Resilient and Creative Through Adversity

I hate to open up my message with this but: COVID-19 is still with us so I want all of you to know that you are always in my thoughts and prayers every day. Please be safe and take care of yourself, your family and your team. We are pleased to announce that the updated VTC website at vaturf.org is up and running. Please take time to explore the site and notice some of the updates like “Classified Ads” where you can see and have posted your job openings and equipment for sale. A big thanks to Tom Tracy and Leading Edge Communications for making this upgrade happen.

The Annual “MATE” conference is going to be all virtual. We truly wanted to have it in person, but COVID-19 is dictating how we have to adjust our lives. We took a close look at the elements that are of most importance to the attendees (other than what we really want, which is to catch up with our friends and make new ones). We are focusing primarily on education to keep your certifications up to date.

Another area of concern was that an all day Zoom Meeting will not work. You will notice the conference is now 4 days, limited to 3 hours a day. Inclusive dates are Tuesday 19 Jan 2021 – Friday 22 Jan 2021. We will be offering valuable CEUs for Nutrient Management, Certified Fertilizer Applicators, GCSSA, STMA, etc.

Pesticide Certification is also being offered this year with a great addition; Dr. David McCall is integrating the Student Contest as part of the program. Their presentations will be on their current cutting-edge research. This is really exciting to able to learn about new research and hear presentations from up and coming stars in the turf industry. Also, at the MATE conference there will be several outstanding speakers, Dr. Matt Elmore (Rutgers University) Dr. Grady Miller (N.C. State University) and Mr. Nick Yakish (Arlington National Cemetery). Thanks goes out to Dr. Mike Goatley, Dr. David McCall, Ed Olsen, Guy Mussey, Dr. Tom Tracy and the VTC board for all the work put forth to make this event happen.

An important note – ALL profits from MATE go Virginia Tech for their turf programs.

Big changes are happening with the Virginia Tech Short Course. It will be all online/ virtual with the primary focus on becoming a Certified Turfgrass Professional (CTP). I’m not going to try to share all the details here, but check it out under the events tab on the VTC website. One important change is it will be broken down into videos covering a specific chapter out of the CTP book, spread over several weeks, with an examination at the end. Every Wednesday there will be a live Zoom event with the instructor and guests from the industry for questions. You will really want to take advantage of this program. I want to thank Dr. Mike Goatley and the whole VT Turf Team for making this happen.

There are several ways to look at this time of the year this year. Some will have a sigh of relief when 2020 is finally over. But to me these trying times exhibit how resilient and creative you all have been through all the adversity. This is a special industry and the people (that is you) who are a part of it are the most dedicated, creative people I have ever known. I feel thankful and blessed to a part of it.

Be safe out there and enjoy the upcoming holidays with your family and friends.

Mike Skelton

VTC President