Thomas Gibson
As Gibson Turf in Hawkinsville, GA, marks twenty years in business, the farm is stepping into a new chapter. Owner Thomas Gibson is transitioning much of his acreage to newer turfgrass varieties built for efficiency and future demand.
Gibson’s roots run deep in Pulaski County, where his father farmed row crops for decades and shaped his path. He’s lived in Hawkinsville his entire life where he and his wife April are raising their two children Sadie and John Thomas. After graduating in 2002, Gibson was looking for a job when a friend who owned a sod farm hired him as a manager. “He knew I had the farming background capabilities. I didn’t know anything about turfgrass but I learned and managed that for several years and realized I could do it myself on family land.”
He launched Gibson Turf in 2005 with 110 acres. Two years later, he purchased an outlet in Covington from a sod customer who was retiring. Over the years, he has steadily expanded, working closely with landscape supply stores to sell and move products. What began as a one-man operation with a few field workers to help cut sod and mow now employs nearly 30 people. The farm has grown tenfold to over 1,000 acres with space to increase acreage. Many of his employees have been with him for more than a decade. “I have a low turnover rate. I treat my guys right. You gotta take care of them,” he said.
As the business reaches its twentieth year, Gibson plans to open a new landscape supply store and explore other ventures. One major change he’s seen over time is the shift in harvesting technology. “It’s more advanced and we’ve eliminated a little bit of labor with our new automated harvesters that make things more efficient.”
Even with new equipment in the field, Gibson runs the office the same way he always has. He handles all customer orders and communication himself while his secretary manages payables and receivables. He still writes orders by hand on a notepad before entering them into the computer system. The farm also still rotates a few fields with peanuts or cotton when taking sod out of production, a nod to Gibson’s row crop roots.
Gibson Turf has been steadily expanding Lobo® Zoysiagrass as part of its move to newer varieties. The field pictured in October 2025 shows clean, even growth.
Transitioning to New Varieties
In recent years, Gibson has been converting older turfgrass varieties to new options. After meeting with Sod Solutions' Territory Manager Gary Bradshaw and visiting several farms, he decided to start replacing his Emerald Zoysia production with Lobo® Zoysia, a variety released by NC State University's turfgrass breeding program in 2021.
“It takes so long for Emerald to grow in and I think that’s why a lot of producers around the whole Southeast have gone to these other newer varieties like Zeon, Geo, Lobo and others,” he said. “As growers, we try to find a variety of grass that grows in the quickest so we can turn it, which is why I looked at Lobo.”
After learning about Lobo's performance in North Carolina under low-input conditions, including roadside trials conducted with the North Carolina Department of Transportation, Gibson decided to plant 18 acres. The trials reminded him of Bahia, a grass commonly used on Florida roadsides for its durability, drought tolerance and ability to thrive with minimal inputs.
Gibson heard positive feedback about Lobo’s performance from both Bradshaw and the team at Sandy Plain Sod, who supplied his foundation planting material. He was impressed by how clean and uniform their fields looked. “I went to North Carolina, I looked at it and loved it and now I have 18 acres of it.”
He purchased 60 pallets of Lobo from Sandy Plain Sod and used his sod-to-sprig machine to plant. Some areas could be harvested sooner, but Gibson plans to wait until the entire field is ready, which he expects by June 2026.
Through the summer he watered daily to push growth but said Lobo held up just as well when irrigation was reduced. Once his next 75-acre field is planted, Gibson plans to market Lobo as a drought-tolerant option for the region. “I grow Palisades and Emerald Zoysia and constantly have to keep water on the two of those,” he said.
Pictured above: Lobo® Zoysiagrass field at Gibson Turf Farms in October 2025 showing clean growth and active lateral spread.
He said Lobo’s lateral growth reduces mowing and prevents thatch buildup. With 100 acres of Emerald still in production, he plans to gradually shift more acreage to Lobo. He also plans to hire a sales manager in early 2026 to help introduce the variety to market. “I’m very excited about Lobo. I think that’s gonna be one of our top sellers once I get enough acreage.”
Celebration to Hybrid™
Gibson has been growing Celebration® Bermudagrass for about five years and said it’s been a dependable grass on the farm. Recently, he planted 1.6 acres of Foundation Celebration Hybrid™ and plans to expand it over time.
Celebration Hybrid™ Bermudagrass field at Gibson Turf Farms pictured in October after being planted in June 2025 as part of the farm’s transition to newer varieties.
He planted the Hybrid field on June 12, 2025, using planting material from Star Turf Farms in Indiantown, FL. Planting with his sod-to-sprig machine, Gibson faced early irrigation issues that caused some erosion. The grass has since recovered and established well. “I like the color and it is probably the fastest bermuda I’ve ever had grow in. It grows more laterally than upward.”
Gibson is eager to see how both Lobo and Celebration Hybrid perform through winter. “That’s my next step to see how they respond to cold weather because last year we had a really cold winter and about seven inches of snow right here in the middle of Georgia, which is unheard of.”
As he looks ahead, Gibson plans to keep refining his operation and introducing improved varieties. “I really wanna do away with some of this older stuff that I’ve got and go towards this newer stuff,” he said. After twenty years in business, he remains focused on steady progress, building on what’s worked while preparing for what’s next.
This article was written by Cecilia Johnson.
