President's Letter

Hello again to all ATA members and Turf Times readers! I hope the start of your summer season has been a successful one. Since my last message we have been through spring, one of my favorite seasons of the year. Spring always throws us a few curveballs, and this year was no different. I coached my son’s baseball team, and we had a rescheduled rainout game rained out twice. Hopefully Mother Nature will be kinder this summer.

The ATA board recently met to discuss upcoming events. I really appreciate the willingness of our board members to serve and their passion for representing all our members. We will begin discussing recruitment to replace out-going board members very soon. I would encourage everyone to consider serving on the board if asked. If you are interested in serving and making a difference to our organization, please reach out to me or any other board member.

I want to say thank you to all involved with the Poa Annua Classic. Our goal every year is to have a day that we can fellowship together, play some golf, and help support the ATRF (Alabama Turf Research Foundation). Once again it was a great tournament. Thank you, Craig Potts, for giving us an insightful presentation. Thank you to Inverness Country Club for being a gracious host for the second year in a row. The golf course was in wonderful condition. I should have birdied every hole, but I didn’t. Thank you to all our sponsors. We would never be able to put together a great event like this without your help and support. Lastly, thank you to Kayla Cook for the organizing, planning and execution of this great event.

Two upcoming events you should plan to attend are the Auburn Turfgrass Research Field Day at Auburn University on July 20th, and the Lawn and Landscape Workshop at Gardendale Civic Center on August 22nd. The Auburn Turfgrass Field Day is a great time to see and learn what Auburn has been working on to help you better manage your turfgrass in the future. Pesticide points will be available for the Research Field Day. The Lawn and Landscape Workshop will be an informative meeting with half of the day dedicated to educational presentations, and half the day being hands-on demonstrations. Please register for one, or both events, online at alabamaturf.org.

Right around the corner is the Deep South Turf Expo, hosted October 16th–19th in Biloxi, Mississippi. Be sure to register and attend this great Conference and Show. The Expo is a one stop shop for everything turfgrass: tradeshow, educational speakers, golf tournaments, tailgate celebration and much more. One of my favorite parts is the downtime for enjoying dinners with industry peers, blackjack with buddies, or sight-seeing of the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

This issue of the Turf Times has some great articles; Ecological Beneficial Turf – A Changing Landscape by Casey O’Neal, Auburn University, Julie Wang, University of Georgia and Nikolay Minaev, Mississippi State University, as well as our Feature article, Advancements in Sod Production by Dr. Casey Reynolds. Both are great articles about the turfgrass industry as we change and move forward. Also, our member spotlight article this issue is John Nabors of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. John is a great asset to our industry, and we want to bring to light his accomplishments and highlight his career.

Finally, I wish everyone successful seasons, favorable weather, that lush green grass and, God willing, a great year as we share our passion of the outdoors.

2023 ATA President