3 minute read
The Grass Really is Greener at Collins Wharf Sod
Story by Nancy L. Smith. Photos by Nancy L. Smith, Collins Wharf Sod, and the Philadelphia Phillies
There is a bit of Maryland’s Eastern Shore in the City of Brotherly Love. Practically all of Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies, is blanketed in sod from Collins Wharf Sod Farm in Eden, Maryland.
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Photo courtesy of Collins Wharf Sod
Eddie Moore and his father, Fred Jr., a member of MidAtlantic Farm Credit’s Board of Directors, can boast that their sod has also previously covered Washington Nationals Park and FedEx Field both in Washington, D.C. and Camden Yards in Baltimore. “One World Series and two All-Star games have been played on our grass,” Fred notes proudly. The farm also provides about 98 percent of the grass at Congressional Country Club, located in Bethesda, Maryland.
Eddie’s great-grandparents began the farm 100 years ago, growing fresh-market fruits and vegetables. Eddie became interested in growing grass at age 12 and asked for permission. His grandfather, Fred Moore, Sr., said, “I’ve been trying to kill grass my whole life and you want to grow it,” Eddie recalls. But Fred Sr. supported Eddie’s dream. “We started with about 60 acres of fescue and bluegrass. Now, we’re growing about 600 acres of a lot of different varieties of grass,” says Eddie. That’s enough to cover a baseball park about 260 times.
Photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Phillies organization
Eddie, who employs 15 to 18 mostly full-time workers, has incorporated technology throughout the operation and plans to implement more.
He says, “I use GPS technology for tillage, mowing, spreading fertilizer, and spraying. It really cuts down on overlap which equates to time savings. It contributes immensely to the quality of our product when you can get an even spread of a chemical or a product.” Fred adds, “We can spray more efficiently and more economically, meaning we get better use of all the material with the GPS.”
Eddie says the biggest savings is from using GPS on mowers. “When you’re doing that every day for eight to 10 hours a day, those overlaps are important.” Fred notes, “With GPS, the mowers can go to any spot in the field and you just press a button and the tractor drives to the other end of the field.”
“Last year we installed variable rate irrigation. It allows you to order supplemental water on certain parts of the field. We’re becoming a lot more costefficient in what we apply and where we apply it. Customers wouldn’t know anything about this, except the quality of our product,” Eddie says.
He also uses automated harvesting equipment that rolls and stacks sod on a pallet, eliminating the need to hand-stack the rolls. Eddie explains, “It drives itself automatically. It senses the last pass that you made and follows it.” He believes precision agriculture “leads to sustainability through efficiency.”
The farm also incorporates technology that is not directly related to crop production. “We installed our own radio system. We used to have to text everybody and now we are in communication with each other in a 10- or 12-mile radius.”
Eddie is excited about his next innovation — e-ticketing. “We will be able to notify customers when loads are cut, when they are going to be delivered, and better service our customers’ needs.” Farm Credit loan officer Amy Rowe says, “This will set them apart from their competitors. It’s extraordinary for the sod industry.”
Eddie is looking forward to more technology. “I can’t wait for autonomous mowers. To be able to put a mower out into the field and let it do its job — that’s very intriguing to me.” Such equipment is not yet commercially available but Eddie promises, “I would be one of the first to sign up for it.”
He credits his family for his success. “It’s very important to me that I got to where I am with the help of my family through teamwork,” he says. His father Fred Jr., wife Megan, and sister Renee Moore are important parts of the enterprise. His niece Kara Holland is also helping to implement the e-ticketing software. Through teamwork and technology, this farm can continue to grow for future generations.
Find out more about Collins Wharf Sod online at collinswharfsod.com Facebook: @CollinsWharfSod Twitter: @cwsod_
Photo courtesy of Collins Wharf Sod
