turf saver rtf - pnw stmasupport of ewing irrigation and their ven-dors along with western...

®

PLANT A LEGACY

Quick to establish with extensive deep root system

Saves 30% water over other cool season grasses

Ideal for low impact, low maintenance sports turf

Turf Saver RTFRHIZOMATOUS TALL FESCUE

®

Provides moisture during seed germination

Absorbs and releases nutrients to seedling

Protects your investment in seed and labor

Yellow Jacket ENHANCED SEED COATING

®

Turf Star RPRREGENERATING PERENNIAL RYEGRASS

Endophyte-enhanced for improved stress tolerance

Ideal for all sports turf applications in the Northwest

®

Fast germination and aggressive establishment

Excellent for all sports turf applications east of the Cascades

Turf Blue HGTHEALTHY GRASS TECHNOLOGY

®

AUBURN, WA253.351.6591

SPOKANE, WA509.928.4512

CALDWELL, ID208.459.1631

TWIN FALLS, ID208.732.0707

WILSONVILLE, OR 503.227.3525

barusa.com

INNOVATIVE TURF TECHNOLOGYFor the paci�c northwest

®

2 PNWSTMA/NTA - Between The Stripes - 2017

3PNWSTMA/NTA - Between The Stripes - 2017

2017Published by:

Unit 1 – 73 Fontaine CrescentWinnipeg, ManitobaCanada R2J 2H7

COMMUNICATIONS INC.

© Copyright 2017 PTR CommunicationsInc. All rights reserved. The contents of thispublication may not be reproduced by anymeans, in whole or in part, without theexpress written permission of the Publisher.

While every effort has been made toensure the accuracy of the informa-tion contained herein and the reliabili-ty of the sources, the Publisher in noway guarantees or warrants the infor-mation herein, and is not responsiblefor errors, omissions, or statementsmade by advertisers. Opinions or rec-ommendations made by contributorsor advertisers are not necessarilythose of PTR Communications Inc.,its officers or employees.

PresidentElaine Chouinard

[email protected]

EditorMike Stimpson807.346.0510

[email protected] SalesDarlene Madill218.324.3159

[email protected] & Design

Lunch Pail Productions204.237.6611

[email protected]

Also...Presidents’ Message 4Training Opportunities 5Legislative Update 7Irrigation Water Testing and Interpretation 18Idaho Professor says Synthetic Turf is Better 21Logo Branding Entering the Golf Industry 23Study: Crumb Rubber Cancer Risk 25New Trends in Water Conserving Products 27PNWSTMA Membership Application 29PNWSTMA Board of Directors 30NTA 2017 Annual Conference 31NTA Board of Directors 322017 Buyer’s Guide 33Index to Advertisers 35COVER PHOTO: Gary Sayre

PTR Communications Inc.Unit 1 - 73 Fontaine Cres.,

Winnipeg, ManitobaCanada R2J 2H7

Printed in Canada 08/17

Featured...New TrialsResearchers in Oregon explored methods for alleviating abiotic damagecaused by the use of fungicides 08ControlElimination of P. annua from golf courseturf has been an objective of turfgrassmanagers for decades 13ThoughtsLeadership is not so much a position youhold as it is a set of disciplines andbehaviors you practice

16

Table of Contents


Our two associations have a long

history together … just not

much of a recent history. We’ve

decided to change that.

The PNWSTMA and the NTA have

reached a dual membership agreement

and have committed to work together to

enhance our professions. More important-

ly, we’ll work together to share educational

opportunities and research knowledge to

ensure our clients have the best, most eco-

nomical playing conditions possible. All

the while, the two associations will work

together to maintain our roles as stewards

of the environment and continue to tout

the benefits of healthy turfgrass for

humans and wildlife alike.

The two associations used to do this on

a regular basis, but drifted apart more

than 20 years ago. It’s time to get back

together.

Members of the PNWSTMA can

become associate members of the NTA

for $20 a year. In that role, PNWSTMA

FROM THE PRESIDENTS’ DESKSTim Werner, President, Pacific Northwest Sports Turf Managers Association

Steve Link, President, Northwest Turfgrass Association

members can play a role in determining

how the NTA divides its research/educa-

tion resources, which average $50,000 a

year. Issues and concerns of PNWSTMA

members that have been ignored because

of lack of funds can now be put in front of

university researchers for study.

For $60 a year, PNWSTMA members

can become regular members of the NTA

and can be voted to the Board and hold

offices.

Moving forward, events will now be

Presidents’ Message

geared to be inclusive of both associations.

For example, the NTA Conference at

Suncadia on Oct. 1-3 will have an educa-

tion track geared toward sports turf. And

the PNWSTMA Fall Field Day will add

attractions for NTA members.

All in all, it’s a partnership that should

make everyone in the Northwest more

aware of their partners in the turfgrass

community and more knowledgeable as

well.

HistoricCollaborationAjoint statement from Tim Werner, president of the

Pacific Northwest Sports Turf ManagersAssociation, and Steve Link, president of the NorthwestTurfgrass Association:


Training Opportunities

NTA Conference Oct. 1-3Tim Werner PNWSTMA President

The past year included a training

event date that will be signifi-

cant for my family for many

years to come. On the morning of

October 22, Colson Hill Merritt arrived

into this world in Phoenix, Arizona, while

we had just started our event at Cheney

Stadium, home of the Rainiers ball club in

Tacoma, Washington. It was cold but the

rain let up, the sun came up and warmed

us some, and all had a great leaning experi-

ence in a facility that hosted the 2017

Triple-A All-Star Game on July 12.

Success of our training event was due to the

support of Ewing Irrigation and their ven-

dors along with Western Equipment/Turf

Star and, for sure, Michael Huie and the

Rainiers staff. With all of this accom-

plished, however, I’ve got to say that the

best part of the day for me was holding the

little man before midnight.

By the time you receive this magazine

the VMAC event scheduled for July 12

will be history, but it is shaping up to be a

terrific event with 66 already registered at

the writing of this article (6-28-17). The

topic of PREVENTION & TESTING

FOR CONCUSSIVE SAFETY along

with our ability to utilize both the natural

and synthetic turf portions of the facility

for training purposes is proving to create a

lot of interest.

October brings two events, one of

which will be enhanced due to our part-

nership with Northwest Turfgrass

Association, and the second being a new

offering to PNWSTMA members due to

our partnership with NTA. The Vendor

Event scheduled for October 11 will have

added vendors from the golf side of turf

management. The host site will again be

the beautiful campus at University of

Puget Sound. The second event is the

addition of the NTA conference to be

held at Suncadia Resort on October 1st

through the 3rd. The conference schedule

will be posted on our website, or you can

visit www.nwturfgass.net to view the

Call Toll Free: 1-800-387-5808Int’l: +1-416-745-1811 • FAX: 416-742-6837E-mail: [email protected]© 2017 Covermaster Inc.

TARP MACHINE™ lets you rollthe cover on and off in minutes.

TARPMATE™ roller comes in 3lengths with safety end caps.

covermaster.com/rcad/

The COVERMASTER®

Advantage...• Lighter weight, superior strength, easier to handle• Shield Tek™ coating technology for greater durability• Outstanding heat reflective properties• Raincover graphics available• Largest choice of weights and colors

COVERMASTER™RAINCOVERSAvoid Costly Rainouts...

Covers for football and soccer fieldsare also readily available.

TARP MACHINE VIDEO!TARPMACHINE™ makes light of handling your raincover.

WACH THE ACTION ON LINE AT:covermaster.com/tarpmachine/

covermaster.com/rcad/

V


Training Opportunities

agenda and register.

Last up for 2017 will be December’s

WTLS – Washington Turf and

Landscape Show – coordinated by

WWGCSA and hosted at the convention

center in Lynnwood. WWGCSA has pro-

duced this program for a number of years

and will continue to create a Sports Turf

track for the Monday program.

Photos from the 2016 Field Day at Cheney

Stadium by Gary Sayre and Tim Werner.


State PondersPesticide RulesBy the time it was over, not much

happened during the 2017 leg-

islative session that will affect turf

or sports fields.

Of course, as of this writing, it’s not quite

over. The final showdown in Olympia will

be over the two-year operating budget. It

must fully fund education as well as allow

the rest of state government to function.

The special session(s) are unlikely to gener-

ate any policy relating to turf.

That said, one persistent issue

reemerged. For the fourth year in a row, a

bill was introduced that would have

required everyone who applies pesticides

to submit all of their application records to

the Department of health every month.

These records would then be posted on a

searchable website so anyone could look

up what has been applied.

Some of you may be thinking, “I have

nothing to hide.” That’s great, but here are

some things to think about. There are

people who oppose all pesticide use

including herbicides and will protest

against any and all use. As structured, the

bill’s requirement could not be met by

merely clicking the send button.

Application records would have to be

entered into an online portal by the appli-

cator. That could take a significant

amount of time.

We expect this bill to be reintroduced

next year.

How can you help? Communicate with

people who use your field about your

maintenance plan. Explain all of the

things you do to keep the turf healthy and

why it is sometimes necessary to use pesti-

cides. Let them know you use a small

amount and are trained to use it properly

so neither staff or players are exposed. If

there is a stream on your property and you

do water testing, tell them your results.

When the time comes, communicate this

to your legislators. Open communication

can help calm concerns.

Moths and Politics

It is likely that the final budget will

include $723,000 for the Washington

State Department of Agriculture to con-

duct post-treatment trapping to monitor

the effectiveness of their Asian Gypsy

Moth eradication program conducted in

Heather HansenExecutive Director

Washington Friends ofFarms & Forests

Legislative Update

the spring of 2016 in western Washington.

This post-treatment monitoring is

required by the U.S. Department of

Agriculture to determine the effectiveness

of the treatments.

This summer, the race for the 45th

Legislative District Senate seat, and con-

trol of the State Senate, will be hot. This

seat opened up when Senator Andy Hill

passed away from cancer last October 31.

Dino Rossi was appointed to fill the seat,

but is not running for election. The politi-

cal party that wins this seat in the

November 7 special election will control

the Senate next year. The district runs

from Totem Lake to Duvall and

Sammamish to Woodinville.

FungicideAlternatives inManagement ofMicrodochiumPatch andAnthracnose

Clint MattoxAlec KowalewskiBrian McDonald Oregon State University

Previous trials indicated promising

results for the control of

Microdochium patch on Poa

annua putting greens using the combina-

tion of the mineral oil Civitas One with

sulfur and/or potassium phosphite, as well

as a sulfur and potassium phosphite com-

bination. Other previous trial results have

indicated that iron sulfate heptahydrate

has shown the potential for control of

Microdochium patch on Poa annua put-

ting greens.

However, some questions remain,

namely concerning abiotic damage that

was observed when rolling was used in

combination with Civitas One. This is a

major concern for turfgrass managers as

rolling and other forms of mechanical

stress are typical cultural practices used to

maintain high quality putting surfaces.

Another concern is turfgrass thinning

associated with frequent high rates of iron

sulfate heptahydrate.

Considering these concerns, in the fall

of 2015 and 2016 a series of new trials

were initiated to explore methods for alle-

viating abiotic damage caused by these

fungicide alternative methods for

Microdochium patch management. The

first goal of these trials was to identify

minimum effective rates using alternative

product combinations and rotations of

Civitas One, phosphite and sulfur

(Experiments 1-3). The second goal was

to determine if increased water carrier vol-

umes or application timing intervals of

iron sulfate heptahydrate would continue

to suppress Microdochium patch while

alleviating turfgrass thinning compared to

the original two-week interval or 2 gal/M

carrier volume (Experiments 4 and 5). In

addition, a trial exploring the combination

of a phosphite product and iron sulfate

heptahydrate, an alternative product com-

bination not previously explored, was also



initiated (Experiment 6). Other new trials

include exploring alternative crop oils;

Civitas One, Superior Oil and TriTek Oil

(Experiment 7), and phosphite products,

PK Plus vs. Duraphite 12 used in combi-

nation with sulfur (Experiment 8).

Experiments 1-4, 6 and 7 all receive repli-

cated golfer traffic in order to mimic real-

world conditions and assess any abiotic

damage that may result.

Finally, a previous trial using the wet-

ting agent “Revolution” to control the tur-

fgrass disease anthracnose on Poa annua

putting greens without fungicides has

shown promising results (Experiment 9).

This trial concluded in September 2016

and preliminary results are included.

Research on all of the following nine

experiments is being conducted on Poa

annua putting greens at the Lewis-Brown

Turf Farm, Corvallis, Oregon, that were

constructed in either 2009 or 2013 using

the California method consisting of 100%

USGA specified sand established vegeta-

tively using aerification cores.

Experiment 1

Objective: Determine the most reliable

and cost-effective rate of the combination

of the mineral oil Civitas One, sulfur DF

and the potassium phosphite product PK

Plus to control Microdochium patch on

Poa annua putting greens, while assessing

abiotic damage under replicated golfer

traffic.

Treatments were applied every other

week from Sept. 2015 to May 2016 and

replicated from Sept. 2016 to May 2017.

The most striking damage was observed

whenever Civitas One was applied with

Sulfur regardless of rates although all

applications, including Civitas One at the

8.5 oz./M every two weeks, had unaccept-

able abiotic damage during the winter

months. Microdochium patch disease was

greatly suppressed by all applications com-

pared to the control treatment.

Experiment 2

Objective: Determine if applications of

the combinations of Civitas One and

Sulfur DF or Civitas One and PK Plus in

rotation with Sulfur DF and PK Plus will

lead to acceptable control of


ting greens while lessening any effects of

abiotic damage previously observed in bi-

weekly combinations of the mineral oil

Civitas One.

The following treatments were applied

every other week from September 2015 to

May 2016 and replicated from Sept. 2016

to May 2017:

1a. 8.50 oz/M Civitas One + 0.25 lbs.

S/M every four weeks (M = 1 000ft2)

1b.0.25 lbs. S/M + 6.0 oz/M PK Plus

every four weeks

2a. 8.50 oz/M Civitas One + 6.0 oz/M

PK Plus every four weeks

2b.0.25 lbs. S/M + 6.0 oz/M PK Plus

every four weeks

3. 0.25 lbs. S/M + 6.0 oz/M PK Plus

every two weeks

4. Control (Not treated)

As was shown in Experiment 1, when-

ever Civitas One was applied in combina-

tion with sulfur, abiotic damage occurred

in the winter months. The treatment 2

rotation (2a & 2b) showed very promising

results with no winter damage and very

good Microdochium patch suppression in

the first year of this experiment in

Corvallis.

Effects of high rates of Civitas One + sulfur (left), and Civitas One + PK Plus (right).


Experiment 3

Objective: Determine if alternative

product rotations avoiding winter applica-

tion of Civitas One can reduce abiotic

damage caused by this product.

The treatments in Table 1 were applied

accordingly from September 2016 to May

2017 and are to be repeated in September

2017 to May 2018.

Experiment 4

Objective: Compare different water

carrier volumes for iron sulfate heptahy-

drate applications in order to assess if a

higher dilution will lead to less turfgrass

thinning while at the same time continue

to manage Microdochium patch on Poa

annua putting greens.



May 2016 and replicated from September

2016 to May 2017.

1. 2.0 #/M FeSO4 Heptahydrate applied

using a 2.5 gal/M spray volume every

two weeks (M = 1 000ft2)



two weeks



two weeks



two weeks


Trial update: The first year of the

experiment was successfully implemented

and the second year of applications was

begun in September 2016. There is sug-

gestion that the water carrier volume does

not play a large role in the ability of the

application of 2 # FeSO4 / M every two

weeks to suppress Microdochium patch.

There is suggestion that there is a minor

advantage of using a larger water carrier to

decrease the blackening of the turfgrass

leaves and to have a slight reduction in

turfgrass thinning due to the frequent

applications of iron sulfate.

Experiment 5

Objective: Compare application tim-

ings of iron sulfate heptahydrate to quan-

Results from Civitas + Sulfur treatment rotated with Sulfur+ PK Plus (left); control patch on right.

Table 1: Experiment 3 Treatments, September 2016 to May 2017


tify the minimum application intervals

necessary to suppress Microdochium

patch on Poa annua putting greens.


according to the schedule below from

October 2015 to May 2016 and are cur-

rently being replicated from October 2016

to May 2017


using a 5.0 gal/M spray volume every 2

weeks (M = 1 000ft2)



weeks



weeks



weeks5. Control (Not treated)




begun in October 2016. There is sugges-

tion that the application frequency of

every two weeks (treatment 1) is the only

treatment that provided acceptable disease

suppression, although turfgrass thinning

was also observed leading to unacceptable

turfgrass quality.

Experiment 6

Objective: Evaluate the effects of phos-

phite applied in combination with varying

rates of iron sulfate on an annual bluegrass

putting green without fungicides.

Materials: Combinations of phosphite

and iron sulfate are currently being

applied at the following treatment levels

from September 2016 to May 2017 and

will be replicated from September 2017 to

May 2018.

Factors in this research include the fol-

lowing phosphite and iron sulfate rates

Factor 1: Phosphite

• Duraphite 12 applied at 3.14 oz/M

every two weeks

• No phosphite applications

Factor 2: Iron sulfate

• No iron sulfate

• 0.25 # FeSO4 / M applied every two

weeks


weeks


weeks


weeks

Experiment 7

Objective: Compare three different

mineral oils in combination with potassi-

Effects of 2.5 (left) and 10.0 gallon/M carrier volume when applying iron sulfate heptahydrate compared to the control (right) in March 2016.

Control (left) versus treatment with iron sulfate + Duraphite (right)


um phosphite in their ability to control


ting greens under replicated golfer traffic

in order to determine if there are differ-

ences in abiotic damage observed and per-

haps lead to more cost effective product

choices.



May 2016 and are currently being repli-

cated from Sept. 2016 to May 2017.

1. 8.50 oz/M Civitas One + 6.0 oz/M PK

Plus every two weeks (M = 1 000ft2)

2. 7.92 oz/M Superior Oil + 6.0 oz/M PK

Plus + 0.37 oz/M of the pigment PAR

every two weeks

3. 7.92 oz/M Superior Oil + 6.0 oz/M PK

Plus every two weeks

4. 9.80 oz/M TriTek Oil + 6.0 oz/M PK

Plus + 0.37 oz/M of the pigment PAR

every two weeks





begun in September 2016. Preliminary

results suggest that all mineral oils tested

have the potential to suppress

Microdochium patch when used in com-

bination with PK Plus. Abiotic damage

due to repeated applications every two

weeks throughout the winter is still a con-

cern with all products tested.

Experiment 8

Objective: Compare two phosphite

products alone and in combination with

Sulfur DF in order to quantify their abili-

ty to control Microdochium patch on Poa

annua putting greens.


every other week from October 2015 to

May 2016 and are currently being repli-

cated from October 2016 to May 2017.

1. 6.0 oz/M PK Plus every two weeks (M

= 1 000ft2)

2. 3.14 oz/M Duraphite 12 every two

weeks

3. 6.0 oz/M PK Plus + 0.25 lbs. S/M

every two weeks

4. 3.14 oz/M Duraphite 12 + 0.25 lbs.

S/M every two weeks

5. 0.25 lbs. S/M every two weeks





begun in September 2016. There is sug-

gestion that all treatments suppress

Microdochium patch compared to the

control with better disease control

observed when either phosphite product is

used in combination with sulfur.

Experiment 9

Objective: To confirm previous results

concerning the application of the wetting

agent “Revolution” to control anthracnose

on Poa annua putting greens.

Trial update: The second year of the


with the trial applications concluding in

September 2016. Initial results suggest

that when disease pressure was high, as in

2015; treatment 1, followed by treatment

2, followed by treatment 6 and finally by

treatment 3 provided significant suppres-

sion of anthracnose compared to the con-

trol as measured using the area under dis-

ease progress curve analysis. In 2016, the

disease pressure was lower and all treat-

ments were able to significantly suppress

anthracnose compared to the control.

Table 8: Area under disease progress curve results for year one (2015) and year two(2016) in Corvallis. The 2015 trial began on Feb. 03, 2015 and ended on Sep. 28,

2015. The 2016 trial began on Feb. 02, 2016 and ended on Sep. 27, 2016.


Elimination of P. annua from golf

course turf has been an objective

of turfgrass managers and

research personnel for decades. Its elimi-

nation from golf course fairways will

enhance aesthetics and playability, save

money and labor, and make the game a

more positive experience for golfers. The

use of a biological control to achieve this

objective will be proactive environmental

stewardship by the turfgrass industry.

Showing promise and warranting addi-

tional turf research is Pseudomonas fluo-

rescens strain D7, a deleterious rhizos-

phere bacteria has been registered by

Verdesian Life Sciences primarily as a bio-

logical control (herbicide) in the agricul-

tural sector for the control of downy

brome (Bromus tectorum). Limited

research has been done on turfgrasses.

Kennedy et al. (2001) in a laboratory study

showed D7 did not inhibit the growth or

germination of tall fescue, perennial rye-

grass, or Kentucky bluegrass. In a silt loam

soil in the growth chamber, D7 did not

inhibit the root growth or germination of

tall fescue, but did inhibit the germination

(but not root growth) of perennial rye-

grass. No research has been conducted to

date on the effect of D7 on P. annua.

D7 shows promise as a biological con-

trol of weeds in the PNW. It was devel-

oped at WSU, has been under ongoing

WSU research for over 20 years, and has

been tested on numerous soils in the

region. Anecdotal observations have indi-

cated that D7 might have some control of

annual bluegrass ( Jim Connolly, personal

communication, 2015); however, research

data and findings are now needed to con-

firm, or dispute, the potential of this new

biological product for the control of P.

annua in turf.

Uniqueness of the study:

1. Potentially identify a biological control

Biological Controlof Poa annua inFairways NTA Research Report

William Johnston & Charles Golob Department of Crop and Soils SciencesWashington State University


of P. annua.

2. A single application of D7 may provide

long-term control (see Fig. 1).

3. D7 could provided control of P. annua

presently in the seed bank over time,

which is not possible with currently

available herbicides.

Research Objectives:

1. Golf course study to determine the

effects of timing and rates of D7 (fall

only vs. fall + spring) on P. annua con-

trol in a mix P. annua/Kentucky blue-

grass fairway over several years.

2. Effect of herbicide treatments (Tenacity

+ Xonerate and PoaCure) to initially

knock down the P. annua population

followed by D7 applications for long-

term control. Biological controls typi-

cally start slow, giving essentially unac-

ceptable control compared to chemical

treatments; however, as the microorgan-

ism increases over several years it is

anticipated it will eventually provide

acceptable, continuous P. annua control

(Fig. 1). Thus, with the combination

there will initially be less P. annua to

deal with and acceptable early control

followed by later biological control.

Experimental Design & Methods:

Field studies were initiated at the WSU

Palouse Ridge Golf Course in late fall

2015 with applications of D7 to a

Kentucky bluegrass/P. annua fairway.

Study 1 — evaluate timing and rates of

D7 (D7 applied only in year 1) for P.

annua control over three years. D7 timings

were fall only (11/16/15) and fall

(11/16/15) + spring (4/6/16). D7 rates

were 0, 2, 10, or 30 g/acre. PoaCure was

also applied at 1.26 fl oz per 1,000 square

feet for a chemical treatment for compari-

son. Fall only PoaCure was applied

11/16/15. Fall + spring PoaCure was

applied 11/16/15 and 4/6/16, 4/20/16 and

5/4/16.

Study 2 — evaluate applications of her-

bicides (to initially knock back the P.

annua population) followed by D7 appli-

cations over the top of the initial herbicide

treatments. Herbicide treatments were: 1)

PoaCure at 1.26 fl oz/1000 ft2 in 3 appli-

cations spring 2016 (4/20/16, 5/4/16, and

5/18/15) and 3 applications fall 2016

(10/5/16, 10/19/16/, and 11/2/16) and 2)

Tenacity (4 fl oz/1000 ft2) + Xonerate (1.4

fl oz/1000 ft2) in 3 applications fall 2016

(9/7/16, 9/21/16, and 10/5/16). D7 was

applied at 2, 10, or 30 g/acre on 11/17/16.

PoaCure and Tenacity + Xonerate will be

applied spring 2017 and D7 will be

applied in the fall 2017 and 2018. Plots

will be evaluated for P. annua control, turf-

grass quality, etc. for 2 additional years.

Results:

Study 1. The initial percentage of P.

annua in the fairway was visually estimat-

ed at 30-35% (11/16/15). There was no

statistical difference in P. annua control in

either the fall only or the fall + spring

treatments. This is somewhat to be

expected as the D7 applications have the-

oretically not yet had time to be effective

and the PoaCure treatments were primari-

ly applied in the spring 2016 just prior to


the 5/26/16 rating date. However, it had

been anticipated that the single fall

PoaCure application on 11/16/15 would

have had some reduction in P. annua (see

below Study 2). It is anticipated that con-

tinued PoaCure applications in 2017 will

show a reduction in P. annua.

Study 2. The initial percentage of P.

annua in the fairway was 35% (5/26/16),

which was prior to application of D7

(11/17/16). The percentage of P. annua

was again rated on 8/24/16 and 9/21/16.

Unlike in study 1, the reduction in P.

annua compared to the check by both

Tenacity + Xonerate and PoaCure treat-

ments was evident (Fig. 2). Compared to

the initial rating (5/26/16) on 9/21/16 the

P. annua in the check had increased 38%

while P. annua in the Tenacity + Xonerate

plots had decreased 11% and the PoaCure

plots had a decrease in P. annua of 32%.

D7 was applied in late fall 2016 and no

results are yet available. Tenacity +

Xonerate and PoaCure treatments will

continue in 2017.

Expected Benefits:

Potentially a P. annua biocontrol pro-

gram for fairways will be identified. A sin-

gle application of D7 may provide long-

term control of P. annua. Initially the golf

course industry will benefit the most, as

with many new products and programs.

The use of a biological control will provide

turfgrass managers an additional option to

the use of chemical control measures and

will be hopefully seen as sound environ-

mental stewardship by the industry and

general public.

References:

Kennedy, A.C., B.N. Johnson, and T.L.

Stubbs. 2001. Host range of a deleterious rhi-

zobacterium for biological control of downy

brome. Weed Sci. 49(6):792-797.

Kennedy, A.C., T.L. Stubbs, and J.C.

Hansen. 2011. Microbial control of cheat-

grass, jointed goatrass, and medusahead.

www.fwaa.org/accounts/fwaa/data_docu-

ments/60/files/10b-dl-2011-12-13_130

p_kennedy.ann.pdf

Verdesian Life Sciences. 2016. Verdesian Life

Sciences announces new biological herbicide.


Twelve Thoughtson EffectiveLeadership

(Adapted from SportsTurf Online, May 2015)

1

2

3

4

LEADERSHIP BEGINS WITH PEOPLE, NOT POSITIONS

Before you can lead others, you must

first manage yourself. Leadership is not so

much a position you hold as it is a set of

disciplines and behaviors you practice, the

first and most fundamental of which is

self-discipline. A leader without self-disci-

pline is a disaster waiting to happen.

Leaders are the ones who take responsi-

bility for making decisions and bringing

change. Leaders are the ones who empow-

er people to discover and use their greatest

potential. If you want to be a leader, then

act like a leader and shape a better reality.

IT’S ABOUT INFLUENCE, NOT AUTHORITY

Leaders want to get the best out of

their teams. Here is the simple truth.

Instead of telling your team members

what to do, show it to them by example.

Practice what you preach, and the results

may astonish you. Especially during hard

times, when chances to give up are very

big, you should be the one who faces

obstacles with confidence and determina-

tion toward success.

People follow the leader first and vision

second. If people aren’t committed to you,

they will not be committed to the vision

you communicate. Always seek to have

your level of influence exceed your level of

authority. Indeed, your influence is your

authority. You establish your personal

credibility and authority by consistently

living your core values and demonstrating

that you are a person that others can trust.

Become a person that other people want

to follow.

LEADING MEANS MAKING AN IMPACT

Think about the greatest leaders in his-

tory. What was the one thing they had in

common? Yes, they all made an impact.

Leadership is not just setting goals and

effectively achieving them with your team.

You should make a positive change. A

commitment to continuous improvement

derives from the leader’s recognition that

success requires constant adjustment;

today’s world deals ruthlessly with people

and organizations who fail to adapt to

change.

LEADERSHIP IS CHASING VISION

Without a vision, your activities are

meaningless. Each person can be very busy

implementing various tasks, but the key is

devoting your efforts and time to the real-

12


5

6

7

9

10

ization of your vision. Vision is what

inspires people to take action and go for-

ward. Discover your unique vision and

coordinate all your activities towards it.

Inspire each and every member of your

team with that vision.

ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS

It’s no secret that much talking and less

acting has nothing to do with effective-

ness. What people see affects them many

times greater than what they hear. So,

choose actions. Don’t waste your and other

people’s time on endless conversations

about your plans. Just realize those plans

and be sure that everyone will see it.

FLEXIBILITY REFERS TO BEHAVIOR, NOT VALUES

Depending on circumstances you may

choose a different style of leadership or

communication. Flexibility is a truly effec-

tive trait, if it doesn’t affect your values.

Each and every decision of yours, no mat-

ter what the situation, must be based on

your value system. As long as your actions

are value-driven, you will have the trust

and respect of the people around you.

LEADERSHIP IS ABOUT PEOPLE & LISTENING TO THEMPeople want their leaders to listen.

Leaders don’t have to agree, but they do

need to listen and seek to understand.

People want to be understood at two lev-

els; intellectual and emotional. At the

intellectual level people want the leader to

understand what they are saying. At the

emotional level people want the leader to

understand what they are feeling. Again,

listening is not about agreeing with peo-

ple. It is about respecting them and paying

attention to them. People don’t care how

much you know until they know how

811

are ineffective leaders precisely because

they are not good followers.

USE YOUR “POWER” BY GIVING IT TO OTHERS

Effective leaders are a source of power

and energy for people, teams, and the

organization. They encourage the heart.

They understand that power is not a zero-

sum game. The more the leader empowers

others, the stronger and more effective the

leader and team become.

UNITY IN STRENGTH

Team is somehow the most important

resource for each leader. Embrace your

team and devote your energy to care about

its unity each and every day. As long as

your team is splendid, nothing can stay in

your way to success. Make sure that all

people in your team consider themselves

as members of a strong, unified family.

THERE IS ALWAYS ROOM FOR GROWTH

Remember, satisfaction should be a

short-term feeling. Life would become

useless without ongoing improvement.

This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t

appreciate what you have. This means that

you should be thankful for everything you

have achieved, but still try to do a little

more for this world.

much you care.

Could you be a leader in an empty

room by having profound goals and skills?

Of course not! Leading means communi-

cating, influencing and engaging.

Communication skills are the foundation

of effective leadership. Seek to constantly

improve your relationship with people.

IT IS FINE TO ADMIT MISTAKES

If everything has always been done per-

fectly, we would have somehow lost the

ability to analyze and improve. Mistakes

are proof that you are doing something.

You won’t become a worse leader if you

admit your mistakes. By doing that, you

will show that you are wise enough to

learn from your each and every experience.

There are plenty of smart people in

positions of leadership. What we need are

wise leaders. Our world has an overabun-

dance of information, but we have a

scarcity of real wisdom. Wise leaders have

real insight, that is, they see beyond the

obvious. Why? Because they are looking!

BEFORE YOU CAN LEAD, YOUMUST FIRST LEARN TO FOLLOWGreat leaders are great followers. They

are humble. They do not always need to

be in charge. They understand the impact

of great followership. If you don’t under-

stand the dynamics of following, then you

don’t understand the dynamics of leading.

Many people in positions of authority


Whether it’s your first day on

the job or your 20th year as

a sports turf manager, it’s

important to know where your irrigation

water comes from. Common irrigation

sources for sports turf managers include,

but are not limited to: surface water,

groundwater, municipal water, and recy-

cled/effluent water. Now that you know

your water source, what in the world is in

it and what does it mean? Irrigation water

management is an important component

of a successful sports turf management

program. Whatever your water source, it is

important to test your irrigation water so

you can successfully manage your field in

the best way possible. This article seeks to

educate sports turf managers on how to

properly take a water sample and what to

do once you get your irrigation report back

from the lab.

Collecting the Sample

Obtaining a proper sample is the first

step in receiving an accurate irrigation

report. Below are general guidelines for

collecting a sample. You should always

check with the lab where you are submit-

ting your sample for their specific guide-

lines. The steps below are taken from the

soil, water and forage lab at Oklahoma

State University.

1. Obtain a clean, opaque 4-ounce water

bottle from a local extension office.

2. Take the sample directly from the irri-

gation source you want to test (irriga-

tion head).

3. Fill the bottle halfway, rinse the bottle

entirely then pour it out. Repeat three

times.

4. Collect the sample.

5. Label bottles immediately.

6. Fill the bottle as full as possible with

the lid tight and submit to county

extension office or lab.

Interpreting the Report

When you first receive your irrigation

report, it can be overwhelming. Where do

you start? What should you be looking

for? Below, we will look at several parame-

ters that will give you a great start for

interpreting your water results. All param-

eters are important, but these are the best

place to begin.

• pH is the measurement of dissolved

hydronium ions in solution. Irrigation

water can be classified as alkaline or

acidic based on the pH value. The pH

values can range from 0 to 14; 7.0 is

neutral, below 7.0 is acidic, and above

7.0 is alkaline. A desirable range of pH

for most turfgrasses is 6.0 to 7.0 but

most irrigation water will range from

6.5 to 8.4. The suggested range is also

dependent upon your soil type. A pH

outside of this range may not be a direct

problem itself, but may show a need for

evaluation of other chemical compo-

nents in the irrigation water.

• Bicarbonate & Carbonate are common

components of irrigation water that can

have a direct effect on turfgrass health.

If bicarbonates are >120 ppm and car-

bonates are > 15 ppm and sodium is

>100 mg/L, then there is potential to

create sodic soil conditions. This is bad

for soils and for turfgrass performance.

High concentrations of bicarbonates

and carbonates with high calcium and

magnesium can lead to deposits of cal-

cium or lime. Irrigation water with a

high pH (>8.0) often contains higher

bicarbonates.

• Residual Sodium Carbonate (RSC)

allows us to find the sodium hazard of

our irrigation water. To get this parame-

Irrigation WaterTesting andInterpretationReprinted with permission from SportsTurf magazine, March 2017, www.sportsturfonline.com

Dr. Justin Quetone Moss& Chrissie A. Segars


ter bicarbonate, carbonate, calcium, and

magnesium are calculated based on an

equation and expressed to give us the

sodium hazard. An easy way to think

about this parameter is calcium and

magnesium act as a “blocker” of sodium

accumulation. If the RSC becomes too

high, the calcium and magnesium are

removed and unable to stop the accu-

mulation of sodium.

• Electrical Conductivity & Total

Dissolved Solids. Saline soil conditions

are one of the more common issues

when dealing with marginal to poor

irrigation water quality. Electrical con-

ductivity is a measure of the degree that

a water conducts electricity across 1 cm

of water. Electrical conductivity is

measured by passing an electrical cur-

rent through the water sample and

recording the resistance. Electrical con-

ductivity is used to estimate total dis-

solved solids by multiplying by 0.64

based on the units given below in

• The Sodium Adsorption Ratio is gener-

ally used to determine the ratio of sodi-

um to calcium and magnesium in soils,

which determines sodium status and

permeability hazard. Although, this is a

soil parameter, it can be used to classify

irrigation water and is typically reported

on irrigation reports.

Together, total salts and SAR are used

to help predict water infiltration rates.

Infiltration refers to the soil’s ability to

allow water through; also referred to as

soil permeability. Infiltration rates can be

improved by high total salts, but high salts

may also reduce turfgrass health.

Therefore, irrigation water with high salts

can benefit and damage turfgrass simulta-

neously. Extremely pure water can lead to

reduced infiltration, even at low SAR.

High total salts can help with infiltration

at medium to high SAR (15-20); high cal-

cium and magnesium can counterbalance

effects of high sodium.

Example Irrigation Water Reports

Let’s look at two example reports. Both

reports will come from the Oklahoma

State soil, water, and forage lab. These

irrigation reports are broken down into

categories that make it easy to see and

know what to look for. These reports also

include a paragraph that gives recommen-

dations based on the reported values. This

will not be the case for all labs, but is

becoming more common.

The pH of this water is in the upper

part of our desired range. However, a pH

of 8.4 will still allow for successful turf-

grass growth without further remediation.

A pH above 8.0 can cause higher bicar-

bonates, but in this case, since sodium is

not an issue it should be suitable for turf-

grass growth.

The bicarbonate of this irrigation water

is slightly above the threshold of 150 ppm.

However, levels of carbonates and RSC

are well within the low hazard category.

The pH of the water could be the cause of

the slightly higher bicarbonate level.

Irrigation water with these reported values

should have no concern for sodium accu-

mulation.

The EC for this irrigation water falls

into the “Excellent” range. This range sug-

gests no management concern. Remember,

EC is an indirect measurement of salt

accumulation but can still be useful for

management considerations.

The total salts reported value of 336.7

ppm falls into the “Good” range for irriga-


tion water. This water should have little

management concern especially with rain-

fall and leaching ability. The SAR of 1.5

also falls into the “Good” range. This value

is of little management concern, however,

if sodium should become a problem, gyp-

sum can be used to help remedy the con-

cern.

Now that we have looked at these two

parameters separately, let’s look at how

they will affect infiltration rates together.

When used together, these parameters fall

into the “Moderate” category for infiltra-

tion. If this water is being used on a heavy

soil system where leaching is unable to

occur, a problem could arise in the future.

However, with regular rainfall and leach-

ing occurring, no problem should be

found.

Overall, this irrigation water should be

suitable for turfgrass growth without many

problems, especially if it is on a sand based

system.

The pH of this water is in the upper

part of our desired range. However, a pH

of 8.3 will allow for successful turfgrass

growth without further remediation. A pH

above 8.0 can cause higher bicarbonates.

However, in this case, sodium is an issue

but is likely not due to pH.

The bicarbonate level of this irrigation

water is well above the recommended

threshold of 150 ppm. The carbonate level

is below the recommended threshold of 15

ppm. However, when the bicarbonates,

carbonates, calcium, and magnesium are

used to calculate the RSC, it presents an

issue. The RSC is calculated as 3.2 meq,

which falls into the “High Hazard” cate-

gory for sodium accumulation. The higher

concentrations of bicarbonates and car-

bonates have removed a lot of the calcium

and magnesium that allows for high sodi-

um accumulation.

The EC for this irrigation water falls

into the “Good” range. This range sug-

gests little management concern, especially

if rainfall and leaching can occur.

Remember, EC is an indirect measure-

ment of salt accumulation but can still be

useful for management considerations.

The total salts reported value of 865.2

ppm falls into the “Good” range for irriga-

tion water. This water should have little

management concern especially with rain-

fall and leaching ability. The SAR of 5.1

also falls into the “Poor” range. This is

cause for concern. Management recom-

mendations are aerification of the soil fol-

lowed by sand topdressing, pelletized gyp-

sum, continued soil monitoring, and

leaching when possible.

Now that we have looked at these two

parameters separately, let’s look at how they

will affect infiltration rates together. When

used together, these parameters fall into the

“Moderate” category for infiltration.

Infiltration rates should not be a problem

on well-drained soils. Soil management cul-

tural practices should allow infiltration

when using medium textured soils.

Overall, this irrigation water is of low

quality. The use of this water must be

monitored closely and is really only rec-

ommended for more salt tolerant turf-

grasses on very well drained permeable

soils and medium textured soils with care-

ful monitoring. This water is not recom-

mended on heavy soils.

As a sports turf manager, irrigation

water quality is very important to under-

stand. As we have learned, interpretation

of water quality parameters, while com-

plex, can be done if we follow written

guidelines. While management of irriga-

tion water can be done using general writ-

ten guidelines, some instances may require

more in depth analysis. Many factors con-

tribute to proper management as well as

problems that may arise. Factors such as

climate, soil type, and turfgrass

cultivar/use must be taken into considera-

tion when problems or management reme-

dies are concerned.

Dr. Justin Quetone Moss is associate

professor and Chrissie A. Segars is a Ph.D.

Candidate at Oklahoma State University.


As the era of injury prevention in

sports reaches new heights, an

Idaho State University professor

is at the forefront of injury research.

Instead of focusing on the athletes,

equipment or the way athletes get hit,

Michael Meyers, 60, is studying the sur-

faces they play on.

In 2000, at a high school football stadi-

um in Abilene, Texas, Meyers saw one of

the first-ever FieldTurf fields to be used

by players at the high school level.

A researcher at that time, Meyers’

curiosity about the new style of artificial

turf began to grow, especially after what

he believes were a series of failed experi-

ments in the 1970s with synthetic grass,

which in many cases was just carpet laid

out on concrete.

Tarkett Inc., the company that manu-

factures FieldTurf, built the brand around

the slogan “looks like grass, feels like

grass, plays like grass,” Meyers said. “I

said, ‘that’s a pretty large brag right there.

I want to find out if it’s true.’”

In 2004, Meyers, an associate professor

of sports science and physical education,

published a multi-year study comparing

the occurrence of sports injuries on natural

grass versus FieldTurf. His research, which

focused on eight high schools that used

either FieldTurf or natural grass, conclud-

ed that there fewer injuries on FieldTurf

compared to natural grass, and that the

injuries on the synthetic surface were typi-

cally less severe.

Two years later, FieldTurf officials

reached out to Meyers and asked if he’d be

interested in researching more of the com-

pany’s products.

3 decades of researchMeyers has been researching sports-

related injuries for nearly 30 years.

Throughout his career, he has studied a

variety of sports and physical activities,

from rodeo to dance to bungee jumping.

But for the last 16 years, his focus has

been on studying injuries that occur on

grass compared to artificial surfaces in

high school and collegiate sports.

“Two things professional organizations

take into account is that as the violence of

a sport gets worse, you have greater trau-

ma,” Meyers said. “You’re not going to get

as much trauma as you would in college

Idaho Professorsays Synthetic Turfis Better than Grassfor AthletesReprinted with permission from SportsTurf magazine, March 2017, www.sportsturfonline.com


football or high school football, but men’s

soccer will have more injuries than

women’s soccer. So the big issue wasn’t the

number of injuries, it was what surface do

you find them on.”

His latest study, “Incidence,

Mechanisms, and Severity of Match-

Related Collegiate Men’s Soccer Injuries

on FieldTurf and Natural Grass Surfaces:

A 6-Year Prospective Study,” was pub-

lished in the Nov. 21 issue of The

American Journal of Sports Medicine.

“Basically, what we found out with this

study is that the artificial grass, specifically

FieldTurf, is superior to natural grass in so

many ways,” he said.

Meyers studied male soccer athletes

from 11 NCAA Division I schools over

six seasons. He evaluated 765 games for

match-related injuries played on both sur-

faces.

The study nearly evenly split the num-

ber of games played on both surfaces.

Overall, Meyers documented 722 injuries,

with 268, or 37.1 percent occurring on

FieldTurf, and 454, or 62.9 percent occur-

ring on natural grass.

Meyers’ analysis also showed signifi-

cantly less trauma for injuries that

occurred on FieldTurf. Factors in the com-

parison included severity of injury, type of

injury, time loss, player position, injury

mechanism and situation, various environ-

mental conditions, cleat design, turf age

and elective medical procedures, among

others.

A change in trendsMeyers sees a future where natural grass

is a thing of the past. “Everyone is tradi-

tionally prone to natural grass when it

comes to soccer, but as our new genera-

tions come up, they’re not going to

remember what a grass field looks like

because programs are moving toward arti-

ficial turf, whether we like it or not,” he

said.

He also believes some types of turf will

be more effective than others.

In a separate study, Meyers looked at

how the weight of turf surfaces influence

athletic injuries. As the weight of turf

increases, Meyers said the firmness of the

surface and stability also increases. As

weight increases, the density and thickness

of the turf also increases, according to

Meyers.

The study, published in 2013, looked at

52 high schools over four years and

showed that as artificial infill surface

weight decreased, the incidence of game-

related high school football trauma signifi-

cantly increased across numerous playing

conditions.

If the weight of the turf surface is less

than 6 pounds per square foot, Meyers

said injuries can increase by more than 30

percent. This is because the consistency of

infill is greater and provides more support

to the athletes’ feet.

“That being said, the majority of fields,

especially at the high school level, are 3 to

5 pounds,” Meyers said. “Why? Because

there’s less infill, so they’re cheap.”

There are more than 30 companies

competing in the synthetic turf market

these days, according to Meyers. Because

the FieldTurf brand has a majority of the

market share, Meyers focused on it specif-

ically for the study. He said the company

also invented the infield turf systems most

use today.

Meyers has also reached out to several

other companies offering to research their

product, but those companies have

declined the offer.

Because he’s a teacher, Idaho State

University supports about 60 percent of

Meyers’ research and FieldTurf accounts

for the other 40 percent. He maintains all

of the data is his, and the company doesn’t

receive any of it until his study is pub-

lished.

Though some may claim his research

holds bias, Meyers said his results are just

a testament to the increase in safety tech-

nology, despite natural grass having a few

advantages.

“If you can imagine, at the beginning of

every season natural grass is brand new.

Whereas the artificial turf sits out there,

year after year, with UV rays and it gets

pounded on,” he said. “In spite of that,

and this study being at the NCAA level

where they take very good care of their

fields, we still saw significantly lower

instances of injuries on the field turf than

we did with natural grass.”


Logo Branding Enteringthe Golf IndustryMike Hebrard Athletic Field Design

Having an athletic field-based busi-

ness, I have done work in several

sports and am adding a new one

every year.

One that keeps popping up year after year

in other venues is the golf industry. I first

started by painting a blue line around the

green for the no-cart area; I used blue

because it’s hardly noticeable from the tee

box. This led me to use blue to mark sprin-

kler heads on athletic fields as well as for

marking locations for upcoming renovation

because the color would not distract from

watching the game.

While presenting at a turf seminar about

painting for other events, I was approached by

a golf course superintendent from Roseburg

Country Club that hosts a tournament for

Abby’s Pizza, an Oregon-based pizza chain

that wanted to up their image of their event.

He handed my contact information to the

marketing company and they quickly sent me

the artwork of what they wanted painted for

their 25th annual tournament.

Though it was a three-plus-hour drive

from my city to the course in Roseburg,

Oregon, I hoped I had all the materials and

colors for the presentation. Since the

requested artwork was quite large and there

was not enough time to have a stencil made,

I used the old technique of gridding the des-

ignated area to be painted.

For years it has been a taboo to mark the

pristine turf on golf courses with decorations

or logos, but with an increase in marketing

and sponsor dollars the natural location for

them has moved to strategic viewing sites.

Most of my painting is done freehand, as

sometimes the design might not fit or the

sponsor changes the artwork.

Quite by accident, I was asked if I knew

anything about painting the Long Drive grid

and logos at the annual event. I mentioned I

had seen the event on TV but was never

involved. The thought of the process of lay-

ing out such an event piqued my interest.

Oddly enough, the next year Justin

Kupper, a paint salesman from Pioneer

Athletics, mentioned the event was being

moved to the Winstar Resort in

Thacherville, Oklahoma. He also mentioned

that one of his customers, Tim Kemp of

Devco, got the contract to lay out and paint

the grid and logos. Tim’s background was in

painting parking lots and football fields with

little experience in logos, so getting me

involved helped his confidence that he could

do the job.

They started out by laying out the grid

(much like laying out three football fields

end to end). The terrain was wavy and it

would have been difficult to keep the lines

straight using a conventional painter, so a

sled was used to slide along the grass and a

riding painter sprayed in between the rails.

Once all the lines were painted, strings were

run the entire length of the grid (usually they

start at the 200-yard distance to 420 yards);

those strings are used for the inside yard

marks and the center of the sponsor logos on

each side. Then pre-made visqueen stencils

are laid out and dotted with the color of the

outline, and the 15-foot yardmark stencil

that I designed was used to paint yard marks

on the inside and outside every yard from

200 to 420. Then another crew lays out

three-digit six-foot-high number stencils and

paints the outline in white, followed by fill-

ing them in with black. Both inverted aerosol

cans and bulk paint sprayed with an airless

painter are used to keep the job going. Then

the logos get filled in with the designated

colors. Since the event is over two weeks, the

grid gets mowed and the entire layout gets

repainted for the championship round.

Now I’m involved with other long-drive

events in Mesquite, Nevada, and Denver,

Colorado, as well as upcoming local golf

tournaments to promote the sponsors’ busi-

nesses. I have also done past golf events for a

restoration company-hosted tournament,

with their logo painted at a couple of signa-

ture holes at The Oregon Golf Club and

100-foot-high tree outlines with rolling hill

at Palo Alto Golf Club.

I have painted logos for other events on a

golf course for the Nike Cross Nationals

cross-country race at Glendoveer Golf

Course (where the runners run through a

designated course throughout the fairways)

and logos for LeMay Auto Museum in

Tacoma, Washington, in hopes of being seen

while they were taking blimp pictures of

local areas for the U.S. Open in Chambers

Bay. I have also done logos for Taylor Made


Golf Clubs at their factory driving range in

Carlsbad, California, introducing their new

driver, The Believe, and another 3D version

on their driving range in Las Vegas, the

Taylor Made Golf Experience, promoting

their new Loft club.

My son Andy has even gotten into the act

by doing a logo at Fire Rock Golf course in

Fountain Hills, Arizona, for their member-

ship tournament and most recently on the

Champions Tour in Iowa for the Principal

Charity Classic. Usually those logos are

placed near the club house on a slope or hill

for the best viewing angle.

Things to consider when painting on the

nicely mowed grass on a golf course are that

white shows up well and is a good outline

contrast for darker colors. Beware of the

darker colors such as black during the hotter

times of the year as they draw in more heat

and can damage the turf much like leaving a

tarp on an infield. If you are using a stencil

to lay out a logo, beware of using a clear

visqueen material because if it is on the turf

for much more than a half-hour it can burn

and discolor the turf. So quickly dot out the

pattern and fold up and store.

It’s always good to print out and laminate

at least two copies of the artwork in case you

have another helper. It helps to dot out the

stencil with the corresponding colors so that

it is easier to connect the correct colors.

Other less intrusive methods would be to use

Green Lawnger or other turf colorants and

do a watermark method so that the image is

still viable but doesn’t distract from the

event. With green you can have a perfect

match of the grass looking into one direction

of the sun and a very dark image looking in

the opposite direction.

Now with the popular availability of

drones, the artwork can be preserved for

future archives and marketing. The angle and

site line is very important as most of the

recognition is from the paying patrons with-

out the fantastic images from a drone.

ATHLETIC FIELD DESIGN12586 SE Bluff Drive Clackham, OR 97105

(503) 698-6383

[email protected] | www.athleticfield.com

• Training • Consulting • Field layout• Laser grading • Logo painting

• Infield renovation • New infield installa-tion • Tournament & Playoff prep

• Aeration, Topdressing, Slice


Study: Crumb RubberCancer Risk ‘At orBelow 1 in a Million’Sharon Salyer The Daily HeraldEverett, Washington, 2017

Tests conducted of crumb rubber

sports fields in five cities, including

the Everett Boys &Girls Club,

found that the cancer risk for children play-

ing on the fields was “at or below one in a

million.”

That finding was part of a new study con-

ducted by Maryland-based Jenkins

Environmental Inc.

The company oversaw a nearly $200,000

project to study the fields’ safety, requested

by the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation in

Baltimore.

“We are very confident in the results,”

Steve Salem, the foundation’s chief executive,

said in an interview.

“Our role in this was to bring the right

people together, to come up with the funding

to get this done, and make sure the kids were

safe,” he said.

The foundation, named after the famous

former Baltimore Orioles manager, spon-

sored the construction of all five fields that

were tested.

The Everett ballfield is on the grounds of

the Boys &Girls Club near Hawthorne

Elementary School. Installation of the artifi-

cial turf was completed in 2014. It was paid

for by the Ripken foundation, Everett

Community College and Snohomish County

Parks and Recreation.

The college’s softball team plays on the

field.

The four other fields that were tested were

in Baltimore, Newport News, Virginia,

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Hartford,

Connecticut.

The Ripken foundation announced in

June 2015 that it would pay for testing its

sports fields.

If the tests had found reasons for concern

about the safety of the crumb rubber fields,

the foundation was prepared to remove the

material on all of its fields across the nation,

Salem said.

The foundation’s decision to test the fields

came as concern has grown over the safety of

playing on the artificial turf fields. The tiny

crumb rubber particles used for fill on the

fields are made from ground-up tires. The

particles can be accidentally inhaled or come

in contact with the skin of players.

Amy Griffin, a University of Washington

soccer coach, compiled a list of 53 people

who played on the artificial turf and who

were later diagnosed with cancer, such as

leukemia, non-Hodgkin’s and Hodgkin’s

lymphoma.

One of the cases was that of Austen

Everett, who trained with Griffin. Everett

was a goalkeeper for Seattle’s Bishop

Blanchet High School and played on teams

at the University of California Santa Barbara

and the University of Miami in Florida. She

was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lym-

phoma as a college junior in 2008. She died

four years later when she was 25.

The Edmonds City Council has banned

the installation of crumb rubber on any pub-

licly owned athletic field until Feb. 28.

The Maryland firm’s study is the second

this year that concluded that crumb rubber

sports fields are safe for children to play on.

In January, a review by the state

Department of Health found no evidence

that playing on crumb rubber sports fields

caused soccer players to get cancer.

A national investigation of the possible

health effects of playing on crumb rubber

fields is now under way, conducted by the

federal Environmental Protection Agency,

the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention and the Consumer Product

Safety Commission.

Michele Twilley, an environmental scien-

tist who worked on the Ripken foundation

study, acknowledged that its conclusion on

the apparent safety of playing on crumb rub-

ber fields will likely be controversial.

“I kept looking at it as, ‘How would I feel

about my family playing on it?’” she said.

“We used the tools of the trade that we have

available to answer the question: Is it safe?”


Approximately four out of 10 people will

be diagnosed with cancer sometime in their

lifetime, the study notes. Leukemia, one of

the cancers which has affected some soccer

players, is commonly diagnosed before the

age of 20, it adds.

The Ripken foundation plans to continue

using crumb rubber in the 25 new fields now

being planned nationally, unless there are

local bans on the product, Salem said.

A plan to randomly sample the crumb

rubber before it’s applied to any of those

fields is being developed. “We want to make

sure the batches coming in meet Consumer

Product Safety Commission standards” as

well as look at the chemical profiles, Twilley

said.

The first synthetic turf fields were

installed in the 1960s. Currently, there are up

to 13,000 synthetic turf sports fields nation-

ally, with 1,200 to 1,500 new installations

each year, according to the Environmental

Protection Agency.

Local and state health officials say that

precautions that have been advised in the

past when playing on crumb rubber fields

should continue to minimize potential expo-

sure to a field’s chemicals.

The study began in August 2015. Tests

were conducted on crumb rubber from the

sports fields, the soil beneath them, and the

air around them.

Overall, 92 chemicals, compounds and

heavy metals were detected. Each was meas-

ured against EPA safety standards.

The study found that concentrations of

lead, cadmium, mercury and two other con-

taminants in the crumb rubber samples were

below Consumer Product Safety

Commission limits for children’s products.

The tests were conducted between March

24 and May 10 last year. The air sampling

included some days when field temperatures

“were hitting 100-degrees plus,” to measure

for chemicals that easily vaporize, said

Michael Cirri, president of the Maryland

firm which wrote the study.

In concluding children’s risk of getting

cancer for playing on the fields was at or

below one in a million, the report assumed

that a child would be playing on the artificial

turf fields for one to two hours per day, five

days a week, 50 weeks a year.

“We stand behind our conclusion and

have the data to stand behind our conclu-

sion,” Cirri said. “The analysis in the report

is extensive.”


New Trends in WaterConserving Products,Practices & Programs

Why, as sports turf managers, do you need to consider

water conservation in your daily responsibilities?

Because:

• we need to be proactive;

• water is in critical supply (underground aquifers are contaminat-

ed and drawing down);

• the sports turf industry is very visible;

• our fields are becoming more environmentally conscience every

day; and

• we are stewards of the most precious natural resource on Earth:

water.

There are many new water-use products offered today, and that

makes water conservation a no-brainer.

Climate-based controllers, or SMART systems, offer evapo-

transpiration-based data that automatically regulates the schedul-

ing of irrigation for landscapes and turf. Some offer a true plant,

soil and sprinkler database, thus being able to apply water during

any season, as the plant needs it.

Sensors are available which automatically turn off the irrigation

system when it is raining, windy, and/or freezing. Certainly, this

saves you from harsh calls from the public when it is raining and

the irrigation systems are running! Soil moisture can now be

measured with special devices that communicate to the controller

when the soils need more moisture.

Simple drain check valves help keep the water in the pipes

when low head runoff might take place due to elevation changes.

Lynda WightmanHunter Industries

Pressure regulation, especially in smaller fixed spray sprinklers,

can be created either in the sprinkler riser and/ or a device

attached to the electric valve. As pressure increases, so does the

amount of flow. With most sprinklers at higher pressures, there

will be smaller droplet sizes, thus a “misting” effect. Obviously,

with any wind, the water is wasted and isn’t beneficial to the plant.

Rotator nozzles have become the sprinkler of choice for areas 8

to 35 feet. They have a lower precipitation rate and a much higher

uniformity rating that sprays used in these locations. Thus, allow-

ing water to get into the soil without runoff and also avoiding

brown doughnuts around the sprinklers (poor distribution unifor-

mity — DU). With lower flow, the water savings are dramatic

when compared to small area sprinkler use.

Uniformity is the term that describes how evenly the water is

distributed by the sprinkler. Efficiency is the ratio between how

much water the plant beneficially uses compared to how much

water the system is applying. Why is maximizing water use and

maintaining uniformity important? Water and energy conserva-

tion; eliminate nutrient leaching $$$; reduce weeds and diseases;

safety; manage salinity and poor water quality; improve playing

conditions; improve aesthetics and have overall healthier plant

material.

By conducting an irrigation audit, collect and analyze the data,

it shows the uniformity of a system, and allows the end user to

justify the cost of renovating an older system. Typically, we see

audits with DU’s of 35% to 40%! Think of how much water is


Green Roofs (on top of parking lots and sports structures) which

require optimum uniformity for irrigation and cooling. A few

other initiatives that can be accessed on the internet are:

• SWAT – Smart Water Application Technology (testing of

SMART irrigation equipment)

• EPA WaterSense program (individual certification available

with IA auditor credentials)

• Alliance for Water Efficiency

• July Smart Irrigation Month (Irrigation Association).

In conclusion, there are a tremendous amount of new trends (to

stay!), products, and programs that are available and easy to access,

which will help all of use water effectively and efficiently.

being over-applied to make the dry spots go away.

There are many legislative trends for water conservation being

implemented throughout North America. Ben Franklin has a great

quote: “When the well is dry, we learn the worth of water.” This is

happening in states such as Iowa, where contamination and quan-

tity have become issues. Some alternative types of water that are

being implemented and used are reclaimed, harvested rain,

desalinization of ocean water, and gray applications.

With the implementation of LEED (Leadership in Energy and

Environmental Design), and the SSI (Sustainable Sites Initiative),

water conservation is being addressed at all aspects using irriga-

tion. In the SSI point system, design, installation and management

play important parts in landscape and watering. We are also seeing

1-800-267-7763w w w . b o s s o d . c o m

SPORT SOD• Grown on washed sand • Big or small rolls

• Coastal Blend• Service to WA, OR & BC

Portland Salem & Bend OR:Kurt Wright

[email protected]

Portland OR & Vancouver WA:Dan Dearing

[email protected]

Seattle WA:Eric Thompson Erik Boley

971-270-8276 [email protected] [email protected]

For all your fertilizer, seed and soil amendment needs.

WAREHOUSE: 877-221-6491

PNWSTMA Membership Application


PNWSTMA Board of Directors:


PRESIDENT:Tim Werner

[email protected](425) 587-3399

VICE PRESIDENT:Gary Sayre


SECRETARY:Matt Johns

[email protected]

TREASURER:Bill Griffith


PAST PRESIDENT:Bill Griffith

WEB PAGE:Tim Werner


VENDOR REPRESENTATIVE:

Scott BirdEwing Irrigation Products


K-12 REPRESENTATIVE:Vacant

MEMBERSHIP:Joe Kovolyan

[email protected]

CERTIFICATION:Bill Griffith


PARKS BOARD MEMBER:Vacant

SCHOLARSHIP:Dr. Gwen Stahnke


BETWEEN THE STRIPES:Gary Sayre


REGIONALCHAIRPERSONS

Western Washington:Representative:Matt Wilkinson


Eastern Washington:Shawn Harper


PNWSTMA Board of Directors

NORTHWEST TURFGRASSASSOCIATION

2017 Annual Conference


NTA Conference

With the Pacific Northwest Sports Turf Managers Associationand the Northwest Turfgrass Association joining forces, thisyear’s NTA’s conference – October 1-3 at Suncadia Resort –will feature an educational track aimed just at sports turfprofessionals. More information, including a detailedschedule registration form, is available at www.nwturf-grass.net or through Paul Ramsdell ([email protected] 253-219-8360).

Full Package—Double Occupancy at $690• Lodging for two nights at The Lodge at Suncadia

• Two educational sessions• Two rounds of golf at Suncadia

• Two dinner receptions• One plated brunch

• One plated breakfast

Full Package—Single Occupancy at $895• Lodging for two nights at The Lodge at Suncadia

• Two educational sessions• Two rounds of golf at Suncadia

• Two dinner receptions• One plated brunch

• One plated breakfast

No-Golf Package—Double Occupancy at $575• Two nights lodging

• Two educational sessions• Two dinner receptions

• One plated brunch• One plated breakfast

Single-Day Sports Turf at $100 (Monday)• Sports Turf education sessions

• Dinner reception

Registration packages are also available for students and spouses. See www.nwturfgrass.net for more information.

NORTHWEST TURFGRASS ASSOCIATION

Board of Directors:

PRESIDENT:Steve Link

Skagit Golf & Country [email protected]

(360) 757-3434

VICE-PRESIDENT:Thaddeus Lalley

Everett Golf & Country [email protected]

(425) 652-7296

SECRETARY:Jacob Close

Sudden Valley Golf & Country Club


TREASURER:Greg Matz

Inglewood Golf Club [email protected]

(425) 488-9808

PAST PRESIDENT:Carl Taylor

Western [email protected]

(253) 266-6052

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR:Paul Ramsdell

Northwest Turfgrass Association1802 Weatherswood Dr. NW

Gig Harbor, WA [email protected]

(253) 219-8360

BOARD MEMBERS:Mike Bednar

Palouse Ridge Golf [email protected]

(509) 592-3794

Dave KennedyVancouver Golf Club


Jason HabeckToro


Marcus HarnessSahalee Country Club


Russell VandeheyThe Oregon Golf [email protected]

(503) 655-4533

NTA Board of Directors

PNWSTMA/NTA - Between The Stripes - 201732

Covers – Field & TurfCovermaster Inc.

FertilizerSimplot Partners

Field DesignAthletic Field Design

RaincoversCovermaster Inc.

Seed/SeedingBarenbrug USASimplot Partners

Sod – Natural Bos Sod Farms Inc.

Soil ConditionersEwing Irrigation and Landscape Supply

By Category

PNWSTMA/NTA - Between The Stripes - 2017 33


Covermaster Inc. 100 Westmore Drive – 11-D, Rexdale, ON M9V 5C3www.covermaster.comContact: Ken [email protected] more than four decadesCovermaster has been the leadingsupplier of protective sports sur-faces covers both indoors and out-doors.

Ewing Irrigation and Landscape Supply 3441 Harbour Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85034www.EwingIrrigation.comContact: Tim [email protected] is the country’s largest fami-ly-owned supplier of landscapeand water management products,serving the landscaping, sportsfields and golf industries.

Simplot Partners11600 NE Marx St., Portland, OR 97220www.simplot.comContact: Erik [email protected] in sports field fertiliz-er, amendments, chemicals, andgrass seed!

Athletic Field Design12586 SE Bluff Drive, Clackamas, OR 97015www.athleticfield.comContact: Mike [email protected] in 1993, Athletic FieldDesign is recognized as the expertin athletic field design, mainte-nance and customized graphics.

Barenbrug [email protected] in 1904, we specialize inplant breeding and seed produc-tion with top quality that is appreci-ated by customers throughout theworld.

Bos Sod Farms Inc.2565 Dixon Rd., Abbotsford, BC V3G [email protected] or 604-854-1415Grown on washed sand, big orsmall rolls, Coastal Blend, servingWashington, Oregon and B.C.

By Company Name


Please support the advertisers who have made this publication possible

Athletic Field Design 24

Barenburg IFC

Bos Sod Farms Inc 28

Covermaster Inc. 5

Ewing Irrigation OBC

Simplot Partners 28

INDEX TO ADVERTISERS

Index to Advertisers

• Grow Your Membership • Increase Conference Attendance • Forge New Vendor Partners • Build Your Image •

Unit 1 – 73 Fontaine Crescent Winnipeg, MB • Canada R2J 2H7

[email protected]

• Publishing • Editorial Duties• On-Staff Writers • Advertising Sales• Ad and Magazine Design/Layout

• Publishing • Editorial Duties• On-Staff Writers • Advertising Sales• Ad and Magazine Design/Layout

with a professional, full color communication vehicle that makes a profit for you!

Our team has 70 years experience in top-quality...

PNWSTMA/NTA - Between The Stripes - 201736EwingIrrigation.com/locations

Please contact Tim Lambert locally for all your sports turf needs: Phone: 503.799.0857 Email: [email protected]

Working for You.

Follow us on social media:

Infield ConditionersPacking Clay Customized Infield MixField Marking Paint & Supplies Hoses, Nozzles & Accessories Maintenance Tools Field Accessories Synthetic Mats & Turf Fertilizer, Seed & Chemicals

Shop online, create quotes and manage your account at EwingIrrigation.com.Register your Ewing account today!

We’re Online.

turf saver rtf - pnw stmasupport of ewing irrigation and their ven-dors along with western...

Documents