Conversely, the top three home fields with an A rating were all natural grass — and two of those three fields are grassed with Tahoma 31 Bermuda. In fact, half of all NFL natural grass stadium fields are Tahoma 31 surfaces. 

Developed by the turfgrass experts at Oklahoma State University, Tahoma 31 pushes the geographic boundaries of bermudagrass into the northernmost reaches of the Transition Zone. Highly cold-tolerant, the name “Tahoma” comes from the Native American word that means “frozen water.”

Of the 13 NFL teams playing on natural grass, seven had Tahoma 31 on their home stadium field for the 2025-2026 season. In addition, the Kansas City Chiefs have Tahoma 31 at their practice facility, but not yet in the stadium. 

Here’s a breakdown of the Tahoma 31 NFL player preference rankings: 

• A: Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens 
• A-: San Francisco 49rs. This past season marked the team’s inaugural season with the grass. 
• B+:  Jacksonville Jaguars, Washington Commanders 
• B-: Cleveland Browns 
• C : Chicago Bears 

<p>The post NFL Players Association Report Card: Players prefer natural grass over artificial turf first appeared on Athletic Turf.</p>

Envu is a global leader in environmental science, offering solutions to foster healthier environments, manage pests and control vector-borne diseases. Supported by a broad portfolio of established brands and best-in-class innovation capabilities, Envu focuses on professional applications across pest management, turf and ornamentals and vegetation management end-markets. Cary, N.C.-based Envu serves a diverse global customer base across more than 100 countries.  

“We are delighted to welcome GIC as a strategic investor in Envu, marking an exciting new chapter for our Company,” said Gilles Galliou, CEO of Envu.  “I would like to thank Cinven for its steadfast support and strategic guidance, which have been instrumental in driving our growth and success to date. Together with GIC and Cinven, we look forward to accelerating our innovation and delivering even greater value to our customers, employees and communities around the world.”  

Envu was created by Cinven in 2022 through its acquisition of Bayer’s Environmental Science professional business. Since then, Cinven has worked closely with management to drive strong earnings growth, notwithstanding a challenging macroeconomic backdrop, including through the following: 

• Executing a complex acquisition: Cinven executed a complex acquisition to establish a leading independent business with its own corporate identity and brand, standing up supply chain, IT and other enabling functions, also with the support of its Portfolio team. 
• Significantly strengthening the organization: More than 200 new hires have been made since the creation of Envu, including eight new senior leadership members. The company’s systems and processes have also been upgraded. 
• Accelerating organic growth: Leveraging its differentiated position, Envu has implemented a series of commercial best practices and executed more than 15 in-licensing deals to deliver strong organic growth. 
• Buy-and-build: The value-accretive acquisitions of FMC Corp. and In2Care have been completed, together with the Actellic portfolio expansion, broadening Envu’s solutions portfolio and footprint. 
• Operational improvements and organizational best practices: A number of initiatives have been implemented, driving profitability uplift, diversifying Envu’s supply chain and delivering sustainability best practices. 

 “We have been proud to support Envu’s transformation into a leading independent global environmental science platform,” said Pontus Pettersson, partner and head of industrials at Cinven. “We are excited to continue our ownership alongside our valued partner, GIC, working together to support the Company’s next phase of growth and longterm value creation. We believe Envu is well positioned to build on its momentum and further strengthen its leadership in the sector.”

“Envu’s progress … has established a world-class environmental science platform with clear strengths in innovation, portfolio breadth and customer relationships,” said Choo Yong Cheen, chief investment officer of private equity at GIC. “We share Cinven and the management team’s long-term vision and look forward to partnering with them to support Envu’s continued growth.”

<p>The post GIC purchases minority stake in Envu  first appeared on Athletic Turf.</p>

“This program has allowed our students to explore and experience agriculture in a non-traditional sense and in a way that relates to them,” said Kevin Magill, agriculture teacher and FFA advisor at Golden Valley High School. “Members are learning the value of taking care of the sports fields and arenas they play in.” 

The program is specifically designed to focus on sports facilities and how to maintain them, attracting many student athletes to take the class so they have the opportunity to take care of the fields they play on. 

“As someone who plays sports, it’s important to me to have a field that’s ready to play on when it’s game time,” said Grayson Dockstader, a Golden Valley FFA member. “I take pride in knowing not only do I get to play on these fields we tend, but I know how to take care of them.” 

Select members of the Golden Valley chapter who are involved in the turf and sports field management program have had the opportunity to travel to various sporting facilities, including the golf course at Pebble Beach, Oracle Park in San Francisco and the University of Southern California’s Coliseum. One group of students even had the chance to visit and tend to Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., before the Super Bowl. 

FFA is a school-based youth leadership development organization in the country with more than 1,042,245 student members as part of 9,407 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. 

<p>The post Golden Valley FFA students dive into turfgrass industry first appeared on Athletic Turf.</p>

The award is given to outstanding Ph.D. candidates who, in the final phase of their graduate studies, demonstrated overall excellence throughout their doctoral program in turfgrass research. 

The criteria for selecting award recipients include graduate work, academic record, dissertation, publications, leadership and extracurricular activities.

“It is an incredible honor to be selected as this year’s Musser Award of Excellence recipient, and I’m genuinely humbled to have my name listed among some of the greatest turfgrass scientists,” said Kahiu. “This achievement is owed to the steadfast support of my husband, Matthew, and my family.” 

Kahiu received a Bachelor of Science in environmental horticulture and landscaping technology from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Kenya, graduating in 2016. She completed a master’s in agronomy in 2022, with a minor in plant pathology, at Penn State University, where her research focused on demethylation-inhibitor fungicides and Clarireedia spp. In 2025, Kahiu earned a Ph.D. in plant, soil and environmental sciences at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where she maintained a 4.0 GPA. Her doctoral research examined putting green root-zone organic matter dynamics and turfgrass performance and she has produced multiple peer-reviewed publications.  

Kahiu currently serves as an assistant extension educator of turfgrass and weed ecology at the University of Connecticut. In this role, she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in turfgrass and weed science, conducts applied research, advises student organizations and develops professional training programs for turfgrass managers.  

“The Award means a great deal to me, and I am truly thankful to everyone who has guided and encouraged me through my journey, especially Dr. Jim Brosnan, Dr. John Kaminski and Mr. Charles Munyori,” said Kahiu. “Their mentorship has shown me the endless possibilities in this wonderful industry, that I plan to continue serving through my teaching and extension responsibilities at UConn.” 

To date, awards have been granted to doctoral students from universities including: Arizona, Auburn, Cornell, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Carolina State, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Michigan State, Rutgers, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Virginia Tech. 

Musser International Turfgrass Foundation president Frank Dobie said, “All of the applicants for the Award of Excellence are of the highest caliber. We strive to select the one candidate that we feel is the best of the best and, this year, that was Dr. Kahiu.” 

To learn more about Professor H. Burton Musser, the foundation’s history and past recipients of the award, visit the Musser Foundation website. 

<p>The post Musser International Turfgrass Foundation selects 2026 Award of Excellence recipient first appeared on Athletic Turf.</p>

During his 16-year tenure leading SPS, Reasons oversaw a period of transformational growth, with the business nearly tripling in size across the Americas. Reasons began his career with the company in 1986 and held leadership roles across sales, sales management and marketing before assuming leadership of the Professional Solutions business.

“Scott’s legacy of leadership, passion for winning and commitment to our people and customers has shaped Syngenta Professional Solutions into the leader it is today,” said Simon Elsworth, global head of Syngenta Professional Solutions. “Over the past 16 years, Scott has led extraordinary growth, built a strong and enduring culture and positioned SPS as the partner of choice across our professional markets. At the same time, I am excited for Dave to step into this role. His deep understanding of our customers, his commercial leadership and his ability to inspire teams make him the right leader to continue our momentum and lead SPS into its next chapter. Dave’s commitment to this business is unparalleled. He constantly pushes us all to be better for our customers and distributor partners, and that drive will be invaluable as we move forward.”

Ravel brings over 30 years of experience within the turf, ornamental and pest management industries and has spent more than 25 years with Syngenta and legacy companies, having held leadership roles across sales, marketing and key accounts. Since becoming head of sales in 2012, he has played a pivotal role in strengthening customer relationships, advancing the Syngenta solutions-based approach and supporting growth across golf, lawn care, ornamentals and professional pest management.

“Scott has had an incredible impact on this business — from the culture he helped build to the trust he earned with customers and partners across North America,” said Ravel. “Because of his leadership, our innovation pipeline has accelerated significantly, bringing solutions to market that address real unmet needs for our customers. As a result of Scott’s efforts, SPS is exceptionally well positioned today, and we will ensure business continuity for our customers as we move forward.”

<p>The post Dave Ravel to lead Syngenta Professional Solutions North America as Scott Reasons retires first appeared on Athletic Turf.</p>

As CEO, Ranchino will focus on accelerating Profile’s growth strategy, delivering operational excellence, and expanding Profile’s leadership in specialty agriscience materials, while continuing its long-standing commitment to innovation, sustainability and best-in-class customer outcomes.

He joined the company in 2021 as CFO, where he has played a key role in strengthening operational performance and advancing the company’s strategic priorities.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to continue working alongside our stakeholders as we write the next chapter of Profile’s history,” said Ranchino. “We have an exceptional team, a strong foundation and significant opportunities ahead to expand our impact. I look forward to channeling the company’s momentum into continued investments in innovation and sustainable solutions that help our customers succeed.”

“Mike has been an integral member of Profile’s leadership team and a trusted partner to the Board since joining as CFO,” said Harris Kealey, managing director at New Mountain Capital and a member of Profile’s Board of Directors. “On behalf of the Board, we are confident that Mike’s leadership skills and deep understanding of the business position him well to guide Profile through its next phase of growth.”

Ranchino brings more than two decades of leadership experience to the role. Prior to joining Profile, he held senior finance and operational leadership positions across several large organizations, including US Foods.

<p>The post Profile Products names Michael Ranchino CEO first appeared on Athletic Turf.</p>

Brown will work closely with the company’s network of professional distributors as well as with irrigation specifiers, landscape architects and landscape contractors, to provide industry support and further develop and enhance Munro’s current market presence. 

“Jason has over 20 years of experience in the irrigation industry and will be an elite solution provider for our partners in the Central region. Jason’s enthusiasm is matched only by our technical service team,” said Jeff Prell, national sales director for Munro.

“I think people will really enjoy his friendly and helpful demeanor,” Prell added.

<p>The post Munro names Jason Brown central US regional account manager first appeared on Athletic Turf.</p>

As the Official Tractor of MLB, Deere’s marketing assets across digital and linear media will spotlight the work that goes into every season, from maintaining backyards to caring for ballfields for communities where the game is played.

“For nearly two centuries, John Deere has stood alongside the hard-working, dedicated people who care for the land and who build our communities,” said Jon Chase, John Deere’s head of turf and utility equipment. “Now, through our partnership with Major League Baseball, we’re able to celebrate America’s favorite pastime, America’s favorite teams, America’s favorite players and the people who show up every day to build and grow America.”

A 360-degree multimedia advertising program will showcase the new partnership throughout the season, including on-site activations at the 2026 MLB at Field of Dreams game in Dyersville, Iowa, where baseball tradition meets agricultural heritage, and at MLB All-Star Week in Philadelphia.

“Baseball has always been deeply connected to America,” said Uzma Rawn Dowler, MLB CMO and senior vice president, Global Corporate Partnerships. “As we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, partnering with John Deere brings together two brands that are truly woven into the fabric of this country. Deere represents the individuals who shape our communities where baseball is played every day and we’re proud that we can celebrate the people who keep America moving forward.”

Additional details on programming, community engagement and in-stadium experiences will be announced throughout the year.

<p>The post John Deere partners with Major League Baseball first appeared on Athletic Turf.</p>

<p>The post K&D Landscaping to be named Outstanding Large Business of the Year at upcoming awards luncheon  first appeared on Athletic Turf.</p>

RightLine was initially acquired in 2020 and started with a handful of post-patent turf chemistries. The company has recently expanded the portfolio of product offerings to include 21 branded products, such as several new proprietary turf products exclusive to RightLine.   

New markets

While RightLine started with a golf-oriented portfolio, the firm expanded rapidly into the lawn care and sports field markets. In 2025, the company acquired an additional product portfolio that it plans to launch in 2026. 

“I am proud to go all in with RightLine. End users need high performance control options in the turf industry; our distributor partners have provided us an opportunity to deliver those options,” Zech said. “The exceptional RightLine employees are earning our place in this industry … and as a team, we are selling at ‘high rates and short intervals.'”    

<p>The post Tim Zech takes full ownership of RightLine, wants to go “all in” with the company first appeared on Athletic Turf.</p>