Sod farm finalizing plans to locate in Janesville
Podcast Episode
JANESVILLE — A "start-up" sod farm could still come to Janesville, but the first phase of the project may take a little longer than first envisioned, and the number of employees is scaled back.
Darren Kennedy, of RecyGrow, says they've been working with Doug Venable from the City of Janesville and found a place in the industrial park near Avalon Road that fits their needs.
Kennedy says they must do a lot of marketing before they begin the operation because they need contracts before they can start growing the types of sod needed.
He says they expect to get the first phase of the business going by March of 2010. They would hire about 50 employees for that, and would hire more as the business expands. He says they're not ready to hire anyone yet.
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Jun 30, 2009 at 7:15 a.m.
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"As long as sod is legal I don't see why it shouldn't be a business."
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A non-smoking business, right?
Jun 30, 2009 at 7:13 a.m.
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There is a large area down off of Delavan Drive that would make a nice big sod farm. Of course, there are some buildings and millions of square feet of asphalt and concrete to deal with first...but that might create some jobs, if only for a little while. Then they can go back to watching the grass grow...
Jun 30, 2009 at 6:42 a.m.
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A responsibly used spell checker will prevent embarrassing spelling errors
Jun 30, 2009 at 6:39 a.m.
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Worst fresh water trouble is Phosphate. Phosphate is tightly bound to soil. Phosphate only moves to water when soil is eroaded. Best way to keep soil/phosphate out of the river is an instant sod. a responciblily maintaned lawn will hold back runoff, mulched clipping will return phosphorus to the garden.
Jun 29, 2009 at 2:16 p.m.
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partarican1- check out the original story from last April at http://www.gazettextra.com/news/2009/apr....
That might answer some of your questions. This is not your normal sod farm. Climate, pesticides and herbicides are mostly non-issues with this project. Also, the original story made it sound like the typical customer for this company will be government, not residential.
Anyway, read the April article and see if that takes care of some of your concerns.
Jun 29, 2009 at 1:58 p.m.
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Well, that seems like something to work the consumer end of things. Sod is still a viable business and there are ways to have a turf lawn that are less stressful on the environment, e.g. watering only when necessary.
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As long as sod is legal I don't see why it shouldn't be a business.
Jun 29, 2009 at 1:53 p.m.
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there are a few around the Jefferson area.
When people build homes they use sod or seed to start the lawn.
Jun 29, 2009 at 1:47 p.m.
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Why do we need a sod farm here? I was under the impression that turf lawns are no longer the status symbol of the American homestead. Those sod farms use a s#@$-ton of water because the grass is not suited for our climate. They use harsh chemical pesticides and herbicides to prevent the native plants from growing, and kill native species of animals(yes, insects are animals). Do we really need this kind of business here? I am not from the camp of "any business is good business", and Janesville should not be either. Just because something is available doesn't make it necessary or wanted.
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