07/24/2009

Field Day for Turf Professionals Aug. 12

Writer:

Martha Filipic
filipic.3@cfaes.osu.edu
614-292-9833

Source:

Kevin Thompson, Ohio Turfgrass Foundation
kthompson@offinger.com
(888) 683-3445

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Some professionals always focus on protecting their turf.

Golf course superintendents, grounds and athletic field managers, lawn care operators, sod producers, and other landscape professionals can cultivate their skills in doing just that at the 2009 Turfgrass Research Field Day on Wednesday, Aug. 12, at the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation Research and Education Facility in Columbus.

This year's event is lush with presentations led by Ohio State's turfgrass science team, said Kevin Thompson, OTF executive director and organizer of the event. The field day is sponsored by Ohio State University Extension, the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, and the OTF.

Registration, which includes lunch, is $30 by Aug. 7, or $40 afterwards. A $5 discount is offered to OTF members. A registration form is available online at http://www.ohioturfgrass.org/. Registration begins at 8 a.m. and the program begins at 9 a.m.

The morning program offers sessions in two areas:

• Lawn and Sports, including "Seed to Play in Four Weeks," "Bermudagrass Establishment on a Sand Rootzone," "New Broadleaf Herbicides for Lawns," "Annual Grassy Weed Herbicides," "Evaluation of Turf in Shade" and "Compost Trials."
• Golf, including "Turfgrass Ant Control Studies," "Summer Diseases and Control Trials," "Changes in Turfgrass Morphology Caused by Fungicides and Shade," "Shade Tolerance and Growth Regulators," "Genetic Studies of Dollar Spot Disease," and "Tenacity Herbicide Studies."

From 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., participants can choose between a session on "Using Systemic Insecticides for Ornamental Insect Control" conducted by OSU Extension landscape and turf entomology specialist Dave Shetlar, or "Managing the Top 10 Tree and Shrub Diseases" conducted by OSU Extension horticulture specialist Joe Boggs. One hour of pesticide license recertification credit (category 6A) is offered for each afternoon session.

The OTF Research and Education Facility is located off Kenny Road at 2551 Carmack Road.

For more information or to register, contact OTF at (888) 683-3445 or info@ohioturfgrass.org or visit http://www.ohioturfgrass.org.

Ohio's turfgrass industry makes a $4.6 billion economic impact in the state, according to a 2008 study conducted by OTF. In 2007, the state's turfgrass industry employed 41,808 Ohioans on a full-time equivalent basis.

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