Newsletter Articles

UConn Field Day-What a Great Day!

When Kevin Youkilis would come up to bat while he was playing for the Red Sox, people would yell, “Yoouuuke, Hit a Homaah!”  Well, this past week, on July 25^th, the University of Connecticut Turf Team did just that, they hit a Homaah!  Some 300+ attendees made their way to the Storrs Turf Research Facility where they were hosted by the UConn staff at their biennial Turfgrass Field Day.  The day began at 7:30am with attendees being greeted by several vendors and a Dunkin Donut’s food truck!  Attendees checked in and visited with exhibitors until about 9:15am when UConn administrators gathered everyone under the big tent for a welcome and in preparations for their scheduled Turf Tours around the facility.  The sky was somewhat overcast and helped keep temperatures more comfortable. 

A program booklet was available and indicated there were 10 tour stops scheduled each to last for 15 minutes.  A full array of research was described by professors and research assistants at each stop with some time for Q & A.  Projects included from NTEP Bentgrass at Putting Green Height & other grasses evaluations to Sprayer Speed Comparisons on Fungicide Efficacy.  Other studies included analysis of Plant Health Products, Biocontrol and Nutritional Evaluations on different types of turf.    There was a Lawn Alternatives study and Autonomous vs Conventional Mowing study.  You might wonder if there is a greater benefit to autonomous mowing other than convenience.  Dr. Jason Henderson is focusing on a study that may tell if mowing nightly or daily autonomously during the growing season and less during the stressful periods could show a benefit over weekly conventional mowing.   You never know and you won’t know unless you try!  This is what research is all about.  

And wait there is more!  The Program Booklet indicated there were 25 tour stops that you could make.  The other 15 stops could be a walking tour on your own if you were interested in the topics that included more turfgrass evaluations, product trials, low input sustainable evaluations and more!  It doesn’t take long to realize there is a lot going on in Storres!  When you come to UConn you see their impressive facility with important trials collecting significant data that can aid all turfgrass professionals.  What you may not recognize is all the support from the school down to research assistants and the turf facility management and that it takes to do this work and to provide this resource for the industry.  It is important to the industry to continue to support this effort.

Once the tours were done, attendees gathered around the exhibitor area and waited for the call to lunch under the tent.  You could smell the barbeque, making it difficult to wait.  Dr. John Inguagiato made some closing remarks with thank you’ s during the tasty lunch including one much important announcement.  “The UCONN Ice Cream Truck is here!”  What a way to finish for me…most of us then headed to our vehicles with the sound of distant thunder, but there were no interruptions this year!  As we headed to our rides, some headed to the turf building for afternoon workshops.  Topics included Weed & Turfgrass Identification, Invasive Plant Species Management, and Hands-on Spreader and Sprayer Calibration.    The event really was worth the time and the ride in many ways.

I have said it before, we in New England have great resources to support our industry and our professions.  To have three great schools along with the staff and faculties that provide endless opportunities to get started in a career of turf management, facilities to help managers personally be successful by their efforts and operations and as we look toward the future this turf industry can help direct where we go from here to keep our industry successful.  Support Turfgrass Research and support our annual field days.  The University of Massachusetts will be announcing their dates soon for 2025.  Plan to attend and take your staff that you have trained and depend on.  Come and get to know the researchers along with some networking you’ll do.  You’ll probably think that you can’t afford to risk part of a day away in July or August.  You’ll need to make that decision, but I just know you’ll not regret the effort if you can work it out!  Remember, you’ve got to swing to hit a Homaah! 

Gary Sykes