Turfgrass Industry Fastest Growing Sector of South Carolina Agribusiness

The grass is greener in South Carolina. According to a new report, the state’s turfgrass industry is the fastest growing sector of South Carolina agribusiness and a large segment of the state’s economy.

“Our turfgrass industry supplies sod to more than 1 million lawns and more than 400 golf courses across the state,” noted John Kelly, vice president for public service and agriculture at Clemson University, Clemson, S.C., in an article published South Carolina Times & Democrat. “Combined with commercial production of ornamental horticulture – the trees, shrubs and flowers that landscape our neighborhoods and public spaces – turfgrass is a major economic force. These two industries provide more than 25,000 full-time jobs and contribute some $2 billion to the state's economy.”

Approximately 18,000 acres are devoted to commercial sod production in South Carolina, Kelly noted in his article, adding that the annual growth rate of the state’s agribusiness is about 10 percent.

Kelly noted that Clemson University has strong partnerships with a number of industry associations in South Carolina, including the South Carolina Turfgrass Foundation, South Carolina Greenhouse Growers Association, the South Carolina Nursery and Landscape Association and the South Carolina Landscape and Turfgrass Association. These partnerships provide Clemson scientists with opportunities to work in real-world conditions alongside landscape managers, golf course superintendents, growers and sod producers.

“Clemson scientists, extension agents and regulatory personnel work in close partnerships with commercial growers, golf course superintendents and industry associations to improve production methods and to provide affordable training for green industry professionals, with particular emphasis on protecting the environment,” Kelly said. “Education programs include production techniques, new turfgrass and plant varieties, pesticide certification, plant pest identification and treatment, weed control strategies, irrigation management, and state and federal regulations that affect the industry.”