The Enduring Legacy of Beck’s Turf in Alabama

Since 1938, Beck’s Turf, Inc. has been a staple in the turfgrass industry, providing turfgrass for residential, commercial, golf courses and sports fields. In 1994, brothers Jimmy and Wayne Bassett took over the operation, continuing the legacy with a focus on quality.

Background

Jimmy and Wayne Bassett grew up in Union Springs, Alabama, close to the sod farm they now own. Jimmy, a 1987 Auburn University (AU) graduate with a degree in business administration, and Wayne, who graduated from Troy University in 1986 with a marketing degree, combined their skills to purchase the farm from the Beck family. Wayne was working in sales for another sod farm at the time while Jimmy was a banker.

“We inherited a bunch of good employees to help us in the transition. We have people here that have worked almost 50 and 40 years,” Wayne said. He highlighted the importance of their long-standing workforce, including Eddie Stinson, their longest-serving employee, and Billy Pattillo, the farm manager, who has been an employee for over 40 years.

Operations and Innovations

The Bassetts have expanded the farm to include five operations within a ten-mile radius, employing 45 people, with most on the turfgrass side. They pride themselves on being the oldest zoysia farm in the United States, strategically located between Auburn and Tuskegee. Beck’s Turf originally had an ornamental tree nursery that the Bassetts shut down after a few years. They then opened The Wildlife Group nursery that grows nut and fruit-bearing trees and other wildlife habitat enhancement plants.

In 2000, they enhanced their turfgrass offerings by planting Celebration® Bermudagrass, a licensed variety, and have expanded over time to well over 100 acres of production. They’ve also updated their irrigation systems, started grid soil sampling and variable rate spreading. Most recently, Beck’s Turf has implemented using drones to spray chemicals on their fields.

“When you can’t get out there with ground equipment because of moisture and other elements but you need to apply something, you can do it with the drone. It speeds up some processes like this year we used it for our fire ant bait program,” Wayne said.

Jimmy explained the AU Turfgrass department conducts significant research on their farm. Most recently, they did a nutsedge test trial with new chemistry alongside Dr. Scott McElroy, Professor of Weed Science/Turf at AU’s Crop, Soil & Environmental Sciences Department. In June, they hosted a bus full of students from AU’s Auburn Global program, which offers international students opportunities for academic, language and career growth.

“We had 26 students from South Korea here yesterday for a farm tour. That’s good for the community and for spreading turfgrass internationally. You know, what are the benefits of turfgrass and why are we growing it? Not just because it’s pretty but because of the environmental effects too. We can use that as a platform to educate the world on the benefits of turfgrass,” Wayne said.

He also hosts Auburn Turfgrass classes several times throughout the academic year, allowing students to see a sod farming operation in person. In mid-April, Beck’s Turf hosted the AU Turfgrass Club’s Spring meeting. Members kayaked and fished in the ponds on the sod farm and they cooked dinner for them. Jimmy explained that it benefits them to form these relationships with the students down the road when they enter the field and purchase grass for their own businesses.

Views of the farm from the front porch of the office at Beck’s Turf.

Product Quality

“While there are so many grasses out there to pick from, I think Celebration is a consistent color, deep rooting turfgrass. In a lot of situations, it can be forgiving for the homeowners who might not follow the best management practices so they can whip it back into shape because it is a very tough, resilient turfgrass,” Wayne said.

The Bassetts recall when Sod Solutions President, Tobey Wagner, brought two slabs of Celebration in the late 1990s. They laid the slabs in their parking lot beside some 419 and watched it hold color even as it started drying out, far longer than old-standard Tifway 419. “That’s just one of the attributes but one I remember the most when he brought that by in the weeks before we started growing it,” Jimmy said.

They appreciate the support from Sod Solutions over the years, especially from field staff members like Territory Manager Gary Bradshaw, who show up at the farm whenever they have questions or concerns. Wayne also praised their marketing efforts in the industry.

Beck’s Turf primarily grows sod for residential sales but also handles some golf course renovations in the Birmingham area and has supplied grass for the Jane B. Moore Field, home of AU softball.

Industry Changes and Future

Wayne notes the importance of adapting to industry changes, such as automation and education. He emphasizes the need for municipalities to recognize the value of hiring turfgrass professionals. “They’ll spend millions of dollars on a sports complex but won’t hire a turfgrass professional to look after and maintain it,” he said.

Over the next decade, Wayne stresses the importance of efficiency and cost management. “Thirty years ago, the lot sizes were bigger and the houses were bigger. As lot sizes have decreased, there are more swimming pools, more outdoor kitchens, and fire pit areas, which has reduced the use of turfgrass. That’s made an impact of decreased use in natural turf in residential lawns so we have to figure out better delivery of controlling costs,” he said.

Wayne also emphasized the need to address regulatory challenges politically, improve research for EPA chemical registration and strengthen the presentation of the industry’s environmental friendliness through solid research.

Jimmy shared that increasing inflation is something they must focus on daily. They’ve increased the price of grass and delivery costs. “I think every farm runs into trying to grow the best quality grass that you can and selling it at a price that you can make a profit.”

Another way Beck’s Turf improves profits and streamlines day-to-day operations is through the implementation of Turf Logistics. The Sales and Logistics Coordinator, Jackie Yarbrough, explained that they adopted this software platform five years ago based on Jimmy’s recommendation. It is crucial in managing tree shipments from their nursery division, The Wildlife Group. While UPS handles the shipping, Turf Logistics manages inventory and invoicing and streamlines the pick ticket system for dispatching trees. The system also provides reports that are vital for invoicing and tracking sod sales.

“It’s a great database to keep up with our customers, storing all our phone numbers and managing our billing. It is our order database and then we sync it with our accounting software, QuickBooks,” she said.

Advice for Future Turfgrass Pros

Both Bassett brothers offer advice and suggestions for future turfgrass majors and enthusiasts. Wayne said, “Marry a good woman so she will support you in your endeavor of long hours and hard work. And make sure you have Jesus on your side.” Both brothers attribute much of their success to the support of their wives, Catherine (Jimmy) and Sheila (Wayne), as well as the dedication of their employees.

They also suggest hiring good people. With minimal turnover since they took over, they have grown close with their staff and consider them like family. They explained that many of their employees, including H2A workers, have been with them for many years. When an H2A worker retires or cannot return to the farm, they typically recruit their family members or someone they know to fill the position.

Jimmy shared that working with landscapers who enjoy what they do makes their job more enjoyable. “We’re proud of our product and our grass, and we always appreciate the compliments they give. It helps them sell their next job by us doing a good job for our landscapers. We’ve got landscapers who have been working with us for 30 years. We look for repeat customers and sometimes turn down big jobs to make sure we can supply our weekly and monthly customers with sod.”

He remembers shortly after they got into the business when the 1996 Summer Olympics were hosted in Atlanta, Georgia. They turned down some large quantity jobs because they needed to supply to their regular customers first. “So that’s what we’ve always tried to do.”

Wayne said any time they meet a customer who compliments the quality of sod they got from Beck’s Turf five, eight or even 10 years later, it is a very rewarding feeling.

Jimmy recalls receiving a call from a homeowner in Birmingham, AL, who needed some Emerald Zoysia to replace grass a utility company had torn up. The original sod had been purchased from Beck’s Turf in the early 1950s. After sending a few pallets, the customer called back to say the new grass matched almost perfectly, nearly fifty years later. Jimmy said it was incredible to know the original plant stock was still performing the same decades later.

Beck’s Turf focuses on quality, efficiency, and education, ensuring it remains a leader in the turfgrass industry. To learn more about their products and services, click here.