Writer: Blair Fannin, 979-845-2259,b-fannin@tamu.edu
Contact: Dr. Kurt Steinke, 979-862-1412, ksteinke@ag.tamu.edu
Writer: Blair Fannin, 979-845-2259, b-fannin@tamu.edu
Contact: Dr. Kurt Steinke, 979-862-1412, ksteinke@ag.tamu.edu
COLLEGE STATION – Turf grass once used for research at Texas A&M University is now beautifying Habitat for Humanity homes in the Bryan-College Station area.
Enough turf was available to fill 11 yards for Habitat for Humanity in the Bryan-College Station area using turf left from field plots at Texas A&M University. (Texas Agricultural Experiment Station photo)
Dr. Kurt Steinke, a turfgrass researcher with the department of soil and crop sciences at Texas A&M, was renovating field plots used for trial studies on the west side of campus when an idea came to him. He thought of a way to give the Bermuda grass a second life instead of turning it into waste.
Turf pictured is part of several plots used for experiments and research on Texas A&M's west campus. (Texas Agricultural Experiment Station photo by Blair Fannin)
“I wanted to remove a rather large section of turf to replace it with a different species,” he said. “In the past, the sod has just gone to a junk or debris pile. We figured why not see if Habitat (for Humanity) would be interested in taking the sod and putting it to good use.”
William Gavranovic, owner of Horizon Turf, a local sod farm operation, volunteered equipment and labor to strip the old sod and make 115-foot rolls. Habitat homeowners also assisted in laying the sod in their own yards, Steinke said.
By the time the sod was removed and rolled, enough turf was available to fill 11 yards.
“We just felt this turf had a use instead of it heading to a local landfill,” Steinke said. “We’re glad it could be used by someone and help out the community.”
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