When the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis, the foundation for that championship season had its roots nearly 1,200 miles away in South Jersey's Pine Barrens.
Headquartered in Hammonton, Tuckahoe Turf Farms has grown the grass used for late-season games at Lincoln Financial Field since the Eagles began playing there in 2003. The team won two postseason games at home before its Super Bowl triumph.
For Dave Betts, a third-generation co-owner of the family-run company and die-hard Eagles fan, it was a season to remember, both professionally and personally.
"It's pretty neat to go to a game and see your grass," says Betts, 38, of Atco, who attended the Eagles' first-round playoff victory over the Atlanta Falcons with his father-in-law.
"When the Eagles defense stopped (Atlanta receiver) Julio Jones several times at the goal line (in the final minutes), it was awesome," he adds, still savoring the memory.
Tony Leonard, director of grounds for the Phiadelphia Eagles, says the team differs from other NFL franchises in that two different playing surfaces are used at the stadium, Lincoln Financial Field.
"We install Bermuda grass in July and August, and switch over to Tuckahoe Turf Farms grass in November," says Leonard, who believes Tuckahoe Turf grass is better suited for the Eagles' cold-weather games.
Lincoln Financial Field also serves as the home field for Temple University's football team and is the primary site of the Army-Navy game. The stadium also has a heating system under the field to help keep the grass in good condition.
The Super Bowl victory wasn't Tuckahoe Turf's first connection to a professional sports championship in Philadelphia. The company supplied the grass for Citizens Bank Park, where the Phillies won their second World Series in franchise history in 2008. At Fenway Park in Boston, the Red Sox won the 2004, 2007, and 2013 World Series on Tuckahoe Turf-grown grass.
In New Jersey, Tuckahoe Turf provides the playing surface for the Lakewood BlueClaws at FirstEnergy Park, the Trenton Thunder at Arm & Hammer Park, Somerset Patriots at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, and the New York Red Bulls soccer team at Red Bull Arena in Harrison (Hudson County).
Hammonton has long been noted for its farming heritage. The Atlantic County town promotes itself as "the blueberry capital of the world" and draws thousands to its annual Red, White and Blueberry Festival in June.
Tuckahoe Turf Farms has been adding to the town's agricultural history. Initially, the operation began as a truck farm, primarily producing lima beans and cranberries under the ownership of Walter Betts and his father, Elmer.
The company began growing sod in 1967 and made its first land purchase in Hammonton -- 100 acres -- in 1980, according to Allen Carter, manager of the facility. Tuckahoe Turf has expanded to 1,600 acres (2.5 square miles) with farmland in adjacent Waterford and Winslow townships in Camden County.
"We have 700 acres in production in all three towns," says Carter, who has been with the company since 1986. "Some fields sit idle to allow the ground to recuperate."
In addition to football, baseball and soccer, "You can also find our grass on lacrosse, rugby, field hockey, horse tracks and anything else that might play on natural grass," Carter says.
"We used to do a lot of golf course work, including helping with the installation of grass on courses such as Blue Heron Pines (in Galloway Township) and Colts Neck (in Monmouth County), to name a few," he adds. "We are always ready for the rebound of the golf industry."
In a new venture, Tuckahoe Turf also plays host to youth soccer games from spring to fall.
"The soccer fields are letting people experience and see the turf," Carter says. "It shows people they can have it at their own home."
The region's sandy soil, plentiful rainfall and water availability from the Kirkwood-Cohansey Aquifer make it ideal for growing grass, says Carter.
Being in New Jersey provides another advantage. "Rutgers, with the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, is one of the top turf institutions in the world," in providing assistance to farms, Carter says.
The Hammonton location affords easy access to major roads, including the Garden State Parkway, New Jersey Turnpike, Atlantic City Expressway and Interstate 295. That has proved beneficial as Tuckahoe Turf has expanded its reach across the country.
"Our market is the Northeast and east of the Mississippi River and north of the Carolinas," Carter says. "Sports fields represent the majority of our work."
The company is well-represented in the National Football League and Major League Baseball. Other NFL teams using the company's grass in their stadiums are the Green Bay Packers, at historic Lambeau Field; Cleveland Browns; Chicago Bears; and Pittsburgh Steelers. The Cincinnati Bengals use the grass on their practice field. Baseball clients are the Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cleveland Indians and Washington Nationals.
An illustration of the company's reach in sports can be seen inside the Hammonton office, where more than 60 baseball caps with the insignia of professional and college teams are displayed on the walls. The caps have become a company tradition and represent current and former clients over the past quarter-century.
In addition to its sport market, Tuckahoe Turf has done major work in Washington, D.C.
"We grew the grass in the National Mall that took place over a four- to five-year period, as it was done in sections," Carter says. Up next is the turf for the Eisenhower Memorial, which he says will be installed later this year or in early spring 2019.
The business has become a year-round one for the company, which has about 45 employees during its peak season. "Our only off-season is when the ground freezes up," says Carter, who estimates Tuckahoe Turf will harvest about 11 million square feet of grass this year.
Improvements in technology have streamlined the process. On a sunny morning in early May, one employee was using a harvester to cut a field of grass into 10-square-foot rolls that were 5 feet long-by-2 feet wide. The grass, to be used for residential customers, was then automatically stacked into piles for shipment. Only one person was needed to do what formerly took four people to accomplish.
"In an hour, a machine cuts about 15,000 square feet or 1,500 rolls of grass," Carter estimates.
On another field, a worker was cutting grass into 250-square-foot rolls, measuring 62.5 feet long by 4-feet wide. These rolls are designed for use as an athletic playing surface.
When temperatures rise during the summer, the work routine can change.
"We cut the fields in the middle of the night," says co-owner James Betts. The grass is then transported in refrigerated trucks kept at temperatures between 35 degrees and 45 degrees to ensure the turf remains fresh for interstate shipment.
"The logistics are a challenge in transportation," he adds, with some clients, such as Green Bay, close to 1,000 miles from Hammonton. By contrast, Lincoln Financial Field can be reached in 35 to 40 minutes, depending on traffic.
"That's like working in our backyard," James Betts says.
Tuckahoe Turf clients praise the company's products and service. Dan Shemesh, director of grounds for the Red Bulls soccer team, calls the grass grown by Tuckahoe Turf "a perfect match for professional teams."
Red Bull Arena uses Kentucky bluegrass, which Shemesh calls "the best quality grass for a sports field" and notes maintenance of the field is important for player performance. "You want the grass cut short for soccer; the game is played on the surface," he says. "There's a fine line between too fast and too slow. We want to make sure the footing is good, so a player can change directions quickly."
Mike Morvay, director of grounds at FirstEnergy Park in Lakewood, says the BlueClaws play on Kentucky bluegrass from Tuckahoe Turf. "It is high-quality sod," he says, noting its durability as the field can be used up to 200 times a year for baseball and softball games, concerts and other events.
"Kentucky bluegrass is good for drainage because it's grown in sandy soil," Morvay adds. "You don't want a soggy outfield."
The introduction of artificial turf in the mid-1960s saw some professional teams move away from natural grass. The benefits of real vs. artificial grass has been a source of debate among athletes. "If a horse won't eat it, I don't want to play on it," Phillies third baseman Dick Allen famously once observed on the virtues of playing on a natural surface.
In Major League Baseball, the pendulum has swung back to natural grass in recent years as multiuse stadiums gave way to baseball-only fields. Twenty-eight of the 30 MLB teams now play on grass. In the NFL, it's close to a 50/50 split on stadiums with grass versus artificial turf.
"Natural grass is the preferred surface," says Leonard of the Eagles. "Older players appreciate grass; there's a little more give to it and it's easier for footing. We want the grass to give way, not the player."
"Our main goal is to keep natural grass in stadiums," says Phil Betts, another co-owner.
There's also a visual appeal with grass that can't be duplicated by artificial turf in football stadiums.
"Everyone likes to see a player come up with grass stuck in their helmet," Dave Betts says.