G.M. Frost Research and Information Centre
The funds to construct and equip the the G.M. Frost Research and Information Centre were raised by the Ontario Turfgrass Research Foundation through the support of many associations, companies and individuals with an interest and understanding of the role turfgrass plays in modern society.
Mac and Beth Frost of Stouffville, Ontario provided the founding donation for construction of the centre. As developers, owners and managers of golf courses, the Frosts had an appreciation and understanding of the importance of turfgrass researchand the value of turfgrass in the landscape.
For the past twenty years, the G.M. Frost Research and Information Centre has been the research, education and information hub for the Canadian turfgrass industry. The 700 m2 (7,600 ft2) facility includes office space for industry organizations including the Ontario Golf Superintendents Association, Sports Turf Canada and the Ontario Turfgrass Research Foundation as well as providing a home for the OMAFRA turfgrass specialist. The facilities include meeting rooms, faculty/graduate student office and a field laboratory equipped to facilitate the research that takes place on the surrounding Guelph Research Station. The Frost Centre also provides space for conferences, lectures and meetings of groups interested in turfgrass, as well as community organizations.
The G.M. Frost Research and Information Centre is an extraordinary example of progress that can be made through the cooperation of various agencies. The private sector, through the Ontario Turfgrass Research Foundation, provided funding for the new building and continues to support research projects undertaken at the facility. The University of Guelph, through the Guelph Turfgrass Institute, provides ongoing research and management expertise, and the Ontario government, through the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs provided the land, site development support as well as continued funding in support of the facility and research program.
