Abstract

A study using government secondary data in conjunction with primary data collected through a national survey was conducted to assess the importance of the sod production industry to the United States economy. Results indicate that the 2,124 sod farms contributed over $1.72B in gross output or sales impacts to the U.S. economy, $1.31B in value added, employed 13,454 people, and paid $28.6M in indirect business taxes. The top five producing states in terms of sales impacts include Florida ($344M), Texas ($183M), Alabama ($118M), Georgia ($116M) and Oklahoma ($84M), accounting for nearly 50% of total sales.