Seeing greeen
Three MFA employees win top prizes in PrimeTime seed photo contest
With winter in full force across MFA territory, the lush, green grass of summer seems far away. The winners of the PrimeTime turf grass photo contest bring us a reminder of those warmer days and the planting projects they make possible.
MFA employees took all three top prizes in the 2025 PrimeTime Photo Contest, sponsored by Burlingham Seeds. The contest offered cash prizes for the best photos of PrimeTime lawns, fields, sports turf or other areas where the seed was sown. Any distributor, sales team, employee, landscaper or contractor who used PrimeTime was eligible to enter.
First Place: $1,000 — Seth Blattel, MFA Agri Services Manager, Chaffee
Second Place: $500 — E.J. Rodgers, MFA Incorporated DOT Inspector
(presented by MFA Seed Logistics Manager Sean Priest)
Third Place: $250 — Brad Toedebusch, Agronomy KAM, District 6
(presented by MFA Seed Logistics Manager Sean Priest)
The colorful photo showing Seth Blattel’s thickly carpeted lawn (pictured below) earned the top prize.
“I started this project late summer with a burndown application of the grass I had out there,” Seth explained. “Then I worked all the ground to a nice seedbed. Sowed the grass in the fall, applied fertilizer and rolled it all in. Spring time, I applied crabgrass preventer and a very good broadleaf residual herbicide. I applied urea early and ammonium sulfate later in the season.”
Second-place winner E.J. Rodgers planted PrimeTime in a former garden plot.
“My wife and I decided not to plant any row crops in this year’s garden and keep the boxes for various plants,” E.J. explained. “The grass can be transplanted as sod as needed. We’re possibly going to sell property in near future, so the new owners will have the option to re-establish row crops.”
When the area around Brad Toedebusch’s new Binzebo needed grass, he chose to plant PrimeTime with results that pleased the family—and their dog—and earned third place in the photo contest.
“In the fall of 2023, after I had completed construction and dirt work on our Binzebo, I sowed PrimeTime turf fescue with a little bit of wheat cover,” Brad said. “We had to water it to get it established and growing, but we got an excellent stand. I was a little worried in the early spring of 2024, so I started watering it again, and we were able to maintain the stand. I had about 2,000 to 2,500 square feet to cover and used about 35-40 pounds of seed, so it was pretty thick. However, I am happy with the results, and our dog, Carpenter, approves as well. The photos were taken in August, and it was beginning to get dry.”
PrimeTime seed blend includes top-rated tall fescue varieties with impressive brown patch disease resistance and recovery and high-traffic turf performance. It produces high-density turf during the growing season and performs well in sun or shade. Visit with your local MFA to learn more about this and other lawn and garden products available.