U.S. SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE TOM VILSACK VISITS ASTROTURF FIELD AT K-STATE

(MANHATTAN, Kansas) - U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack made an unscheduled detour while he was at Kansas State University on Tuesday to deliver the Landon Lecture at the school and promote the government’s efforts toward wide distribution of gasoline mixed with 15% ethanol.

While on campus, Secretary Vilsack requested a visit to see the new AstroTurf field at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. The field, which is made partially from soybeans, has been a highlighted product by the United Soybean Board and the Biobased Products Coalition since it was installed last summer.

“We have been extremely pleased with AstroTurf and its GameDay Grass 3D60H system after a year of playing on the surface," said Associate Head Coach and Director of Football Operations, Sean Snyder. "It was terrific to have Secretary Vilsack visit our stadium to see the finished biobased product made from soybean. Not only has AstroTurf provided us a safe surface that our student-athletes can compete on at the highest level, but to be able to contribute to new manufacturing opportunities and other benefits of using biobased products is very exciting.”

Several weeks ago, President Obama directed all federal agencies to implement a program over the next two years that results in those agencies buying biobased products whenever possible. This effort will create jobs and drive innovation where biobased products are grown and manufactured. The decision will also result in a 50 percent increase in the number of new products that are designated as biobased. Biobased products include items like paints, soaps and detergents, synthetic turf, and carpet are developed from farm grown plants, rather than chemicals or petroleum bases. The biobased products sector marries the two most important economic engines for rural America: agriculture and manufacturing.

“We know that when biobased products are used, it’s going to create new manufacturing opportunities in rural areas and we also know that it’s going to reduce our reliance on foreign oil,” said Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack of President Obama’s directive.

AstroTurf, a member of the Biobased Products Coalition, makes synthetic turf which features backing made by Universal Textile Technologies and made from soybean based polyols. SYNLawn, the landscape division of AstroTurf, also features soy-based backing in its landscape turf products.

“This is a monumental decision,” said Peeples. “AstroTurf is on the cutting edge when it comes to the sustainability movement, and biobased manufacturing has become a huge part of our corporate culture. We are providing the best synthetic turf products available, all while reducing our dependence on foreign oil and helping to create American jobs.”

The federal biobased initiative is also an important model for state and other governments, such as Ohio, that passed legislation that requires state agencies to buy biobased products that are designated through the federal biobased program. Counties across the nation have started using biobased products as well.

Biobased product manufacturers and allied organizations launched the Biobased Products Coalition, of which AstroTurf is a member, in 2007 to focus and coordinate industry efforts to improve the federal biobased program and promote other favorable federal policies. The BPC provides a forum for biobased manufacturers of all sizes as well as farmer and other trade associations to present a unified industry voice on federal policy.

The field at K-State features the revolutionary Horseshoe fiber. This new fiber is enjoying unprecedented success in the sports field marketplace, due to factors such as its unique shape. The fiber is a horseshoe shape with two end columns with a thicker diameter. The design imparts mechanical memory so that the fiber remains upright longer, unlike other fields whose fibers quickly flatten and split or shred at the spine. The Horseshoe fiber continues to spring back to its original configuration, even after years of heavy foot traffic or exposure to ultra-violet radiation.

The field also has a face weight of 60 ounces of fiber per square yard, the highest in the industry. This adds to the durability provided by the fiber shape.

In extensive testing, the Horseshoe fiber performs most like natural grass from ball roll, to slide resistance, to the biomechanical function of cleats penetrating and releasing properly. A study at Michigan State University, funded by NFL Charities, found that AstroTurf GameDay Grass systems looked and performed more like natural grass than any other synthetic product measured, also making it the safest option.

ASTROTURF PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN WHITE HOUSE DIRECTIVE BY PRESIDENT OBAMA

(Bryan Peeples (r), is pictured with Kansas Soybean Commission Chairman Bob Haselwood at a Kansas State football game)

(DALTON, Georgia) - In a directive just handed down by President Obama, synthetic turf products made by AstroTurf and SYNLawn will become an increasingly important resource in federal government purchasing.

President Obama has directed the federal government to dramatically increase the purchase of biobased products over the next two years, which will create jobs and drive innovation where biobased products are grown and manufactured. The decision will also result in a 50 percent increase in the number of new products that are designated as biobased. Biobased products include items like paints, soaps and detergents, synthetic turf, and carpet are developed from farm grown plants, rather than chemicals or petroleum bases. The biobased products sector marries the two most important economic engines for rural America: agriculture and manufacturing.

AstroTurf, a member of the Biobased Products Coalition, makes synthetic turf which features backing made by Universal Textile Technologies and made from soybean based polyols. SYNLawn, the landscape division of AstroTurf, also features soy-based backing in its landscape turf products.

“My administration is committed to using every tool available to promote economic growth and create good jobs in rural America,” said President Obama. “Today’s announcements reflect our continued focus on expanding opportunity for rural Americans and all Americans, including supporting new and innovative businesses, and improving rural health care and education. And the actions we’re taking today are possible thanks to the feedback and ideas I’ve received from hardworking Americans across rural America, including the participants at the White House Rural Economic Forum.”

For AstroTurf and SYNLawn, the decision opens the doors for synthetic turf sports and landscape applications at federal government facilities throughout the country, including military installations.

AstroTurf has worked closely with soybean farmers throughout the country in creating awareness of its synthetic turf products. In 2011, AstroTurf installed the new football field at Kansas State University, where AstroTurf President Bryan Peeples and Kansas Soybean Commission Chairman Bob Haselwood were presented with a game ball and 5,000 fans received samples of the soy-backed AstroTurf.

“This is a monumental decision,” said Peeples. “AstroTurf and SYNLawn are on the cutting edge when it comes to the sustainability movement, and biobased manufacturing has become a huge part of our corporate culture. We are providing the best synthetic turf products available, all while reducing our dependence on foreign oil and helping to create American jobs.”

The Presidential Memo builds on the Congressional support for biobased products established in the 2002 and 2008 Farm Bills. Key provisions in the new memorandum include:

•Requiring federal agencies to include goals and milestones for biobased purchasing in their Strategic Sustainability Performance Plans.

•Including biobased purchasing in the scorecard that the Office of Management and Budget uses to rate agencies’ Sustainability/Energy performance.

•Directing a 50 percent increase in the number of new product categories that are designated by USDA as biobased for preferred federal purchasing.

•Requiring new public reporting of federal agencies’ biobased product purchasing.

•Requiring federal agencies to sample and verify that biobased products are being included in purchasing contracts, identified in purchasing catalogs, and integrated in product specifications and contracting procedures.

•Directing the implementation of new biobased purchasing training, education, and outreach efforts to federal buyers.

•Providing assistance to small businesses to improve the selling of biobased products and services to the Federal Government.

•Directing the Secretary of Agriculture to prepare a report to the President on job creation and the economic impact associated with the biobased products industry.

“We know that when biobased products are used, it’s going to create new manufacturing opportunities in rural areas and we also know that it’s going to reduce our reliance on foreign oil,” said Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.

The federal biobased initiative is also an important model for state and other governments, such as Ohio, that passed legislation that requires state agencies to buy biobased products that are designated through the federal biobased program. Counties across the nation have started using biobased products as well.

Biobased product manufacturers and allied organizations launched the Biobased Products Coalition, of which AstroTurf is a member, in 2007 to focus and coordinate industry efforts to improve the federal biobased program and promote other favorable federal policies. The BPC provides a forum for biobased manufacturers of all sizes as well as farmer and other trade associations to present a unified industry voice on federal policy.

SOYBEANS USED TO MAKE ASTROTURF® FIELDS

This story appeared this week on the Wisconsin Ag Connection web page.

As many professional and college football players step onto the field this fall, they will trod on soy, even if they don't know it. Many professional and college football teams have switched to AstroTurf® that features soy-based backing. The use of soy replaces petrochemicals, providing a safer product to handle during installation and offering flame-retardant qualities over the turf's lifetime. The new AstroTurf® product, known as GameDay Grass™ 3-D, uses soy-based backing material made by Universal Textile Technologies in Georgia.

For example, this soy-based product was installed at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, home of the St. Louis Rams. Other teams that play on fields using the soybeans grown in U.S. fields include the Buffalo Bills and Duke and Wichita State University baseball teams. In addition to athletic fields for sports like football, soccer and field hockey, the artificial turf is gaining popularity on golf courses and for residential uses.

The soy-based turf includes AstroTurf® with BioCel™ technology, a soy-based unitary polyurethane backing system developed with help from the United Soybean Board (USB). BioCel technology utilizes soybean oil to replace petroleum-based polymers with soybean oil, which can help reduce dependence on foreign petrochemicals and provide environmental benefits.

Soy plays a crucial role in the performance of the turf. The soy polyurethane backing is unaffected by moisture and can be perforated for enhanced drainage. The turf backing has low volatile organic compounds. Soy polymers, like the ones used in turf backing to replace petrochemicals, represent one large potential market for soybeans.

This year, all of the industrial uses for soybeans will use between 1.15 and 1.35 billion pounds of soybean oil, or the oil from nearly 120 million bushels. That's up from 80 million bushels used in 2006.