The GTI Advisor 13(4)

Ontario Agricultural College Graduation 2008 Award Winners

From the Editor

Bill 64, which bans the cosmetic use of pesticides in Ontario, sailed through the legislature last week before MPP's were dismissed for summer recess. The exemption for golf courses remains intact. The list of permitted and banned compounds is still being finalized but it appears that there may be some low toxicity products still available for use such as glyphosate (Roundup^TM).

Although this legislation raises a few thorny issues, the Minister of the Environment has made a significant commitment to supporting research to help develop and evaluate environmentally friendly alternatives. We expect GTI researchers will be front and centre in this effort. We'll keep you posted as we move forward into these mostly uncharted waters.

Summer Research Field Day - August 21

We are now accepting registrations for the Summer Research Field Day, which is run in collaboration with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Ontario Turfgrass Research Foundation. The half-day program (8:30 am - 1:00 pm) will include plot tours and a tasty BBQ lunch. To register, simply download this form, fill it out and fax or mail it back to us. Don't miss this chance to meet our researchers and graduate students as well as see what is happening at the GTI this summer.

Turf Diploma Graduation

Students in the Associate Diploma in Turfgrass Management Class of '08 officially graduated from the University of Guelph on June 12th. The graduates have found work at golf courses and landscape maintenance companies in Ontario, Quebec, U.S.A. and Barbados.

Recipients of graduate awards in the turf diploma program were:

Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Leadership Award:
Greg Brown, East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta, GA

Student Federation of Ontario Agricultural College Gold Medal:
Meghan Van Kampen, River Edge Golf Club, Kitchener, ON

Western Ontario Golf Superintendents Association Scholarship:
Blair Snowden, Deer Ridge Golf Club, Kitchener, ON

Ontario Agricultural College Deans Honour List:

Greg Brown, East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta, GA
Jeff Drisner, Edmonton, AB
Blair Snowden, Deer Ridge Golf Club, Kitchener, ON
Aaron Weinberg, Islington Golf Club, Toronto, ON

Ontario Agricultural College Faces 40% Budget Cut

The 2008/2009 University of Guelph Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU) budget was recently approved by University Senate. The budget lays out a 40% cut to the Ontario Agricultural College's MTCU budget as part of the university's plan to overcome a $15 million operating deficit. The cut is scheduled to take place over four years.

At this point, it is unclear how this massive cut will be handled without significant program cuts and loss of numerous faculty and staff positions funded through the MTCU budget. The potential impact on turfgrass programming at Guelph is also unclear but we will keep you posted as we move into what will no doubt be one of the more challenging periods of the 134 year history of the OAC. Follow these links for more information: