| Turfgrass Management |
| 2007 GTI Service Directory |
| About the Advisor |
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Rob Witherspoon, Director |
Welcome to the final issue of The GTI Advisor for 2007. Weather conditions over the past few weeks have made it very challenging for many golf course superintendents. A combination of good playing conditions into the fall followed almost immediately by poor weather and snow and ice cover has resulted in a lot of unprotected turf across the province. OMAFRA Turf Specialist Pam Charbonneau provides an update on this situation in this issue and some reassuring words for those concerned about the health of their turf. A predominant thread that runs through all of our educational programming is the importance of communiction. Nowhere is it more critical than when a turf manager finds themself at the whim of the environment and foresees potential future problems. Successful superintendents are likely already discussing the situation with their owners, managers and members. Now would be a good time to plot your communications strategy for the off season. Use the material contained in this issue to craft an article for your next club newsletter, an email to be sent to all members, a presentation for the next greens committee or board meeting or all of the above. People are usually reasonable if they understand a situation before it happens. The worst case scenario is that conditions will persist, you will be unable to apply protection to the turf and there will be significant turf losses next spring. In this case, working to insure that your clients understand the situation and letting them know why a potential problem exists and that you have a plan to address the situation will go a long way towards minimizing any negative impact on you and your career. The best case scenario is that we a thaw will come and conditions will allow you to get your protection down. If we can assist by providing a quote for a newsletter article, letter or anything else that will support your efforts to effectively communicate, do not hesitate to contact us. GTI Lands Update The final consultant's report on the York District Lands was released Monday and can be found by following this link (scroll to the bottom of the page for the link to "York District Lands Final Report"). The following is a very brief summary of the recommendations pertaining to the lands containing the GTI research facilities and the G.M. Frost Centre. The area currently occupied by the GTI is called the "NW Precinct" in the report. It is noted in the report that "development of the NW Precinct will be delayed while the issue of long-term accommodation of the requirements of the Turfgrass Institute is resolved". The consultants are proposing that the area could be developed "for intensive research and commercialization activities in areas of the bio-economy and the environment. In terms of design, the park would look like a business park with a combination of light industrial and office buildings." They go on to refer to possible residential "live-work" development in this area as well. In reference to the development of the lands which contain the GTI, the consultants are providing a forecast that in 20 years the "Environmental Research and Commercialization Centre" could provide 2,750 jobs within 22.9 ha of land and the "Live/Work" community would provide 90 jobs and 680 residents within a 13.4 ha area. It should be noted that at this stage, the report has not been officially endorsed by the government. The next stage in the process is a return to the final stage of the City of Guelph planning process addressing the York District Lands. Discussions regarding the next steps in the process and the future of the GTI on this site are continuing among the industry, university and government partners associated with the facility. We will keep you posted. Turfgrass Diploma Internship Postings The first year Associate Diploma in Turfgrass Management students are starting to actively seek out interesting and educational internship opportunities. If you are considering hiring a UofG turf diploma intern, I would urge you to get your posting in as soon as possible. The number of available interns is limited and the students look far and wide for opportunities that will help them advance in their careers as professional turf managers. If you are interested in seeing what a good internship posting looks like, I would direct you to the Turfnet Job Search website. Click on the arrow beside the Job Title box and select "Summer Intern". Postings can be forwarded directly by email or fax (519-766-1704). Turf Managers Short Course There is still space available in the annual Turf Managers Short Course. If you are interested in participating in this highly regarded professional program, please follow the link above. Associate Diploma in Turfgrass Management Applications for September, 2008 Applications for early acceptance to the Associate Diploma in Turfgrass Management for Fall, 2008 are due in mid-January. The application process is in two parts with an on-line application due through the Ontario Universities Application Centre in mid-January and completion of the Supplementary Information Form outlining the applicant's experience and interests in turf due in mid-February. If you are interested in applying for the program, or know someone who is, please have them contact me by email or phone (519-824-4120 ext. 56886).
On behalf of all the faculty and staff of the Guelph Turfgrass Institute, I wish you and your family a safe and happy holiday season. Rob Witherspoon
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Pam Charbonneau, OMAFRA
Turfgrass Specialist,
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Fall 2007 has turned out to be very different from fall 2006. I am not sure if turf managers were lulled into a false sense of security this year because of the late onset of permanent snow cover last year. Needless to say, many golf superintendents have been caught with their turf unprotected for the winter. There have been many inquiries about the merit of applying granular turf fungicides on top of the snow. There are several factors to consider:
• Many of the snow mould fungicides are protectants and need to be in contact with the turf leaf surface to be effective
• Fungicides applied on top of snow will most likely get diluted as the snow melts, reducing efficacy
• There is also the possibility of movement of the fungicide off the target if the snow melts and the ground is frozen
On a brighter note, there was little Fusarium or Microdochium patch inoculum around in the fall and the result was very little disease pressure. Secondly, there is a thaw forecast for many areas of southwestern Ontario the weekend before Christmas. Just the way you wanted to spend that weekend, on the golf course applying fungicides.
The conference season is just around the corner. The Ontario Turfgrass Symposium brochure should be on your desk now. Our dates are Tues. Feb. 19 and Wed. Feb. 20th and we will be returning to the University of Guelph campus at Rozanski Hall. If you haven’t received a copy of the brochure, you can access one online at http://www.open.uoguelph.ca/OTS/ Early bird registration closes on Dec. 21, 2007, so get your registration in early to take advantage of the discount.
As many of you may have heard, the Premier’s Office has announced the plan to reduce environmental toxins. As part of this effort, legislation to ban the cosmetic use of pesticides will be introduced in the spring of 2008. The Ministry of the Environment will be the lead ministry on this. As information is forthcoming on this issue, we will make every effort to communicate it in a timely fashion to the turf industry.
Rodger Tschanz, Trial Garden Manager
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Dr. Katerina Jordan, Assistant Professor
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| January 16 - 18,
2008
January 28 - February 22, 2008
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