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Agricultural Careers Turf Grower. By: Dr. Frank Flanders and Trisha Rae Stephens Georgia Agricultural Education Curriculum Office Georgia Department of Education June 2005. START. Job Duties & Responsibilities. Oversee field workers, mechanics, and truck drivers.
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Agricultural Careers Turf Grower By: Dr. Frank Flanders and Trisha Rae Stephens Georgia Agricultural Education Curriculum Office Georgia Department of Education June 2005 START
Job Duties & Responsibilities • Oversee field workers, mechanics, and truck drivers. • Make sure that fields are irrigated on schedule. • Make sure that all equipment is working properly and is safe for the workers. • Establish and maintain good pest and weed control program. • Oversee the harvesting and shipping of sod. • Market sod.
Qualities and Skills • Ability to lift and handle heavy objects • Ability to communicate verbally • Ability to work outdoors for long periods of time • Ability to stand, kneel, stoop or squat repetitively
Salary Starting salaries vary widely depending on the area of the country. They typically range from $22,000 to $27,000 a year plus benefits. However, a beginner in turf production with a high school education may start out at little more than minimum wage. It is common for a student just graduating to work as an assistant to a professional turf grower for one or more years to gain experience before moving into a position of greater responsibility and opportunity. Professional turf growers/managers with a college degree in turfgrass science and 10 to 15 years experience in the turfgrass industry currently earn $37,000 or more a year.
Work Environment • Most work is done outdoors • Work five days a week normally but six to seven days a week during the busy season • Some indoor office work is required
Becoming a Turf Grower • Take classes, such as agronomy, horticulture, and biology. • Get a job on a sod farm or with a landscape business specializing in turf. • Take short-courses in turf grass science and management.
Career Resources Turfgrass Producers International1855-A Hicks RoadRolling Meadows, IL 60008 Internet: http://www.turfgrasssod.org/ American Society for Horticultural Science 113 South West Street Suite 200 Alexandria, VA 22314 Internet: http://www.ashs.org/