VTF Report

The Virginia Turfgrass Foundation hosted our Fun on the Fairway Fundraiser at the Kingsmill Resort on October 29, 2022. This is one of our growing events that support the Virginia Tech Turfgrass Team and their ongoing turfgrass research and programs.

At this year’s event, we partnered with Drew Miller and his students from the award winning Brentsville District High School and their Turfgrass Management Program. We engaged two local high schools by contacting their athletic directors, administrators, teachers, and the local school district board of directors. Students, parents, and administrators from the schools came out for the event to see firsthand what Drew and his amazing team of students are doing both on and off the field. Through this partnership, Drew and the students created logos for both local Williamsburg schools, and engaged the students, leadership, and event attendees to help paint the 20’x20’ logos along the fairways of Kingsmill’s River Golf Course.

This partnership with Drew and his students has helped us redirect or focus to meet our goals of increasing the knowledge of the turfgrass industry across the Commonwealth and developing the next generation of turfgrass professionals and researchers. The expansion of successful high school-based Turfgrass Programs (like Brentsville DHS) into new schools and communities needs to happen. Coaches want to see these courses added and the Commonwealth of Virginia has already set up specific competencies related to Turf Management.

The expansion of the high school-based Turf Management Program will provide education, hands-on experience, and certifications to students and education to general consumers on the overall value and benefits of turfgrass. We believe the expansion of Turf Management classes in schools can offer an unexpected path to employment for students. They will get a taste of what it would be like to have full-time, permanent employment in turfand landscaping-related professions, creating a whole new generation of young people who are excited about Turf Management, landscaping, and related fields. Additionally, these programs will bring students a fun and educational activity to participate in along with feelings of school and community pride and pride about their own lives and accomplishments.

The VTF is actively looking for grants and funding to expand the adoption of Turfgrass Programs throughout the commonwealth school districts and we are excited to work with the Virginia Tech Turfgrass Team, Drew Miller, the VSTMA, the VGCSA, the Virginia Sod Growers, the VSGA, the VTC, and our community partners, to make it happen.

VTF Executive Director