Corvallis firm supplies grass seed for World Cup
CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) — When play begins in the 2010 FIFA World Cup on Friday, Benton County will be represented both on the field — in the form of former Oregon State University soccer player Robbie Findley — and in the field, in the form of grass from seed provided by Corvallis' Seed Research of Oregon.
The company's South African distributor, Agricol, purchased about 165,000 pounds of seed for the World Cup, according to Bill Dunn, executive vice president of Seed Research of Oregon.
The company sent four varieties of grass, two of Kentucky bluegrass and two of perennial ryegrass, to South Africa for the event.
Dunn said most of the order was perennial seed, "and most of that was grown right here in Oregon."
Each of the nine World Cup playing fields or "pitches" was resurfaced for the tournament.
"The FIFA organization is very particular about the surface they play on," Dunn said. "They wanted to play on a consistent surface."
Artificial turf doesn't make the cut, nor does what Dunn described as "native warm spring grasses," such as Bermuda grass.
At least 8 percent of seed at every site is from Seed Research of Oregon. At some sites, 100 percent of the seed is from the company. The process started last June, selecting the seed lots and arranging shipping. The first shipments went out last July.
"It really takes forever," Dunn said.
Seed was planted through about January, so the fields would have about six months of growth. "We've looked at the turf and it really looks great," Dunn said.
The World Cup won't last forever, but Dunn said there will likely be continued financial gain to the company. "The big crowds will leave and those stadiums will remain there and they'll remain in use," Dunn said.
Agricol expects the World Cup to result in a 20-30 percent increase in business, he said. Rugby is very popular in South Africa and just like soccer, the playing fields need good grass.
The World Cup isn't the only high-profile event to use seed from Seed Research of Oregon.
"We're actually well-known in the golf markets both here and worldwide," Dunn said. The company supplies seed for major golf courses around the country, including Augusta National Golf Club. The company also has a long-term relationship with the Kansas City Chiefs, and has supplied seed for the NFL team's practice and game fields.
But the World Cup business has produced an unusually high level of excitement in the company, which is owned by Toronto-based Pickseed Group. "The World Cup response has been phenomenal throughout the entire organization," Dunn said, "from every remote province in Canada to our customers all across the U.S."
It's made for a fun change of pace.
"Most of the time the business is not that glamorous," Dunn said. "It's hard work and very competitive."
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Information from: Gazette-Times, http://www.gtconnect.com
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.
