Year in Review
The past 12 months have marked another year of progress and growth for AusGAP, as the program continues to drive higher turf production standards and strengthen awareness around the importance of bona fide certification within the Australian turf industry. Through an active schedule of on-site inspections, stakeholder engagement, and continued development of certification processes, AusGAP remains committed to ensuring that every square metre of certified turfgrass meets the highest possible benchmarks for quality, purity, and performance.
Early in the year, AusGAP conducted a series of inspections across Sydney, assessing the genetic purity and production standards of certified turf farms. These inspections also provided the opportunity to review progress on the foundation fields of the new Stampede Hybrid Buffalo, which continues to demonstrate promising characteristics and resilience. These field assessments reinforce AusGAP’s mission to ensure all certified varieties maintain genetic purity, with every plant grown under conditions that reflect the program’s rigorous standards.
As part of AusGAP’s ongoing commitment to professional development, this period also saw the introduction of new Program Manager Caine James, who commenced training alongside Megan Ford during inspections on the South Coast, NSW.
Throughout the second quarter, AusGAP inspectors conducted scheduled inspections across Northern and Central New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and the Sydney metropolitan area. Each inspection plays a vital role in verifying compliance with the AusGAP Certification Program, helping turf producers identify opportunities for continual improvement and uphold the principles of genetic purity and production excellence.
In addition to these activities, AusGAP strengthened its industry partnerships through meetings with regional councils and representatives from major sports turf facilities. These engagements focused on integrating certified turf into procurement and planning frameworks, ensuring that government bodies and key stakeholders understand the long-term value and reliability of AusGAP certified turf varieties. Through this work, AusGAP continues to elevate the visibility and importance of certified turf in infrastructure, landscape, and sports applications across the country.
The third quarter had inspections conducted throughout regional Victoria, northern New South Wales, and southeast Queensland, maintaining a consistent national approach to turf quality assurance. Alongside inspection work, AusGAP placed a strong emphasis on brand development and communication, participating in key events such as the ASTMA Conference and Turf NSW functions.
These activities are central to AusGAP’s broader goal of increasing industry understanding of turf certification. By connecting directly with turf producers, councils, and facility managers, AusGAP continues to demonstrate how certification supports both production consistency and performance reliability.
The final quarter of the year saw AusGAP actively participating in industry events such as the TifTuf Roadshow and the Parks and Leisure Conference, while also engaging closely with certified producers to address their certification needs. These interactions highlight AusGAP’s commitment not only to upholding existing standards but also to advancing the industry through education, collaboration, and the sharing of best practices.
Looking forward, AusGAP is focused on strengthening its role as the benchmark for quality and integrity in turf certification. While many certification programs rely entirely on self-reporting or one-off audits, AusGAP’s rigorous and ongoing inspection framework ensures that certified turfgrass consistently meets the highest standards of genetic purity, production consistency, and professional accountability.
Through continuous improvement, education, and collaboration with industry stakeholders, AusGAP is not only safeguarding the reputation of certified turf but also raising the bar for the entire turf production sector. The commitment to bona fide certification is to ensure that every turf variety grown and sold under the AusGAP name is truly fit for purpose, sustainable, and grown to perform under Australian conditions.
