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Iowa Turfgrass Conference and Tradeshow Recap

January 24, 2011

The 77th Iowa Turfgrass Conference and Tradeshow took place last week. Conference season is always a great time to enjoy and reconnect with friends and colleagues and become energized for another growing season. This year’s keynote speaker Charles Marshallprovided the humor and motivation during his Wednesday morning presentation. Below is a snippet of some of Charles’ work. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOQMdhJws3w

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Personally, I always enjoy listening to the seminars and watching the presenters. This allows me to brush up on information I may already be familiar with while also thinking about new ways of doing things. The presentation that comes to mind as I type this was by Dr. Brian Horgan from the University of Minnesota. He presented some of his latest research relating to the environmental and economic considerations relating to nitrogen fertilization and soil testing. Traditionally, late fall fertilization has been a popular practice and is thought to stimulate root growth and provide early spring green up. So far Brian’s work is suggesting that late fall fertilization may not be the best time to apply fertilizer from an economic or environmental standpoint. Their work is still ongoing so stay tuned for updates on this matter in the future.

I also had the opportunity to present at the conference. As many of you read in an earlier post, Brett Hetland, CGCS Brooks National Golf Club, and I presented about how to plan and implement integrated pest management. Hopefully, the information we presented will encourage and provide you with the necessary tools to start an IPM program at your facility if you have the desire. As we mentioned during our presentation, golf courses can be successfully blended with the natural environment to preserve natural habitat while providing a community asset. Those of you in the turfgrass industry work directly with nature on a daily basis and you are in a unique position to make a positive impact and IPM can serve as a catalyst for this action. In case you couldn’t make it our presentation can be seen below (without the bravado and wit that Brett and I presented with though). 

How to plan & implement ipm at your

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I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention two Iowa GCSA members that received impressive honors. Rick Tegtmeier, CGCS Des Moines Golf and Country Club, received the second annual Environmental Stewardship Award, and it was announced that Doug Snook, CGCS Waverly Golf Course will be inducted into the Iowa Golf Hall of Fame. There will be more coverage on these awards later in the week.

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Iowa Turfgrass Conference & Trade Show…WhooHoo!

January 22, 2010

The Iowa Turfgrass Conference and Trade Show was held at the Downtown Des Moines Marriott & Polk County Convention Complex January 19-21. I always enjoy conference season and the opportunity to network and listen to all the different presenters. One of the themes of this year’s show was environmental stewardship. Jim Sluiter, Audubon International staff ecologist, and Greg Lyman, GCSAA director of environmental programs, spoke about environmental stewardship and how to conduct an environmental assessment at your facility. Brett Hetland, CGCS, Brooks National Golf Club was presented with the first ever Iowa GCSA Environmental Stewardship Award. Congratulations Brett!

I had the opportunity to present about my interseeding research and about iaTURF and related electronic resources. I also tried my hand as a game show host during the pesticide applicator training (I better not quit my day job).

I was encouraged by the number of people who seemed excited about the possibility of contributing to iaTURF or even starting their own blog. In case you missed it, or want to see it again the presentation can be viewed below.
iaTURF
 

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Marcus Jones
Graduate Research Assistant

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Help Support Research and Scholarship!

August 20, 2010

The ITI, in concert with the Iowa Golf Course Superintendent Association, holds the annual ITI/Iowa GCSA Benefit Golf tournament to secure funding for Research and Scholarship.

The ITI/Iowa GCSA Benefit has a long tradition of support from Sponsors and Players. Thanks to all who continue to contribute to making this the best of events that support Turfgrass Research & Education.

ITI/Iowa GCSA Benefit Golf Tournament
August 30, 2010

Des Moines Golf & Country Club
Host Superintendent: Rick Tegtmeier, CGCS
11 AM Buffet lunch - Noon Shotgun Start
2 Person selective drive/ alternate shot
$100 per player

Click here to download the team registration form.

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10th Annual Wee One Foundation Golf Outing

September 17, 2013

As the story is told, “In 1985, four friends traveled to Scotland on a golf trip. The caddies were making wagers as these golfers stood on the tee. One caddie declared, "My money's on the wee one!" The "wee one", Wayne Otto, CGCS, our dear friend and colleague, passed away October 21, 2004 losing his battle to cancer. Wayne dedicated his life to the betterment of the golf maintenance profession he loved and the individuals who shared his passion. Through the perseverance and hard work of several friends of Wayne, the group developed its mission of helping those in need. Founded on the principles of assisting golf course management professionals (or their dependents) who incur overwhelming expenses due to medical hardship without comprehensive insurance or adequate financial resources, the Foundation has evolved into a cause that goes way beyond its initial reason for existence.” 

Yesterday, one-hundred and sixty-two participants took aim at Pine Hills Country Club in Sheboygan, WI to support the Wee One Foundation. Of the 162 attendees, Jeff Wendel (Iowa Turfgrass Institute), Patrick Wynja (Jewell Golf & Country Club), Drew Blocker (Crow Valley Golf Club), and Ryan Adams (Iowa State University) fielded two teams representing the Iowa GCSA. The Iowa GCSA is a yearly platinum sponsor for the event. Overall, it was a great day filled with smiles, tacos, and a beautiful late summer day on the banks of Lake Michigan. 

 

Since 2004, the Wee One Foundation has grown to over 350 members in 17 states. Even more valuable than the distance covered, is the amount of lives affected. Over $600,000 has been raised for families across the Midwest. I would like to personally thank everyone who put their time and effort into making yesterday’s event a success. It was truly a great event, for a special cause. 

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