3 NFL teams turn to Indiana business for loads of sod
PATOKA, Ind. (AP) - A Colts fan, a Bengals fan and a Titans fan walk into a bar.
It's just a typical NFL Sunday in the Evansville area, save for the Bears contingent (and any loyal Rams fans left). Sure, this is Colts country, but it's conveniently about the same distance to Nashville and Cincinnati, too.
The Colts, Bengals and Titans appreciate their roots in Southwestern Indiana - literally.
GrassMasters Sod Farm, located in Gibson County, is in the process of harvesting Bermuda grass to cover football fields for all three franchises before the end of the month. It's working on the NFL's schedule because the sod needs to settle before training camp begins in late July.
"There's not another sod farm in the entire United States that provides sod for three different NFL teams," said Pam Bammer, who owns the farm with her husband, Joe. "It's a big deal for us."
By mid-June, they harvested and transported 15 semi-truck loads to Paul Brown Stadium, where the sod was installed on the Bengals' practice fields. (A truckload is about 9,000 square feet of sod. There are roughly 25 rolls, which are 42 inches wide by 100 feet long.)
They also sent the Titans 15 truckloads to cover the playing surface at Nissan Stadium.
The last week of June is reserved for the Colts, who buy GrassMasters' sod for their Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center practice fields.
"It's really neat," Pam Bammer said. "They're all really nice people. The expectations are much higher, of course, but they're extremely easy people to get along with. That's not always the case."
The Bengals were the first to come calling in 2014. The Colts followed in '16 and this is the first year the Titans contracted them.
GrassMasters has been operating on a family farm with about 350 acres in Patoka, Indiana, since 1997. In total, there are 25 workers during the busy summer months. The Bammers also are seeding a new farm in Colorado and have partnership farms in Lexington, Kentucky, as well as Panama.
Southern Indiana, however, exists in what farm manager Aaron Neufelder deems a "transitional belt." Bermuda grass is ideally grown in the south while fescue is northern, but GrassMasters is able to grow both here.
"But you can't grow either one really well," said Neufelder, who's been leading a crew working 12-hour days starting at 6 a.m. to fulfill the NFL's needs.
"Growing Bermuda grass is the easiest job in the world," he added. "The only bad part is winter kills it."
In 2019, there will be 19 NFL stadiums with natural grass and 12 with artificial turf, including the Bengals and Colts. The Jets and Giants share a stadium with artificial turf and once the Rams and Chargers move into a new stadium in 2020, there will be roughly a 50/50 split between natural and artificial surfaces.
What makes the grass in Southern Indiana so special? It's grown in indigenous sand.
The Bengals ordered Northridge, which has high wear tolerance and outstanding shear strength. The Titans chose a new type of sod, Tahoma 31, which has been rated No. 1 in quality and cold tolerance. Both kinds are soft yet have tightly grown roots.
"That's what's saving these guys' knees when they're cutting," Neufelder said. "They have something stable to cut into."
Their sod is used throughout the region. From new Jagoe Homes to golf courses to all sports fields at Kentucky and Louisville, Purdue football's Ross-Ade Stadium and Indiana soccer's Jerry Yeagley Field.
"The problem with us is all the big-time people come to us, but we have a hard time selling locally," Pam said. "I don't know why. I've never quite figured it out."
Joe Bammer has worked as a farm manager in California, North Carolina, Georgia and Alabama since growing up in Colorado. Ultimately, he decided to start his own farm in Southern Indiana, where he was raised for a few years while his mother attended the University of Evansville.
They've also done work at various local high schools. Except, many football fields have switched to artificial turf with North Posey and Mount Vernon being the latest to keep up with the Joneses.
Neufelder claims it would be in schools' best interest financially to switch back to natural grass. At least 27 percent of high school football fields are now turf, according to the Indiana High School Athletic Association.
"I don't know if they're not doing their research, but those fields are only warrantied for 7-8 years and they're costing $800,000," he said. "We could resod their field every year and they'd still save $200,000 over an eight-year period."
GrassMasters' reputation for having quality products is good enough for the NFL, at least.
In about a month, Andrew Luck, Marcus Mariota and Andy Dalton will be leading their respective offenses atop grass grown in Gibson County, Indiana.
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Source: Evansville Courier & Press
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Information from: Evansville Courier & Press, http://www.courierpress.com