President’s Message
Spring is in the Air
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
Michael Skelton VTC President
The
first thing of note is that although not an in-person event, our annual MATE conference was a success. Zoom has filled the current needs, but I’m looking forward to seeing everyone in person. We were able to adjust our schedule and presentations to accommodate requirements to fulfill several of our members’ recertification needs, such as Nutrient Management, Certified Fertilizer Applicator and Pesticide Applicator. This was of major importance to your VTC board to ensure our members had these critical certifications updated before the spring season. One thing missing by not hosting an in-person event was the annual members’ meeting. The Board will be working on setting up a members meeting in the near future. Please look out for a notification of this event as to when and how; it may be held virtually. Some exciting news is the success of the first ever Virginia Tech School of Turfgrass Ecology and Management (STEM) (Virtual Program). This program replaces the previous VT Turf Short course. The students are going online and watching prerecorded sessions presented by professors from Virginia Tech. A special part of the program each week is a live online session with the professor and sometimes a guest professional from the field to answer questions. These sessions are well attended and have had up to 28 students in attendance. Dr. Mike Goatley stated that the students represent many areas in the turf industry from high school teachers to park superintendents to maintenance team members. This class even has one student from Colorado. A critical need this program fulfills is an avenue for the students to become a Certified Turfgrass Professional. If you are interested in a future class keep a look out for information being posted on the VTC web site. Your Government Relations Committee has been very busy tracking new legislation that affects our industry. One such bill was House Bill 2030 that sought to restrict the use of neonicotinoid insecticides. Through the efforts of the Government Relations Committee, the bill was converted from regulatory legislation to a bill that called for the study of these pesticides. In closing, spring is in the air, birds are chirping, crocuses are blooming and soon we all will be in full action applying pre-emergence, aerating, mowing and the list goes on. Be safe out there.
Michael Skelton VTC President
For event news & updates throughout the year, be sure to visit VATURF.ORG 6 | VIRGINIA TURFGRASS JOURNAL March/April 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
