The Adoption of Low-Input Turfgrasses in the Midwestern US: The Case of Fine Fescues and Tall Fescue
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Literature Review
3. Materials and Methods
3.1. Data Description
3.2. Empirical Model Specification
4. Results
4.1. Descriptive Statistics
4.2. Regression Results
4.2.1. Factors Influencing the Purchase of Low-Input Turfgrasses among Sod Buyers
4.2.2. How Much Low-Input Turfgrasses Did Buyers Purchase?
5. Discussion
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Variable Name | Mean | Standard Deviation | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Fescue | 0.47 | 0.50 | 1 = if the sod buyer has purchased fine fescues or tall fescue in 2020, 0 otherwise |
Fescue | 91,233.82 | 396,615.80 | Quantity of fine fescues and tall fescues purchased in 2020 in square feet |
Suppliers | 2.18 | 1.31 | Number of suppliers the buyer purchased sod from in 2020 |
Experience | 39.18 | 31.50 | Age of the business in number of years |
Employees | 28.96 | 50.01 | Number of full-time, part-time, and H2B workers in the business in 2020 |
Sod growers | 0.89 | 0.31 | 1 = if the sod supplier is a sod grower, 0 otherwise |
Storage | 5.61 | 28.64 | Quantity of sod stored for over 24 h in thousands of square feet |
Percentage contract Z | 0.34 | 0.47 | 1 = if the sod buyer purchased at least half of their sod through contract agreements, 0 otherwise |
Percentage preorder Z | 0.41 | 0.49 | 1 = if the sod buyer purchased at least half of their sod through contract agreements, 0 otherwise |
Percentage retail Z | 0.04 | 0.20 | 1 = if the sod buyer purchased at least half of their sod through retail markets, 0 otherwise |
Percentage spot market Z | 0.11 | 0.31 | 1 = if the sod buyer purchased at least half of their sod through the spot market, 0 otherwise |
Spring Z | 0.25 | 0.43 | 1 = if the sod buyer purchased at least half of their sod during spring, 0 otherwise |
Summer Z | 0.25 | 0.43 | 1 = if the sod buyer purchased at least half of their sod during summer, 0 otherwise |
Fall Z | 0.38 | 0.49 | 1 = if the sod buyer purchased at least half of their sod during the fall, 0 otherwise |
Bermudagrass Z (Bermudagrass is not a recommended grass for much of the Midwestern regions of the US. It is expected that only a small number of respondents would buy the species.) | 0.12 | 0.33 | 1 = if the sod buyer purchased bermudagrass in 2020, 0 otherwise |
Kentucky bluegrass Z | 0.45 | 0.50 | 1 = if the sod buyer purchased Kentucky bluegrass in 2020, 0 otherwise |
Landscapers Z | 0.51 | 0.50 | 1 = if the sod buyer is a landscape contractor, garden center, landscape maintenance or lawncare professional, 0 otherwise |
Close distance | 35.77 | 60.10 | The closest distance from the sod supplier to on-site delivery in miles |
Midwest Z | 0.69 | 0.46 | 1 = if the operation is a business in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin; 0 otherwise |
Suppliers’ attributes | |||
Availability Z | 0.89 | 0.32 | 1 = if the buyer considers the availability of sod desired to be a very or extremely important supplier attribute, 0 otherwise |
Distance Z | 0.47 | 0.50 | 1 = if the buyer considers the supplier’s distance to their operation to be very or extremely important, 0 otherwise |
Relation Z | 0.56 | 0.50 | 1 = if the buyer considers relationship with supplier to be very or extremely important, 0 otherwise |
Delivery Z | 0.90 | 0.31 | 1 = if the buyer considers on-time delivery to be very or extremely important, 0 otherwise |
Price Z | 0.20 | 0.40 | 1 = if the buyer considers willingness to negotiate price to be a very or extremely important supplier attribute, 0 otherwise |
Sod attributes | |||
Fertilization Z | 0.48 | 0.50 | 1 = if fertilization needs are very or extremely important for the buyer when buying sod, 0 otherwise |
Weed Z | 0.90 | 0.30 | 1 = if weed infestation is very or extremely important for the buyer when buying sod, 0 otherwise |
Mowing frequency Z | 0.44 | 0.50 | 1 = if mowing frequency is very or extremely important for the buyer when buying sod, 0 otherwise |
Density Z | 0.86 | 0.35 | 1 = if density is very or extremely important for the buyer when buying sod, 0 otherwise |
Growth Z | 0.50 | 0.50 | 1 = if upright growth habit is very or extremely important for buyer when buying sod, 0 otherwise |
Root development Z | 0.85 | 0.36 | 1 = if root development is a very or extremely important for the buyer when buying sod, 0 otherwise |
Drought tolerance Z | 0.71 | 0.45 | 1 = if drought tolerance is very or extremely important for the buyer when buying sod, 0 otherwise |
Shade Z | 0.44 | 0.50 | 1 = if shade tolerance is very or extremely important for the buyer when buying sod, 0 otherwise |
Local Z | 0.52 | 0.50 | 1 = if locally grown is very or extremely important for the buyer when buying sod, 0 otherwise |
Disease resistance Z | 0.74 | 0.44 | 1 = if disease resistance is very or extremely important for the buyer when buying sod, 0 otherwise |
Traffic Z | 0.82 | 0.39 | 1 = if the ability to withstand foot traffic is very or extremely important for the sod buyer when buying sod, 0 otherwise |
Color Z | 0.67 | 0.47 | 1 = if color is very or extremely important for the sod buyer when buying sod, 0 otherwise |
Sun tolerance Z | 0.62 | 0.49 | 1 = if full sun tolerance is very or extremely important for the sod buyer when buying sod, 0 otherwise |
Heat tolerance Z | 0.70 | 0.46 | 1 = if heat tolerance is very or extremely important for the sod buyer when buying sod |
Summer performance Z | 0.79 | 0.41 | 1 = if summer performance is very or extremely important for the buyer when buying sod, 0 otherwise |
Buyer’s Perceptions | |||
Extension Z | 0.68 | 0.47 | 1 = if the sod buyer considers university extensions to be very or extremely useful for their business, 0 otherwise |
Conference Z | 0.59 | 0.49 | 1 = if the sod buyer considers conferences and trade expos to be very or extremely useful for their business, 0 otherwise |
Turf breeders Z | 0.41 | 0.49 | 1 = if the sod buyer considers turfgrass breeders to be a very or extremely useful source of information for their business, 0 otherwise |
Labor skill Z | 0.61 | 0.49 | 1 = if the buyer considers access to skilled labor to be an important factor for their business success, 0 otherwise |
Customer retention Z | 0.67 | 0.47 | 1 = if the buyer considers customer retention to be an important factor for their business success, 0 otherwise |
Environment Z | 0.42 | 0.49 | 1 = if the buyer considers environmental regulation to be an important factor for their business success, 0 otherwise |
H2B Z | 0.16 | 0.37 | 1 = if the buyer considers access to H2B labor to be an important factor for their business success, 0 otherwise |
Housing Z | 0.25 | 0.43 | 1 = if the buyer considers growing construction to be very or extremely important for their business success, 0 otherwise |
Buyer’s motivations | |||
Competitors Z | 0.13 | 0.34 | 1 = if buyers purchased fine fescues and tall fescues to catch up with competitors, 0 otherwise |
Clients Z | 0.34 | 0.48 | 1 = if the buyer purchased fine fescues and tall fescues because their clients demanded it, 0 otherwise |
Crop mix Z | 0.36 | 0.48 | 1 = if the buyer purchased fine fescues and tall fescues to diversify crop mix, 0 otherwise |
New products Z | 0.33 | 0.47 | 1 = if the buyer purchased fine fescues and tall fescues to provide new products to customers, 0 otherwise |
Lower fertilization needs Z | 0.44 | 0.50 | 1 = if the buyer purchased fine fescues and tall fescues because of lower fertilization needs, 0 otherwise |
Lower irrigation needs Z | 0.39 | 0.49 | 1 = if the buyer purchased fine fescues and tall fescues because of lower irrigation needs, 0 otherwise |
Lower mowing needs Z | 0.65 | 0.48 | 1 = if the buyer purchased fine fescues and tall fescues because of lower mowing needs, 0 otherwise |
Variable | Factors Influencing the Purchase of Low-Input Turfgrasses | Factors Influencing the Amount of Low-Input Turfgrasses Purchased | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Marginal Effects | Robust Std. Err. | Coefficients | Robust Std. Err. | |||
Suppliers | 3.83 | 2.06 | * | −0.40 | 0.34 | |
Experience | 1.26 | 0.89 | −0.01 | 0.10 | ||
Employees | 0.16 | 0.58 | 0.34 | 0.09 | ||
Sod growers | 26.60 | 9.74 | *** | 5.10 | 1.85 | *** |
Storage | 0.37 | 0.16 | ** | 0.03 | 0.01 | *** |
Percentage contract | 16.17 | 9.62 | * | 0.15 | 1.71 | ** |
Percentage preorder | 5.73 | 8.60 | 0.30 | 1.54 | ||
Percentage retail | 24.17 | 15.68 | −0.47 | 2.31 | ||
Percentage spot market | 26.01 | 11.11 | −0.77 | 1.62 | ||
Spring | 13.30 | 7.10 | ** | −0.73 | 1.06 | |
Summer | 5.37 | 8.16 | 0.71 | 1.33 | ||
Fall | 6.52 | 6.84 | 0.76 | 1.01 | ||
Bermudagrass | 1.09 | 11.35 | 0.06 | 1.53 | ||
Kentucky bluegrass | −19.85 | 6.29 | *** | −2.29 | 1.22 | * |
Landscapers | 19.40 | 7.13 | *** | 1.54 | 1.28 | |
Close distance | −0.21 | 0.08 | *** | 0.03 | 0.02 | |
Midwest | −1.77 | 7.18 | 0.48 | 0.86 | ||
Availability | 30.66 | 12.31 | ** | 3.82 | 2.09 | * |
Distance | −5.05 | 6.35 | −0.22 | 1.02 | ||
Relation | 10.31 | 6.37 | * | −0.19 | 0.83 | |
Delivery | 0.41 | 12.17 | 0.29 | 1.55 | ||
Price | 4.82 | 8.11 | −0.74 | 1.28 | ||
Fertilization | 2.01 | 7.08 | 1.32 | 1.19 | ||
Weed infestation | 17.60 | 13.05 | 2.77 | 1.89 | ||
Mowing frequency | −5.01 | 7.18 | 0.14 | 0.86 | ||
Density | −23.29 | 11.73 | −2.64 | 1.59 | * | |
Growth habit | −0.61 | 6.44 | −0.69 | 0.80 | ||
Root development | −11.13 | 9.09 | −1.31 | 1.24 | ||
Drought tolerance | 14.71 | 8.22 | * | −3.36 | 1.40 | |
Shade tolerance | 11.21 | 6.86 | * | −1.04 | 0.97 | |
Local | −9.11 | 6.38 | −1.35 | 1.17 | ||
Disease resistance | −14.00 | 9.12 | 1.42 | 1.38 | ||
Traffic | 1.73 | 8.74 | 0.94 | 1.35 | ||
Color | 4.04 | 7.36 | 0.30 | 1.24 | ||
Sun tolerance | −2.75 | 7.40 | 0.51 | 0.98 | ||
Heat tolerance | 0.34 | 9.13 | 0.78 | 1.37 | ||
Summer performance | 7.99 | 9.20 | 0.68 | 1.29 | ||
Extension | −4.63 | 6.47 | 0.01 | 1.01 | ||
Conference | −8.49 | 6.00 | 0.18 | 0.79 | ||
Turf breeders | −12.74 | 6.68 | −0.39 | 1.14 | ||
Labor skill | −14.05 | 6.18 | ** | 0.37 | 1.03 | |
Customer retention | 5.60 | 7.73 | 1.78 | 1.55 | ||
Environment | 6.71 | 5.95 | −1.37 | 1.00 | ||
H2B | 7.24 | 8.67 | −0.65 | 1.11 | ||
Competitor | - | - | −5.59 | 1.04 | *** | |
Clients | - | - | −1.20 | 1.02 | ||
Diversify | - | - | 0.42 | 1.11 | ||
New Products | - | - | 1.41 | 1.14 | ||
Fertilization needs | - | - | −0.35 | 0.89 | ||
Water needs | - | - | 0.34 | 1.21 | ||
Mowing needs | - | - | 0.65 | 0.98 |
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Philocles, S.; Torres, A.P.; Patton, A.J.; Watkins, E. The Adoption of Low-Input Turfgrasses in the Midwestern US: The Case of Fine Fescues and Tall Fescue. Horticulturae 2023, 9, 550. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9050550
Philocles S, Torres AP, Patton AJ, Watkins E. The Adoption of Low-Input Turfgrasses in the Midwestern US: The Case of Fine Fescues and Tall Fescue. Horticulturae. 2023; 9(5):550. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9050550
Chicago/Turabian StylePhilocles, Sanchez, Ariana P. Torres, Aaron J. Patton, and Eric Watkins. 2023. "The Adoption of Low-Input Turfgrasses in the Midwestern US: The Case of Fine Fescues and Tall Fescue" Horticulturae 9, no. 5: 550. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9050550
APA StylePhilocles, S., Torres, A. P., Patton, A. J., & Watkins, E. (2023). The Adoption of Low-Input Turfgrasses in the Midwestern US: The Case of Fine Fescues and Tall Fescue. Horticulturae, 9(5), 550. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9050550