MPSTMA NEWS - WINTER 2011

MPSTMA Annual Meeting Set Jan. 5 During Northern Green Expo at MCC

VOL. 1, NO. 4 WINTER 2011

NEWS

The MPSTMA Annual Meeting isset for 10:45 a.m. on Thursday,January 5, 2012 at the MinneapolisConvention Center during theNorthern Green Expo. Every MPSTMAmember is encouraged to attend.

Super Tuesday SessionGeared Towards Park and

Sports Turf Managers

The MTGF hosts an educational eventthe day before the Northern Green Expobegins called Super Tuesday. This year’ssession is of interest to Park and SportsTurf Managers. The session is entitled“Grassy Weed and Broadleaf HerbicideResearch Update by Dr. David Gardner,The Ohio State University.

Several important new herbicides havecome onto the market in the past fewyears for the control of broadleaf weeds,including mesotrione and aminocyclopry-achlor. The uses, advantages and disad-vantages of these products will be dis-cussed, as well as how these productsmight fit into your weed managementprogram.

New products have been developedthat help control grassy weeds. However,many other products have appeared onthe market that are novel combinationsof existing herbicides. The uses, advan-tages and disadvantages of these prod-ucts will be discussed.

Go to www.mpstma.org orwww.mtgf.org. for more information.

MPSTMA PARK AND SPORTS TURF

www.mpstma.org

2011 Events Well-Supported by Vendors;General Member Attendance Lacking

Watch your inboxes for a survey from the MPSTMA Board of Directors.The events of 2011 were all successful from the standpoint of vendor sup-port. Whenever called upon, the vendors stepped to the plate with financialsupport. General member attendance declined a bit in 2011.

Realizing the economy is tough may be one answer but the Board feels itmay not be the only reason. A survey will be distributed to members to gaina better perspective of the situation. Other possible reasons may be loca-tion, cost or taking a work day off.

The MPSTMA Annual Meeting is set for Thursday, January 5 at theMinneapolis Convention Center during the Northern Green Expo. TheBoard would like to get feedback at this meeting to plan how best to keepmoving the association forward in the best interest of its membership.

NETWORKING IN COON RAPIDS AT THE MPSTMA FALL WORKSHOP IN SEPTEMBER

NEWS

MPSTMA NEWSLETTER - WINTER 2011_MPSTMA SEPTEMBER 0FFICIAL.qxd 6/22/2012 10:03 AM Page 1

OFFICERS

PRESIDENTSTEVE GILBERTSON

City of Lino Lakes612-599-8017

[email protected]

VICE PRESIDENTDAVE NOZAL

Tree Trust651-644-5800

[email protected]

VICE PRESIDENTKEVIN FERNANDEZ

White Bear Lake Area Schools #624651-653-2736

[email protected]

TREASURERLOWELL LUEBECK

City of Plymouth763-509-5946

[email protected]

TREASURERROGER WEINBRENNER CSFM

University of St. Thomas651-962-6546

[email protected]

PAST PRESIDENTSTEVE BERG CSFM

Indiana

PAST PRESIDENTPHIL GALLIGERCity of Woodbury

[email protected]

DIRECTORS

GENERAL MEMBERSHIPJEFF HINTZ

Northwestern College651-631-5103

[email protected]

GENERAL MEMBERSHIPAMY HOWARD

City of Woodbury651-714-3721

[email protected]

COMMERCIAL MEMBERSHIPSCOTT MELLING

Par Aide Products Company651-429-4513

[email protected]

COMMERCIAL MEMBERSHIPJOE CHURCHILL

Reinders Inc.612-790-7333

[email protected]

MTGF REPRESENTATIVEPAUL GRIFFIN

City of Woodbury651-714-3720

[email protected]

MTGF REPRESENTATIVEKEVIN MANLEY

JRK Seed & Turf Supply651-686-6756

[email protected]

MPSTMA OFFICEEXECUTIVE SECRETARY

JEFF TURTINEN952-473-3722

[email protected]

www.mpstma.org

“Opportunities Knock, Please Answer”STEVE GILBERTSON

MPSTMA President

As we come to the end of 2011, the MPSTMA is now giving all membersthe opportunity to get more familiar and involved during the 2012 season.Please consider the following ways to get involved.

First of all, the MPSTMA is looking for individuals to give time and offertheir name to be listed on the ballot for one of many Board of Directorpositions or serve on one of the many committees that help plan the eventsfor the 2012 season.

Secondly, the Sports Turf Managers Association offered the MinnesotaChapter one free registration to the Jan. 9-13 STMA national conventionin Long Beach, Calif. This is a $350 value. Several folks from Minnesotahave registered so you will not be without friends.

Before I close this section of the newsletter, I just want to say thank you to all MPSTMA members who helped make this first year of combinedorganizations a success. This will be my final “President's Perspective”and I will running my last Board Meeting at the Annual Meeting inJanuary. I also would like to thank all current Board members and committee members for their time and efforts through out the 2011 season and hope they continue their support for incoming president Dave Nozal from Tree Trust.

Thank you, once again, for a great 2011 year and hope that every member’s future is bigger and better than the past.

Regards,

Steve GilbertsonSteve GilbertsonPresident, Minnesota Park and Sports Turf Managers Association

2 MPSTMA PARK AND SPORTS TURF NEWS www.mpstma.org

Athletic Field• Construction• Re-Construction• Maintenance

Golf Course • Tee Construction• Re-Construction

• Sodding • Seeding • Over Seeding• Laser Leveling • Grading

• Spraying• Aeration • Fertilizing • Detailing• Consulting

www.magicturfs.com

Here Today, Lawn Tomorrow!E-mail: [email protected] Park Dr., Rogers, MN 55374

Mike Brunelle(612) 817-5396

Town & CountryLandscaping

of Rogers, Inc.

PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE


www.mpstma.org MPSTMA PARK AND SPORTS TURF NEWS 3

Irrigation Water, Science and Emotion, Is EPA a Friend or Foe of Turf?

By BRIAN HORGAN, Ph.D.University of Minnesota

(Authors Note: This article was written based on testimonygiven at a hearing to construction code officials on the benefits ofturf in the environment).

I am a board member of the National TurfgrassFederation and an active participant in many nationaldebates about turfgrass and the environment. This is anexample of one such debate by the tur-fgrass industry and regulators.

When EPA started their Water Senseprogram (www.epa.gov/watersense),their intention was to bring nationalattention to potable water demandsand to reward those that implementeda comprehensive water conservationprogram. Water Sense is an EPA part-nership program whereby retailers,builders and landscapers subscribe tothe water saving techniques and EPArewards them with the use of WaterSense labels for marketing purposes.Products listed on their website as Water Sense certifiedinclude urinals, showerheads, toilets, faucet fixtures, andlandscape irrigation controllers.

The program is analogous to the Energy Star ProgramDesigned to conserve energy.

Jumping ahead to “outdoor” criteria for a certifiedWater Sense home, EPA originally intended forbuilders/landscapers to have two options for landscapewater conservation; (1) no more than 40% of the land-scapable area can be turf or (2) utilize a water budget toolto direct irrigation.

The turfgrass industry from the very beginning didnot see value in restricting turf to 40% of the landscapearea. Assuming the goal is to conserve all sources ofwater, one cannot infer that a generalized turf limitation of40% or less will reduce water consumption of the land-scape when the remainder of the landscape has not beenspecified.

In fact, we pointed out that restricting turf to 40% of thevegetated area connotes a negative environmental value toturfgrass and completely discounts the positive social, eco-nomic and environmental attributes. In a study evaluatingthe effect of three landscape types on residential energyand water use in AZ, McPherson et al. (1989) found thatenergy consumed for air-conditioning a home with a rocklandscape was 20-30% more than for the turf and shadelandscape. This was due to a 4°C depression in landscapetemperature attributed to evaporative cooling from the

turf. Even when accounting for CO2 and N2O emissionsfrom inputs required to maintain turfgrass in the urbanlandscape, Townsend-Small and Czimczik (2010) foundturfgrass is a net sequester of carbon when applying up to8 lbs N / 1000 ft2 yr-1. Milesi et al. (2005) used satelliteimagery and modeling and estimates total potential C

sequestration of turf in the continentalU.S. to range from -0.2 to 16.7 Tg C yr-1 depending on management. TheCENTURY model has identified inten-sively managed turf can sequesterapproximately 1 t C ha-1 yr-1 (Qianand Follett, 2002). This rate of seques-tration is similar to perennial grass-lands following cultivation (1.1 t ha-1yr-1) (Gebhart et al., 1994), is muchhigher than unmanaged grasslands(0.33 t ha-1 yr-1) (Post and Kwon,2000), and is twice as much soil Cstored compared to native prairie

(Bandaranayake et al., 2003).Alternative landscapes are sometimes touted for their

putative ability to reduce urban runoff and enhancegroundwater recharge but such outcomes are not necessar-ily realized. Erickson et al. (2001) found no significant dif-ferences in runoff water quantity when comparing a nativeFlorida woody perennial landscape to a St. Augustinegrasslandscape. However, significantly greater amounts of Pwere leached from the native perennial landscape com-pared to the turfgrass landscape (Erickson et al., 2005). Thethatch-forming capabilities of turfgrass in combinationwith a permanent and dense plant structure yields a lesschannelized pathway for water movement, which increas-es resistance, horizontal spread, and infiltration of surfacerunoff (Linde et al., 1995). This effect was demonstrated byKrenitsky et al. (1998) who observed turfgrass sod to bemore effective than synthetic erosion control materials inreducing both runoff and sediment losses through thedelay of runoff initiation. This combination of factors maybe enough to reduce runoff water volumes and thereforenutrient loading, regardless of soil nutrient concentrations.Steinke et al. (2007) showed managed Kentucky bluegrassturf was as effective as a buffer for runoff from paved sur-faces as a planting of native prairie and yielded no morenutrient or sediment pollution despite fertilization.Kentucky bluegrass turf had similar water infiltration

(Continued on Page 4)


Is EPA Friend or Foe-(Continued from Page 3)

capacity as the native prairie plantings (Steinke et al.,2009).

This is where the debate got interesting. One of EPA’sarguments was the Water Sense program was voluntary.No one was forced to participate. The turfgrass industryargued that once EPA published their guidelines, commu-nities and municipalities would adopt them as tools toconserve water and this is exactly what happened. In fact,Code Officials when writing their new International GreenConstruction Code (IGCC) adopted the entire EPA WaterSense program as a starting point and made it even morerestrictive.

The IGCC stated, “Water used for outdoor landscapeirrigation shall be non-potable.” We stated that signifi-cant challenges exist as to why water source should not bedictated and left as a jurisdictional option. Although along-term outcome from the IGCC may be greater accessto alternative sources of water, the current distributionsystem is not capable of meeting large increases in volumeand landscape irrigation may not be possible due to therandom distribution of the demand (Tchobanolglous et al.,2011).

Based on 2004 numbers, the EPA estimates 1.7 billiongallons per day of wastewater were reused (U.S. EPA,2004). This is only slightly more than the 1.5 billion gallons

that may be applied for landscape irrigation each day inthe U.S. (U.S. EPA, 2011). Florida is the leading producerof recycled water followed by California. Together thesetwo states produce nearly 30% of the total recycled water.The most recent analysis shows that Florida uses 56% ofthe 243 billion gallons of reclaimed water produced annu-ally for irrigation of golf courses, landscape, or other pub-lic access areas (Parsons et al., 2010). However, in 2009California allocated just 18% of it's 235.86 billion gallonsfor landscape irrigation (California EPA, 2009). A 2005inventory in California determined that 1.5 billion gallonsof wastewater are discharged into the ocean each day(Hauser, 2005). These numbers indicate that current infra-structure in California is capable of treating just 30% of it'swastewater for reuse. These statistics, from the two statesmost advanced at recycling and reusing water, demon-strate significant challenges as to why water source shouldnot be dictated in the proposed IGCC and left as a jurisdic-tional option.

Our primary argument was a sensible approach towater conservation is based on a water budget that isregionally based and calculates ET using specific cropcoefficients for various turfgrasses. The water budgetshould account for all plants in the landscape as Park et al.(2005) documented that irrigation requirements for anornamental mixed-species landscape increased over timeand used more water than St. Augustinegrass. Ranked ETrates of four turfgrasses under field conditions in a semi-arid region were: tall fescue (6.8 mm d-1) > zoysiagrass(5.6 mm d-1) > buffalograss (5.1 mm d-1) = bermudagrass(5.0 mm d-1)(Qian et al., 1996) and intra-species ET ratescan vary up to 60% among 61 Kentucky bluegrass culti-vars (Ebdon et al., 1998). Most regions of the U.S. havespecific crop coefficients for turfgrass; however when lack-ing 80% replacement ET will be effective at maintainingturfgrass and conserving water (Sass and Horgan, 2006).In addition, smart irrigation controllers should account fordiurnal variability in crop coefficients, which range 0.2-0.8.Fu et al., (2004) found tall fescue and bermudagrass couldbe irrigated at 40-60% replacement ET while maintainingacceptable quality and function.

In the end, Code Officials voted not to include the40% turf restriction at the same time that EPA decided topull it from Water Sense.

I certainly learned from this process. I learned that:1. One must advocate and participate in the process to

affect change2. EPA and other regulators in government can be rea-

sonable. Some offices are better than others. 3. This process took years with involvement from many

people in industry.4. Spending time in DC will either make you sick or

invigorate your passions in life. 5. I am proud of the turf industry for advocating for

change with EPA and using science as their primary mech-anism for defense. We are now engaged in a positive dis-cussion with EPA’s office of water about the best waterbudget tool to conserve water recognizing that we can dobetter with the water we apply to our landscape.




The 23rd Annual Sports Turf Managers AssociationConference and Exhibition heads to Long Beach, Calif.,Jan. 10-14, 2012. For four days, nearly 1,500 people willconverge on the Long Beach Convention Center for more

than 90 hours ofsports turf spe-cific education,dedicated net-working func-tions, eightunopposedhours viewingthe newest

products and equipment in the trade show hall and otherevents that provide ample opportunity to meet your pro-fessional development needs. Not to mention that thereare CEU’s available from STMA, GCSAA, NRPA, NIAAA,ASBA, PLANET and ASLA, plus 8.5 hours of pesticiderecertification credits from the state of California.

Fully-registered attendees at the world’s largest gath-ering of sports turf professionals will receive a full day ofpre-conference workshops and access to receptions, theSTMA Annual Meeting and the STMA Awards Banquet.Most meals are provided throughout the event, meaning ifyou’re local, you only cost might be registration! Full reg-istration starts at $375 for an STMA member and $485 fornon-members. However, there are several al a carteoptions available, starting at $45 per day to attend thetrade show only, which have been created to minimizeyour time away and maximize your educational invest-ment. If you do need to stay the night, hotel rates start at$179 at the Long Beach Westin and $185 at the Hyatt LongBeach.

Optional activities including two different Seminar-on-Wheels Facility Tours, the SAFE Golf Tournamentand SAFE Casino Night enhance the conference experi-ence. The always popular SAFE Golf Tournament will betaking place Wednesday, Jan. 11 at Industry Hills GolfClub at Pacific Palms. This event has limited space avail-able and registration rates are $135 per player throughDec. 15, 2011. Golf clubs will be available for rental at therate of $50 per set. On Wednesday night after the GolfTournament, SAFE will host its first ever Casino Night atthe STMA Welcome Reception in the Regency Ballroom atthe Hyatt Long Beach. Join other conference attendees tosupport the SAFE Foundation and have a good time in theprocess. Participants will gain entry to SAFE Casino night,where they can then enjoy many casino-style games andcompete to win prizes, including wine, electronics andmore. Early registration rates are $45 and go up to $55 on-site.

As usual, SAFE will be conducting auctions and raffles

on-site. Attendees can purchase entries and bid on elec-tronics, autographed merchandise, memorabilia, equip-ment and products, and much more at these events. Itemsin the silent auction will start at just $5 and raffle ticketswill be $10. There will be some equipment, products orservices available in the live auction that may requireauthorization from your employer and purchase orderswill be accepted. Come prepared, as some items are notavailable at these reduced prices outside of this auctionand can provide a great value for your facility or organiza-tion.

The new www.STMA.org has all the Conference andExposition details on the Conference Tab. Click on the yel-low tab at the top of the website homepage, and then onthe 2012 drop-down link. From there you can see the digi-tal brochure, register on line, print a registration form, andbook a hotel -- all in one convenient location. Early birdregistration closes on Dec. 15, so don’t delay! STMAaccepts purchase orders, checks and credit cards.

If you have any questions about the STMA Conferenceand Exhibition, please contact STMA Headquarters at800.323.3875 or [email protected].

- Can be used with a golf cart or utility vehicle- 57” working width- Sweeper & vacuum come standard- Sifts & removes debris from top layer of the in�ll- Adds the striping appearance of natural turf- Max Speed of 5.7 mph

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Turf’s Up! STMA Heads to the West CoastBy PATRICK ALLEN

Sports Turf Managers Association



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MPSTMA COMMUNITY SERVICEEach year, Minnesota sports turf managers pick out a field to

renovate and spruce up as a Community Service Project.This year’s project for the Minnesota Park and Sports Turf

Managers Association (MPSTMA) took place at Christian LifeSchool in Farmington, Minn.

Project coordinators, Mike McDonald, a certified sports fieldmanager (CSFM) from TCF Bank Stadium at the University ofMinnesota, and Paul Griffin, sports turf manager from the City ofWoodbury, led a group of volunteers on October 19.

Commercial vendors were instrumental in the success of theproject. The Tessman Company donated over 40 bags of starterfertilizer; the Minnesota Vikings Football Club donated bags ofgrass seed and fertilizer; Reinders Inc. helped with five acres offertilizer with pre-emergent; The City of Prior Lake broughttruckloads of ag lime and, for the pitching mound and ErvastiSales donated three pallets of Hilltopper Clay. Patrick Schoen,Tri-State Bobcat, brought a skid-loader with forks and knives.Ken Rost, Frost Services, and Mike Peschel, Property Props, bothvolunteered their time all day.

Mike Brunelle, Town & Country Landscape, and his son, EricBrunelle, spread the ag lime across the infields of the baseballfield and softball field.

A little over a year ago, Christian Life Schools had five acres ofland that was not being used in the back of the school. Theycleared the land and the corn that was growing on it, grew grasslast year and had the basics ready for a baseball field, softballfield and a soccer field running between it. Bob Nurnberger, ath-

letic director at Christian Life Schools, heard from Bob Frank,MTI Distributing Inc., that the MPSTMA annually renovates onefield a year as a Community Service Project and encouragedNurnberger to apply. The MPSTMA Community Service Projectcommittee visits all entrants’ fields. Christian Life School was thewinning entrant. (Continued on Page 7)

With the help of others, Jon Hummel, center, St. Anthony Schools, andJosh Graham, second from right,, TCF Bank Stadium, spent most of theday preparing a pitcher’s mound which is a very lengthy process.


The One’s Who MadeThe Project Happen!Vendors:Jirik Sod 400 sq. ft. of Sod

Bachman’s 4 Trees

Town & Country Landscape Equipment and Services

Tessman Co. Starter Fertilizer

Minnesota Vikings Seed and Fertilizer

Reinders, Inc. Fertilizer w/pre-emergent

City of Prior Lake Ag Lime, trucks

Ervasti Sales Hilltopper Clay

Tri-State Bobcat Skid Loader, Bobcat

MTI Distributing Inc. Workman Utility Carts

Turfwerks Cushman Cart

Twin City Seed Company 400 lbs. Fertilizer

Volunteers:Mike McDonald, CSFM TCF Bank Stadium

Paul Griffin City of Woodbury

Josh Graham TCF Bank Stadium

Jon Hummel St. Anthony Schools

Mike Peschel Property Props

Roger Weinbrenner, CSFM University of St. Thomas

Ken Rost Frost Services

Eric Brunelle Town & Country Landscape

Chad Maatta City of Prior Lake

Travis Sticha City of Prior Lake

Don Klingberg City of Prior Lake

Mike Buesgens City of Prior Lake

Jon Almquist MTI Distributing Inc.

Bob Frank MTI Distributing Inc.

Dave Nozal Tree Trust

Mike Brunelle Town & Country Landscape

Eric Brunelle Town & Country Landscape

Jeff Turtinen MPSTMA

Mike Brunelle, Town & Country Landscape, grooms the infield at the CSP at Christian Life Schools in Farmington on October 19.

Paul Griffin, City of Woodbury

Edges the infield during the Community Service Project.


Mike Peschel, Property Props

Putting the finishing touches around home plate.


P. O. Box 617

Wayzata, MN 55391


Documents

MPSTMA NEWS - WINTER 2011