Author: Sarah

Smart Approved WaterMark (SAWM) the one stop shop for water efficiency is the first water efficiency accreditation scheme in the world to recognise drought tolerant turf.

The only water efficiency label in Australia

SAWM has been certifying water efficient products and services since 2004 across many categories including irrigation, pool and spa, car washing, mulching, soil amendment products and commercial cleaning and more. Originally SAWM was established as the sister scheme to WELS, the Government program that uses a star rating system to classify household products such as taps, toilets, washers, and dryers. While the WELS program uses compliance with published standards to evaluate products SAWM requires applicants to supply evidence to support their license applications which demonstrate the water efficiency and water conservation characteristics of their product.

SAWM was born out of the Millennium Drought when the water industry was keen for an independent scheme to help identify which products and services would qualify for rebates. SAWM is a not-for-profit organisation and uses a panel of independent technical experts to evaluate information provided by applicants for licensing.

Our journey with turf

In 2017, the SAWM Expert Panel received an application from Lawn Solutions Australia for TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda grass. This presented a new challenge for the Expert Panel as the evidence required to demonstrate that a grass is “water saving” is complex. The range of conditions under which turf is grown, such different soil types and different climate zones, mean that clearly demonstrating that a particular turf variety is likely to use less water or be more drought tolerant is a difficult task.

Landing on the ‘Drought Tolerance’ eligibility criteria

SAWM has previously used guidelines to help applicants to the scheme prepare the right information to support their applications. It was decided to develop a new set of guidelines for turf grasses. After much deliberation and consultation, it was decided that the guidelines would focus on developing guidelines that would describe trials which would demonstrate the drought tolerance of grasses rather than try to measure their comparative use of water.

Smart Approved WaterMark working with the turf industry to develop turf grass guidelines

SAWM has developed detailed guidelines that outline the drought resilient criteria each application should aim to demonstrate and the appropriate research and turf tests to support the claims. From the outset the Jeremy Cape, Chair of the SAWM Expert Panel and Chris Philpot, CEO of SAWM, have led and facilitated extensive consultation with the Australian turf industry and with input from panel of independent turf professionals. For nearly two years expert Panel members and the independent turf experts drafted and revised the guidelines. In August 2021 the final guidelines were released which SAWM believes will meet the needs of the growers and reflect the quality of the SAWM label to prospective purchasers.

Chris Philpot, CEO, Smart Approved WaterMark said “We are very excited to be the first water efficiency certification scheme in the world to recognise drought tolerant turf. This has been a long journey for us and one that has taken careful consideration as it is critical we maintain the integrity of the labelling scheme. I’m pleased to say that we are launching the new turf category with confidence, acceptance, and a sense of innovation. I welcome all applications in this category”.

Jeremy Cape, Chair of the SAWM Expert Panel since its inception in 2004, facilitated the development of the guidelines for SAWM. “It’s great to see SAWM leading the way in water efficiency certification by developing practical guidelines for turf producers to make their applications to SAWM easier. The SAWM Expert Panel looks forward to reviewing many applications from here on in,” said Jeremy.

What does this innovation in certification mean for growers and consumers?

The selection of drought tolerant turf varieties for the home garden will help to conserve water as well as provide important amenity values. A goal of SAWM since its inception has been to identify products and services which consumers can use to optimise their use of water and reduce waste. Historically up to half of all domestic water use has been outside the home. Identifying turf grasses that are drought tolerant and require less water to provide valuable amenity, will ensure that gardens can remain cool, green sanctuaries.

Easy to follow guidelines ready to download at smartwatermark.org

The drought tolerance of turf grass varieties is best assessed by conducting an experiment or growth trials. While the expert panel does not insist on a specific trial methodology to demonstrate drought tolerance, the guidelines have been developed to inform applicants about the kind of trials that could generate the data to support an application.

It is important to emphasise that these guidelines are written solely to help applicants prepare submissions to Smart Approved WaterMark. These guidelines are not intended to set out a method for appraising all the characteristics of a turf grass. The aim is to evaluate the drought tolerance of turf grass to assist home gardeners who wish to use drought tolerance as their key selection criterion.

To evaluate applications, the expert panel requires objective, independent evidence that the turf grass demonstrates the drought tolerance characteristics claimed in the application (i.e., through independent testing or case studies). Note that unsubstantiated marketing claims are not regarded as evidence of water saving. All evidence submitted in support of an application to Smart Watermark certification must be prepared by an independent authority that has no financial interest in any turf varieties included in a trial.

TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda has led the way with independent testing through the Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI) with significant trial data provided in its application demonstrating its superior drought tolerance characteristics.

About Smart Approved WaterMark

Smart Approved WaterMark (SAWM) is the one-stop shop for water efficiency in Australia. Through its Smart Water Advice program, SAWM delivers a range of educational, interactive water-saving resources for councils and water utilities to take to communities about saving water around the home, garden, and business. SAWM certifies water-efficient products and services in Australia. With Smart Water Solutions, SAWM helps businesses reduce their water use and save money by delivering water audits and recommendations. SAWM has also published the ‘Water Efficient Australia’ 2019 report and ‘Water Efficiency 2017’ in partnership with Water Services Association Australia (WSAA). Smart Approved WaterMark works towards a blue future that celebrates the many amazing qualities of water, its strength, and its vulnerability.

On the 7^th of October 1921 Nicholas and Maria Boyle and ten of their eleven children (seven boys and four girls) moved to Rosemount from Northern New South Wales and purchased the farm that would become their legacy, still supporting the Boyle family four generations into the future.

Ross, the current custodian, is an immensely proud third generation Boyle to work the land his ancestors bought and cleared in 1921. Nicholas and Maria, Ross’ grandparents started farming sugar cane on the rich river flats and a variety of small crops including beans, bananas, pineapples, pawpaw’s, and ginger on the hill land.

In 1939, four of the seven Boyle Sons were ‘called to arms’ and went to fight in World War II. Three of the boys returned to the property, while one was sadly killed by a sniper 45 days before WWII ended.

The story goes that Sam Boyle who returned after surviving Changi Prison and The Burma Railway, kissed the ground, and vowed to never leave Rosemount again… and he never did.

As per tradition the family helped establish all the boys on their own properties in the district with the home farm being taken on by Harry and Gloria Boyle (Ross‘ parents) in partnership with his brother Nicholas Boyle.

Harry and Gloria had four children; Barbara, Hugh, Geoff & Ross and continued farming sugar cane on the original property, while slowly buying neighbouring properties as they came up for sale. After 45 years on the farm Harry was ready to retire.

Ross had been living in Mossman in far north Queensland and was training to become a sugar chemist at the local mill. He was 18 years old when Harry asked him to come home and join the family business. Harry and Ross worked together for several years so that he could mentor Ross in the fine art of farming. Hugh Ross’s oldest brother who was working in the sugar industry in Ayre, also expressed a desire to return to the family farm and so from 1980 Ross and Hugh worked in partnership.

In 1998 Ross bought Hugh out of the partnership and Ross and Lynelle continued farming sugar cane on this property.

2003 threw a spanner into the works when the sugar mill shut down, which left the entire local cane industry without anywhere to process the cane. Selling the family farm was never an option, Ross had to find a crop to be productive and equally forgiving to grow on a flood plain.

After much research the family decided to go into farming turf. The beautiful farm is a long narrow farm on a flood plain with Petrie Creek and Petrie Creek Road as boundaries. They can get up to a metre of water over the farm several times a year in a wet year. Sugar cane as a crop was great for such an area as it would survive the deluge and so would turf.

This is when Rosemount Turf was born. In the blink of an eye, the family went from being sole traders to employers.

This ‘let’s grow turf’ became the thing that took over the Boyle families lives, and it was all they talked about, problem solved and made plans for. Rosemount Turf originally grew Wintergreen Couch and then bought a licence for Sapphire Soft Leaf Buffalo. A local turf farmer who had sold his farm for a housing development approached them to buy his goodwill and licences. The family were happy to acquire these licences and started growing other turf varieties to give their customers choices to suite their property’s needs.

Changing the farm from sugar cane to turf was not the only challenge faced, suddenly the bookkeeping for the cane farm that Lynelle managed on weekends turned into a fulltime job and they had to figure out a way to market and sell the product.

As sole traders there wasn’t any policies or procedures in place. These had to be researched, written and enacted. Training and managing staff were a whole new game and learning to grow a new crop was a daily challenge. Most of the machinery was for sugar cane farming which was unable to be utilised for turf farming, so sourcing and financing this change presented challenges.

Ross Boyle believes in serving and giving back to the industry that feeds them. He was on the Moreton Mill Suppliers Committee while a cane farmer and quickly became involved in Turf Queensland, followed by Turf Australia as a turf farmer. Ross was the president of Turf Australia from 2016 to 2021. Rosemount Turf from the get go have been regular attendees of turf conferences and being new to the industry learnt a lot from the organised speakers and from networking with other turf growers.

Rosemount Turf’s first turf sale was 10m2 of couch, which was sold for $3.00m2. “We had all the family down at the farm watching the first cut with the old Van Vuuren hand stacking turf harvester.” Things are a little different now, where they harvest on average between 5 and 10 thousand square metres of turf per week, using a Trebro SC2010 auto stacking turf harvester. Rosemount Turf service the Sunshine Coast and parts of Brisbane.

Rosemount Turf specialise in backyard renovations and are passionate about educating customers on how to get the best out of their lawns. The farm is centrally located on the Sunshine Coast, which means customers can collect their turf direct and buy products from the lawn shop.

In 2016 Rosemount Turf accepted the opportunity to join Lawn Solutions Australia (LSA). Rosemount Turf believe in the research and development program and the dedication (LSA) have to their growers and how they strive to meet the modern and everchanging turf market.

“Sir Walter DNA certified Soft Leaf Buffalo has become a household name and we wanted to ensure the future of our business for the next generation.”

To mark the 100^th anniversary of the farm, a mural was commissioned for the machinery shed, painted by Ross Holloway, a local mural artist. It depicts our evolution from cane to turf. The family has had numerous people comment on how much they miss the cane trains and cane fires on dusk in the Valley, but also express their appreciation of the manicured and peaceful vista the turf farm presents now.

Rosemount Turf have also installed a 500m2 new display area called ‘Gloria’s Garden’ overlooking the dam ‘Lake Harry’ for customers to enjoy and help visualise what their backyard would look like with – Sir Walter DNA Certified Soft Leaf Buffalo, Sir Grange Zoysia or TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda.

Ross and Lynelle’s Daughter, Penelope Boyle and Son in Law Greg Pelka (married to Jessica Pelka nee Boyle), together with farm manager Sam Wasmund are ready to take the business into the future.

“We may not see another one hundred years but would like to give it a red-hot crack!”

Field Construction and Surfacing by HG Sports Turf

Q&A with Tony Hemming, Arena Manager

In 2017, experienced Sports Turf Contractor HG Sports Turf were awarded the Design and Construction contract for the new Optus Stadium in Perth. Post construction HG were also selected to manage and maintain the new playing surface in the new jewel of the west. The field was officially opened in 2018 and is a mixture of HG’s Eclipse Stabilised Turf and HERO Hybrid Turf.

In an historic first for Western Australia, Optus Stadium was chosen to host the 2021 AFL Grand Final, the prestigious AFL Premiership event that has been held at the MCG in Victoria almost every year since 1902. Up until the Covid-19 outbreak, the AFL Grand Final had been played exclusively in Victoria, with the first hosting outside of the state being in 2020 at the Gabba in Brisbane, QLD.

Tony Hemming, Arena Manager, Optus Stadium is somewhat of a turf industry legend and is commonly known as ‘Hemmo.’

HG Sports Turf recently sat down with Tony before and after the grand final to get an insight into the preparations and challenges he and his team undertook to get the ground looking immaculate for the big day.

What was involved in the lead into the big day?

We spent the first week recovering from the heavy AFL season with the highest rainfall for 50 years, which was challenging to say the least! From there it was turf replacement, aerate, core, vertimow, divot repair, seed, fertiliser and groom the HOC (height of cut) to the height to incorporate the AFL extravaganza entertainment side of the event.

The field is ready by the Monday before and then we must manage the team’s training and rehearsals for artist and dancing crews. We also do a practice bump in of the stage with LED screens, fireworks, and lights.

On Friday there are Captains runs and then ground staff have the field for 13 hours to prepare before the curtain-raiser game. It’s a total whirlwind, but it’s totally worth it for the result.

How did the ground perform on the day and what challenges were faced?

We had a busy lead in with the 2019 Bledisloe Cup / AFL Change over into the next day with 4,000 seats on the ground. We flew the HG Turf crew in from Victoria to help and it was a great team effort.

On the day ensuring there was nothing left out on the surface from the pre-game entertainment or during half time was very important. I know the staff enjoyed being out on the ground while the players were warming up. This is one of the reasons you would choose to work in our industry, up close and personal with professionals while carrying out your job. All credit to the Frontier Group, there was nothing to pick up.

We were very happy with the performance of the surface during the two games, with pre, during and post-match commitments. On the Sunday morning the surface could have been ready for a second match, very little divoting was evident. We had full confidence in our range of HG Turf Products and our team’s professional know how to get it right on the day.

How do you find the technology helps you to produce the surface and the high standards within Optus Stadium?

We believe that it helps us in the wet and allows for faster recovery from damaged turf by major events, the fact that we only just replaced the centre circle for the AFL grand final (a 27-game season and training) is testament to that.

What achievement or contribution are you most proud of and what’s the best moment you experienced?

The entire month of September was a great achievement with just 21 days’ notice to prepare for the Grand Final. After the final siren, all our staff drove out onto the ground in an AFL Toyota vehicle for the presentations, it was a surreal atmosphere!

What were the main differences between the AFL Grand Final and other large-scale events you’ve managed and what was learnt in the process?

Usually, we have six to twelve months to plan for major events, so the turnaround was very short. We now have a check list ready for the unlikely next one, but it will be nice to enjoy the next Grand Final when it returns to Melbourne. I love the history of the game and the “G”, it’s hard to beat a 100,000 crowd at the MCG.

What does preparing the field mean to you and your team and where does it rank in your career in terms of preparing for major sports events? 

We aim for the highest technical standards for each event. If it’s Rugby, we want to be Eden Park, Cricket – Lords and Soccer – Wembley. The AFL Grand Final at Optus Stadium is in my top ten events and I’m sure my staff will say it’s their number one day to remember.

Whyalla Secondary College Project | Sunnyside Instant Lawn

Whyalla is positioned at the gateway of the Eyre Peninsula and is surrounded by beautiful beaches. Its unique temperatures see warm summers and cold winters with low rainfall.

The Turf Guy, Jamie Kloeden supplied kikuyu to repair an oval at a school in Whyalla. Replacement of patchy turf was necessary from time to time with the field due to its high use. Jamie said that while the school is renowned for its playing field, discussions around alternative hard wearing turf options with lower water requirements was increasing in the area.

Following this project, Andrew Rowett from Sunnyside Instant Lawn learned of a new school construction in Whyalla. Andrew connected with Sarah Constructions, the contractor for the new school construction to discuss the turfing requirements of the new sports fields. While kikuyu was initially specified for the project, Andrew wanted to highlight the opportunity to utilise a new sports turf variety with a higher drought tolerance – TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda. In selecting the turf for the project, it was also important to consider salinity in the soil and a couch grass like TifTuf would be a better fit in these conditions.

With the help of Lawn Solutions Australia and AusGAP (Australia’s leading turf certification program), drawing from the data and information on the qualities that TifTuf possesses, Andrew was able to inform Terry Kildea, Sarah Constructions Site Manager, that TifTuf was the best option for the new Whyalla Secondary College.

“The extensive research was a huge help in the transition from kikuyu to TifTuf. We were able to offer independent STRI research and show them our experiences on farm which highlighted the winter colour, the low water usage and wearability” Andrew said.

The water saving qualities of TifTuf was the biggest factor in its selection, with Whyalla known as a dry area with low rainfall. Sustainability was of utmost importance. The farm also offered the opportunity to see both kikuyu and TifTuf side by side for comparison, giving Terry Kildea the confidence to move forward with the specification.

Soil testing was carried out by Living Turf at the Sunnyside farm who supplied both the sub grade of soil and the turf to be used. Living Turf was also in full support of the opportunity to use TifTuf on this important project for the community.

Water usage numbers were calculated by Terry Kildea on a recommendation from Sunnyside and Lawn Solutions Australia. This information was shared with the South Australian Education Department, emphasising the benefit of this environmentally sustainable water saving option.

Outside Ideas, Adelaide based landscaping business, won the tender for the landscaping.

Sunnyside worked directly with Sarah Constructions and Outside Ideas throughout the entire turf process.

Meetings with Outside Ideas were arranged during January, offering the chance to share the knowledge about TifTuf and its requirements in preparation.

Sunnyside planted turf for the project in November 2020 ensuring that it was available to meet the project deadlines.

Harvest on the farm

A new Firefly Turf Harvester was ordered and arrived two days prior to the job commencing. The new Firefly allowed for a significant increase in harvesting efficiency on the farm required for this large project. The consistency of the product harvested with this machine was also of the highest standard.

50,000m² TifTuf was installed at the new state-of-the-art secondary school in total across two soccer ovals, one AFL Oval and the building surrounds.

The first of 24 B-Doubles arrived on site on the 17^th of May and saw the team of 10 from Outside Ideas lay over 3,600m² a day over 14 days.

To complete the install Sunnyside offered to co-ordinate the freight, unloading and retrieval machinery and provision of a project manager to oversee the install. Sunnyside worked together with both Sarah Constructions and landscaping contractor Outside Ideas on site as the TifTuf arrived and was laid. Data was taken on soil temps, watering, and weather conditions every day of the install showing the root activity and the establishment of the turf during winter.

40,000m was laid at the beginning of winter, a time when turf growth establishment is usually a slow process, however, watching the turf establish in the first 3 weeks Andrew and Terri from Sunnyside were also blown away by the turf development. 16 weeks later and there was a fully established freshly mown sports field.

Winter often turns on some interesting weather, with rain also a factor. The teams saw rain, hail, and shine during the installation, but only experienced a one-day delay across the installation period. Once laid, the turf was rolled three times.

Establishment Period

Sunnyside travelled to Whyalla fortnightly keeping close communication with Outside Ideas and Sarah Constructions to monitor the turf establishment. The established TifTuf at the Whyalla secondary school is that of the “Mercedes- Benz” of turf and has not only created elite surfaces, but a water efficient, sustainable playing surface for the future of the students and Whyalla Secondary School.

Andrew believes that these school ovals will increase Whyalla’s reputation to become one of the best playing surfaces in the state. “The turf is ready to go, the appearance is spectacular,” said Andrew. “It’s ready for the school to open and the action to begin.”

The TifTuf ovals will become the heart of the school with students from years 7 to 12 bringing it to life next year. We expect to watch these ovals continue their current level of performance for years to come. Students will enjoy hours of fun with a multitude of sports being played year-round. The community have engaged with the school to access seasonal sporting events throughout the year also.

Sunnyside shared lawn care, technical data and research with Outside Ideas that has been included in the Hand Over Operations and Maintenance Manual for the Education Department. Outside Ideas are managing the maintenance program until hand over. The oval is currently being regularly maintained at 15mm with a cylinder mower.

Whyalla Secondary School is due to open in 2022.

A turf business is a specialised one, with families of turf growers passing on their skills from one generation to the next. This means that many family operated turf businesses remain as such. The children grow up in the business, learning new skills along their way to adulthood before taking over management and even ownership roles when their parents are ready to let go of the reins.

This generational transition is prevalent right across the country, providing some difficulties of course but also some exciting opportunities. We recently got in touch with some next generation turf farm employees to find out how they have progressed within their own family businesses and what they are anticipating for the future of the industry.

Tim Muscat – Greener Lawn

Tim Muscat from Greener Lawn is the youngest of three brothers, with his father Anthony currently running the business. Tim has been working full-time within the business since he was 14 and 9 months, but like many turf families, Tim was involved in the business well before then.

Tim said Greener Lawn are on the tail end of a generational transition, “Dad is starting to step back and let us take the reins more. It was difficult and the circumstances for the transition were not ideal, however it is looking very positive for the coming years.”

There are plenty of learning opportunities working in a turf business, providing different areas where you can slot in to suit your interests as they develop.

Tim has developed both business and life skills while working in his family business and has progressed through varying roles. “I am currently managing on site preparation and installation jobs, driving delivery trucks in the busier months and in any spare time, or if needed, assisting in workshop repairs and maintenance. This allows me to apply some of the skills I learnt while completing a Certificate 3 in engineering,” Tim said.

Every year Turf Australia hosts a NxGen Conference for turf farm employees under the age of 40. Tim has been every year that he can and said it’s a great way to learn about other parts of the industry you may not know about. It also provides a great opportunity to network and share knowledge with others from right across the country. Plus, it has the added benefit of providing a break from the everyday pressures they are under in the business.

Tim’s looking forward to going with the flow of the business and exploring what the future brings, adapting to the changes that will happen along the way.

“There is a lot of pressure from a young age in a family business, but it is well worth it when you look back and see everything you have achieved with your family.”

Tim Muscat – Greener Lawn

Sarah Mason – Coastal Turf

When Sarah was 14 her family decided to move from Mt Victoria in the Blue Mountains near Sydney to Cabarita Beach near the QLD/NSW border. Being a 5th generation farmer, Sarah’s father bought a little turf farm in Cabarita Beach, and excitedly announced that they would all be helping.

While Sarah’s brother loved it, Sarah decided that although she was happy to help on the farm, it was not something she was going to do forever. “I got myself a job at McDonalds to make myself money. As a teenager my ambition was to work in an office, wear high heels all day and never get dirty again.”

Sarah went on to university where she studied public relations. On weekends Sarah would go and work on the farm, mowing and driving trucks, but also providing customer service and covering most aspects of the turf business.

When Sarah’s daughter was about 4 months old, Coastal turf was booming. With over 10 employees, they had turf going out left right and centre, and calls and paperwork were becoming overwhelming. Sarah’s brother had joined the Board of Turf Qld and was often busy helping in other areas of the turf industry.

Coastal Turf needed someone part time in the office to do all the little things that were building up. Luckily, Sarah was available and was volunteered by her father and brother. Working within the family business would be challenging, but it would also be extremely rewarding.

“The thing I really love about the turf industry is that there are so many family businesses, so when you go to an industry meeting you are chatting with families as well.”

Sarah Mason – Coastal Turf

“My daughter learnt to walk in the office and the kids learnt to say, “Coastal Turf, how can I help you?” as one of their first sentences.”

Sarah had a third child and stepped back from the business, so she had more time for her family. Her husband Tony also started his own landscaping and turf maintenance business, Tony the Turfman and the two businesses complimented each other well.

Once the children were a bit older, Sarah started doing a couple days back in the office at Coastal Turf again. Sarah’s brother thought it was time to move forward and sideways in his life and went to work for the Macadamia Industry.

Over the years they took the business from a little enterprise, to turning over well over a million dollars a year. “My father and I made a plan to concentrate on providing wonderful turf products rather than all the extras associated with turf. We would let The Turfman business do that.”

Sarah became great at organisation, helping to run two businesses. Today Coastal Turf grows and sells over 9 different varieties, servicing NSW and Southeast Qld and have a wonderful relationship with their landscapers.

Sarah’s father has recently become unwell, that has meant that a generational shift has come faster than they expected. While he has stepped back, he is still available for advice and reminders about things, like making sure you are greasing all the grease points on the harvester. “I am pretty sure I have greased them all though,” Sarah said.

“Change will be inevitable. Possibly in the future we may combine the two businesses back into one again. And this will bring a younger skill set into the team too.”

At this stage Sarah’s kids are not interested in turf. Her eldest is working towards becoming a baker, her daughter wants to be a Biological Engineer, and the youngest is too young to know what he wants to do yet. But having a family business that can support them in whatever way they want to moving forward is really comforting to Sarah.

“But then again, I didn’t want to be a turf farmer either. And here I am loving it!”

Troy Muscat – Active Turf

Troy Muscat from Active Turf’s interest in turf farming didn’t really come along until he was 13 or 14. But a switch was flicked one day, and he hasn’t looked back. Troy’s parents Charlie and Anne were born in the Hawkesbury region, and both came from farming families. They started the turf business in 1999 with Troy’s grandfather’s help before he retired in 2004.

Many turf farms are also where the family home is and it’s an added benefit that Josh has come to appreciate. “I really enjoy spending time out on the farm and love that most of our work is from home.”

Troy’s parents have started to try slowing down and taking more time off. Troy and his wife Vanessa are both trying to take on more responsibility in the general running of the business wherever they can. As Troy didn’t have much knowledge of farming at a younger age, he has had to learn everything the business needs from growing the turf to emailing invoices at the end of the day if need be.

“The last few years I have a role to play in every aspect and if need be, I can do any job in our business that is needed.”

Troy said he has noticed considerable change in the industry during his time, with automatic harvesters being the biggest game changer. “The new generation have a young mindset which helps bring in new ideas and a different business approach, which is also showing in the way things are changing.”

Before becoming a company in 1986, the grass roots of Akers of Lawn was developing over several years. Dal and Jacqi Akers worked together selling and delivering fertiliser from the mid-70s until one day Dal decided to purchase and bring home a coring machine. From this purchase onwards, the service of lawn rejuvenation became Das and Jacqi’s focus. Over the coming years Akers of Lawn grew from just a two-person team to a full staff of 24, with the business extending their skill base from simple lawn rejuvenation to complete landscaping packages, ranging from small courtyards to whole school soccer pitches.

Akers of Lawn is truly a family business, featuring Dal and Jacqi Akers at the helm, supported by their three children. Son Brad Akers is an Area Manager in Sales, son Scott Akers as a Site Supervisor, with his wife Karlyn Akers as the Account Manager, and daughter Julie Field (born Akers) as Head of Administration and Marketing. In addition, the team is made up of many long-term employees who are also considered family. Having this strong family focus, Akers of Lawn really understands the importance of establishing long-term relationships with their customers.

Akers of Lawn prides themselves on being able to provide a complete service without requiring subcontractors. Now sporting four trucks, six utes and various speciality machinery, the team continues to train their employees to provide specialist services. These services range from lawn rejuvenation, new lawn establishment, irrigation, paving, small retaining walls, raised garden beds, garden preparation, plant sourcing and planting and complete landscaping advice.

Lonsdale Expansion

For the first 34 years of the business, Akers of Lawn operated from the family premises, first in Happy Valley and then expanding to a bigger property at Onkaparinga Hills. A family dream for many years had been to expand from landscaping, into creating their own products and relocating to an independent location, featuring a shop and landscaping product displays.

During 2020, after looking for the right space for years, the perfect location came up in Lonsdale, a well-known manufacturing and trade suburb in the southern suburbs of Adelaide. The new shop features a wide range of products covering all aspects of lawn and garden install and maintenance. Customers can view a wide range of landscaping products which can be used to landscape their yard, from instant and artificial lawn, to pavers, pebbles, and various mulch options.

In addition to a new space, Akers of Lawn have been busy developing their very own range of products. Product development has involved utilising their extensive knowledge, whilst working alongside expert agronomist Ryan Sheridan, and consulting with leaders in the field such as Peter Wadewitz of Peat’s Soil, Neutrog, Omnia, FPAG and Adelaide garden guru, Michael Keelan.

The new products are a range of liquid, granular and pelletized fertilisers for both the lawn and garden. As a product line, Akers of Lawn products focus on building up good soil microbes, leading to healthy soil. A healthy soil contains microscopic bacteria, fungi, viruses, and other organisms which work together to breakdown organic matter and ensure nutrient uptake and retention is maintained. Strong microbial activity ensures all plants are given the best foundation for growth and pest resistance.

Partners in Turf

Akers of Lawn established a relationship with Rowett’s Turf (now Sunnyside Instant Lawn) over 12 years ago in 2009. At that time, Rowett’s Turf were three years into running a turf farm on the family property near Mundulla. As fellow small family businesses, the Akers’ and Rowett’s supported each other and understood the importance of strong trade relationships. Over the years, Rowett’s Turf has expanded, changed their name to Sunnyside Instant Lawn and throughout this growth, Akers of Lawn has grown with them. Together they are proud to be providers of Lawn Solutions Australia turf varieties throughout Adelaide metro and beyond.

Akers of Lawn’s vision is to be the leading landscaping provider in South Australia by creating inspiring, quality outdoor spaces with their clients for years to come.

Lawn Solutions Australia are always on the look out for new additions to our group that have the same high standards as the current network of LSA turf producers. Over the past 12 months we have welcomed 2 new additions to Australia’s largest network of turf producers, both in NSW, to make sure LSA premium turf varieties are readily available no matter where you are in Australia.

Lawn Solutions Australia is a network of leading turf producers that produce Australia’s leading turfgrass varieties for varied markets including – homeowners, sporting oval, golf courses, commercial and government bodies. The LSA Group has a national footprint to ensure coverage and supply for the consumer. It is always important to manage the supply chain and develop strategies to foresee sales growth and production align. Over the last 8 years the LSA Group has been proud of our strategic review on market analysis, supply chains and infrastructure development and implemented plans to fill this market demand.

Who are our new team members?

Tyagarah Turf in the Northern Rivers region of NSW. This name has a long history in turf, however over the last 10 years the business lost focus and changed hands several times. Now with a new owner the property was purchased for cattle and grazing. 50 hectares of excellent high country with an option for another 50 hectares form the new Tyagarah Turf farm. The Tyagarah Turf business is owned by Helen & Travis Stone who also own Clarence Valley Turf business in Grafton, NSW. During 2021 they have worked hard in preparing, levelling land ready to plant new turf varieties such as – Sir Walter DNA Certified, TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda, Sir Grange Zoysia and Zoysia Australis. This fits perfectly into the LSA model of expansion to ensure a national footprint and coverage to meet the growing market demand in the Northern NSW Region. Tyagarah Turf is open and operating to servicing this area.

Direct Turf  Lawn Solutions Australia is proud to have secured Direct Turf in Windsor, NSW – this business is owned by Cameron & Jayden Vella who are part of a long family history in turf farming. Direct Turf has been working with the LSA Group for the last 4 years in a wholesale capacity. From July 2021 the decision was made to come on board to strengthen the supply chain for the LSA Group in NSW. Direct Turf currently grow 120,000 square metres of Sir Walter DNA Certified buffalo and have the potential to expand with additional plantings of Sir Walter DNA Certified and TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda. Over the last 4 years the Direct Turf business has support the LSA Groups supply chain not only in NSW, the east coast QLD and VIC benefited from the Direct Turf business supply. This was of value to all LSA members and the growing customer base for the LSA Group.

We would like to welcome these 2 new additions to the Lawn Solutions Australia Group. It’s our vision to ensure we maintain and increase our footprint, our strategic goal is to continue to strengthen our network and supply chain to ensure all our customers continue to experience certified quality turf and industry leading customer service experience.

The NSW Turf Industry Recovery

The devastating NSW floods occurred in March 2021, with the forecast in the lead up being of “minor to moderate flooding,” but never major flooding. The amount of rain that did come, caused utter destruction. Areas of the Hawkesbury Valley west of Sydney and on the NSW Mid-North Coast were the hardest hit, with over 2,800 hectares of turf production severely impacted. The flood peaked around 9pm on Friday 19th of March. Turf growers were left in a state of emergency and their families and businesses were turned upside down overnight. There would be a long road ahead, with significant emotional, physical, and mental challenges to overcome.

Floods are not new to the Turf Industry, but until this year’s flood in March there hasn’t been a major flood on the Hawkesbury-Nepean for more than 30 years, with the last comparable one occurring in 1990. Long-term Sydneysiders, however, will remember that twelve major floods occurred during the 40 years before 1990. Five of these were larger than this year’s flood in height, but the damage is always comparable. The big one Windsor and parts of the North Coast saw this year has been called many things. A “once-in-50 or 100-year flood”, “unprecedented” and “chaotic”, regardless of whether it was or was not as big as others in history for some areas, one of the most damaging factors to the Turf Industry is the time of year it came.

Whilst all floods are incredibly damaging, having one this late in the growing season is somewhat rare, with a much longer lasting effect. Silt, sadly is a result of all floods, and it can take months of good growing weather to recover crops even partially effected from the impact of silt. The other major floods in the past 35 years all came much earlier in the season. In 1986 it was August, in 1990 – February and in 2016 it came in September.

A flood in late March means that silt covered crops must enter winter and wait for more than six months for favourable growing conditions to return. What this means in short, is root rot, very heavy and brittle turf for months with huge increases in wastage and transport costs due to weight increases for months to come. In a normal year, this causes a turf shortage. This year it was more of a perfect storm, with the biggest building boom, the largest flood, and the largest demand for turf in 30 years, creating turf shortages we have never experienced before.

Earl’s Turf is a Lawn Solutions Australia accredited turf supplier based in Taree on the Mid North Coast of NSW. Owner and Manager Earl Stanley said, “the farm looked like it had been hit with a tsunami. All the fences were ripped out, all gravel roadways ended up on paddocks, tonnes of flood rack were strewn across all the paddocks.”

Many of Earl’s paddocks were inundated with up to 300mm of silt. One paddock surprisingly even had a Nissan X-Trail on it and numerous bales of silage from surrounding farms. Three of their travelling boom irrigators were mangled with some also losing their hoses. One Hardi spray unit was found 40km away on Tuncurry beach, with another being found on Dumaresq Island and a third found at Manning Point, 20km’s away. Thanks to the power of social media the Hardi spray unit was found on a Buy Swap Sell. ‘One very disappointed seller he ended up being!’

“At the time of our worst drought ever three years ago we thought things were tough, but we now know what tough is. A flood has proven to be far worse than any drought.” said Earl Stanley, Earls Turf

The turf industry was able to unite, along with their local communities and began the clean up as soon as the flood water receded. Growers from different areas helped supply machinery and banded together to rebuild and recover what they could.

With many turf suppliers impacted by the floods, supply was significantly reduced in the regions effected. Some growers lost entire paddocks, some hoped to save 50% of their turf in production, with the impacts of the flood being felt across their entire farms. Some growers had farms located on higher ground and were able to recommence supply within weeks. Others were not so lucky.

Green Life Turf is based in the Hawkesbury region of NSW in Freemans Reach. Green Life Turf are fortunate to have a farm in Singleton as part of a flood proof plan for their business. This allowed them to continue to supply their regular customers. The biggest challenge they have faced with reduced supply is the timing of matured stock effecting the overall availability. Managing the timing of mature stocks, the extra logistics required to transport turf from singleton, combined with the added demand of turf this has immense pressure on their team.

The damages Green Life Turf incurred included erosion to riverbanks, drainage systems blocking and failing, pump sites being washed away, broken fences, damaged irrigator infrastructure, damage to sheds, offices, cool room, and the loss of crops.

“As soon as the flood waters receded and we could get access to our properties again, we started to wash and broom out all the silt from our sheds and offices. We then started to focus on fixing failed drainage in our paddocks to help them dry up, allowing us to start salvaging the crops that we could,” Joshua Muscat from Green Life Turf said.

This has been a long and ongoing process for the Green Life team. They started by fixing things that were important for supply first and are continuing to work towards finding time to fix other things, like the fences.

“We keep on doing what we do best. Growing and supply the highest quality turf possible.”
Joshua Muscat, Green Life Turf

If it wasn’t for the resilience, quick thinking and innovative nature of the modern turf farmer that saw flood clean ups at record speed, using new flood recovery and silt removal techniques, the current turf supply crisis may have been a lot worse. We are now seeing the turf quality and supply chains starting to return to normal, which is possibly the quickest we have seen in history.

Earl’s Turf would like to thank Geoff Hatton from Cobbitty Turf for helping them out, providing valuable knowledge and giving them the use of their Blecavator to help rebuild the farm.

Mollymook Golf Club Beachside Golf Course Renovation

Beachside is one of two beautiful golf courses housed under the Mollymook Golf Club. Beachside is a 9-hole, par 33 course that lies atop the southern tip of the gorgeous Mollymook Beach, surrounding the stunning Collers Beach inlet. One of the larger tourist attractions for the small South Coast town, Beachside Golf Course accommodates many new faces, as well as regularly hosting its loyal members.

After many successful years and a strong community presence, the Mollymook Golf Club made the decision for its Beachside Course to undergo a transformation. A massive redesign and course restructure was on the agenda, with opportunity to level up the functionality, and overall experience for those who step up to the tees.

This renovation project was originally discussed around 15 years ago, with several redesigns proposed by various architects, but the project never got off the ground. Over recent years, the Club has become very strong financially, and the renovation project was revisited roughly 3 years ago with the various stages of planning discussed between Programmed Turnpoint (Construction and Maintenance Services), Troon Golf (Golf Club Management Services) and Mollymook Golf Club. Mollymook Golf Club were planning to start construction in winter of 2020, but it was postponed by 12 months due to the uncertainty of Covid-19 at that time. Programmed and Troon worked very closely behind the scenes to present the final design to the Club that ticked all the boxes.

The main reason for the course redesign, was to improve safety both on and around the course. With 9 holes in a rectangle that is surrounded by houses, roads and pedestrian traffic, issues can arise time to time. The 1st and 9th holes had a public road going across the middle of them which was not ideal. As the Club worked its way through the design process, it became more and more evident that moving a couple of tees and greens wasn’t going to be enough. When the final design shortened the course from a Par 33 to a Par 28, the club wanted to provide superior playing surfaces and raise the profile of the course.

The Club agreed the best way forward was to rebuild every tee and green in the renovation with a whole new irrigation system to compliment the course. An irrigation system was a high priority, being both a vital and sustainable step for large-scale area turfing during its establishment, and future maintenance.

Mollymook Golf Club were working with a short time frame (18 weeks) to complete the whole project to get the course open again in time for the busy tourist season in December.  After a few meetings and visits to other courses, it was decided to seed all the greens and returf all the surrounds and tees.

The Mollymook Golf Club had a small team that have worked very closely all the way through the design, planning and construction phases which included preliminary site visits to other courses and local turf farm, Turfco.

The design and construction plan were spearheaded by;

• Justin Trott, the General Manager of Programmed Turnpoint and a very experienced course architect.
• David Lunardelli, the Director of Agronomy for Troon, has a wealth of knowledge in agronomy and new golf courses.
• Barry West, the Golf Manager at Mollymook Golf Club who has been involved in several large golf projects interstate and overseas.
• Mollymook Golf Club Superintendent Mark Pullinger, who has worked on the courses at Mollymook for over 20 years before becoming the Superintendent 3 years ago, with good knowledge of what is above and below the ground at Mollymook.

Turfco produces more than 200 acres of quality turf and is the NSW South Coast’s only Lawn Solutions Australia accredited turf grower. The Turfco team were included in the planning process during multiple site visits to the Berry Turfco Farm. Mollymook Golf Club presented a timeframe that scheduled the large-scale turf installation within September-November 2021. Turfco would supply a quantity of around 3,500m2 within this window, with Mollymook Golf Club and Programmed Turnpoint to complete the turf installation.

With Beachside Course is subject to both full sun and heavily shaded areas, as well as constant high traffic and wear & tear, the Mollymook team were in the market for a turf that could thrive in this setting. Turfco hosted various display visits to farm the Mollymook Golf Club with all the necessary knowledge to ensure a successful returfing on the Beachside Course.

Sir Grange Zoysia was the favoured variety for the Mollymook team for both its beauty and heavily researched qualities. In the month of May 2021, Turfco delivered a small quantity of Sir Grange as a trial on a particular Beachside tee. The team were impressed with the results, despite the turf being laid in the cooler months. The go-ahead was granted for Sir Grange Zoysia on the Beachside Golf Course reconstruction.

The greens were seeded with a mix of A1/A4 Bent and the surrounds were solid turfed with Sir Grange Zoysia while the tees were solid turfed with TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda.  The Club wanted a low maintenance grass for the surrounds that looks very impressive hence the Sir Grange Zoysia, while also after a grass that can handle high traffic and repair quickly, so the TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda was an obvious choice. TifTuf was also selected areas for its fast establishment, ensuring a quick turnaround for the more popular spots that were of high priority in the reopening.

It was decided to periodically deliver the quantities of turf over two-three months. Spaced intervals allowed both Turfco and the Mollymook Golf Club to manage and optimise the workload, while allowing certain areas of the course an extended period of establishment prior to the reopening.

Pictured on October 12th, 2021 is a progress update of two areas of Sir Grange laid at different times (8th Green).

In the coming weeks Turfco will begin their delivery of TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda to Beachside Golf Course.

Turfco and Mollymook Golf Club have a long-standing relationship developed over many years, in the past supplying Eureka Kikuyu turf. Turfco welcomed the opportunity to provide The Club with a more suitable turf variety that would top-off their course transformation.

The Superintendent Mark, and many others at the Beachside Golf Course are well equipped and experienced individuals who no doubt will provide the course with all the required maintenance and care.