6 minute read
Between the Lines
Dr. Peter Landschoot Receives Career Recognition
Dr. Peter Landschoot, who will be retiring from Penn State this fall after 35 years as the Extension Turf Specialist at the university, was honored at the KAFMO annual conference this year with the Fowler Founders Award. The Fowler Founders Award is named in memory of Donald Fowler, a Penn State Extension Agent credited with organizing the group of individuals who formed KAFMO. The award itself is one of Fowler’s worn-out work boots that has been bronzed and signifies the hard work and determination demonstrated by the Fowler Founders Award recipients. With this award KAFMO recognizes individuals for their dedication to making a difference in the sports turf industry of Pennsylvania. In a recent interview, Pete looked back on his career and forward to his retirement.
Looking Back
The path to turf science was a winding road for Pete Landschoot. He made his living as a musician for several years before taking a horticulture course at the Community College of Rochester. By chance, one of his professors needed help with a fungicide trial on a local golf course and superintendent Bob Feindt hired him. Over the three years he worked there he became extremely interested in all aspects of turf, soil, and tree maintenance and decided to apply to Penn State for a degree in Agronomy.
When asked about high points in his career, Landschoot first mentions his mentors and his Ph.D. work at the University of Rhode Island, elucidating the identity of the summer patch pathogen. This led him to post-doctoral work at Rutgers University. “I’d like to credit my mentors Dr. Don Waddington (deceased), Dr. Noel Jackson (deceased), and Dr. Bruce Clarke for guiding me through my academic training,” he says. “They were outstanding mentors and teachers.”
Peaks and Challenges
Landschoot’s expertise and openness to collaboration led to international work with the Scandinavian Turf and Environmental Research Foundation, the Italian Golf Federation, and turf courses which took him to Scotland and Italy. He also served in a leadership capacity, including with the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program Policy Committee, USGA Research Committee, American Phytopathological Society, and American Society of Agronomy as well as the PA Dept. of Agriculture and the Chesapeake Bay Commission on turfgrass nutrient management legislation in PA. “It was exciting working with leaders in the industry on cutting-edge research and influencing legislation and management practices that are environmentally responsible,” he says.
In the end it was mentoring and teaching that formed some of the most rewarding experiences of his career – and also some of his greatest challenges. “Extreme multitasking was a real challenge – I’m not really sure I have overcome this, but I’m better now at time management and juggling multiple responsibilities than when I started at Penn State 35 years ago,” he says. As Graduate Program Director for the Penn State Agronomy graduate program, he has worked with many graduate students to help them negotiate the maze of exams, seminars, and funding they needed. But it took him years before he felt comfortable as a teacher in front of undergrads, he remembers. “At first it was difficult to relate to them and gauge what information they needed to start their careers. However, with experience and lots of interaction over the years, I became more proficient in delivering lectures and labs.”
Pete Landschoot says he especially enjoyed working in extension during the early part of his Penn State career. “Getting out in the field and observing real-world problems and innovative practices performed by PA sports turf turfgrass managers was a tremendous learning experience for me,” he recalls. He says with characteristic modesty that over the years, he gained more information from them than he ever passed along. “Ultimately, my most treasured experiences came from working with greatest group of people one could ever hope to be around,” he says. “I can’t acknowledge all of them, but I want to mention Andy McNitt, who taught me a tremendous amount about soils and sports turf, the late George Hamilton, whom I still miss after 20 years, and all the other turf professors and staff in Penn State’s turf program. I also worked closely with Penn State’s turf extension educators, who are the best in the business: Jeff Fowler, Tanner Delvalle, Nancy Bosold, Jim Welshans, and many others.”
Looking Forward
Pete Landschoot is looking forward to a future where he can volunteer, return to his musical roots, travel, and make new friends. But he also sees a bright future for turf science and its related careers. There are some great opportunities in the sports turf, golf, sales, and tech sectors, he notes. “The general population needs high quality turf for sports activities more than ever, and that means jobs for competent managers. Companies and organizations are always looking for knowledgeable individuals with good people skills to contribute to their operations.” He also sees technology playing a larger and larger role as time goes on, as well as use of management tools/techniques that allow savings of water, pesticide use, and fertilizers (TDR, soil and water testing, etc.). Turf breeding/genetics and improvements in maintenance equipment (GPS sprayers, autonomous mowers, etc.) will also be important in the future, he predicts.
When asked what advice he would give to young people just starting out in turf science, Pete Landschoot speaks from experience. “Ask a lot of questions of your supervisors -- for example, why they are performing certain tasks, and how they choose products. If you don’t ask questions and show some interest, you won’t move very far in this business,” he cautions. “Also, try different things, and don’t be afraid to move around. One of my regrets is that I never learned about managing warm-season grasses in southern climates. I had the opportunity to do so but did not take it.” Since travel and new experiences are part of Pete’s vision for his retirement years, who is to say that a visit to the grasses of the southern hemisphere is not still in the cards for him?
