it to town.

It just depends on what kind of setbacks you have.

And the other thing about the sod industry is... you know, we have to create our own market.

Like, I mean, we don't just cut this stuff, take it to town and dump it at the elevator.

We, you have to kind of market your own product

and,

and it can be tough sometimes, you know? So

I, I would have to believe just based on what I've experienced so far out of your personality, I would have to believe that the whole marketing aspect of it comes pretty naturally for

you.

It does.

I mean, and that, that's probably what, that's probably why I act like I do.

Cause I've, I spent a lot of years in town, you know, pushing our product you know sure and i don't get to town that much anymore i i stay on the farm and grow grass but but

back

when my father was alive he he grew the grass and i went to town and kind of i was the salesman and the

you

know run we we have our own install crews where we install and i kind of pushed all those guys yeah yeah wow so

Okay.