WEST COAST TURF ADOPTS U.S. STANDARD BUSHEL

Palm Desert, CA……. West Coast Turf (WCT) has announced that effective April 1, 2004, they have adopted the United States Standard Bushel of 1.244 cubic feet as their unit of measure for selling turfgrass sprigs.

“The definition of a bushel has always been somewhat confusing and controversial in the industry. The Golf Course Builder’s Association of America (GCBAA) asked us to conform to the U.S. Standard Bushel, and we welcomed the opportunity to eliminate all of the questions,” said WCT spokesperson Danielle Marman.

The GCBAA has been assured the support of this standard of measurement by the American Society of Golf Course Architects. “The definition of a bushel of grass is long overdue,” stated former GCBAA president Frank Hutchinson.

Sod companies across the country have historically used a “factored” bushel or “turf” bushel which was based on the amount of sprigs harvested from one square yard of sod. The problem was the “factor” applied was different in different parts of the country. And to add further confusion to the process, even different varieties such as TifEagle versus Tifway had different factors used.

“What this basically means to our customers is the bushel size is bigger than it once was, and the cost per bushel will reflect that. Planting rates are going to be different as well, but the overall cost for the customer to plant a given area should not change,” explained Marman.

West Coast Turf’s sister companies, Arizona based Western Sod and Western Sere will also adhere to the new standard bushel size.

West Coast Turf is a full service sod grower and installer with five Western U.S. locations: Palm Desert, CA; Las Vegas, NV; Stevinson, CA; Winchester, CA; and Tempe, AZ. The company offers more than 20 different varieties of turfgrasses, along with services such as world-wide shipping and installation. For more information visit www.westcoastturf.com.