The ScottsMiracle-Gro Company joins TWCA

10/30/2024

Turfgrass Water Conservation Alliance (TWCA) is pleased to welcome the newest seed producer member, The ScottsMiracle-Gro Company. The newest of five (5) fully independent producer members, ScottsMiracle-Gro brings a unique, retail-oriented perspective to TWCA board. Acquisitions in 2021 now give ScottsMiracle-Gro a production advantage with qualified cultivars already in hand. The addition of Scotts brings the TWCA cool-season program to eighty-three percent capacity.

Recognizing their role in protecting the planet, ScottsMiracle-Gro is committed to positively impacting the communities where they operate. As one of America’s most trusted companies, ScottsMiracle-Gro is embracing TWCA and this opportunity to make every drop count.

ScottsMiracle-Gro membership ushers in Western State Government Affairs Manager, Michael Diamond, to the TWCA Board of Directors. A seasoned government affairs operator, Mike, is a welcome voice in the chorus of board discussion. Diamond states, “Water conservation is the single most important challenge facing the lawn and landscape sector today.” Before continuing, “Scotts believes a combination of good genetics and appropriate maintenance enables consumers and communities to conserve water while keeping beneficial living landscapes.”

In early 2021 ScottsMiracle-Gro acquired the turfgrass division of then-TWCA member, Columbia Seeds LLC (Columbia). Part of a broader trend toward consolidation across the Willamette Valley, it produced unanticipated effects. Most immediately, Columbia, without a turfgrass division, ceded its TWCA membership. Another, less immediate effect, was the acquisition of TWCA Qualified cultivars. Thunderstruck, a tall fescue from the Columbia Seeds program qualified in the 2020 TWCA tall fescue trial, 20WCFA.

ScottsMiracle-Gro brings TWCA near the infrastructural limit of cool-season trialing capacity. “The trialing infrastructure can accommodate six members at full capacity,” notes TWCA Executive Director, Jack Karlin. “After that capacity is reached,” he goes on, “We will have to temporarily cap cool-season producer members.” TWCA capacity limits are based on the physical limitations of trialing infrastructure and the entries per member.

TWCA is a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to water conservation and committed to preserving the environmental benefits of turfgrass in the managed environment. Internationally recognized as the definitive mark of drought tolerant turfgrass, TWCA qualification anchors new construction requirements, conservation programs, and professional certifications. Make every drop count at tgwca.org.