Special Feature >>>
By Tricia Roberts, ATA Executive Director
S
ince the Alabama Turfgrass Association is celebrating its golden year, it’s a perfect time to reflect over the accomplishments, observations, advice and challenges from the last 50 years. In pulling quotes from past association newsletters and magazines, it is evident that the more we grow, the more we stay the same.
We are the original “green” industry. Being “green” is the newest trend to keep our environment sustainable. However, our industry has always been green, and we knew it way back then!
Alabama Turf Times >>> S u m m e r 2011
We have entered a new dimension of the “environmental age.” The future is NOW. Turf managers must do two things — produce acceptable turf with fewer chemicals (fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides) and, equally if not more important, tell the public about the benefits of turf. Remind your friends and other contacts about the role turf plays in protecting the environment against wear and wind erosion, how it reduces noise and air pollution, provides a safer playing surface for sports, provides jobs for thousands of workers every day and gives aesthetic tranquility for all. Turf touches everyone. Coleman Ward, 1992 Earth Day: April 22… a day set aside by the government each year to draw attention to the well-being of the earth. As a turf manager, agronomist, chemist, wildflower grower, etc., I believe that every day is Earth Day. The turf industry has an ongoing job — taking care of lawns, golf courses, cemeteries and parks. We should be proud in the fact that we think about nature every day. Todd Rogers, 1997
18
Regulation and legislation… they never end. ATA works with several industry partners for legislative engagement, including the Alabama Farmers Federation, the Alabama Nursery & Landscape Association, the Alabama Employees for Immigration Reform, the Professional LandCare Network, the Turfgrass Producers International and the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America. In our contact with our legislative representatives, we should remember to make them aware of our needs and of the contributions made by Auburn University through its research and the educational program of the Agriculture Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service. Shull Vance, 1979 ATA has a right to be proud! Thank you to Jerry Fuller for drafting the fine proclamation signed recently by Governor George Wallace announcing turfgrass awareness. Ronnie Zwiebel, 1984
The green industry, more than ever, needs a united voice. We are constantly dealing with regulatory changes in our work environment. In order to make certain that future changes in laws and regulations are compatible with both our industry and our environment, we must participate in the legislation of these laws. We must work together through the ATA and other green industry associations to represent positive changes in the future. Chuck Thurlow, 1994