Association news

OTF offers largest, diverse curriculum
Columbus, Ohio –More than 3,800 turfgrass professionals participated in the 38th Ohio Turfgrass Conference and Show, which was conducted at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, Dec. 7 through 10, 2004. Almost 2,900 attendees visited with 225 suppliers of turfgrass products and services in more than 530 booths.

“A lot of business was written on the show floor,” show manager Kevin Thompson says. “Many exhibitors have commented about the number of decision-makers visiting the trade show and the quality and number of new prospective customers they met.”

Doug MacLean, general manager of the Columbus Blue Jackets gave a welcome presentation. The event officially opened with a keynote speech from Mike Veeck, part owner of five professional baseball teams, senior v.p. of the Detroit Tigers, an ad agency executive and a nationally recognized speaker.

The educational sessions featured turfgrass management experts from Iowa State University, Penn State, University of Georgia, University of Kentucky, Michigan State and the Sports Turf Research Institute in the United Kingdom, along with several professionals representing athletic facilities and golf courses throughout the country. More than 30 hours of pesticide recertification training and Golf Course Superintendents Association of America and Sports Turf Managers Association credits were available during more than 100 hours of education, making it the largest and most diverse curriculum that OTF has offered.

A highlight of the event included the OTF annual awards banquet. Almost $25,000 was awarded in scholarships to well-deserving turfgrass management students from schools throughout Ohio. Additionally, OTF president George Furrer presented a symbolic check for $173,800 to Dr. Bobby Moser, dean of the College of Agriculture at The Ohio State University, representing research grants to the university and student scholarship awards.

Lawsuit filed against phosphorus ban
Washington - Plaintiffs including RISE and CropLife America filed suit Dec. 15, 2004 against the City of Madison and Dane County, Wis., demanding an ordinance banning the display, sale or use of lawn fertilizers containing phosphorus be overturned. The suit states the ban violates state and federal preemption laws and, therefore, is illegal. This litigation marks the first time RISE has stepped into the courtroom as a plaintiff to defend the rights of industry members.

“The city of Madison and Dane County have overstepped their boundaries,” says Allen James, president of RISE. “If we allow these bans to be instituted, we are completely ignoring preemption and what it stands for. Our products have been tested, retested, and registered by the federal and state governments for safety. As the industry representative, it is up to us to stand up for our companies.”

These ordinances would put undue burden on lawn-care and landscape companies, opponents argue. Because the county’s ban differs from Madison’s, companies would be expected to know the specifics of each ordinance and in which jurisdiction their customer resides. State preemption, as exists in Wisconsin, prevents these local, confusing ordinances. The bans were scheduled to take affect Jan. 1.

Proponents of the ordinance believe the reduced use of inorganic specialty fertilizers containing phosphorus in their community will help eliminate unwanted algae blooms in local lakes. While the plaintiffs agree excess phosphorus contributes to the growth of noxious algae blooms in water, the lawsuit alludes to the bigger problem – the existence of Eurasian Water Milfoil, which is an invasive weed that can reproduce by fragmentation in Dane County lakes.

GCSAA plans relief effort
Lawrence, Kan. – The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America will make a donation to those affected by the devastating storms in Florida this past fall and the victims of the Southeast Asia tsunami. The association will present a check to officials while in Orlando for the GCSAA education conference and the Golf Industry Show. Additionally, the association will collect donations in the show’s registration center during the week of conference and show.

The GCSAA will match those contributions and then forward the funds to the U.S. Golf Tsunami Relief Fund. This is a collaborative effort of the major golf associations to address the needs of the regions affected by the natural disaster.

Lawn tractor delivers gift
Raleigh, N.C. - A $56,065 John Deere LT 150 lawn tractor, which normally retails at about $2,400, served as the sole prize in a raffle staged by golf course superintendent Michael Shoun’s colleagues in the Carolinas Golf Course Superintendents Association to pay for surgery that would help his 2-year-old son, Parker, hear. The cost of surgery, therapy and specialized schooling as Parker learns to speak will cost between $60,000 and $80,000. Parker had cochlear implant surgery in mid-2004, and his doctors and parents are encouraged by early results.

Superintendent Michael Shoun was given a $56,000 check to help his son.

Members of the Triangle Turfgrass Association in and around Raleigh, N.C., campaigned for 12 months on behalf of the Shoun family. They received responses from golf course superintendents and industry members throughout the country. The campaign also received generous support from the membership of Raleigh Country Club, where Shoun has worked for seven years.

The $56,065 figure is likely to become larger after Ed Wheeler’s name was drawn as the winner of the raffle immediately after the check presentation. Wheeler, who works with Harrell’s, immediately donated the prize back to the fundraising campaign.

Outgoing Triangle TA president, Steve Dorer, CGCS, says the success of the fundraising campaign illustrates the tight-knit nature of the golf course maintenance business.

Superintendents recognized for relations work
Lawrence, Kan. – Four GCSAA members were recognized with 2004 Excellence in Government Relations Awards for their government relations work in the areas of advocacy and compliance.

The awards were presented Feb. 11 during the general session of the GCSAA education conference and inaugural Golf Industry Show in Orlando.

Craig A. Hoffman, golf course superintendent at The Rock Golf Course on Drummond Island, Mich.; Stephen A. Kealy, CGCS, at Glendale Country Club in Bellevue, Wash.; Kenneth N. Lallier, CGCS, at The Quechee Club in Hartford, Vt.; and Sean J. Kjemhus, golf course superintendent at Stewart Creek Golf and Country Club in Canmore, Alberta, Canada were honored.

EGR Award nominees were judged on how their efforts best served the interests of the golf course superintendent profession and the golf course management industry. Members of the government advocacy and compliance task group conducted the award selection.