This year, we sat down with Director of Agronomy Paul Giordano, Ph.D., to discuss how Harrell’s uses science to enhance the success of the end user through a Balanced Approach.
What is the Balanced Approach?
The Balanced Approach is a concept created many years ago by Harrell’s. Our agronomic research and development team understood that while we could look at single products individually and find their value in terms of turf health, there was more we could do to serve the end user. When you get down to the golf course superintendent or turf manager level, you see that they are using a suite of different products, including various solutions in combination with one another to provide the ultimate playing surface or create a specific aesthetic value.
Based on our understanding of those needs, we developed The Balanced Approach. Here, we incorporate not just chemistry or nutrition but also soil conditioners and biostimulants. The result is a holistic approach to overall turf health and management.
So, how do you come up with your recommendations?
We invest in collaborative university trials, like the one we are conducting at Rutgers University with Bruce Clarke, Ph.D., on the stress-related disease, anthracnose. Our research and development team has also employed a similar “Balanced Approach” on topics such as nematode control in the southeastern United States or aerification recovery. We aim to address both abiotic and biotic stresses to offer our customers the best management practices for their individual challenges.
As we work with different cooperators at Rutgers University and over 15 other institutions around the country, we establish a diverse set of objectives for the products we’re developing for our portfolio as we shepherd them through the development process within Harrell’s.
One thing that sets Harrell’s apart is that before we put our logo on any product, we rigorously vet the product. In fact, we research products for the better part of several years to prove that they perform the way we are saying they will perform.
What is the current focus of your research?
The focus of our research for the past 20 years, especially on diseases like anthracnose, has been on best management practices. These best management practices encompass a number of different things. First and foremost, we focus on good fertility practices and other cultural management strategies, such as topdressing, moisture management , and fungicide programs. Over the past 20 years, we've been able to integrate all these factors into several unique best-management programs for turf managers.
Dr. Bruce Clarke, from Rutgers University, weighed in, saying:
“From my perspective, Harrell’s seems to be an excellent company with excellent tech support that focuses on providing a whole-program approach; not only addressing fertility but also biostimulants and fungicides. We enjoy our relationship with Harrell’s, especially with their product development people and their salespeople. They're very knowledgeable, and we work closely with them to develop research protocols that make sense and help the end user.”
Do you only research Harrell’s products?
We research the Harrell’s lineup of products and new things we're developing, and we also research combining our products with other manufacturers’ products to develop truly programmatic approaches that optimize the solutions individually. That is the holistic nature of the balanced approach.
It is pretty special for us to be able to work with partners like Envu, BASF, Syngenta, and others to maximize their products within a program. And that is precisely what the superintendents usually look for when it comes to our development process and bringing new products into the Harrell’s lineup.
How do you know what turf managers need?
Ultimately, the customer is the driver of this process. We have a direct line to the customer out in the field, whether that's the golf course superintendent, the lawn care operator, or the turf manager. We get to understand their pain points and their desires for new solutions. We take this information and then seek out what those solutions might look like.
What does the future look like at Harrell’s?
I'm excited about Harrell’s investment in innovation and R&D. I'm excited about the direction in which Harrell’s is going and about how we continue to bolster our efforts by bringing brand new products and combinations, and formulations to the turf world.
It's an exciting time for this company. I think it's an exciting time for the industry. We're at the precipice of not only nutritional chemical and biological solutions but also new technology that our customers and reps will have access to, allowing them to make better decisions.
Harrell’s truly is a leader in this space, and we'll continue to be for many years to come.
For more insights into industry topics like turf health, nutrition, control solutions, and the latest in academic research, tune into our TurPh.Dudes podcast. Our TurPh.dudes are constantly connecting with industry leaders and turfhead game-changers so that they can share with you what’s going on in the world of turf. You can subscribe on iTunes and Google Play Music, or tune in directly at www.harrells.com.
