President’s Message Virginia Turfgrass Journal is the official publication of The Virginia Turfgrass Council P.O. Box 5989 Virginia Beach, VA 23471 Office: (757) 464-1004 Fax: (757) 282-2693 vaturf@verizon.net
New Year,
NEW
Michael Skelton VTC President
B EN E FI T S F
inally, 2020 is over, but its effects are still being felt. I’m sure all of you, like me, are grateful that it’s a new year (even if it’s just a change in the date). I also hope you, your team and family are all doing well. I want you to know that the VTC Board has been working hard to come up with new and innovative ways to ensure our members receive the needed education and certifications/recertifications to do their jobs under the current restrictions. A big thanks to Dr. Tom Tracy, Dr. Mike Goatley, the VT Turf team and the VA Extension offices for some extremely creative ideas that will have a lasting, beneficial impact for the whole Virginia turf industry in the future. One of the biggest creative ideas was turning the VT Short Course into the online VT-STEM Course. With the hard work of the VT Turf Team, from first idea to implementation happened in about 4 months. It is a 13-week course with weekly interactions with the professors and industry leaders to answer questions and a chance to interact with fellow students. This course has the potential to go national and even international. The first class has 28 students that represent Golf, Sports Turf, Parks and Rec, Landscape and High School teachers. Although the original VT Short Course was well attended, there were many in the industry who could not attend because they could not take the time off. We know as the word spreads, the course will gain greater attendance and may require it being offered at other times of the year. One of the final, but possibly the greatest, benefits is that it can lead to the student becoming a Virginia Tech Certified Turfgrass Professional. Your VTC Board always wants to hear from our members with new ideas that will make our association even better. Please contact Tom Tracy or any board member with your idea. Wishing everyone a Happy New Year,
Michael Skelton VTC President
Virginia Turfgrass Council (VTC) serves its members in the industry through education, promotion and representation. The statements and opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the association, its staff, or its board of directors, Virginia Turfgrass Journal, or its editors. Likewise, the appearance of advertisers, or VTC members, does not constitute an endorsement of the products or services featured in this, past or subsequent issues of this bimonthly publication. Copyright © 2021 by the Virginia Turfgrass Council. Virginia Turfgrass Journal is published bimonthly. Subscriptions are complimentary to members of VTC. POSTMASTER: Send change of address notification to VTC, P.O. Box 5989, Virginia Beach, VA 23471. Postage guaranteed. Third-class postage is paid at Jefferson City, MO. Printed in the U.S.A. Reprints and Submissions: Virginia Turfgrass Journal allows reprinting of material published here. Permission requests should be directed to VTC. We are not responsible for unsolicited freelance manuscripts and photographs. Contact the managing editor for contribution information. Advertising: For display and classified advertising rates and insertions, please contact Leading Edge Communications, LLC, 206 Bridge Street, Suite 200, Franklin, TN 37064-3394, (615) 790-3718, Fax (615) 794-4524. Deadlines are the first of the month prior to the following month’s publication. (Example: August 1 for the September issue.)
6 | VIRGINIA TURFGRASS JOURNAL January/February 2021 www.vaturf.org
PUBLISHED BY Leading Edge Communications, LLC 206 Bridge Street, Suite 200 Franklin, Tennessee 37064 (615) 790-3718 Fax: (615) 794-4524 Email: info@leadingedgecommunications.com EDITOR Mark Vaughn, CGCS VTC OFFICERS President Michael Skelton (540) 718-4133 Vice President Phil Bailey, CGCS Virginia Green Lawn Care (757) 572-1981 Secretary / Treasurer Jimmy Viars, CGM Gloucester County Public Schools (804) 815-2779 Past President Scott Woodward Woodward Turf Farms (540) 727-0020 VTC DIRECTORS Wes Bray Sam Burris Ray Funkhouser Tony Montgomery Bruce Sheppard T.J. Skirsky Craig Zeigler VTC ADVISORY MEMBERS OF THE BOARD Mike Goatley, Ph.D. (Chair) Shawn Askew, Ph.D. Alejandro Del Pozo-Valdiva, Ph.D. Jeffrey Derr, Ph.D. David McCall Ph.D. Dan Sandor, Ph.D. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/ DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS Tom Tracy, Ph.D. (757) 464-1004 VIRGINIA TURFGRASS FOUNDATION Brandyn Baty (757) 585-3058
