15(2) - April 23, 2010

Daffodils signal the early arrival of spring.

Southern Ontario is experiencing an earlier than usual spring. It has certainly been good for the sale of landscape products and services as well as early golf course member and green fee play. However, it has put a lot of pressure on short staffed operations and those dealing with the unusual winter damage that hit hard in many areas of the province.

OMAFRA Turf Specialist Pam Charbonneau provides an informative overview of the possible causes of variety of turf damage observed this spring in your first report of the season. Follow the link above to access her on-line message. Don’t forget that you can also access this message by phone or even download it as a podcast to your portable audio player. Don't miss the updates as they are always timely and informative. Your input is very important in helping Pam formulate the content of her seasonal messages. See her report for more details on how you can get involved.

GTI Update

The GTI has been a busy place this spring. The Turf Diagnostic Clinic is open for business and has already received samples from various regions of the country. A research plot planning meeting was held earlier this week and afterwards there was very little unclaimed space left on the GTI grounds. A mid-sized research soccer field has been lined out that will be also be used by up to U16 Guelph Soccer teams. This expands on our committment to do research work on "real" turf areas as well as serve the Guelph community. An innovative grass based art installation is also in the planning stages and the turfgrass display garden and putting course will open later this summer. Watch future issues of The GTI Advisor for more details about GTI activities and plan to attend the Summer Research Field Day on Thursday, August 19.

Professional Social Networking

One thing that is common to all successful turf professionals, they maintain a strong network of professional contacts. Turf professionals young and old are harnessing the power of the Internet to connect with customers and fellow professionals locally, nationally and internationally. Web services like Facebook and Twitter provide the opportunity to share information without the usual constraints of time and space. If you are a Twitter user, you can stay up to date on the latest at the GTI by following GuelphTurf. Watch for the GTI Facebook page coming soon.

Diploma Update

Early applications for September admission to the Associate Diploma in Turfgrass Management are very strong this year. If you are interested in the program, or know someone who is, early application is encouraged to avoid disappointment. Application information can be found by following the link.

Superintendent in Residence Recorded Webcast Link

If you missed the 2010 Superintendent in Residence Public Lecture, you can view the slides and listen to the lecture at your convenience by following the link above. The Vineyard Club Superintendent Jeff Carlson provided a very interesting and entertaining overview of his experiences managing a private golf club for seven years without the benefit of traditional synthetic pesticides. He speaks frankly about his management regime, alternatives that worked, those that didn’t work and products and practices he is planning to try in the future.

RCGA-STS Seminar Coming to GTI May 16th

An all day seminar organized by the Royal Canadian Golf Association in partnership with the Stanley Thompson Society will take place May 16th, the overall theme being 'the changing landscape of golf’ and covering the following issues: heritage landscapes, effect of environmental regulation, future trends in the industry, and the new golf architecture. Speakers include leading experts from industry, the university and the golf media. This seminar begins at 10am and ends at around 4pm. Tickets for the full day seminar are $30 per person, and include a lunch. This seminar will take place at the Guelph Turfgrass Institute, located at 328 Victoria Road South, RR#2, Guelph, ON.

For more information, please click here, or call Carolyn Ferguson at 1-800-263-0009, ext. 265.

OTRF Investing $175,000 in Research This Year

Through record fund raising and joint partnerships, the Ontario Turfgrass Research Foundation (OTRF) has announced that it will invest a record $175,000 in turf research in 2010. With seven new research projects commencing and an additional five underway, 2010 marks the highest level of turfgrass research funding achieved by the OTRF in their 30 year history.

The scientific research projects selected for funding address some of the current turfgrass management issues facing industry key stake holders. Through a comprehensive review of submitted applications, the OTRF Board selected several research projects that will address the regulations set out by the Ontario cosmetic pesticide ban.

With the assistance of the Ministry of Environment and the Agricultural Adaptation Council, new methodologies of controlling insect infestations and weed control will be studied for inclusion in future turfgrass management that is compliant with the new restrictions. A management regime for a revived grass cultivar for use in home lawns and athletic fields holds promise for turf management without the use of commercial pesticides.

Do changes in the management of natural sports playing fields and the unknown long term impact of use on synthetic turf alter the potential for chronic injury risks to players? The OTRF in conjunction with the Sports Turf Association are proud to support a project that will study the potential risk of acute and chronic injuries based on playing surface selection.

Along with a donation from the Nursery Sod Growers Association of Ontario, support will also be granted for the long term effects of soil and nutrient loss/gain from continuous use of commercial sod production in Ontario.

In addition, the OTRF in partnerships with the Golf Association of Ontario, Ontario Golf Superintendents Association, National Golf Course Owners Association, Landscape Ontario and the Ontario Horticultural Trades Foundation, proudly supports continuing projects on turfgrass diseases, fertilization and irrigation methods. Innovative research outcomes will assist turf managers and home owners in their grass management regime.

The OTRF invite you to join our Board of Directors and Advisors in congratulating their financial donors.

Turf Care Products Canada and Green Horizons Group of Farms Ltd First OTRF Platinum Partners

Turf Care Products Canada and Green Horizons Group of Farms have become the first OTRF Platinum Partners. The support pledged by Turf Care Products Canada and Green Horizons Group of Farms will help enable the OTRF to build and maintain the research seed money that will fuel leading-edge research in Canada.

Since 1975, Turf Care Products Canada has been a leading provider of quality products and services to the golf course community. Turf Care Products Canada believes in forging long-term relationships with their customers. The OTRF has been a beneficiary of Turf Care’s support for much of their 30 year history. As an OTRF Platinum Partner, Turf Care Products Canada is demonstrating their commitment to research and providing real solutions to the turfgrass industry.

Green Horizons Group of Farms has 33 years of experience in the sod business. Their client base has consistently grown year after year. Green Horizon’s secret for the growing number of customer’s lies within their simple business philosophy: "Making their customers happy." OTRF has been the beneficiary of Green Horizon’s growth. They have been a long time supporter of turfgrass research in Ontario. Ron Schiedel, President of Green Horizons Group of Farms, served as OTRF president for two years. The OTRF grew tremendously under his leadership.

“I would like to extend my gratitude to our new OTRF Platinum Partners, and praise them for recognizing the long term value of investing in turfgrass research. Over the years both Ron Craig of Turf Care Products Canada and Ron Schiedel of Green Horizons Group of Farms have dedicated many hours of their time to support the growth of the foundation. It is fitting that they have stepped forward to become the first Platinum Partners of the Ontario Turfgrass Research Foundation. We are honored to have them as our partners.” (David Kuypers, President of the OTRF).

The commitment both of the Platinum Partners have made to the OTRF helps to ensure that the turfgrass research funded, is addressing the most pressing needs that are facing our industries key stake holders.

Sports Turf Manager Goes Digital

Members of the Sports Turf Association (STA) and the greater turfgrass industry now have access to the complete back files of the Sports Turf Manager (STM) and its predecessor the Sports Turf Newsletter through a partnership between the STA and Michigan State University’s Turfgrass Information Center (TIC).

In the past, STM readers could search the cumulative index on the STA website for article citations, or subscribers to the TIC’s Turfgrass Information File (TGIF) could search for articles but would obtain only the abstract. In either case they would have to physically obtain the article themselves. Digitization provides a much more usable tool, removing the step of having to go and find a particular issue of STM, assuming readers even had access to it. Through the new online digitized archive, which can be accessed by following this link, readers can browse year-by-year or search by term to retrieve PDF files of articles.

The addition of the full content of the publication is the result of the cooperation and dedication of TIC and MSU staff and students, involving more than 87 issues of the magazine, 1,300 pages of material, manually splitting nearly 1,400 PDFs, harvesting the citations for more than 400 turfgrass-related citations and linking more than 900 citations to the PDFs. As part of the ongoing cooperative project as new issues are produced materials will be scanned and made available six months following the date of publication.

Sports Turf Association members continue to enjoy complete subscriber access to the Turfgrass Information File, the most comprehensive publicly available collection of turfgrass educational materials in the world, via the Michael J. Bladon Educational Link. Login to www.sportsturfassociation.com and follow the link under the “Members Only” section.

The Turfgrass Information Center, a unit of the Michigan State University Libraries, was founded in 1984 to both continue building the O. J. Noer Memorial Turfgrass Collection, and begin construction of what became the USGA Turfgrass Information File (TGIF). TGIF has since become the largest online database serving turfgrass science and management, with worldwide coverage of all sectors of the turfgrass industry. With the arrival of the James B Beard Turfgrass Library Collection in 2003, TIC also became a center for scholarship and study of turfgrass science. Since that time, additional focus on building and hosting digital archives has become a primary activity of TIC. For further information on the Center, the Noer or Beard Collections, the digital collections, or TGIF, please begin at TIC's website.

Arnett Recieves STA Honorary Life Membership

The executive and members of the Sports Turf Association (STA) honored one of their own at the annual meeting held during the recent Ontario Turfgrass Symposium.

Jane Arnett was awarded an Honorary Life Membership recognizing her outstanding contributions to the turfgrass industry particularly as it relates to sports turf, and for professionally exemplifying the goals and objectives of the STA.

Jane joined the STA in 1991 and within three years illustrated her full dedication to the association by being elected to the board of directors. Her service on various committees of the board and enthusiasm as a director made her an obvious choice for vice-president in 1998, then to serve as president in 2000 and past-president in 2002. She continued to serve as a director until 2009 when a new, more demanding position with the Town of Oakville cut short her time to serve effectively.

During the 18 years as a member of the association she served for one or more terms as a member of the OTS program committee, the field day committee, and the editorial committees for the Sports Turf Manager, Understanding Turf Management and Athletic Field Construction Manual. In addition she authored several articles for the Sports Turf Manager.

Jane commenced her career with the Town of Oakville as a cemetery operator in 1987; quickly became a lead hand in parks maintenance and by 1991 she was Supervisor of Parks with district wide responsibilities. In 2007, recognizing her expertise in turf management, Jane was promoted to Manager of Parks Maintenance with responsibility for turf maintenance, sports turf maintenance and winter control operations on a town-wide basis. In early 2010, in recognition of her overall leadership skills, abilities and talent in all phases of park maintenance, Jane was appointed Senior Manager of Parks Operations.

Andrew Gaydon, long-time association member, director and board secretary introduced the honoree, “very professional, very hard working and very good for the STA”, adding “don’t have a detailed discussion with her unless you know your facts!”

There have been only six recipients of the prestigious award in the STA’s twenty-three year history. Jane joins the ranks of James Boyce (1989), Norman Rothwell (1989), Clayton Switzer (1992), Robert Sheard (1998), Michael Bladon (2000) and Christopher Mark (2005).

GMIC Partners with Laurier Continuing Studies

The Golf Management Institute of Canada (GMIC) has partnered with Wilfrid Laurier University's Continuing Studies department to offer an online program in golf operations management. Commencing in March, the first of 10 courses will be available to GMIC students through Laurier's online course delivery system. After completing the program, students will obtain a Graduate Studies Diploma in Golf Operations Management from the GMIC and a Certificate of Completion in Golf Operations from Wilfrid Laurier University.

GMIC president and Laurier alumni Grant Fraser is enthusiastic about working with Laurier.

"This is the first golf management program of any kind to be delivered in partnership with a Canadian university," said Fraser. "Laurier's reputation as one of Canada's leading universities will allow us to continue expanding our program in golf operations management around the world."

"Continuing Studies is very excited to be launching this new partnership with GMIC," said Lisa Fanjoy, manager of Laurier's Continuing Studies department. "This collaboration will allow GMIC students to engage in the Laurier experience, while adding to the diversity of continuing studies program opportunities."

Ministry of Labour Inspection Blitz To Focus On Young And New Worker Safety

The safety of young and new workers will be the focus of a four-month enforcement blitz across Ontario beginning in May 2010.

Health and safety inspectors at the Ministry of Labour will check to ensure young and new workers are properly oriented, trained and supervised on their jobs, meet minimum age requirements and are protected by safety measures to prevent injuries.

Particular attention will be focused on workplaces where many young and new workers are employed, including stores, wholesalers, restaurants and vehicle sales.

The blitz is part of the Ontario government's Safe At Work Ontario strategy. Keeping more workers safe means increased productivity for Ontario's economy and less strain on the health care system.

QUICK FACTS

Between 2004 and 2009, 27 young workers aged 15-24 were killed and 466 others were critically injured at work.
The highest number of lost-time-at-work claims for on-the-job injuries involved young workers employed in occupations such as sales and service, transport/equipment operators and labourers in processing, manufacturing and utilities.
Between April 1, 2004, and March 31, 2008, declining rates of lost-time workplace injuries avoided $5 billion in direct and indirect costs.

For more information...