The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company is committing $1 million to help restore the White House South Lawn after Sunday's UFC event at the White House.Following the June 14 Freedom 250 event – a centerpiece of the nation's 250th anniversary celebration – the company will provide funding, products and technical expertise to the National Park Service as it restores the historic lawn.For investors, the high-profile White House project serves as a showcase for Scotts' research and development division. It comes as the $3.3 billion company navigates a stagnant U.S. housing market where traditional lawn ownership faces headwinds from flat homeownership rates and changing urban demographics."The scale and scope of our R&D department is impressive," Nate Baxter, Scotts Miracle-Gro chief operating officer, told FOX Business, noting that the company is leveraging its research muscle to expand into organic and biological alternatives to synthetic fertilizers. "I do believe Scotts Miracle-Gro has the horsepower in terms of the investment we make in R&D, to bring naturals and organics, to bring biologicals."TRUMP UNVEILS $700M COAL INDUSTRY SUPPORT PLAN USING DEFENSE PRODUCTION ACTThe upcoming mixed martial arts event has drawn considerable attention regarding the physical impact on the White House grounds, which currently feature a massive, 92-foot-high temporary venue known as "the Claw" erected on the turf.Because the grounds are managed by the National Park Service, Scotts is structuring the contribution as a philanthropic donation.TRUMP CONSIDERS RECLASSIFYING MARIJUANA AS LESS DANGEROUS DRUG: REPORTThe restoration is more complex than a standard landscaping project. Washington, D.C.'s climate presents unique challenges, with freezing winters and hot, humid summers.To navigate these conditions, Scotts brought its research team to the White House to review proprietary seed options with President Donald Trump, who brought his own turf-management experience to the meeting."The president knows a lot about grass. I think his history and past with golf courses," Baxter noted. "It was really interesting to watch our tour scientists, and President Trump, talk through each of these."WHITE HOUSE UNVEILS TRUMP ACCOUNTS MOBILE APP AHEAD OF JULY 4 ROLLOUTScotts presented multiple seed varieties before settling on a customized four-seed blend engineered to withstand heavy staging equipment and helicopter landings."Creating a proprietary blend for the White House’s unique conditions presented a distinct set of challenges," Matthew Koch, R&D Lawns Research Fellow at Scotts Miracle-Gro, said in a press release. "It is a functional lawn that has to stand up to hundreds of events and thousands of people… [TheTopNews] Read More.
2 days ago
