Extension - Commercial Turfgrass IPM
PI(s): Youngman, Roger R, Goatley, Michael
Investigators: Laub, Curt, Latimer, J, Horvath, Brandon, Derr, J. F. , Askew, Shawn
Abstract: There are over 1.7 million acres of maintained turf in Virginia with nearly 40% of this total in commercial turf farms, golf courses, parks, schools, and industrial sites according to an August 2006 survey published by Virginia's Turfgrass Industry. As society becomes more urbanized, the need for expanded educational opportunities emphasizing environmental stewardship in turfgrass management are being realized. In 2006, the Virginia Tech Turf Team working with the Virginia Turfgrass Council has begun to address these educational opportunities by continuing to offer several Turfgrass workshops around the state and the week long Turf Short course held in Blacksburg every year. In addition, the Virginia Turfgrass Field Day, which also is held annually in Blacksburg, was expanded to a two-day educational event. The first day featured an equipment demonstration component and expanded tours of the applied research at the Virginia Tech Golf Course, Glade Road Research Center, and the Turfgrass Research Center. The second day took a new look in that specific research tours for the four primary segments of the turfgrass industry (Golf, Sports Turf, Lawn/landscape, and Sod Production) were showcased.
Description: A total of 250 people attended the Virginia Turfgrass Field Days held September 26-27, 2006. These attendees were asked to rate four specific questions according to a response scale of 1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = maybe, 4 = agree, and 5 strongly agree. The four questions and mean response rating of the 65 returned surveys were: 1. Is the information presented at the 2006 Turfgrass Field Days current and relevant to my continued professional development? (4.5). 2. Were my abilities to manage pests in an environmentally responsible manner improved? (4.4). 3. Were my abilities to manage nutrients in an environmentally responsible manner improved? (4.2). 4. Overall opinion of the new field day format? (4.5). These numbers reflect a highly positive impact in our programming efforts for the 2006 Virginia Turfgrass Field Days and indicate that our efforts towards promoting environmental stewardship are being well received.
Commodities: Turf
Resources: Entomology Laboratory - Southern Piedmont AREC, Greenhouses, Insect Identification Laboratory, Insecticide Storage Building, Price Hall, State-Owned Vehicles, Virginia Tech Pesticide Programs
Disciplines: Integrated Pest Management, Pesticides
Audiences: Agribusiness, Extension Agents, Government Agencies, Local Governments, Producers
