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https://theturfzone.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Ep1-Becky-Bowling.wavJulie Holt (00:00.204)
Welcome to the turf zone. In this relaunch episode, we’re talking to Dr. Becky Bowling, assistant professor and extension specialist in turf grass science and management at the University of Tennessee. Dr. Bowling, thank you so much for joining me today. Thank you for having me, Julie. It’s good to be here with you. This is a conversation I’ve been looking forward to for quite a while. Not too long ago, I started hearing about a new event at the University of Tennessee and

Just to lay some groundwork as a Turfgrass Association Management Magazine Editor, see events come across my desk left and right, and we have seen so many field days and so many different opportunities for Turfgrass managers to have some social time and some education time. This one caught my attention. So I wanted to talk to you about it because you and I have been working together to promote it to Tennessee Turfgrass professionals.

So would you mind introducing that event and telling me a little bit about it? Absolutely. Yeah. So, you know, shortly after I started a little over a year ago, our team had a conversation about what an in -person event was going to look like. This will be our first real major event that we’ve had since COVID that’s open to the entire Turfgrass public. And I think…

you know, what we really wanted to try to do is have something that was unique and that hit on a few core things. Like we really wanted to get into a couple of things, which was how do we support really good networking and connection with members of our industry that want to engage at a higher level with our students that want to engage in a higher level with our research program? And similarly, how can we kind of use that to address a growing workforce and labor shortage?

issue across the industry and how can we also use that to provide a unique opportunity for our students. So really wanting to develop an event that was going to be novel.

Julie Holt (02:01.246)
maybe a little bit different and really focused on, I would say just a richer experience and deeper level of engagement. And so we came up with Beacon and the name Beacon, which I’ve gotten a lot of questions about, came from one of our PhD students, Ben Pritchard, who was looking at the UT alma mater and there’s a line in there, know, hallowed hill in Tennessee, like Beacon shining bright.

That’s right. On a hallowed hill in Tennessee, like Beacon Shining Bright. And I think we all just thought that that was really neat. Kind of the idea that our UT TERF program could kind of be this beacon on the hill, bring a lot of folks from our industry together. And so we decided that we would have this be a two -day event. The first day is going to be really kind of like a career fair. That’s the easiest way to describe it. But our goal is that we want to bring together students and we want to bring together members of the industry that

have open positions or soon to be open positions, whether those are jobs or internships. And we really wanted to extend it beyond our UT turf grass program. We have a phenomenal program with great undergraduates, but there’s a lot of other really good programs in the region, including several at some smaller colleges and universities. And so we’ve extended invitations to at least seven other smaller schools to try to encourage them to bring students to this event. And so we’re really looking forward to seeing.

who we might get from some of those other programs. And the way that we’ll have it set up is that our prospective employers can purchase space in where we’ve rented out a ballroom at the Crowne Plaza and they can set up tables. And we also have have it to where they can set up kind of like a front lawn, quote unquote, where they can set up games and other interactive activities to engage those students.

And we’re really hoping that they can just have some really productive discussions. And we also intend for there to be a reception at the end of that on that first day where we play trivia and have some drinks and hors d ‘oeuvres and everybody just gets an opportunity to really get to know one another. And to go with that, we also intend to set up a digital space. So it’ll be effectively a website where we’ll showcase some of these opportunities in advance. So students will get to see before they come what some of those opportunities are going to look like that they’ll get to talk to.

Julie Holt (04:15.722)
employers or prospective employers about. So that’s the first day. And then the second day, that’s where we’ll have folks out to our research farm. It won’t be quite like a traditional field day. What we’ve really decided to do are these kind of themed tours. So we’ll have golf -centric tour, where Dr. Brosnan, Dr. Horvath, Dr. Strachan, myself, we’ll talk about all things golf -related.

And then we’ll have a more sports turf -centric tour. So that’s where a lot of folks will be able to hear about the World Cup research that’s ongoing here at UT, as well as several other things that Dr. Sorakhin’s program in particular is very involved in, in the sports turf world. And then we’ll kind of wrap up that day. We’ve asked our specialty crops specialist here, Dr. Mitchell Richmond, to talk a little bit about his hops research program.

And really that’s just going to be a great excuse to talk about our relationship or UT’s relationship with Yee -Haw Brewing and have a little, have a little beer maybe before the event closes out. And that weekend works out really well. We’ll have Ag Day here on the UT campus on Saturday for alumni that want to engage with the Ag school. And then there’ll be a football game that night if folks want to stay in Tailgate and do football. Wow. Okay. You’ve covered the entire gamut.

I’ve got to take it a day at a time and ask the idea of bringing employers and potential employees together. imagine that the employers are more the buyers market if we’re kind of comparative to real estate terms, but they’re the ones who are really eager to find good candidates for those positions. they involved in the idea process of this event?

I would say yes to an extent. So I think that our motivation to try to bring employers and students together came from just listening to folks at our TTA board meetings, at our annual conference, and hearing more and more about some of the difficulties that a lot of our turf grass managers are having in finding potential employees. And so in that sense, yes. And then we did have a couple of conversations with a few of our alumni that are really involved in the industry to get

Julie Holt (06:32.002)
get some of their input as well on what that might look like. And so, yes, I would say we did have some, engagement with, those folks as we kind of thought through all of that. So I’m thinking of a lot of, don’t, I don’t want to say, say old school, but, but traditional ways of finding staff for Turkress management, whether I mean, it’s golf course industry right down to, to link here. I still see some of these like job boards.

line association websites. And I see some of those jobs listed for a long, long time. Are those, are those employers open -minded to a new format of looking for staff? Are they, are they coming? Are they involved? Are they like, yeah, we’re going to maybe add to the, the old school way we’ve, we’ve pitched these jobs.

That’s a great question. You know, I think it’s too early for us to say. I think this is our first time doing this event here. Certainly so far, the feedback that we’ve gotten is a lot of excitement. You know, I think historically in the past, this is really what a lot of field days were about. It was really about trying to facilitate that rich engagement and trying to get our students connected with those in the industry. And so we’re kind of coming back to that. think, you know, not that we’ve had a complete departure from that, but field days have in many

places have become just so big and so focused on pesticide points and education, trying to get so many things kind of crammed into that day. And so this will be a little, a little different. And I think it’ll just be a learning year for everybody to see how, that goes and how people feel about it. You know, what I can certainly say is we have a generation now that’s coming out of these programs that may look for jobs and think about jobs differently.

You know, there’s research that’s been done kind of looking at what is appealing to some of these younger prospective employees going out into the job market. And I think what they’re looking for is a little bit different. And because it’s so competitive and there’s so many opportunities, I think really trying to create opportunities for one -on -one engagement where you can really get to know a student and that student can get to know you is going to make a lot of difference in terms of what’s appealing.

Julie Holt (08:53.528)
to some of these students, whether they’re looking for internships or looking for, you know, to start their career. Right. I have been working with younger employees and I sometimes feel really lost. Like, how do I entice younger generations to want to work and how do I adjust my attitude about the expectation of how they work? And I love that you are.

fostering a conversation before that starts in a way that they can get to know each other and figure out if they can bridge that gap of how we have worked and how they want to work. Do you have a lot of current students that plan to attend, like are your turf grass students right now all in?

Yeah, I think we have several students here that are really excited. We have a very, we have a good sized, very tight knit program. And you know, Dr. Sorokin and Horvath, who are the primary faculty that engage with our students have really good working relationships with them. And my intention too, is that we were going to promote this pretty heavily in the college, especially once we once the fall semester kicks off and we’re back in August, because

We have lot of other departments in our college where I think we have students that maybe don’t know what’s possible in the turf world. have students in agricultural leadership and education and communication. We have students that are in agricultural economics, students that are in adjacent fields that may love a career in turf. And I think too, the other thing we’ve heard from folks is we have several companies that have other positions that aren’t just turf management positions that they’re struggling to fill.

or hoping to get good candidates to look at. And so, yes, we have turf students here that are looking forward to it, that will be there. I’m hopeful that we have a lot of other students from the college as well and that we get some good diversity there. Excellent. Okay, let’s talk after Beacon. I know that you’ve now had a full year to absorb the Go Big Orange culture.

Julie Holt (11:03.598)
I think this is a really exciting time to join the UT family because we’re doing well on multiple sports fronts and there’s just a lot of excitement around that and we had a lot of activity here even just on the Ag campus but across the entire campus with new construction, new facilities, updated facilities and so you can kind of feel that excitement in the air and that positive momentum that this is a university that’s on the rise.

and that’s very successful and is continuing to move that way. So what’s next? What’s big in the future of the turfgrass science program at UT? Well, once we live through the pioneering beacon event, of course. There’s just so many things that are going on with our program right now as a whole. I mean, I would say, of course, there’s a lot of anticipation and excitement around the FIFA World Cup research that’s ongoing here.

As we get closer to 2025, 2026, and we have club world cup and then the big show, you know, there’s a lot of anticipation building up around that. And a lot of energy from our program, Dr. Srockin’s team in particular, going into preparing for that. In addition to that, you know, our program is very fortunate that we have great, great relationships across the industry. And we’ve got some neat research. Dr. Brosnan has got a lot going on right now in the golf sector and similar with Dr. Horvath. So there’s.

There’s a lot happening. I think as a team, we’ll have a retreat here in the next couple of years where we will be able to work together and really discuss kind of what does our vision look like going forward as a group. And so I’m excited for that. And then personally, for my own research, there’s a couple of big things that I’m trying to focus on right now. So the first is looking at doing some research over the winter months this coming year.

really focused more on golf courses, looking at wedding agent program development to try to protect sensitive areas from winter injury. We’ve had a lot of that in Tennessee over the last couple of years. And then going into 2025, a big focal point of my program is going to be to develop an extension program around community turf. So recognizing that we have many turf grass facilities across the state of Tennessee that are

Julie Holt (13:23.65)
public park spaces, school grounds, cemeteries, areas that can really be thought of as community assets and valued green spaces and really trying to think about how can we streamline education and professional support and to the folks that are managing those spaces. That’s a great topic. I hear that.

in and around the schools in my community. We often see our assistant principals mowing the middle school football field and you know we have a lot a lot of that space where volunteers want to do a good job and they want to have a nice safe playing surface or a place that the community can enjoy an outdoor movie night. I feel like most of them don’t know where to start and

I think that’s a great, great opportunity for extension. I see it out of my office window right this moment with a little community green space. So that’s amazing. I’ll look forward to seeing what comes from that. Yeah, I’m excited. And it gives us a really good opportunity to to kind of leverage our really extensive network of county extension offices. know, we UT has a county office in every one of our 95 counties. And so working with those agents and kind of

thinking about what we can do at a local level to support those community turf spaces. I’m excited about it. Have you had an opportunity to visit many of those 95 counties just yet? You know, somebody just asked me this question yesterday. I think that I’ve been to between 35 and 40 counties so far since I started here at UT. That’s impressive. And traveling the state of Tennessee is, you know, they’re not all day trips. They’re just not. I, and I really, I

When I started here, somebody, I didn’t know a whole lot about the state of Tennessee and somebody shared with me about the three regions and how distinct they are and they all have their own unique identity. And it’s been really neat as I’ve traveled to really see that play out in a very true way. And I’ve been able to form my own unique kind of relationships with each region. I’ve, I’ve got, you know.

Julie Holt (15:29.11)
restaurants I love in each region, places I like to stop and stay in each region. And so it’s been really cool, you know, and you’re right. Like when I go out to West Tennessee, that’s usually a two or three day trip with a hotel and all of that. West Tennessee is where we have the majority of our sod production in the state, know, a very strong presence of sod production. So that’s when I go out there, I get to spend a lot of time with our sod producers, which is actually really cool. It’s one of my favorite.

Christina Curdy is known for his West Tennessee hospitality. He’s a great tour guide and host over there in Rutherford and Gibson County. Yeah, I just really enjoy that. I enjoy going out there and visiting with a lot of those folks. It is very different, than middle and East. They are each very unique for each other. for sure. Is there anything else going on kind of related to that industry building and labor?

challenges. Sure. So a couple of different things that we could add to that. The first is I actually just spent before you and I got on here today, probably about an hour and a half, I have the honor of chairing our TTA education committee. So I spent about an hour and a half today. I’m just sending some emails out to folks planning what that program is going to look like. And so we will have, I believe our SOD producers intend to have

a portion of their session dedicated to talking a little bit about labor, maybe talking specifically about H2A labor. Our intention to right now on the UT extension side is we’re looking at, so there’s a professor here, Dr. Margarita Valandia, who is in our A -Rec department, Ag Economics department. She has developed some great resources for H2A labor and trying to work with her to finalize some H2B resources, really busy time, we’re

slowly moving them forward. So, you we do have some professional landscapers, golf or superintendents or golf courses, I should say, that are utilizing that program as an additional labor source. So we’ve got that going on. And sometimes I run into when I’m researching articles, I’m looking for good economic research of, who’s working and who needs more people who having numbers on the labor challenges.

Julie Holt (17:52.078)
It’s been really tricky and it seems all anecdotal, but it adds up to a full picture of most of our golf courses just don’t have enough staff and our LCOs are all working 25 hours a day. Do you guys have a way that you quantify that or like, can you see good data and numbers for that?

There was a really great and very thorough economic study that was done, I want to say about 10 years ago, that’s been published for the state of Tennessee for the golf or the turf grass industry. But since that was conducted, I don’t know, you know, those types of studies are, are, they’re, are challenging to complete and they require very focused bandwidth and willingness from, people to respond and participate. so,

You know, I don’t know that we have anything super recent to try to capture that specific to Tennessee. It would be interesting to see whether GCSAA, whether they’ve done anything along those lines. I’m not sure whether they have or not, but, you know, certainly some of the labor challenges are not unique to our state. So, so that’s a really good question, but I don’t, I don’t, we haven’t done anything here in a while that I’m aware of.

that don’t know what’s being done by some of those other entities. That’s a big puzzle to try to put together for sure. Okay, let’s close with what would be your best case scenario coming out of this first big event, the inaugural Beacon event? What would be really succeeded and this is why we do this and let’s do it again result from your Beacon event in September. I think for us,

For this event in particular, success would look like good student engagement, success in at least some of our employers that come through have promising leads, if not commitments to have students join them for internships or, you know, continue discussions about job opportunities. I think we really want to see that.

Julie Holt (20:04.312)
There’s some tangible evidence that those relationships have been formed and everybody leaves feeling like they’ve made new professional connections and it’s going to strengthen, you know, overall experience as professionals in the industry. Well said. And that’s a great goal. Dr. Bowling, thank you so much again for joining me and I wish you so much success for this event and for all your big plans coming up.

For our listeners, be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also follow us on X at the turf zone.

The post The TurfZone Podcast: Dr. Becky Bowling on Industry Recruiting and UT’s First Beacon Event appeared first on The Turf Zone.

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ATA TURF TIMES: J. Scott McElroy, PhD – Professor, Department of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences Auburn University

As a scientist, I hesitate to make predictions such as those a fortune teller might reveal. I wince when I hear people speaking with absolute certainty that this or that will happen in the future. That some team will win, some politician will lose, or that some event will occur is often pure speculation. Absolute predictions are nonsensical, and an affront to probabilistic thinking. To think probabilistically is to think in terms of the percentage of probability that something will occur. This is the foundation of good science.

Having said that, it is highly probable that in the next 10 years autonomous technology will gain a significant portion of the professional and consumer market in the United States. I base this prediction on four pieces of evidence:

Robotic technology has already captured a significant portion of the technology in Europe.
All major brands that market traditional mowing technology or mowing equipment are developing robotic technology.
At one count there were over 40 additional startups and companies developing all manner of robotic technology, including mowers, painters, and sprayers.
The labor shortage will be sustained into the foreseeable future and could potentially increase (https://www.wsj.com/articles/america-still-has-a-worker-shortage-d0c65166).

But here I am addressing the “Contrarian’s Guide to Turfgrass Robotic Technology.” To the robotic contrarian, any positive arguments I present regarding this technology will likely fall on deaf ears. To the contrarian, only seeing is believing. Once my prediction has come true, the contrarian will adopt the technology as self-evident. Don’t get me wrong. Skepticism is a good thing. However, a complete understanding and realistic expectation of what robotic technology can do and where the technology is going is necessary to the healthy skeptic. I want to convince the contrarian that instead of waiting for the technology to be tested by fellow industry partners, they should begin testing and evaluating it themselves. With that in mind, I present this article to the contrarian on fundamentals of robotic technology today.

“The Technology is Just Not There Yet.”

This is the contrarian’s favorite phrase. In frustration I respond, “Where is There?” or even “What is There?”. If the technology has not arrived at the point where it can be adopted, what are its current limitations?

What irks me so much about this critique is the underlying assumptions about imagined technological characteristics that may not even be possible. The contrarian’s perception of automation is that the technology can be easily set up with little or no planning or understanding of the technology. That it may be deployed for use with little, or no, oversight. The phrase, “The Technology is Just Not There Yet,” is normally rooted in some technological advancement in artificial intelligence, or machine learning, that the contrarian has developed based on their perception of technological development, or maybe even a touch of science fiction.

My response is “The technology is what the technology is.” 2022 might as well have been ten years ago when it comes to robotic and autonomous technology in the United States. 2023 saw an incredible number of major advances. These include allowance for extended range connection to 4G and network RTK systems; daisy chaining of reference station signals for greater lengths; creation of virtual zones that can vary in direction, speed, and height of cut; and mobile deployment across multiple sites. The technology launched in 2023 will be the basis of robotic technology for the next five to ten years.

To the contrarian, if you were talking about 2022, I agree. The technology was not “there” for the professional user. It was largely restricted to wire boundary units, mowing randomly at a single fixed zone height. But 2023 completely changed the game.

Autonomous vs. Semi-Autonomous

Before discussing the technology that now makes robotic automation possible, let me make a rather large distinction in technology – Autonomous vs. Semi-Autonomous Technology. Now and in the future, it will be extremely difficult for any mowers with traditional mowing implements to be fully autonomous simply due to liability. As I have been told (I am not an expert on liability, nor am I a lawyer) liability has been and will continue to restrict deployment of certain technology. Such technology – semi-autonomous technology – will require an operator to be watching it while it is completing its task. It will not work at night and will likely not have a fixed position point for deployment. It will need to be taken to the location by hand for deployment. Fully autonomous technology will likely be small, lightweight equipment weighing approximately less than 300 lbs. Again, I may be wrong, but making traditional mowing equipment fully autonomous is going to be challenging to say the least.

Robot Positioning – The Leap Forward in 2023

The technology that made 2023 the year of advancement largely dealt with how the robots position themselves in space. And the one acronym you need to know is RTK.

RTK. RTK stands for Real-Time Kinematic. It is a satellite navigation technique used for enhancing the precision of position data obtained from global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) like GPS (Global Positioning System). RTK is commonly used in applications where high accuracy location information is required, such as surveying, agriculture, construction, and autonomous vehicles. RTK requires a base station in a fixed position that can then communicate to a rover (in our case a mower, painter, or range picker). RTK allows for real time positioning and correction for the rover. RTK signals can stretch from 200 meters to 10 miles depending on the signal type. Husqvarna and Echo Robotics use a fixed position RTK signal that extends 200–300 meters. (Actually, Echo Robotics now has 4G RTK which extends up to 10 miles.)

nRTK. nRTK stands for network real-time kinematics. nRTK is a mesh network system individual companies deploy and then offer other companies for use. For example, NexMow uses nRTK from TopCon (https://global.topcon.com/). Kress (https://www.kress.com/en-us/all-robot-lawn-mowers/) has developed its own nRTK system specifically for its mower technology. Tiny Mobile Robots also uses an nRTK system
for positioning.

RTK, whether a dedicated local RTK reference station, or a nRTK system, allows for positioning of technology in space, allowing for removal of wire from the field and the creation of virtual boundary systems. RTK also allows for directional or systematic work, not random work. With RTK the efficiency of the equipment increases exponentially and the ability to deploy over a wider area has increased.
Where Should the Contrarian Begin?

If it is true that robotic technology will be a common form of turfgrass management in the next five to 10 years, one probably needs to start learning about and adapting the technology now. To be fair, there are some early adopters that have made significant investments in this technology, but the contrarian samples the product before a full commitment. The key to what to utilize first is choosing equipment that solves a problem. Depending on the operation, you already have mowing equipment, so unless you need to make a major purchase, the first goal is to seek out equipment that solves a problem. Here is my list of useful equipment that solves major issues.

Field Painters. Field Painters have been adopted in the United States faster than any other autonomous technology for one big reason – they solve a problem. Painting field lines is a tedious, repetitive task that was begging for automation. Technology from Turf Tank (https://turftank.com/us/) and Tiny Mobile Robots (https://tinymobilerobots.com/field-marking-robot/) have taken athletic field maintenance by storm with painters becoming the fasting growing segment of autonomous turfgrass management.

Range Pickers. Ranges can have a myriad of problems that robots can solve. Large pickers used frequently can compact soil. They are very abrasive to the turf reducing stand density and quality and can cause damage during high soil moisture conditions. Light weight pickers such as the Echo Robotics Range Picker (https://echorobotics.com/en-us/)can be programmed to pick ranges at all hours of the day. It uses the same positioning technology as Echo Robotics mowers – either a WiFi or 4G signal – which massively extends the range of use of the picker.

Slope Climbers. Mowing slopes is a burdensome task. It can be damaging to the turf and dangerous for the operator. Because of the difficulty, some sloped areas are mowed infrequently reducing the turfgrass stand and leading to debris buildup after mowing. The Husqvarna 535 AWD is a compact, light-weight slope mower that can be deployed to cover up to 0.8 acres. While it is random and has a wire boundary, it is efficient, and virtual zones can be created after it has mapped the wire bounded area.

Drop and Mow. Many contrarians are turned off by the idea of fixed position mowers that are bound to a specific docking station and work zone. They would prefer to be able to deploy mowers to other locations during the evaluation phase. The NexMow M1 (https://nexmow.com/) is a deployable drop and mow system that allows for mapping and deployment at hundreds of areas stored on the NexMow app. Simply choose the location that you have mapped and stored in the app, deploy one or multiple mowers, and return to pick up when the app tells you the job is complete.

Mowing Technology. Or the contrarian could just deploy other mowing technology. Mowers from Husqvarna, Kress, and Echo Robotics are all light weight, fully autonomous mowers that can be deployed to mow fairways, rough and tee areas, sports fields, common areas, or large multi-use complexes. This will allow the contrarian to evaluate the cut quality, evaluate the equipment for its functionality at their location, and determine how best to scale with autonomous technology.
To be fair, the economics do not work out until autonomous technology has been deployed at scale—meaning across a majority of the facility. In the beginning, if you are just evaluating a few pieces of equipment, this will likely add a little to your workload in the first year, as you are adding a new piece of technology without subtracting equipment you are already using. This is part of the process of adopting new technology. The time and money saving on a facility basis are not realized until you are at scale.

Final Thoughts

When the iPhone was introduced in 2007 it was an amazing leap in mobile technology. It has changed the way we work, play, and live. The current version of the iPhone is even more amazing – camera technology; the myriad of apps that are available; and how you can do almost anything on the iPhone. I have never heard a single person who bought the original iPhone complain that they should have waited to buy the current iPhone and skipped the 16 years of previous iterations. Sure, the new iPhone is amazing, but so was the original.

I leave the contrarian with this final comparison. The technology released in the US in 2023 will be the dominant technological innovations for the next decade and beyond. There will be upgrades and innovations along the way, but the base technology will remain the same. If you wait for some mythical technological level that may never come, you will miss out on the journey this technology will take us on for years to come.

Disclosure

Dr. McElroy is a professor at Auburn University, and also owns Scotsman Turf Robotics, (http://scotsmanturfrobotics.com) which is a distributor of Husqvarna, Echo Robotics, and NexMow. Scotsman does not distribute Kress, Turf Tank, or Tiny Mobile Robots but sees these as valuable additions to a growing autonomous turfgrass technology industry. Dr. McElroy and Scotsman encourage readers to explore all aspects of autonomous and semi-autonomous equipment that will be the future of turfgrass management. Robotic equipment is currently <1% of the US turf equipment market but is slated to grow substantially over the next five years.

The post Alabama Turfgrass Association – A Contrarian’s Guide to Autonomous Turfgrass Robotic Technology appeared first on The Turf Zone.

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PENNSYLVANIA TURFGRASS:

What happens when turf professionals from Penn State Cooperative Extension, the world of professional sports, and the private sector all team up to work on a community turf project? It results in a special “feel-good” synergy that gets the job done and also has great community impact. Westinghouse Academy, an inner-city high school in Pittsburgh serving Wilkinsburg, Homewood, Point Breeze, East Liberty and Highland Park, is getting a safe new football practice field and green activity space, thanks to the combined efforts of Head Coach Donta Green, Extension Educators Jeff Fowler and Michael White, and Thomas ProTurf contractor Jeremy Thomas, who was able to also enlist the help of Steelers groundskeeper Thomas Goynes. We asked where the vison for this project came from and how this turf power team had come together, and it was an inspiring story (Photo 1).

The Bulldogs and Their Coach

The Westinghouse Bulldogs have generated a lot of excitement in Pittsburgh over the last two years. In the words of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, last season, Westinghouse had “a fairy tale season that ended at the doorstep of a state championship.” The Bulldogs (14-1, 4-0) were the first City League school to reach the state finals since Perry High School 25 years ago. Under the charismatic leadership of Coach Donta Green, they were state runner-up in 2022, and Green was quoted as saying, “Our guys are just itching for another shot and another opportunity to do that” this season.

According to Jeff Fowler, “Coach has done some amazing things in his two years with the Westinghouse football program.” Donta Green is also the executive director of The Trade Institute of Pittsburgh, a nonprofit vocational training provider dedicated to providing opportunities for individuals with barriers to employment who need additional support to begin their careers. Founded in 2013, the Trade Institute is located in the Homewood community of Pittsburgh. The football team at Westinghouse reflects this demographic — 65% of the players’ fathers are incarcerated and will have barriers to employment when they re-enter society. And the student athletes who carried the Bulldogs to success last season have not only had to work hard to achieve this excellence, but they have also had multiple barriers to overcome – not the least of which was a practice field that was, like many neglected urban landscapes, run down and treacherous underfoot.
The Connected Community Initiative

Penn State Extension Educator Michael White is a Pittsburgh-based Program Specialist in the Connected Community initiative. He plays a vital role in developing programs that aim to provide equitable opportunities for underserved communities, empowering them to achieve success and personal growth. His goal is to leverage science-based Extension practices to respond to the diverse needs of urban communities, fostering a more vibrant and inclusive environment. “Many of the local green spaces are in distress,” he notes. “However, the Westinghouse Green Space initiative became a priority for me because of its potential to impact so many youths.”

White brought in his colleague, turf expert Jeff Fowler, to assess what it would take to renovate the field at Westinghouse Academy. Based on Fowler’s recommendations, White wrote grants to finance the purchase of seed and fertilizer and arranged to offer training for the school staff on care and maintenance of the new field. Jeff Fowler says he then got excited about the project and invited several of his KAFMO colleagues to get involved and lend a hand – and suddenly, the Westinghouse Green Space project was taking off (Photo 2)!

Jeremy Thomas of Thomas ProTurf is a graduate of Penn State’s Turf Science program and an active KAFMO member who contracts with Steelers groundskeeper Thomas Goynes. Jeremy Thomas agreed to donate his time and equipment to making the Westinghouse renovation project happen and Acrisure Stadium donated the organic waste material Thomas was grinding off the Steelers field for a resod and the Tri-King to transport it to use as fill for the bare spots and top dressing at Westinghouse – a combination of teamwork and recycling in which everybody wins. And as always, success leads to success.

The spotlight on the Westinghouse Bulldogs and their Head Coach has been drawing publicity to the field renovation project now that school is back in session and the teams are starting to practice – KDKA TV has recently approached the school about doing a story on their efforts as this article goes to press (Photo 3).

Multifaceted Impacts

When asked about what impact he anticipates the field renovation will have, Connected Community’s Michael White had a whole list of positive outcomes that reach well beyond the world of sports. “The impact of a school having a safe green space for activities is multifaceted and highly beneficial,” he said. “This dedicated outdoor area is a hub for physical and mental well-being, creating a positive environment for students and staff. With ample space for sports, games, and exercise, it encourages regular physical activity, contributing to better health and fitness,” he went on. “The presence of nature in the school’s surroundings offers stress relief and a calming effect, promoting improved mental health. Furthermore, green spaces provide opportunities for social interactions and outdoor learning, fostering community and connection to the environment. Overall, a safe green space at a school supports physical health and enhances the quality of education and well-being for the students who utilize it,” he concluded.

Field of Dreams

The Westinghouse Green Space renovation is, as of this writing, still a work in progress. In many ways, it is also a kind of Field of Dreams in the unlikely urban streetscape around Westinghouse Academy. But great things can happen when a network of enthusiastic and knowledgeable turf professionals and Extension Educators all join forces; in this case, all things are coming together perfectly to make this project happen for the Bulldog student athletes and their dynamic Coach, Donta Green. Fowler anticipates that the field will be ready for next year’s football season and that Westinghouse will put it to very good use!

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NEW ENGLAND BLADE:

Everyone wants better employees and today, that usually requires growing them internally. By starting with a high-potential worker and developing them intentionally, companies are able to build a near-ideal employee ready to tackle their specific issues. But employee development only occurs in the right environment.

Employee growth is not unlike plant growth in that the result is dependent primarily on environmental factors rather than genetic make-up. Unfortunately, managers rarely audit their environment for employee growth potential and even fewer have clear ideas about the factors that would make a strong growth environment. Here are the seven environmental factors that should be considered when cultivating a culture of development:

Advanced Expertise – Employee growth can only occur when there is guidance from an experienced mentor who is setting the pace for production and sharing knowledge. Everyone should have a committed coach or mentor.

Continually Challenged – Advancing to the next professional level never happens by accident, so an environment where everyone is challenged to reach higher levels of performance creates the tension needed to advance intentionally.

Future-Oriented – A team which is focused on past mistakes doesn’t have the right outlook to grow their team. Growth is always the result of forward thinking where a better reality is a goal and positive intent around its achievement is embraced.
Affirming Atmosphere – Development takes a lot of extra work beyond simply the status quo so teams that encourage each other to the next level of their skills are the ones that usually stick it out to see the results. It is the consistency of effort over long periods of time that is enabled through encouragement and brings true results.

Mission Driven – When team members understand what their company does to enhance the lives of their customers and how their role contributes to making a difference, they are more likely to wake up excited and be driven to be the best version of themselves. This energy is essential to growth.

Failure is Embraced – When we learn new skills and put them into practice, failing is a large part of the learning journey. In fact, learned experience is the quickest way to actually know anything. But a negative reaction to mistakes will deplete growth momentum, so wise team leaders expect failures and embrace the opportunities they provide.

Mutual Advancement – People always work best when they’re working together, so teams where every member is growing are far more likely to see positive results. The best environments for growth have individualized and continuous development happening for every person and the culture is one of learning. •

If your team needs more help growing itself to the next level, or your want help building a better growth environment, check out the industry-specific resources available at www.GrowTheBench.com. NESTMA members are invited to connect with
Neal at neal@growthebench.com.

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MTC NEWS: Fereshteh Shahoveisi

In 2023, our team conducted several fungicide and nematicide trials at the UMD Paint Branch Research Facility to evaluate their efficacy against various turfgrass diseases and nematodes. The trials were mainly focused on:

• Brown patch and dollar spot affecting fairway and green height creeping bentgrass.
• Brown patch on home lawn tall fescue.
• Gray leaf spot on perennial ryegrass.
• Nematicide trials on bermudagrass and perennial ryegrass.

Preliminary findings from these experiments were presented at our Field Day in July. Currently, we are concluding the studies and analyzing the data. For the trials with registered fungicides, reports detailing our observations and results will be made available on our program’s website
(https://sites.google.com/view/umdturfgrasspathology).

In terms of disease progress in the season, May and early June were relatively drier and cooler than the usual averages for the season. This led to a delayed onset of diseases at the farm. However, as summer progressed, the typical weather patterns prevailed, leading to elevated disease pressure. Most diseases, including the brown patch and dollar spot, peaked during this period. By mid to late September, we observed a significant reduction in the prevalence of most diseases.

Turfgrass Variety Trial Update

By Geoffrey Rinehart

Did you know that the University of Maryland turfgrass research program conducts ongoing experiments to evaluate varieties from several different turfgrass species? Using data from these trials and in coordination with data collected by turfgrass researchers at Virginia Tech, and the professionals from the Maryland Department of Agriculture and Virginia Department of Agriculture Seed Laboratories, the “Maryland-Virginia Recommended Varieties List” is updated on annual basis to summarize the top varieties from several of the major turfgrass species used in the Mid-Atlantic provided the varieties are available as certified seed and has been tested by either or both the MD or VA Seed Labs. Typically, these trials are conducted as part of the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program’s (NTEP) research efforts. Previously high-performing varieties which are not included in the most current NTEP trials are planted and evaluated in supplemental trials so that researchers can continue to evaluate these cultivars as one of the criteria for them to remain on the recommended list. NTEP conducts variety trial testing for all major cool- and warm-season turfgrass species in over 35 states throughout the country to identify top-performing varieties both on a national and regional level. The University of Maryland’s NTEP trials, as well as the Annual MD/VA Recommended Varieties List, are an important part of evaluating varieties both locally/regionally and nationally and providing you, the Maryland Turfgrass Professional, with the varieties which will grow well and produce the best turfgrass for your customers. In fact, one of the requirements sod farmers in Maryland must meet is to utilize only varieties found on the MD/VA Recommended Varieties list.

This summary of information can be found in University of Maryland Extension publication TT-77. This and other UMD Extension publications are available to all members and industry professionals on the Maryland Turfgrass Council website. Currently, the UMD turfgrass program has trials evaluating bermudagrass, zoysiagrass, tall fescue, “fine” fescue (includes Red, Chewings, and Sheep Fescues), and Kentucky bluegrass (the newest trial of which was planted in early October 2023).

For more information on the University of Maryland’s turfgrass variety trials, please contact Geoffrey Rinehart (E-mail: rinehart@umd.edu)

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MISSISSIPPI TURFGRASS: J. Scott McElroy, PhD – Professor, Department of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences Auburn University

As a scientist, I hesitate to make predictions such as those a fortune teller might reveal. I wince when I hear people speaking with absolute certainty that this or that will happen in the future. That some team will win, some politician will lose, or that some event will occur is often pure speculation. Absolute predictions are nonsensical, and an affront to probabilistic thinking. To think probabilistically is to think in terms of the percentage of probability that something will occur. This is the foundation of good science.

Having said that, it is highly probable that in the next 10 years autonomous technology will gain a significant portion of the professional and consumer market in the United States. I base this prediction on four pieces of evidence:

Robotic technology has already captured a significant portion of the technology in Europe.
All major brands that market traditional mowing technology or mowing equipment are developing robotic technology.
At one count there were over 40 additional startups and companies developing all manner of robotic technology, including mowers, painters, and sprayers.
The labor shortage will be sustained into the foreseeable future and could potentially increase (https://www.wsj.com/articles/america-still-has-a-worker-shortage-d0c65166).

But here I am addressing the “Contrarian’s Guide to Turfgrass Robotic Technology.” To the robotic contrarian, any positive arguments I present regarding this technology will likely fall on deaf ears. To the contrarian, only seeing is believing. Once my prediction has come true, the contrarian will adopt the technology as self-evident. Don’t get me wrong. Skepticism is a good thing. However, a complete understanding and realistic expectation of what robotic technology can do and where the technology is going is necessary to the healthy skeptic. I want to convince the contrarian that instead of waiting for the technology to be tested by fellow industry partners, they should begin testing and evaluating it themselves. With that in mind, I present this article to the contrarian on fundamentals of robotic technology today.

“The Technology is Just Not There Yet.”

This is the contrarian’s favorite phrase. In frustration I respond, “Where is There?” or even “What is There?”. If the technology has not arrived at the point where it can be adopted, what are its current limitations?

What irks me so much about this critique is the underlying assumptions about imagined technological characteristics that may not even be possible. The contrarian’s perception of automation is that the technology can be easily set up with little or no planning or understanding of the technology. That it may be deployed for use with little, or no, oversight. The phrase, “The Technology is Just Not There Yet,” is normally rooted in some technological advancement in artificial intelligence, or machine learning, that the contrarian has developed based on their perception of technological development, or maybe even a touch of science fiction.

My response is “The technology is what the technology is.” 2022 might as well have been ten years ago when it comes to robotic and autonomous technology in the United States. 2023 saw an incredible number of major advances. These include allowance for extended range connection to 4G and network RTK systems; daisy chaining of reference station signals for greater lengths; creation of virtual zones that can vary in direction, speed, and height of cut; and mobile deployment across multiple sites. The technology launched in 2023 will be the basis of robotic technology for the next five to ten years.

To the contrarian, if you were talking about 2022, I agree. The technology was not “there” for the professional user. It was largely restricted to wire boundary units, mowing randomly at a single fixed zone height. But 2023 completely changed the game.

Autonomous vs. Semi-Autonomous

Before discussing the technology that now makes robotic automation possible, let me make a rather large distinction in technology – Autonomous vs. Semi-Autonomous Technology. Now and in the future, it will be extremely difficult for any mowers with traditional mowing implements to be fully autonomous simply due to liability. As I have been told (I am not an expert on liability, nor am I a lawyer) liability has been and will continue to restrict deployment of certain technology. Such technology – semi-autonomous technology – will require an operator to be watching it while it is completing its task. It will not work at night and will likely not have a fixed position point for deployment. It will need to be taken to the location by hand for deployment. Fully autonomous technology will likely be small, lightweight equipment weighing approximately less than 300 lbs. Again, I may be wrong, but making traditional mowing equipment fully autonomous is going to be challenging to say the least.

Robot Positioning – The Leap Forward in 2023