Canada’s soccer team may not have qualified for the World Cup in Brazil, but you can’t turn on your television without seeing a Canuck contribution.
Manitoba grass farmers supplied the grass covering the pitches in each of Brazil’s 12 World Cup soccer stadiums. The farmers spent two years developing their perennial ryegrass seed so it could hold up to the pounding of players at the FIFA soccer tournament. Grass supplier DLF Pickseed says its brand of perennial ryegrass is designed to take a beating as players run, slide, dive and tumble across it.
Evan Rasmussen, a grass farmer in Winnipeg, Man., said the seeds he grows for DLF Pickseed have to be of the highest quality and purity, with no weed seeds mixed in.
“You’ve got to keep the purity a little higher,” Rasmussen told CTV News on Monday. “Every field gets inspected to make sure it’s of a certain quality.”
The seeds went through a rigorous cleaning and purifying process at DLF Pickseed to make sure they’re perfect. Then, they were shipped off to Brazil. In Brazil, the soccer fields were first planted with Bermuda grass, then overseeded with perennial ryegrass, according to a statement from DLF Pickseed. Essentially, the perennial ryegrass seeds fill in the gaps between the Bermuda grass, and ensure that there are no bare or sparsely-covered spots on the field.
DLF Pickseed also supplied grass for the last World Cup, which took place in South Africa in 2010.
Rasmussen said it’s humbling to see his product on television every day. “It’s probably one of the biggest sports tournaments in the world, so it’s definitely really cool to have a little connection to it,” he said.
