THE CANADIAN PRESS
WINNIPEG — Canada’s soccer team did not qualify for the World Cup in South Africa, but some of the country’s hardiest grass did.
A special blend of tough, fast-growing grass seed, developed over the last four years, has been shipped halfway around the globe to ensure that the world’s best players will be on green turf instead of a worn-out pitch. The blend was chosen for the turf at the main soccer stadium in Johannesburg and at dozens of other practice fields and World Cup venues.
The seeds "germinate in three to eight days, these particular ryegrasses, and they have very good wear tolerance, so they handle traffic better than most" said Terry Scott, Winnipeg-based director of western sales for Pickseed, the Ontario company hired to supply the World Cup grass.
"They have very quick recovery, so as they’re getting beat up from the soccer games, they will continue to grow and recover."
The grass seed consists primarily of two types of ryegrass grown on hundreds of farms in Manitoba, including Brad Rasmussen’s operation southwest of Winnipeg. Rasmussen has never watched soccer before, but he’s watching now.
"I watched a practice game and a media game, I even watched that a little bit, to see what the grass looked like. It looked good on TV," he chuckled from his farm near Starbuck, Man.
"It’s just incredible. You look at that, and it’s your product halfway around the world … at a world class event."
The Manitoba ryegrass is mixed in with a small amount of Kentucky bluegrass at Pickseed’s plant in Oregon. The bluegrass helps the blend spread quickly.
Pickseed already ships seed all over the world for use in parks, athletic fields and golf courses. The company’s South Africa distributor pitched the company’s product to the World Cup host organization.
"There were several companies that would have provided the seed free of charge to the World Cup … because they would utilize the marketing and that, because the World Cup is the largest sporting event in the world," said Scott, who noted the company charged for its blend.
"It’s kind of nice to wave the Canadian flag."