Peter Rauwerda wasn’t always a Sod Farmer. “I originally was studying accounting and was heading towards becoming a CGA.” says Peter. During the summers while at school he was working for Greenhorizons and fell in love with the sod industry. It’s 23 years later and Peter's passion for the sod industry hasn't wavered. 

The day starts at 6am and ends sometime before dark. In that time, anything can happen and when it does, it’s Peter's job to make sure it happens smoothly. Having all the products delivered in a timely manner by the end of the day is one of the biggest challenges for Peter. Despite this, he never allows himself to look at these challenges as an overwhelming wall of things to do, but instead he tackles them one by one- you might even say he gets a thrill out of it, “I enjoy the fact that a sod farm faces farming challenges along with typical business challenges such as marketing, Technology, and Research and Development”.

It doesn’t stop at the farm for Peter- he is the president of the Nursery Sod Growers Association. The NSGA is a non-profit organization dedicated to the betterment of the turfgrass sod industry. They ensure that high standards of turfgrass are developed and maintained. They work in close co-operation with allied professions to the benefit of consumer and trade alike, and to gather, analyse and disseminate information of general interest to the public, governmental agencies and other organizations. The Association funds research at the University of Guelph to determine which species, cultivars and techniques will produce a superior turfgrass sod for the consumer. The Association supports the Guelph Turfgrass Institute - a world-class turfgrass research and education centre. 

“We are in the business of making people happy!” says Peter. “When you know that this is the company’s strongest value, it is easy to know what needs to be done on a daily basis.”