TIFTON — A Tifton-made product has been announced as one of the finalists in the 2026 Coolest Thing Made in Georgia competition. The Georgia Chamber of Commerce announced earlier this month that TifTuf, a drought-tolerant type of bermudagrass created by turfgrass breeders at the University of Georgia Tifton Campus, had been named one of two finalists in the statewide competition hosted by Synovus Bank, which aims to celebrate innovation and manufacturing from around and unique to Georgia. The product will progress to the final round alongside bus manufacturer Blue Bird’s Vision Electric, an electric school bus. Chamber officials reported that thousands voters from across the state narrowed down the range of Georgia-made products in the contest via multiple rounds of elimination, with the most recent and final round of voting closing July 23. TifTuf’s placement as a finalist in the competition is more than demonstrated by its collection of prior achievements and success. Co-developed by Brian Schwartz, crop and soil sciences professor and lead turfgrass breeder at UGA Tifton Campus as well as recent UGA Inventor of the Year, the product is the most commercially successful release in the university’s entire turfgrass breeding program. Since its development, TifTuf has generated more than $13 million in gross licensing revenue, attained more than 110 sublicensed producers, and sold more than three billion square feet of sod worldwide. The winning product of the Coolest Thing…
*This content (including text, artwork, graphics, photography, and video) was provided by the third party(ies) as referenced above. Any rights or other content questions or inquiries should be directed to such third-party provider(s).
