The Turf Zone Podcast

Welcome to The Turf Zone Podcast.

This episode features the article “Biochar Revisited: Rethinking Its Promise for Turf & Landscape Soils” written by Anthony Will and read from New England Blade magazine.

In recent years, interest in biochar has grown rapidly – but so has the confusion about what it actually is and how it works as a soil amendment. Turf managers searching for guidance may find thousands of articles and research papers, many of which make conflicting claims about soil health, nutrient retention, and carbon storage. What’s really going on?

Let’s start at the beginning with some key term definitions.

Biochar: What’s Is It?

Biochar is produced by heating biomass to a high temperature in an environment with little or no oxygen. This heating process is known as pyrolysis. To understand this fully, it is helpful to define biomass and pyrolysis.

Biomass is organic material derived from living or recently living organisms, primarily plants. Common examples include wood chips, walnut shells, crop residues, and manure. There are literally hundreds of different biomass materials that can be converted into biochar.

Pyrolysis refers to the process, and the equipment, used to convert biomass into biochar. When biomass is heated under low-oxygen conditions, most of the volatile components are driven off as gases and vapors, leaving behind a charcoal-like material that is rich in stable, mineralized carbon.

Modern commercial pyrolysis systems are far more effective at producing high-carbon, low-ash biochar than earlier or less controlled methods.

Not all biochar is the same; it comes in many forms, depending on the feedstock and how it’s produced, so not all biochar behaves the same. High-quality biochar offers a remarkable range of benefits for soil health and plant performance while a lower-quality biochar may contain excessive ash, low carbon content, or inconsistent physical properties.

Until recently, there were no commercial-scale pyrolysis plants in New England producing consistently high-quality biochar.

Charging Biochar: What’s the Purpose?

Raw biochar acts like a sponge. It readily absorbs moisture and nutrients from surrounding materials, which is why it is commonly used in filtration and remediation applications.

Before being blended into soil, biochar should be charged (also called inoculated) with moisture, nutrients, and beneficial microorganisms. This is most commonly done by mixing biochar with high-quality leaf compost and allowing the blend to age or stockpile for a month or more. This step prevents the biochar from temporarily tying up nutrients after application.

High-Quality Biochar: Practical Value for Turf Managers

When properly produced and inoculated, high-quality biochar offers a wide range of benefits to soil health and plant performance:

Efficiency: A Little Goes a Long Way

Using a high-quality biochar, even at just 5% by volume, can make a real difference in soils. When incorporated into rootzones or planting beds—about two five-gallon pails per cubic yard—premium, inoculated biochar has been shown to boost water retention, nutrient availability, and soil microbial activity. Depending on soil conditions and goals, blend rates of 5–10% of a high-quality biochar can deliver lasting improvements in soil health and plant performance.

Soil Physical Benefits

Soil Nutrient and Microbial Benefits

Plant and Environmental Benefits

Evaluating Biochar: What Turf Managers Should Know

The only reliable way to evaluate biochar quality is by reviewing laboratory test results. Manufacturers should be able to provide basic analytical data for any product containing biochar.

Turf managers should at least check a biochar’s organic carbon and total ash content, aiming for higher carbon levels and lower ash to get the best benefits for soil health and long-term carbon storage.

As a general guideline, high-quality biochar typically has a high organic carbon content—often above 50–60% according to IBI and EBC standards—and relatively low ash content (<5%), with lower percentages considered preferable for soil and carbon sequestration applications.

You have been listening to The Turf Zone Podcast. Follow The Turf Zone on X, Facebook and LinkedIn for all things turfgrass, featuring podcasts, magazines, events and more. Visit www.theturfzone.com for more.

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Welcome to The Turf Zone Podcast.

This episode spotlights Alabama Turfgrass Association member Dr. David Han

For more than two decades, Dr. David Han has been a steady and influential presence in Alabama’s turfgrass industry. As an Associate Professor and Turfgrass Specialist for Extension at Auburn University, Dr. Han has dedicated his career to advancing turfgrass education, supporting industry professionals, and mentoring the next generation of leaders. His work through the Alabama Cooperative Extension System and the Alabama Turfgrass Association (ATA) continues to leave a lasting mark across the state and beyond.

Roots in Science and a Path to Turfgrass

Dr. Han grew up in Urbana, Illinois, and pursued his undergraduate and master’s degrees at Cornell University before earning his Ph.D. from The Ohio State University. With a bachelor’s degree in biology, his early academic path was rooted firmly in the sciences. It was during his time at The Ohio State University that Dr. Mike Boehm, his postdoctoral advisor, helped point him toward the turfgrass industry—a direction that would ultimately shape his career.

Along the way, he was influenced by some of the most respected minds in turfgrass, including Dr. A.J. Powell, Dr. Mike Goatley, and several outstanding superintendents such as Todd Voss and Mark Yoder. Their professionalism and approach to the craft demonstrated what it truly takes to excel in turf management. Closer to home, Dr. Han credits numerous Alabama turf professionals as role models, singling out James Horton as “standing out among the standouts.”

A Career Built on Service and Education

Dr. Han began his tenure at Auburn University in 2000 and has since worn many hats—educator, researcher, Extension specialist, and industry leader. In addition to his academic responsibilities, he serves as Educational Director for the ATA and the Deep South Turf Expo, helping shape high-quality programming for turf professionals across the region.

There is no such thing as a “typical” day in his role. One day may involve teaching university students; the next, visiting a golf course, baseball field, or sod farm; and another, leading a workshop or speaking at an industry event. This variety is part of what makes his work meaningful.

What does he enjoy most? Simply put: helping people do their jobs better. Whether that means diagnosing a turf issue, interpreting data, or providing practical guidance, Dr. Han is passionate about being a resource for the industry. The greatest challenge, he admits with a smile, is time—there is always more to do (and ATA is always asking for something!).

Among his proudest accomplishments are the many successful graduates who have come through Auburn’s turf program and are now thriving in their careers. Seeing former students excel in the field is, for him, one of the most rewarding aspects of his work.

Industry Evolution and Perspective

Since starting at Auburn, Dr. Han has witnessed significant changes in the turfgrass industry. The introduction of automated equipment—drones, robotic mowers, and advanced data systems—has transformed operations. While these tools offer tremendous opportunity for precision and efficiency, he cautions that data is only as valuable as the understanding behind it. “It could be good or bad if you don’t know what the data is telling you,” he notes.

Looking ahead, he sees both challenges and opportunities for turf professionals in Alabama. Technology continues to advance, expectations continue to rise, and environmental stewardship remains critical. For those just starting out in the industry, his advice is simple but powerful: stay curious, stay connected, and never stop learning.

Commitment to ATA

Dr. Han’s involvement with ATA has been extensive, including his leadership role as Educational Director. Through conferences, workshops, and the Deep South Turf Expo, he has helped elevate educational opportunities for members across the state.

ATA membership, in his view, fosters connection, professional growth, and a shared commitment to advancing the industry. The relationships built through ATA strengthen not only individual careers but also Alabama’s turfgrass community as a whole.

Life Beyond Turf

Outside of work, Dr. Han’s life is centered on faith and family. He and his wife, Tara, have been married for 26 years and are the proud parents of Jacob, 17, who enjoys aviation and gaming, and Laura, 13, who participates in band at East Samford School. Their home is also lively, with four cats (Dr. Han proudly admits he’s a “cat man”).

He is actively involved at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, where he sings in the choir and has served as backup choir director since last fall. Much of his free time is spent supporting his children’s activities and enjoying the close-knit feel of Auburn—a university town that, despite its growth, still feels like home. The weather doesn’t hurt either.

Looking Ahead

When asked about his goals for the next five to ten years, Dr. Han responds with characteristic humor and heart: “Save the world! Keep people from destroying the world.” At its core, that means continuing to advance Auburn’s turf program, promote responsible management practices, and support the professionals who care for Alabama’s landscapes.

Even as retirement eventually approaches, he hopes to remain connected to the industry that has given him so much. His dedication to education, mentorship, and service ensures that his influence will continue to shape Alabama turfgrass for years to come.

The Alabama Turfgrass Association is honored to spotlight Dr. David Han—a leader, educator, and advocate whose passion for helping others defines both his career and his character.

You have been listening to The Turf Zone Podcast. Follow The Turf Zone on X, Facebook and LinkedIn for all things turfgrass, featuring podcasts, magazines, events and more. Visit www.theturfzone.com for more.

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Welcome to The Turf Zone Podcast. This episode features the article “Penn State Researcher Turns Decades of Turfgrass Work into Startup Success” written by Katie DeFiore read from Pennsylvania Turfgrass magazine.

David Huff, professor of turfgrass breeding and genetics at Penn State, recently earned the Research Innovator Award through the College of Agricultural Sciences for the research and entrepreneurial leadership that led to the founding of his startup, PennPoa.

PennPoa aims to transform the turfgrass industry through the commercialization of highly cultivated Poa annua, or annual bluegrass, seed varieties for the golf course industry.

To launch his turfgrass startup, Huff utilized Penn State entrepreneurial resources including the Penn State Small Business Development Center (SBDC), Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Central & Northern Pennsylvania and the Office of Technology Transfer.

When Huff came to Penn State in 1994, his goal was to breed and improve varieties of Poa annua for the golf course industry. This strain has desirable traits, Huff said, such as high shoot density and dwarfism, which allows the grass to tolerate extremely low mowing heights — an important characteristic for golf course turfgrass, where mowing heights can be less than one-tenth of an inch.

Huff said he quickly realized there was no commercially available seed for this top-quality grass, forcing golf courses to either use lower-quality grass species or rely on bluegrass that naturally emerges as a weed. However, when Poa annua establishes itself as a weed, it can take 50 to 100 years of golf course maintenance for it to naturally evolve into the highly sought-after strain, according to Huff.

However, when Huff moved into the seed production process with those 10 strains, he lost the dwarfism trait that made the grasses so valuable. The plants reverted to weedy grasses, prompting another 13 years of research and the additional support of three graduate students to understand why this was happening and how to ensure the seeds retained their dwarf perennial traits.

After a total of 26 years of research, Huff’s new seeds were finally ready for beta testing.

“I ran those beta tests on five golf courses, covering the east coast, west coast and the northern and southern United States regions, and everything looked good. So, in the meantime, that’s when I started the company,” Huff said. “I had no idea I’d be doing a startup. When I first started, I thought this grass was going to behave like all grasses and that I would be able to license it to a seed company.”

Huff said he was already familiar with the licensing process at Penn State, as he breeds other grass varieties that are released to seed production companies. However, because of the complex and novel seed production technology he and his team developed to maintain Poa annua’s favorable traits, he realized he could not simply hand off the process to a seed company.

The Penn State Office of Technology Transfer (OTT) suggested that he launch a startup.

“To be honest, when OTT suggested launching a startup, I thought, ‘I can’t do that, I’m faculty, I’d be using the product I’m researching, it’s a conflict of interest,’” Huff said. “And they said Penn State has a support system in place to help manage that for you.”

OTT connected Huff to the Office for Research Protections, where a team helped Huff navigate the research commercialization process.

He later entered the Ben Franklin Technology Partners Big Idea Contest, where he won the People’s Choice Award. Through that experience, Huff learned more about the entrepreneurial ecosystem at Penn State and in State College, and he began attending entrepreneurial events, meetups and competitions hosted by Ben Franklin, the Penn State SBDC and other local community organizations.

At one of these events, Huff met Martin Brill, a business consultant and coordinator for the Pennsylvania SBDC Agriculture Center of Excellence, who became a long-term mentor.

“Martin and everyone else that I’ve met has just been very encouraging, and that was very important to me,” Huff said. “Starting a new company like this was very scary — I wasn’t planning on it, and I haven’t been trained for it. But Martin, Ben Franklin, OTT, the individuals in the Office for Research Protections, they all encouraged me, and that’s what propelled me forward. I followed their advice, and I never really hit a roadblock. I hit a lot of hurdles, but everyone helped me get over those. Before I knew it, I had a license agreement, I had a formal company and we started sales.”

Huff said 2025 marked his first year of sales, and he sold out of both his 2024 and 2025 crops. He already has received orders for 2026 and 2027. He added that the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences has also been critical to his startup success. Huff received funding through the College’s Research Applications for INnovation (RAIN) grants program and has been able to lease college-owned land to support seed production.

“One of the other things that helped me was that, at all these various workshops and seminars provided by the SBDC, there were all sorts of other folks just like me — people with ideas who live in this area who were starting their own businesses,” Huff said. “Talking with them helped me, because they are in the same boat I’m in — they don’t know what they’re doing either, but they’re doing it, and you learn as you go.”

Most recently, Huff entered the Invent Penn State Startup Leadership Network Board of Advisors program for 2026, which provides Penn State startups with industry-specific advisory boards to guide founders as they enter the market.

“I’ve just been impressed by the entrepreneurial ecosystem that’s here at Penn State, both on and off campus,” Huff said. “It has helped give me the confidence to know that I can do this. Everybody has been so helpful and has given me their time and their interest. They really are passionate about helping people, and with that kind of help, you just go forward.”

About the Penn State SBDC

Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers are funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania through the Department of Community & Economic Development, through support from Penn State, and by other sources of state and federal funding. Full disclosures available at:

https://www.pasbdc.org/funding-sources

SBDCs are hosted by leading universities, colleges, state economic development agencies and private partners, and funded in part by the U.S. Congress through a partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration. There are nearly 1,000 local centers available to provide no-cost business consulting and low-cost training to new and existing businesses. The Penn State SBDC services Centre, Clinton, Lycoming and Mifflin counties in central Pennsylvania.

You have been listening to The Turf Zone Podcast. Follow The Turf Zone on X, Facebook and LinkedIn for all things turfgrass, featuring podcasts, magazines, events and more. Visit www.theturfzone.com for more.

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Welcome to The Turf Zone Podcast. This episode features the article “Spring Startup Without the Scramble: A Simple Operating Plan for Your Busiest Season”

Spring can feel like a wild sprint in the turfgrass industry. Demand rises fast, the weather shifts by region, and crews are expected to move from preparation to production with little margin for error. Whether you own a large landscape company, supervise grounds, or work independently, the same business question pops up this time of year: how do you stay organized when everything speeds up at once?

North Carolina makes this even more important because spring does not look the same across the state. Both cool-season and warm-season grasses are grown in North Carolina, with cool-season grasses performing best in spring and fall, while warm-season grasses are slower to green up in spring and grow best in summer. That means your startup plan needs to align with your region, turf type, and service mix, rather than relying on a single statewide timeline.

Here is a framework for all types of turfgrass managers:

1. Set your spring capacity before you fill the calendar.

A full schedule doesn’t always mean a profitable schedule. Start by estimating what your team can realistically handle each week based on labor hours, travel time, equipment availability, and the complexity of your work. For a sports turf manager, this may mean planning field preparation windows around game schedules and weather. For a landscape business owner, it may mean separating recurring maintenance from installation work so one category does not disrupt the other. For an independent operator, it may mean limiting new clients until recurring customer routes stabilize.

2. Build a startup checklist for equipment and supplies.

Spring problems often look like labor problems when they are really equipment and supply problems. A mower down for two days can throw off an entire route. A missing part can delay an athletic field prep. A late material delivery can create a client communication issue that your team then has to manage.

Create one checklist for startup readiness and assign dates to each item. Include inspections, maintenance, blade sharpening, tire checks, calibration, backup equipment options, and commonly used supplies. If you manage a crew, assign ownership to specific people and confirm completion in writing. If you work alone, schedule this work like billable time because it protects billable time later.

The goal is not perfection. The goal is fewer surprises when everyone needs service at once.

3. Standardize your onboarding before hiring pressure hits.

Many businesses wait until they are short-staffed before considering training. Spring is the worst time to build onboarding from scratch. A simple onboarding process can help new hires become productive more quickly and reduce the burden on your strongest crew members.

Keep it practical. Focus on safety, equipment basics, site expectations, communication standards, and what good work looks like in your operation. For sports turf settings, include event-day expectations and the chain of communication. For landscape crews, include job-site photos and quality examples. For independent operators who occasionally bring in help, use a one-page field guide that outlines your process and customer standards.

Education is one of the strongest retention tools available because it helps people build confidence and feel invested in their work. It also protects quality when the pace increases.

4. Protect your schedule with proactive client and stakeholder communication.

Spring startup gets harder when communication becomes reactive. A short round of outreach before your busiest stretch can prevent many avoidable issues. Confirm service windows, clarify what is included, and explain what may shift due to weather or field use.

For sports turf professionals, this can mean a quick pre-season update to athletic directors, coaches, or facility contacts about timelines, field conditions, and scheduling limits. For contractors, it can mean a reminder about spring demand, response times, and approval timelines for add-on work. For independent operators, it can mean confirming your route days and the best way to reach you for non-urgent requests.

Clear communication reduces interruptions and helps people understand that good turf outcomes require planning, timing, and patience.

5. Track a small set of weekly numbers.

You do not need a complex dashboard to run your Spring startup well. You need a short list of numbers that tells you whether your plan is holding up. Pick metrics that align with your role and review them weekly.

• labor hours scheduled versus labor hours worked

• completed jobs or field tasks versus planned

• equipment downtime

• callbacks or rework

• weather delays

• material usage on high-volume items

• outstanding approvals or invoices

These numbers help you spot problems early. If labor hours are running high every week, your route density or staffing plan may need adjustment. If callbacks spike, training or quality checks may need attention. If equipment downtime keeps increasing, preventive maintenance may be slipping.

6. Build your plan around your market, not a generic template.

The turf and landscape industry is broad, and that matters for business planning. NALP (National Association of Landscape Professionals) reports that the landscape services industry reached a market size of $188.8 billion in 2025 and includes more than 692,000 landscaping service businesses. That scale reflects a wide range of business models, from solo operators to larger firms, along with very different customer expectations across markets.

A startup plan that works for a municipal sports complex may not fit a residential landscape route. A plan that works in one region of North Carolina may need adjustment in another. The NC State Extension puts it plainly: “No one type of grass is best suited to all situations.” The same principle applies to operations. Build your plan around your turf, clients, team, and region.

A practical spring takeaway…

Spring will always be busy. While we can’t remove the pressure, we can reduce preventable chaos.

A simple operating plan can do that. Set your capacity, prep equipment early, standardize onboarding, communicate before problems start, and track a few meaningful numbers. These steps require intention, and they pay off when the season starts moving faster than expected.

In a profession built on timing, spring success often starts before the first rush arrives.

You have been listening to The Turf Zone Podcast. Follow The Turf Zone on X, Facebook and LinkedIn for all things turfgrass, featuring podcasts, magazines, events and more. Visit www.theturfzone.com for more.

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Welcome to The Turf Zone Podcast. This episode features the article “Building the Turfgrass Manager Pipeline: A Call for Industry-Academic Partnership” written by Jay McCurdy.

The larger turfgrass and landscape industry has a labor issue—mainly that there’s not a reliable pipeline for accessing young and capable employees. I have this conversation almost weekly when discussing the state of the industry and how my role in a “turfgrass program” relates. I’m now in my 12th year at Mississippi State University, so I no doubt have some ownership of the problems. But I also wanted to relay to a wider audience just what some of the solutions might be to solve this problem. Yes, higher industry pay might help, but there’s more to the story than just that.

Our landscape management industry includes a broad range of job titles, but most of us reading this magazine are either boots-on-the-ground landscape managers (ex. superintendents, lawn care professionals, sports field managers, sod producers, equipment managers, etc.) or are somehow involved in the industry/supply side (sales, accounts, research and development, chemical, equipment, etc.). We know the technical mastery and skill required to do this job. We know the rewards and challenges. Nevertheless, I find the perspective from academia is often a little different from what it was when I was a practitioner.

We are all concerned about a shrinking pipeline of new professionals entering our field. Turfgrass academic programs are often criticized for producing too few graduates, and those graduates are said to be underprepared for the demanding, multifaceted roles that await them. The same is said for students fresh out of high school. There’s always a debate about whether it’s generational or whatnot. Maybe there’s something to that, but what, pragmatically, can we do to figure all this out?

The issue is more complex than a simple academic shortfall. The challenges facing turf programs reflect deeper structural and cultural dynamics within the larger society, as well as within the green industry and our academic institutions. I think we need to embrace a new model of mutual investment between academia and industry in order to restore vitality and sustainability to the profession. Whatever the model, it must redefine recruitment, enhance the talent pool, and demonstrate that green-industry roles are both professionally rewarding and personally sustainable.

This essay outlines a vision for such a partnership, built on five key principles: shared recruitment, broader inclusion, job-quality reform, experiential learning, and a mutual commitment to long-term workforce development.

The Myth of the One-Way Pipeline

Turfgrass academic programs are too often viewed as workforce development pipelines. In this paradigm, universities are expected to “turn out” graduates who are job-ready, immediately employable, and long-term loyal to the industry. These are ambitious goals that can only be achieved through industry partnerships. Universities cannot solve structural labor shortages in isolation. For starters, the looming demographic cliff, where student enrollment drops due to fewer babies having been born ~18 years ago, is self-evident. We have to reframe the relationship as a two-way street: industry leaders and employers must engage as co-investors in the success of the next generation.

The declining number of turfgrass students is not solely a turf problem—it mirrors trends across many science, technology, engineering, agriculture, and mathematics (STEAM) disciplines. Yet in turf, the impact is more acute. Fewer students are entering, and those who do are frequently drawn away by careers with higher salaries, greater mobility, and more stable work-life balance—fields like wildlife biology, ecology, food science, and agricultural engineering. If return on investment (ROI) for college interests you, I highly recommend Preston Cooper’s Is College Worth It? A Comprehensive Return on Investment Analysis article.

If the green industry wants to retain talented, committed professionals, it must work with academic programs to create clearer, more appealing, and more stable career pathways for students entering the field.

Recruitment: A Shared Responsibility

One of the most common critiques from green industry professionals and hiring managers is that turf programs are not doing enough to recruit students into the field. In truth, recruitment cannot be the sole responsibility of faculty or universities. Few high school students grow up dreaming of becoming a golf course superintendent, especially if they’ve never been exposed to the role or the science behind it. Lots of kids grow up mowing lawns, but do they view that as a stable profession? How many golf course superintendents leave the industry for better working hours or more stable family lives? The stories of our profession are not always positive. How do we improve that?

Meaningful recruitment requires visibility, storytelling, and early engagement. That means:

Hosting and organizing Golf Course Superintendents Association of America’s (GCSAA’s) STEAM program, First Green.

Industry professionals visiting high schools, FFA programs, and 4-H events to talk about careers in turf and to give hands-on help managing facilities.

Hosting youth days, career shadowing, or field trips in coordination with FFA, agricultural teachers, 4-H, and Extension educators.

Alumni sharing their stories, not just of agronomic challenges overcome, but of career development, family stability, and lifelong learning.

Academic programs can support these efforts with marketing materials, introductory coursework, event production, and advising. Industry partners can develop their own materials, and my academic colleagues and I would be happy to collaborate. But unless the industry is willing to support or do the work, recruitment will remain a leaky pipeline. The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America has promoted its First Green program and has invested heavily in promoting the profession to kids in FFA. This is a good example of how we might target youth to entice them into our profession.

Reaching the Future of the Profession

A second issue compounding recruitment challenges is the profession’s lack of demographic diversity (this isn’t a DEI discussion!). This is not simply a turfgrass issue; it reflects broader underrepresentation across many STEAM fields. However, the profession’s visual and cultural homogeneity isn’t always inviting to those from different socioeconomic or cultural backgrounds. That’s to say very little of the lack of female representation—it’s improving. Still, it lags considerably behind many other attractive career fields for the same candidate pool we are competing for.

If we want to build a workforce that reflects the broader demographics of our society, the turfgrass industry must actively recruit from historically underrepresented communities, including women, students of color, and first-generation college students. Many turf programs sit within land-grant institutions with a mission to serve all citizens of their state. Partnerships with historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), tribal colleges, and community colleges offer promising avenues for talent development.

Additionally, the industry must take steps to ensure that students from diverse backgrounds are not only recruited but also retained. That means:

Paid internships with real mentorship, not just summer labor. This is something our industry does well. Though pay and working conditions could always be improved, I understand the financial realities for most businesses—margins matter, and you can’t pay a 20-year-old more than your loyal long-time employees.

Scholarships and travel support to attend GCSAA and regional turfgrass conferences. GCSAA and our regional events have done a great job supporting our students. Our state and regional associations have covered almost all the costs for our students attending events like Deep South. GCSAA allows students and academic advisors to attend the Golf Show for free. They allow students to be members for free. We just have to cover flight and meal costs—sell more hats and pullovers!

Storytelling campaigns that highlight successful professionals in our industry. Barry Stewart hosts MSU Turf Seminar speakers, and I’m sure he’d love to hear from those of you who can share your secrets to success and happiness.

If the profession remains perceived as culturally insular or exclusionary, we will continue to miss out on a generation of bright, capable professionals who simply chose other welcoming fields.

Career Quality: The Hidden Cost of Turnover

Recruitment efforts alone are not enough if the jobs themselves are perceived as undesirable. One of the most pressing challenges facing the green industry is career sustainability and burnout. Even for students who graduate from turf programs and enter the profession, the early-career reality can be discouraging.

Starting roles are often physically demanding, geographically isolating from home, and poorly compensated relative to the skill and responsibility required. I won’t disagree: early careers are hard in many professions, and ours has a history of heartiness and resilience that we pride ourselves on. And that’s great, but let’s face it, positions frequently involve long hours, especially in golf and sports fields, weekend shifts, and high turnover. Relocation is common, placing strain on young professionals with families or community ties. Burnout is not only likely, but it’s also all too often expected.

In many cases, internships play a decisive role. While some students have transformative experiences, others emerge disillusioned. Internships are often where students determine whether they see a long-term future in the profession. Unfortunately, too many internships treat students as temporary labor rather than future colleagues.

Our profession must take a hard look at its entry-level roles and ask:

Are we investing in mentorship or extracting labor?

Are we helping build careers or merely filling seasonal gaps?

Are we creating a profession that values work-life balance and career advancement?

Until the industry addresses these questions honestly, retention will remain low, and turf programs will struggle to retain students who see more stable options elsewhere.

Experiential Learning and Academic Alignment

To ensure that students are prepared for professional success, universities must evolve as well. Turfgrass programs must incorporate not only plant science and weed control, but also:

Business management and budgeting

Communication and conflict resolution

Human resources and leadership

Sustainability, data analytics, and emerging technologies

Faculty must engage in continuous dialogue with industry professionals to align curricula with real-world expectations. This can happen through advisory boards, curriculum reviews, and co-developed experiential learning opportunities.

Meanwhile, the industry must treat internships and co-ops as educational experiences, not just temporary employment. Golf courses that offer structured mentorship, performance feedback, and leadership development will not only see better short-term productivity, but they’ll also help shape the long-term workforce of the profession.

The Role of Associations

The Sports Field Management Association (SFMA), GCSAA, and other professional landscape associations have a unique opportunity to lead systemic change. Many in the industry look to them for guidance, advocacy, and professional standards. But as organizations, they can:

Develop and promote best practices for internship mentorship

Recognize organizations that invest in student development

Partner with academic programs on workforce development grants

Support early-career professionals through networking and continuing education

Just as importantly, associations must continue to help shift cultural expectations within the profession. That means promoting superintendent and field manager roles as executive leadership positions, not just agronomic technicians. It means celebrating the intellectual and managerial skills required to succeed in this career, and advocating for compensation, stability, and respect commensurate with those demands.

Learning from Other Industries

Much can be learned from adjacent fields. Engineering, for example, has long faced similar challenges: rigorous academic programs, intense internships, and high attrition. Yet leading companies and associations in that field have invested heavily in university partnerships, student engagement, and early-career support.

Top manufacturing and technology firms fund campus recruiting, sponsor capstone projects, offer paid site visits to facilities, and offer career ladders with clear promotion timelines. These students, like our own, are not afraid of hard work. They are attracted by clear career outcomes and structured support along the way.

There is no reason the green industry cannot offer the same. But doing so requires a shift in mindset: from “you have to earn your place” to “we will invest in you as the future of our profession.”

A Vision for the Future

In many places, these goals are already occurring, but here are just a few to imagine as being widespread:

High school students attend “turf career days” hosted by their local superintendent and Extension agent.

Universities and employers co-design internships that develop not just technical skills, but leadership and confidence.

Interns feel welcomed and valued from their first day on a golf course.

Assistant superintendents are mentored, paid fairly, and see clear paths to advancement.

Associations and turf programs work side by side to tell the story of a modern, rewarding profession.

This future is not only possible but also essential. The alternative is the status quo, or worse, decline: fewer students, fewer assistants, more burnout, and an aging workforce with no one ready to take the reins.

Conclusion: A Call to Shared Action

The challenges facing the profession are real, but they are not insurmountable. What is required is not blame, but shared responsibility. Universities must modernize curricula and deepen student support. Turfgrass managers must invest in mentorship and help reshape early-career roles. Our industry associations must lead with vision, coordination, and advocacy.

Ultimately, this is about stewardship of the profession itself. The same care, foresight, and commitment that turfgrass managers bring to managing turf must now be brought to cultivating the future of the workforce.

The author would like to thank Barry Stewart for his suggestions and edits to this article.

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Welcome to The Turf Zone Podcast. This episode features the article “VTC Blows Away Leaf Blower Ban” by Beck Stanley, VTC Executive Director.

The Virginia General Assembly once again heard multiple bills seeking to allow localities to ban gas powered leaf blowers and other equipment essential to our industry. This bill has become what we call a “perennial bill” as it returns every January like clockwork. Thanks to the support of membership and partner organizations, we have been able to delay and significantly reduce the impacts of this bill over the last several years. I found myself overjoyed, at times even breaking into grins at the outcome this year, when the legislature tabled the measure until 2027 in the House and outright killed the bill in the Senate. The bill blew away when we pointed out that electric blowers require batteries that must be charged…by gas powered generators.

Proponents of leaf blower bans will be back with more aggressive legislation in the future, and we must stay in the fight, pointing out the many environmental benefits of managed turf: erosion control, water filtration, and in the case of leaf removal, important mold prevention that protects the health of children and pets. As you discuss this issue in your home communities, please keep such details in mind.

Currently, the only locality in Virginia that has successfully enacted a ban is Alexandria, and it was upheld by a Republican controlled Attorney General’s office in a 2025 opinion. Like many other issues we lobby, this is another where we must educate members from all sides of the political sphere. While the day is coming when these bans reach other places, there is much we can do to prepare in the meantime. After all, many other states watch Virginia’s early legislative session each year and get ideas for new laws in their states. We must keep in mind: the stakes are high in Virginia, and our success or failure here can have ripple effects for our partners across the country.

What made this year’s bill different is how it was originally written: it can only offer the option to ban to localities with a population density of 2500 residents per square mile. But I’d like to take this opportunity to explain to readers how legislators, in this case Delegate Rip Sullivan, set negotiating markers in bills with the intent to later change, alter, delay, or amend the legislation. I do not know if this is what Delegate Sullivan is trying to do, but it sure seems like it. He is a skilled legislator well familiar with these tactics. Thankfully, we are, too.

As the bill comes back next year to blow its way through the lengthy process – committees, subcommittees, floor votes, crossover to the Senate, and plenty of scrutiny along the way – the patron could decide to adjust this population density criteria, add new language, or strike the bill altogether. The latter would provide our members with the time needed to prepare for the coming electric equipment migration. We have pointed out to his staff that, unfortunately, premature implementation of gas-powered bans impacts our smallest members the most. These are members who often have the least resources on hand to afford expensive new electric blowers, batteries, charging infrastructure, and repairs. I believe he is sympathetic to that reality and has good intentions, so I won’t be posting up outside his office charging my batteries with a loud gas-powered generator anytime soon.

In conclusion, we have to be realistic about evolving laws and plan accordingly. The reality today is that battery life is not yet advanced enough to meet the needs of the industry. As those batteries improve, costs come down and run times increase, the transition to electric blowers begins to make more sense. In the meantime, enjoy the grins – and this small victory on your behalf.

You have been listening to The Turf Zone Podcast. Follow The Turf Zone on X, Facebook and LinkedIn for all things turfgrass, featuring podcasts, magazines, events and more. Visit www.theturfzone.com for more.

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Welcome to The Turf Zone Podcast. This episode features the article “Art and Resilience: The Pollinator Garden at the UT Arboretum” by Mike Ross, Associate Professor of Plant Sciences and Jakob Johnson, UT Plant Sciences, Master of Landscape Architecture Student.

As our relationship with Nature and access to natural spaces have become increasingly constrained by urban and suburban growth, we have seen a growing desire by homeowners, parks and municipalities for naturalistic landscapes that showcase plants as communities. This naturalistic planting design often seeks to abstract naturally occurring ecological habitats and put them in a context that, allows people to interact with the plants and their associates in more intentional ways.

Pocket prairies, urban meadows, pollinator gardens, even rain gardens can serve these naturalistic functions that whether in bloom or in winter dormancy, can inspire the heart and captivate the mind.

One such place is the Michelle Bradley Campanis Pollinator Garden at the UT Arboretum in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The pollinator garden has developed into something really special during the last five years. In many ways this special garden resource serves as a prime example of resilience in design and the blending of that resilience with the art of landscape and planting design.

My involvement with this project dates back to June 2020. At the time I had been at the University of Tennessee for almost a year and with covid, all educational programs, field days, master gardener and outreach events had moved online. I had been asked by the UT Arboretum team to give a talk on ecological landscape design. During the presentation I mentioned that I thought there should be a wildflower center in every state. This was something I brought up during my job interview back in 2019. I still feel strongly about that need. At the talk in 2020, the idea of a wildflower center for Tennessee resonated with Michelle Campanis, who is the Education Coordinator at the UT Arboretum who was at the zoom meeting. She reached out and said they had an area at the Arboretum that would be a great place for a meadow…would I be interested in helping to create it?

And so began a multi-year collaboration with the UT Forest Resources AgResearch and Education Center (REC), Tennessee Naturescapes, undergraduate PLSC students from the Sustainable Landscape Design concentration in the Herbert College of Agriculture, and graduate students from the School of Landscape Architecture in the College of Architecture and Design.

Brainstorming and Breaking Ground: Planning the First Steps

Our initial discussions centered around a stretch of ground that was next to the recently constructed auditorium and its extensive rain garden. The ground that was identified had become a field of invasive plants, weeds, and assorted woody shrubs and small trees. The team’s idea was to create a space that provided visual appeal from the auditorium and that also would contribute to future educational programs that, like the rain garden, could be focused on sustainable and resilient landscapes.

In keeping with that charge, it was determined that in addition to shedding the invasive field we would use fire, herbicide, and solarization as ways to suppress the significant invasive species pressure on the site. Michelle led volunteers through weeding and prepping the site, Kevin Hoyt, the director of the UT Forest Resources AgResearch and Education Center and the Arboretum staff oversaw bush hogging, prescribed burns, and pesticide application. Don Williams and Tennessee Naturescapes provided the solarization material and I began working with students and research assistants to develop initial plant lists.

The key to successful projects like this one that relies on using abstracted ecosystems is the ability to convey the concept across all collaborative partners. The effective control of invasive and weedy species in the selected site and the shared vision for the pollinator garden were essential for keeping the project moving forward across the last four years.

Art and Resilience in Landscape Design

An intentional landscape plan is at its most evocative when it marries art and science to varying degrees to bring about experientially rich moments for people to interact with their designed surroundings. It can take the form of extravagant fountains and terracing like the Italian renaissance garden at Villa d’Este or the over-the-top grandeur of French baroque landscape designs of master paysagiste, Andre Le Notre, or perhaps our more familiar works from Frederick Law Olmsted and Jens Jensen. However, as evocative as these landscapes are, they were not conceived within a conceptual framework that accounted for an understanding of ecology as a discreet science nor to anticipate disturbance regimes that included wildfire, site construction, drought or flooding.

This is precisely where the pollinator garden fits into our contemporary sphere of landscape design practice. The art of planting design, the artful shape, color, and texture of the plants utilized balanced with the realities of ever-changing precipitation, management regimes, unpredictable weather and scheduling approvals for prescribed burn permits, and fluctuating volunteer schedules and knowledge bases. All impact the success and perception of the project.

At the end of the day, the pollinator garden must be both beautiful and functional. It must serve the educational and ecological goals of the REC, as well as benefitting the casual visitor to the Arboretum. It needs to support the well-attended annual Butterfly Festival and other University field days that are part of the education and outreach component of the land grant mission that the REC serves. It must above all support pollinators and their diverse life histories. The resilience and the art must be linked for the project to succeed.

The Significance of People as Part of an Informed Design Process

A key component in this project has always been the students and volunteers who have dedicated so much time and invested so much of themselves to this undertaking. Whether planting, weeding, constructing, maintaining accessible circulation, or controlling invasive plants; through their efforts we have been able to make this project happen. With that said, I think it is particularly meaningful when the work allows student interactions with the garden to reinforce and teach meaningful skills that can shape their own understanding of the profession of landscape design and management. Students working as part of the Living Systems Design Group and the Ross lab developed plans, researched plant material, learned how to design on-site, set up and space plants, use technology, review spreadsheets, and managed the prairie and meadow ecosystem establishment.

In some cases, I would bring my graduate and undergraduate classes out to help with planting. More than once, I had the distinct honor of teaching a beginner student how to plant a plant. While this may seem small or trivial, it illustrates how even students who are drawn to landscape and horticulture may have had very limited past opportunity to plant, grow, and interact with vegetation beyond the occasional house plant.

The work we have undertaken at the UT Arboretum has shaped the professional practice and career aspirations of many students. This outcome is further evidence of the immense value that hands-on experiential learning has for future designers, landscape architects, professional gardeners, horticulturists, and landscape managers.

Ongoing Lessons Learned in Managing a Designed Ecological System

As the pollinator garden has continued to establish and grow, there have been key management and maintenance decisions that we have made that will shape its long-term success. First and foremost, controlling invasive and weedy plant encroachment is key to maintaining the structure and visual impact of the garden. Woody plants, even native ones, can markedly change the form and structure if allowed to establish in the meadow. While intentional use of woody plants for their structural and aesthetic contributions must be maintained, careful removal of woody seedlings plus annual burning has helped us keep the invasive and weedy plants in check. Fire, manual removal, ethical and judicious use of herbicides each contribute key roles in controlling plant compositions throughout the garden.

Some species, such as goldenrods (Solidago sp., dogfennel (Eupatorium capillifolium), and asters (Symphyotrichum and Eurybria sp.) were always planned to be intentional parts of the project, yet these plant species were not intentionally planted or purchased; we knew from past experience that these species would naturally find their own way into our meadow plots and could be expected to colonize on their own. By that same logic, our expectation has also meant that some individuals of these species can show up anywhere and can regenerate in great profusion if left unmanaged. For these plant species, proper thinning, selective removal, and well timed cutting all aid in keeping these important pollinator plants behaving as good neighbors to the rest of the meadow community.

Additionally, when plants are weeded and pulled up, native seed from flowering annual species that we intend to keep well represented in the design, are purposefully re-applied into areas of soil disturbance. In this way, there is propagule competition with the weedy species, and this interaction helps to offset the natural suppressive effect of longer-lived perennial plants on early colonizing annuals.

Finally, because the garden exists as an interactive educational space, maintaining and managing circulation and pathways is an ongoing task. Plants mature and spread, sometimes obscuring pathways or sprawling into areas that are intended for more contemplative experiences. Thinning and plant relocation are important tasks needed for keeping the structure and design vision in place.

All of this effort is dependent on volunteers and students who are coordinated by Michelle Campanis. Through continued effort and dedication, the garden is establishing nicely and keeping the vision flexible and resilient while not losing sight of the initial concept.

A Look Into the Future

As the project moves forward through the establishment and management phase, plants will continue to be added or subtracted. This is necessary to restate important design concepts, improve the aesthetic appeal, and keep up with the educational opportunities and needs of the UT Arboretum and REC.

The first formal discussions of this project that I was involved in began in June 2020 and this coming spring of 2026 the project receives its official name, the Michelle Bradley Campanis Pollinator Garden. While its official establishment date is attributed to 2022, the reality is that projects like this take years of dedicated work, advocacy, and commitment by many people, professionals, students and volunteers.

We would like to thank Michelle Campanis, Don Williams, Kevin Hoyt, Jakob Johnson, Hailey Wright, JD Zimmerman, and my students past, present, and future that have and will work on the pollinator garden to help care for it into the future.

Student’s Perspective – Jakob’s Experience

By Jacob Johnson

During my time at The University of Tennessee I have had the opportunity to work with professors who saw the value of engaging students in projects with real world implications. In our digital age the value of hands-on learning experiences is exponentially important. With the reality of the direction of education experiences that can now be fully gained online, the value of face to face or hands to dirt learning is something that can never be fully replaced. There is immense importance in actually seeing how hard work can lead to the physical manifestation of an idea.

As I was nearing the end of my undergraduate studies in Sustainability, I was still unsure of how I wanted to utilize the knowledge I had gained in the classroom. Through a series of experiences being on site and taking the classroom outside to the world I discovered my true passion. My first experience with the UT meadow began in April 2022, while I was pursuing my undergraduate degree in sustainability with a minor in plant sciences. During this first visit to the arboretum I didn’t know much about real world implementation of planting design…I knew how to dig a hole to its proper depth and to break up root bound plants, I knew how to identify certain plants that I was looking at, I knew the value in what these ecosystems provide, and I knew that I was excited to be a part of something bigger than myself. During this initial phase of the project I had the opportunity and guidance of Mike to mark out the boundaries for the planting zones, strategically stage the plants so there was structure, areas of reveal and lines of sight. Tasks that may seem minor to the average gardener, but these tasks would help jumpstart my pursuit of a career in Landscape Architecture.

The next visit to the UT Arboretum was as a class, we began the laborious process of digging hundreds of holes for the plugs and containerized plants with the hope that the site would become a place where people and nature can meet or reconnect.

Getting the opportunity to work under someone that is so knowledgeable in a field of study which aims to build and support communities of people and plants was an honorable task. It taught me that it was much more than just placing plants in the landscape, it was conversations about the plant communities and the species they support, the structural variation creating moments of wonder and others of reveal, it was about the intentionality of having bursts of color in moments along the path, and conversations about how amazing this place will be. It was through these types of conversations I was ignited with an inspiration that I too could gain these skills and knowledge to create places that provide beauty to our world while creating opportunities for essential ecological services to be provided.

Upon graduating with my degree in Sustainability I began a summer job in landscape construction and that fall would begin my pursuit of my master’s in landscape architecture. After about 3 years from the time I first helped plant at the arboretum I was invited back, this time to utilize the skills and knowledge I had been gaining through graduate school. My task this time was to help establish formalities in the design that assist in creating a sense of arrival into the meadow, as well as create opportunities for gathering. Through the collaboration and support of Michelle Campanis and Kevin Hoyt and oversight of Mike Ross I was entrusted with my first stand-alone landscape construction project. With the use of recycled on-site stone, I constructed planter beds to support Tiger Eye Sumac specimens (Rhus typhina ‘Bailtiger’) to create a gathering space in the middle of the meadow. The entrance for the meadow was designed by Mike Ross and Margaret Mando (a fellow UTK School of Landscape Architecture student) and I was given the opportunity to do detailed construction design, material selection and sourcing as well as the actual building of the entrance. It has allowed me to create, to problem solve and to feel the fulfillment of turning something from just an idea on paper into a physical manifestation in the landscape. From my first experience of walking into a barren field of dirt to walking through the meadow and seeing a diverse mix of Carolina lupine, rattlesnake master, columbine, bee balm, big blue stem, husker red penstemon, false blue indigo, milkweed, mountain mint, and many more plants, I have sharpened my skills and sensibility as a designer, I have built relationships with people and the land, I have deepened my appreciation for our natural world and more importantly found a cause that I want to dedicate my life to…. creating places where people can feel a sense of wonder, beauty, peace and learn with nature. Through the opportunity and foresight of people like Michelle Campanis, Kevin Hoyt, Mike Ross and many more I have realized the true power and impact that a single experience of hands-on learning can provide to someone that is still learning and developing their place in the world. For these experiences I am eternally grateful.

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Julie Holt (00:00.204)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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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:

1. Robotic technology has already captured a significant portion of the technology in Europe.

2. All major brands that market traditional mowing technology or mowing equipment are developing robotic technology.

3. At one count there were over 40 additional startups and companies developing all manner of robotic technology, including mowers, painters, and sprayers.

4. 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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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