MTGF Clippings

2006 Minnesota Green ExpoLarry Vetter • MTGF Executive Director

Take a look InsIDe

ED’s Notes.......................5

Past, Present & Future.....6

Agriculture Meeting.........8

Columbine Sawfly.............9

Gypsy Moth Treatments..12

President’s Report...........13

There are a number of ways to rate the success of an event. Size, scope, quality and feedback are just a few. Now that the final numbers are in it is evident that all of the above in-dicate that the 2006 Minnesota Green Expo was a huge success. The number of registered attendees set an all-time record of 7,833. This represents an increase of 8.8% over registered at-tendees for the 2005 Expo. Advance registration continues to increase both in numbers and percentages, increas-ing by 447 to 5,695, or 8.5% over 2005. Three day registrations increased as did one-day, trade show only and ex-hibitor registrants. The only decrease in registrations compared to 2005 was the Friday on-site registration, which was down from 598 to 520. This most likely is a function of the cycle of pesticide recertification needs which is now every two years vs. the annual recertification requirement.

There was no major shift in the industry segment registrations when compared to previous years. Those indicating MTGF membership repre-sented exactly 33% of non-exhibitor registrants who indicated an affiliation on their registration form. The largest single industry segment represented was the landscape contractor group, with 2,193 registrants indicating an affiliation with this industry seg-ment. The ranking of attendance of the MTGF Allied Associations was, in descending order, MGCSA, MPSA, MSA, MSTMA, MASMS, MAC and MTA. Those indicating an association with golf courses tied with three other

categories for the fourth largest group represented at this year’s Expo. Due to space considerations in this newslet-ter, complete demographic data is not listed here but is available by contacting the MTGF office.

The 2006 Expo featured over 100 educational sessions, several demon-strations and a Turfgrass Challenge on the trade show floor, 22 non-profit booths and 935 booth spaces featur-ing the products, goods and services of 403 exhibitors. This year the event was moved to the newer end of the Minneapolis Convention Center. This move was made for several reasons. First, it afforded the use of newer rooms stacked more vertically, reducing the amount of walking required to get to the various educational sessions. It also provided access to the two largest domes of the Convention Center, there-by increasing the number of exhibit spaces available for vendors wanting to have larger &/or new display areas.

As with any change of this mag-nitude, there were some unexpected problems. However, based on the feedback, both verbal and written that has been received to date, the change resulted in many more positive than negative reports. Meetings have already taken place addressing issues that need to be changed for next year as well as continuing those that generated posi-tive feedback. One definite change that will be made next year is the location of the Allied Association booths. Next year’s location will be in the main lobby near the registration desk. This will give much better visibility and easier access

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MaRk YoUR CalenDaRs

Turf & Grounds Field Day, St. Paul Campus, Thursday,

July 27

Open House @ UMore Park, Thursday, August 17,

4:00 – 8:00 P.M.

PLT Recertification, Fall, 2006, TBD

Pesticide Recertification, Fall, 2006, TBD

Minnesota Green Expo, January 3-5, 2007

More information coming in the mail and on our web site.

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MTGF allied associations

Minnesota Association of Cemeteries Minnesota Golf Course Superintendents Association

Minnesota Park Supervisors Association Minnesota Society of Aboriculture

Minnesota Sports Turf Managers Association Minnesota Association of School Maintenance Supervisors

Minnesota Turf Association Northern Minnesota Forage and Turf Seed Advisory Committee

for our members and will provide a better representation of our impact on the Expo. Another will be increased room capacities for the Pesticide Recertification sessions on Friday. Due to many not checking this need on the registration forms, the room size for these sessions was not adequate and will be corrected for next year’s event.

This was the fourth year of the Minnesota Green Expo. As most of you are aware, the Expo is the combination of the separate events previously sponsored by the Minnesota Turf & Grounds Foundation and the Minnesota Nursery & Land-scape Association. The respective Boards of Directors of these two groups felt for some time that there were synergies that could be realized by combining these two events into one, thereby affording the luxury of offering a broader educational conference and a more all-encompassing trade show. Since there was some overlap between exhibitors and attendees of the separate events, all with an involvement in the Green Industry, these boards negotiated for several years to form the Minnesota Green Expo. The anticipated synergies have, in fact, materialized as the Expo has proven to be one of the largest and best regional Green Industry shows in the coun-try. Both attendance and exhibit space occupied every year has exceeded the sum of the totals of even the best year when these events were held separately. This also holds true for the profits realized for each of the co-sponsors. As a result, the MTGF has been able to increase funding for a variety of projects in each of the years since the inception of the Expo as it exists today. In fact, the 2005 funding approved by the MTGF Board of Directors was a full 50% higher than the total net revenue of our most profitable stand-alone conference.

The contract that is currently in place governing the conduct of the Expo is a three year contract with a “rolling” feature that automatically adds a third year at the conclu-sion of each year’s Expo barring written notice by either party stating otherwise. This eliminates the need to renegotiate the entire contract every third year. This feature was added for protection against one of the partners abruptly terminating the contract leaving the other high and dry with little time to arrange their own separate event. When the original contract was being negotiated, one of the issues that was discussed in great detail was the allocation of revenue and ex-penses resulting from this event. Historical data was used to determine the size of each of the respective events that had been previ-ously held separately. After examining all of the data from previous MTGF and MNLA

events it was determined that both attendance and exhibitor space was tracking with the MNLA show being twice the size of the MTGF show. These numbers were taken directly from the attendance records of each organization as well as exhibit space utilized for each of the two events. The MTGF had previ-ously rented one hall at the Convention Center and could not fill more than roughly one half of that hall. The charge was the same whether the hall was filled or not. The MNLA rented one hall of the Convention Center and filled it plus having a sig-nificant exhibitor waiting list in place. By combining the two, the Expo now sells out two complete domes so that all space that is paid for generates revenue and nearly all vendors that wish to exhibit are able to do so. The eventual contract that was written was done so in a way to reflect all of the above, resulting in the distribution of both income and expenses as it currently exists.

When studying the breakdown of the registrations and the exhibitor participation for the 2006 Expo, as well as the previous three that have taken place under this arrangement, the agreed-upon distribution has averaged within one percent of being exactly as estimated. Consequently, the distribution as set forth in the contract does in fact accurately reflect the level of the contribution of each of the sponsors to the overall success of the Expo. Those results have provided far more net income for the MTGF than its stand-alone event had ever generated. This allows the MTGF to make larger contributions to various research projects and programs than it could have were this co-sponsorship arrangement not in place.

A point that surfaces on occasion is that some exhibitors have a concern that their total expenditure made to exhibit in the Expo is being divided between two groups and thus not going directly to the MTGF and its Allied Associations. While this is true when taking this as a stand-alone observa-tion, it does not factor in several things that influence the total outcome of the Expo and therefore the benefits derived

from it. First, the current Expo attendance and exhibits exceed the sum of the two totals for each category under the old arrangement. This is a great example of a situation where 1 + 1 = more than 2. Thus both sponsors of the Expo are deriving benefits for their members, such as more income, more exhibits, more networking opportunities and more educational oppor-tunities than either could derive sponsoring their own individual event. Greater attendance equals a larger audience for every exhibitor. This makes it more attractive for an exhibitor to participate. This attracts more exhibitors who

Editor: Larry G. Vetter

MTGF officeUniversity of Minnesota422 Alderman Hall1970 Folwell AvenueSt. Paul, MN 55108-6007Phone: (612) 625-9234Fax: (612) 624-4941E-mail: vette008@tc.umn.edu Website: www.mtgf.org

GREEN EXPO continued from cover

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attract a larger audience - greater attendance. And the circle continues. In addition, increased attendance and exhibits generate revenue that allows for more educational sessions, many of which benefit attendees from each of the sponsoring groups. Thus there are educational opportunities offered at the Expo that neither single sponsor could offer just for their members. Third, the number of rooms available for educa-tional sessions for a set fee is directly tied to the space that is rented for exhibits. Yes it is true that MNLA benefits from the expenditures made by exhibitors whose primary audience is MTGF members. But it is also true that the MTGF benefits from the expenditures of MNLA exhibitors, and there are more of those, both in the number of exhibiting companies and the number of total exhibit spaces sold. All of these factors, in ad-dition to others, must be factored in to realize the true impact and benefit for each company or individual who participates, whether they be attendees or exhibitors.

For the most part, the only negative that is expressed about the educational portion of the Expo is “there were so many things offered that I couldn’t get to everything that I wanted to attend”. What a great problem to have when com-pared to “there really wasn’t much that I was interested in so I either went home early or had to wait for the next session that I wanted to attend”. The same holds true in many cases with the trade show. “I couldn’t get through the whole show be-cause there was so much to see.” Again, far better than “there really wasn’t much there to see.”

Some ask who decides what speakers and topics will be offered at the Expo. I send out a request to each of our Allied Associations for a list of speakers and topics that they would like to have for future Expos. Almost without exception, we are able to fill every request that is received assuming a quali-fied speaker can be found to address the topic and is able to fit his or her appearance into their calendar. These requests are made shortly after the conclusion of the Expo as most highly sought after speakers fill their calendars many months in advance. Consequently, representatives of each of our Allied Associations determine the educational content of the coming Expo. Also in place to help direct this effort is a Joint Program-ming Board which is specified as part of the Expo contract. This Board, which has the final say on what speakers and top-ics will be included in next year’s program, consists of three representatives each from the MTGF and the MNLA, the two Executive Directors and Dr. Brian Horgan. The purpose of this Board is to make sure that there are good educational sessions for each group of attendees and that there are no overlaps with speakers addressing similar topics. At no time over the last four years has any speaker requested by one of our Allied Associations been eliminated in this process.

The Minnesota green Expo is the major source of rev-enue for the MTGF. In 2005 the MTGF budgeted $133,500 for research, program support and an economic impact study, all of which will benefit the turf and grounds industry in Min-nesota. This year the MTGF Board of Directors has approved $103,577.00 for program, research and outreach support. All of this funding will have either a direct or indirect benefit to all MTGF members as well as others in the Green Industry,

including the turf and grounds programs at the University of Minnesota. Two members selected by each of our Allied Associations sit on the MTGF Board of Directors. That Board determines what contributions are made by the MTGF each year and each of your representatives sitting on that Board have had an equal voice in making that determination.

In closing, the Minnesota Green Expo is one of the best regional offerings any where in the country, both in quality and value. The reason for this success is the participation of professionals who make up the Green Industry in this area. Individual members attend because of the great educational program, the networking opportunity and the tremendous trade show that vendors put together each year. Vendors ex-hibit because so many of their customers gather at one place for this one event. There is no other local gathering that even comes close to the magnitude of this event. Each supports the other so that all benefit from their participation. The overall end result is that all who are involved in the Green Industry in this area find value in being a part of the Min-nesota Green Expo. To each exhibitor who participated in the 2006 Expo, thank you. To each individual member who attended, thank you also and please remember to support the exhibitors who participated when it comes time to make your buying decisions for the coming year. Working together you will all contribute to making the 2007 Minnesota Green Expo the best one yet. Have a great 2006 season.

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MTGF Clippings 5

eD’s noTesLarry G. Vetter

Executive Director

Did we have an early spring or did we just skip it and go straight to summer? One of the problems with writing some-thing like this is that by the time it arrives in your mail box, Min-nesota weather may have given us another snow storm or two.

Congratulations to our new officers and directors for 2006. There are several new faces on the MTGF Board of Directors. Mark Stennes of S & S Tree and Horticultural Specialists was elected as the MTGF president, Jack MacKenzie, CGCS, North Oaks Golf Club is now Vice President, Paul Diegnau, CGCS of Keller Golf Course and Kevin Burshten of the City of Woodbury join the Board as new directors for 2006. Many thanks go to past-president John Hopko and out-going directors Paul Griffin, Greg Hubbard, James Bade and Dan Miller for their service. In this era of increasing demands on everyone’s time, past and current service is invaluable and very much appreciated!

The Minnesota Green Expo continues to be a resounding success with continuing growth in both size and quality. The 2006 event set a record for both attendance and exhibit space sold. The Expo now fills the two largest domes at the Minne-apolis Convention Center and all indications are that this trend will continue into 2007 and beyond. As of April 12th 83% of the available exhibit spaces for 2007 were sold. This is by far the earliest that this percent of sale has been reached. Judging by the number of attendees and their feedback forms from the 2006 Expo, coupled with this level of vendor support, the Expo continues to be the premiere event in the Green Industry in this area. A more complete report on the 2006 Expo is elsewhere in this publication.

We are hoping to expand the annual Turf & Grounds Field Day, scheduled for Thursday, July 27th to “an all-horticulture” field day. As of the time that this was going to press, it was also hoped that there will also be an opportunity for exhibits for our vendor members. Watch for the mailing that will be coming in June for more information concerning this event. There is an ever-expanding amount of research being conducted on cam-pus that will benefit all professionals in the Green Industry.

At the initial 2006 meeting of the Board of Directors, the MTGF approved funding that will support our mission in the amount of $103,577.00. The projects that were approved are: a carry-over of the Economic Impact Study that was approved in 2005, a summer technician for turf plot activities at UMore Park, the continuing study of Stem Girdling conducted by Dr. Jeff Gillman, a research technician working with Drs. Brian Horgan and Eric Watkins, Dr. Brian Horgan for TROE Center operations, Dr. Eric Watkins for turfgrass breeding, Dr. Robert Blanchette for a Dutch Elm Disease Screening program and Brad Pedersen for the Display and Trial Garden and a Residential Landscape Carrel.

Progress continues on the plans for renovating an exist-ing facility that could become the “new home” for the turf and grounds research, teaching and outreach activities on the St. Paul Campus. In 2005, the MTGF approved funding the pre-design work that may lead to making this a reality. It is anticipated that the facility will include a classroom, a meeting room, storage for both equipment and supplies, a shop, offices, a laboratory and other facilities that would be required to make it functional and meet code requirements. The University has approved the pursuit of this goal along with the allocation of a substantial amount of land immediately adjacent to the build-ing for research, teaching and demonstration plots. Additional information will be published as these plans progress.

The MTGF will be sponsoring a Pesticide Recertification Workshop in the metro area this fall as well as an out-state workshop. You will receive a mailing with all of the needed information when the dates and places are determined. In ad-dition, a PLT recertification workshop also will be offered this fall, assuming that the need exists. There is legislation being considered that may rescind this requirement. If that is not successful, the MTGF will definitely host a workshop that will fulfill your requirement. Our website, www.mtgf.org will have the most up-to-date information on all of these workshops, along with other activities, as plans progress.

This issue of Clippings contains the first installment of a series outlining the past, present and the future of the turf and grounds industries in this area, the MTGF and depart-ments within the University of Minnesota that are engaged in research, education and outreach that affects these industries. Any of you who have some old photographs, historical infor-mation &/or comments to share are encouraged to send them for inclusion in future issues. With all of the changes taking place in the industry, changing personnel and new projects at the University and increasing responsibilities for members of our Allied Associations, it is hoped that this will serve as an interesting historical series along with a recap of current activi-ties and an educated forecast of what may be coming that will impact our professional lives.

As I write this piece, it appears that Mother Nature was rea-sonably kind and that most turf and other plantings survived another Minnesota winter, most happily, in better condition than we’ve seen in the past couple of years. The early spring has cash registers ringing, mowers humming, irrigations systems being fired up and you, the turf and grounds profes-sional, back at doing what you do so well – providing safe, attractive and functional areas that make the lives of so many much more pleasant and enjoyable. Whether you trim trees, mow turf, provide safe and attractive places for our children to receive an education, provide attractive and peaceful final rest-ing places for our loved ones, maintain safe play, sports and/or picnic areas, grow trees, shrubs, flowers, seed or sod for our landscapes, provide goods and services for any of the above, or teach and conduct research to make our end-products bet-ter, you are providing an environment that makes the world a better place in which to work, play and relax, even though you are not told that often enough. I hope you have a success-ful growing season and don’t forget to schedule some time for yourselves and your families.

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The Past, Present and FutureMTGF, U. of M., Industry

9ED’s Note: This is the first in a series that is being published in order to have a record of historical items that have brought us to where we are today. It is also intended to provide back-ground information for those who have not been closely involved with these developments so that everyone has a better understanding of the trials and tribulations of getting a variety of entities aligned so that there are good working relationships that can benefit all parties involved. It is by no means a complete history. However, with current and impend-ing retirements (Dr. Don White and Brad Pedersen), changes in administration (Drs. Charles Muscoplat, Gary Gardener, Carl Rosen), turnover of MTGF Board of Director members and on-going changes in personnel within the members of our Allied Associations, having a published record of some history, coupled with where we are now and where we might be going in the future, would seem, hopefully, to be of interest. With limited exceptions, individual names are not mentioned be-cause much of what follows has not been previously recorded but is noted by various individuals’ memories. This series will continue in the fall issue of this newsletter.

Back in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, a number of individuals within the turf and grounds industry in Minne-sota felt strongly that a closer relationship with the University of Minnesota and other educational and research institu-tions would be beneficial to the University and professionals within the turf and grounds industry. Those same individuals also felt that forming a “master group” of industry associa-tions would prove to be economically sound and would allow greater resources to be realized for educational events, as well as research and teaching support that would benefit the turf and grounds industry in Minnesota. To that end, several things took place that facilitated the formation of the Minne-sota Turf & Grounds Foundation.

The following is a collection of writings offered by various individuals that provides further background on the incep-tion and growth of the MTGF.

Turf in the ‘90’s: A Growing Industry for MinnesotaGary Gardner

Department of Horticultural ScienceUniversity of Minnesota

The 1990’s was a challenging decade for the University of Minnesota, and, as I look back at my tenure as Head of the Department of Horticultural Science from 1990 through 2001, I am proud that we strengthened our programs in all areas relating to urban horticulture, but especially in turf and landscape. When the University made a final decision to close the Waseca campus in 1991, our Department saw an opportunity to address weaknesses in these areas. I was able to negotiate a position offer to Brad Pedersen as 50% teach-

ing in the areas of landscape and plant materials and 50% extension in turf. I wrote then Dean Richard Jones at the time, “The one important horticultural commodity in Minnesota for which we have no extension effort is turf.”

Brad’s decision to accept our offer set off a chain of events that built strength upon strength. We have had a strong teach-ing program in turf for many years under Don White’s leader-ship, but it was not realistic to expect that one person could meet the extension needs of a large and growing industry such as ours while being the primary teacher and researcher in the state as well. Brad understood that, for him to suc-ceed, he would need the full cooperation and support of the industry. In early 1992, after Brad had accepted our offer but before he actually moved up to the St. Paul campus, we met in Alderman Hall with a small group of turf leaders in Min-nesota. I don’t remember everyone that was at that meeting, but I remember that the group included Greg Hubbard, Rick Fredericksen and Joe Moris. We had a frank discussion about what was needed to succeed, and the industry people replied with a strong statement of support.

When Brad formally joined our Department in July, 1992, he wasted no time in organizing the various groups that con-stituted the turf and landscape industries in Minnesota. The first meeting of what was to become the MTGF was held in Alderman Hall on February 3, 1993, and the first Greater Min-nesota Turf and Grounds Conference and Show was held in December, 1994. Bob Mugaas became the first MTGF Execu-tive Director in 1998.

As Brad moved the MTGF through its growing pains along with establishing outstanding programs in landscape teaching and turf extension, it became clear that he could not sustain two full-time jobs forever. The Department established a new position in Turf Extension and Applied Research as one of its top priorities as early as 1994. We received approval to pro-ceed with this position in 1999, and, with strong support from the MTGF and the MGCSA, Brian Horgan joined our faculty in July, 2001.

As we were building faculty strength in turf and landscape and the MTGF was establishing itself, we also strengthened our teaching programs in turf and landscape. In 1998 we established a new practitioner-oriented Master of Agricul-ture degree which offered an emphasis in Turf and Land-scape Management. And, in 1999, our major undergraduate program, which was buried in an Animal and Plant Systems major, reappeared as a new Environmental Horticulture major with an emphasis in Turfgrass Management. One of my last priorities as Department Head in late 2001 was to negoti-ate replacement of Don White’s teaching/research position as Don was contemplating a phased retirement. I wasn’t able to complete those negotiations, but Carl Rosen, who succeeded me as Interim Department Head, was, and Eric Watkins joined our faculty in February, 2004.

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Our strengthening of programs in turf and landscape can be attributed to three factors: 1) Brad Pedersen; 2) strong support from the turf and landscape industries; and 3) setting of priorities by the entire faculty of the Depart-ment of Horticultural Science. When a turf extension posi-tion became our top priority, this was done by a vote of the faculty, not by my administrative decision. This broad faculty support will ensure that our turf and landscape programs continue to move from strength to strength.

MTGF: Then and Now……….Brad Pedersen

Department of Horticultural ScienceUniversity of Minnesota

My involvement with what became the MTGF began through the unfortunate closing of the University of Min-nesota – Waseca campus. In 1991, Dr. Gary Gardner, head of the Department of Horticultural Science, Dr. Don White and others came to Waseca to visit with me about the possibility of transferring my tenure to the St. Paul campus. As a result, I agreed to join the faculty with broad responsibilities and flexibility to develop and teach a three-course sequence in landscape design, implementation and management. In ad-dition, I was given the opportunity to continue working with the turf industry as a Turfgrass Extension Specialist.

It was clear from the start that a priority for the department and industry leaders was the development of an organization that could unify the turf and grounds industries. The creation of an umbrella organization would provide more efficient edu-cational opportunities as well as a foundation of support. This support included important political leverage, a graduate career path, and research and educational grant opportunities. In early 1993, this new organization became the Minnesota Turf and Grounds Foundation (MTGF).

I have interesting memories from that time. I remember wearing a sports coat and tie to the first steering committee meeting in February, 1993 - an indication to those who know me that this was serious business. After a fairly bumpy start and many meetings, representatives of nine associations, and less formal groups, rolled up their sleeves to shape the young MTGF. I remember how hard the first Board of Directors worked to find common ground between their organizations, and this give-and-take was fairly brutal at times.

The first MTGF Conference and Trade Show was held in December 1994, and was piggy backed with the Minnesota Golf Course Superintendents Association (MGCSA). We made money at that first conference - and every conference after that. There was a lot of pressure to start spending from the beginning. It’s a credit to that early Board of Directors that spending was kept to a minimum, thus building a financial base that enables today’s MTGF to provide so many tremendous support opportunities.

THE PAST continued on page 10

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A MEETING WITH THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE

Brian Horgan

Last year, I was honored by my peers to be elected to the National Turfgrass Federation Board of Directors. The mission of this board is to elevate turfgrass science as a discipline and lobby for federal funding for research and extension. Over the last four years, the NTF has successfully lobbied congress to establish a turfgrass research program under the United States Department of Agriculture – Agriculture Research Service (USDA-ARS). Cur-rently, the USDA-ARS has hired three scientists that are located across the country. The long term goal is to assist USDA-ARS in hiring 20 turfgrass scientists with $2,000,000 in discretionary research funds to be used in conjunction with University faculty across the country. These discretionary funds could, for example, be directed to the University of Minnesota to perform collabora-tive research projects with the USDA-ARS scientists.

To continue the lobbying efforts, members of the NTF board of directors recently met with Secretary of Agriculture Mike Jo-hanns in Washington, D.C.

The meeting included Tom Delaney, Professional Landcare Network; Mike Kenna, Ph.D., USGA Green Section; Clark Thros-sell, Ph.D., GCSAA; Bob Shearman, Ph.D., University of Nebraska; Brian Horgan, Ph.D., University of Minnesota; David Williams, Ph.D., University of Kentucky; Ike Thomas, Turfgrass Producers International and Kevin Morris, National Turfgrass Federation, Inc. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the turfgrass in-dustry and the National Turfgrass Research Initiative.

During the meeting, we informed the Secretary of the breadth and scope of the turfgrass industry and its importance to the U.S. economy. Secretary Johanns was also informed that at 50,000,000 acres, turfgrass is the third largest crop in the U.S. with the acreage growing exponentially. It has an economic value of $40 billion.

A wide variety of information about the benefits of turfgrass was also presented to the Secretary, including: • The largest percentage of turfgrass--approximately 65

percent--is found in home lawns, with the next largest use category being roadsides, about 20 percent.

• The U.S. has 40,000 landscape contracting companies, 4,500 lawn care companies, 386,000 acres of turfgrass sod and 685,000 acres of turfgrass seed production.

• Golf course maintenance costs total $10 billion annually and sports turf maintenance is an $11 billion per year industry.

• Every 2.5 acres of golf course turf sequester about one ton of carbon from the air per year.

• Grass traps more than 12 million tons of dust and dirt annually.

• A 250 sq. ft. lawn produces enough oxygen for a family of four.

• Eight average size lawns have the cooling effect of 70 tons of air conditioning. We discussed the challenges that face the turfgrass

industry. Among them are restrictions on water use, regula-tions and concerns over certain nutrients applied to turf, public demands for reduced pesticide and fertilizer use and the increasing wear and tear on athletic fields and parks.

Finally, we discussed the need for basic turfgrass re-search and the fact that all other major crops receive fund-ing for basic research through the USDA-ARS. For turfgrass, however, the burden for long-term, basic research has been left to the universities and private industry.

From left, Kevin Morris, NTF; Tom Delaney, PLANET; Bob Shearman, Ph.D., University of Nebraska; Clark Throssell, Ph.D.,GCSAA; Secretary of Agriculture Johanns; Ike Thomas, TPI, Mike Kenna, USGA, Brian Horgan, Ph.D.,University of Minnesota; David Williams, Ph.D., University of Kentucky

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If you grow columbine in your garden, watch out for a defoliating insect known as columbine sawfly, Pristophora aquiligae. Sawflies are similar in appearance to caterpillars but grow up to be non-stinging wasps. You can distinguish between them as caterpillars have 2 - 5 pairs of prolegs, fleshy false legs located on their abdomen while sawflies have 6 - 10 pairs of prolegs. Columbine sawflies are green with greenish heads and lack stripes or spots on their body.

Columbine sawfly larvae are active in May feeding on the leaves of columbine. They start along the edge of leaves and feed until only the midveins remain. A badly defoliated plant will look like a stem with thin sticks protruding out. Because of their green color and the fact that they are often on the underside of leaves during the day, it is easy to miss these sawflies until defoliation becomes severe and obvious.

If you have had a problem with columbine sawfly in the past or want to protect your plants against these insects, check your columbine frequently to detect the larvae when

they are first active. The younger the sawflies are when you find them, the less damage they have inflicted on your plants. Once you find them, you can determine what the best course of action is. If you are dealing with a small num-ber of sawflies, an easy solution is to handpick them. Just throw them into a bucket of soapy water to be sure they die.

If physical removal isn’t practical, there are insecticides that are effective. Insecticidal soap is good low impact product. When using insecticidal soap, it is important to hit the larvae directly with the spray. There isn’t any residual activity so any sawflies that walk onto treated leaves later will not be affected by it. Another low impact product that should be effective is spinosad (e.g. Conserve)

There are also any number of residual garden insecti-cides that would work against sawflies, such as esfenvaler-ate, bifenthrin, and permethrin. Columbine sawflies are thought to have one generation so after they are gone in June, you should be done with them for the season.

Be On the Watch For Columbine Sawfly

Jeffrey Hahn, Professor and Asst. Extension Entomologist University of Minnesota Extension Service

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The Horticultural Department and MTGF continued to grow and expand. I remember the hard work involved in the process to justify and fund new positions and facilities. By 1994, my position as Turfgrass Specialist was changing. Extension contacts (visits, phone calls, email etc) in turf numbered well over 2000 each year. Employment opportunities in turf and landscape were increasing as were the number of undergradu-ate and Master of Agriculture students in the areas. The Depart-ment supported a Turfgrass Research and Extension position as a top priority in 1994. Eventually the position was funded, and Dr. Brian Horgan joined the faculty in 2001. Brian took over and expanded the Turfgrass Specialist and applied research duties, allowing my teaching responsibilities to increase, and my out-reach priorities to shift to landscape design/build.

The MTGF Conference and Trade Show expanded its educational opportunities and number of booths each year. In 1997, the last year I was directly involved in planning the conference, we had 43 seminar opportunities. Today, MTGF partners with the MNLA to host the Minnesota Green Expo. This joint conference and trade show is a national leader in educational seminars and trade show opportunities.

In 1997, Bob Mugaas and I launched the Sustainable Urban Landscape Information Series (SULIS) website www.sustland.umn.edu. The landscape / turf-oriented site supports nearly ten million hits from over a 100 countries each year. Bob Mugaas also served as the first MTGF Board Executive Director in 1998.

As the University changed from quarters to semesters in 1998 -1999, the landscape course offerings and student num-bers continued to grow quickly. With support from the MTGF, the Department of Horticultural Science Display and Trial Garden enabled faculty and staff to provide increased outdoor educational opportunities for students, the turf and landscape industries, and the public. The Landscape Design Studio expanded in work stations and technology. Partially funded by the MTGF and MNLA, a state of the art CAD Lab was added to the Landscape Design Studio in 2005.

Development of the Turf and Grounds Research and Education Center (TGREC) at the University’s Rosemount Research and Outreach Center was studied and promoted for a four-year period beginning in 1998. This was a huge under-taking by many University staff and industry representatives. While TGREC did not receive final approval, the project was a forerunner for park and outdoor recreation opportunities now being considered at Rosemount and, most importantly, the new Turfgrass Research, Outreach and Education Center (TROE Center) on the St. Paul campus.

As Don White entered a phased retirement, Dr. Eric Wat-kins joined the faculty in 2004 with responsibilities in turfgrass teaching and research.

I, too, will be retiring from the University in August 2006, and I am thankful to have had the opportunity to be part of the team that developed the MTGF. I am also proud of the organization’s many successes and have learned greatly from the challenges. It is important that today’s Department faculty and MTGF members continue to work together and encour-age new ideas, foster growth of the Foundation, and provide constant vigilance in order to sustain the accomplishments and support demonstrated in the past.

Carl RosenI presided over the Department of Horticultural Science

as Interim Head for about 20 months (2002-2003). Even though this was a time of severe cutbacks for many programs at the University, the relationship with MGTF was positive and continued to grow. During that time, and with the financial support from industry, the Turfgrass Research, Outreach, and Education (TROE) Center came to fruition. Experimental golf greens and turfgrass runoff plots were constructed and new turfgrass breeding trials were initiated. This was also a time for expansion of the Display and Trial gardens, now an invalu-able resource for the St. Paul Campus. Our teaching, research, and outreach efforts in landscape design and management have been enhanced as a result of this expansion. Again, it was a partnership with MGTF that helped to move many projects forward in the gardens. Now back as faculty member in the Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, I observe a con-tinued and strong partnership between MTGF and the Univer-sity. Some areas of emphasis for University staff will include improved water and nutrient management of turf and urban landscapes, development of new varieties to resist stress and pests, and identification of novel practices to enhance ef-ficiency of landscape operations. I look forward to playing a role in some of these exciting programs in the years to come.

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Bob MugaasMy initial contact and future roles with the MTGF began

through Brad Pedersen’s encouraging my involvement with the Board and a committee or two that was related to the MTGF conference held annually in December. That time frame was about the mid-nineties.

At the time, I was also interested in the concept, prog-ress and development of the Turf and Grounds Research and Education Center (TGREC) being proposed for development at the Rosemount Research and Outreach Center. In fact, my involvement included some work with the committee to help layout and draft an educational plan for the center.

In 1998, I received a 2-year Professional Development arrangement from Extension to serve as the first Executive Director for the MTGF. This opportunity came about through a split appointment from the Dean’s office in the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences. Part of the position was to serve as the Executive Director of the MTGF and part of the position was to serve as “college liaison” to the TGREC development project. At that time I had responsibility to the MTGF Board and Dr. Phil Larson and Dr. Mike Martin, Associate Dean and Dean respectively for COAFES.

As time progress from 1998 through 2000, the TGREC project went through a number of twists and turns. Ulti-mately, the project was tabled indefinitely until further plan-ning and review of the Rosemount site could be completed to determine the best and most appropriate uses for this large tract of land. To this day, that planning and evaluation is continuing. It is my current understanding that much of the proposed area for the original TGREC project is now part of the University’s stadium funding plan that included a land exchange between the State of Minnesota and the University of Minnesota.

During this same time period, the MTGF continued to grow and proper especially with respect to its annual confer-ence held each December. Conversations with the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association (MNLA) regarding the merger of the MTGF conference and the MNLA show in Janu-ary began. Ultimately those conversations and future plan-ning with the new Executive Director, Larry Vetter, led to the initial combined conference, the Minnesota Green Expo, in 2003. While a variety of apprehensions existed regarding the ability to combine these conferences successfully, the event was very successful and has contributed very positively to the revenue stream of the MTGF.

In retrospect, I very much appreciated the opportunity to have served as Executive Director for the MTGF. Not only was it an excellent professional development opportunity, it was a great chance to connect or reconnect with the many different people and businesses of the green industry that this organization serves. Many of those contacts and friendships have lasted well beyond that time frame and have benefited our Extension Horticulture program many times over. I look forward to a continuing association and involvement with this organization in the future.

In addition to the above, in November, 1998, Bob record-ed the following:

Some MTGF History:The Minnesota Turf and Grounds Foundation (MTGF)

officially came into existence in May of 1993 when its con-stitution was adopted and it received its non-profit business status. However, attempts at creating a unifying organization for the turf and grounds industry is not an entirely new con-cept. Unsuccessful efforts to form a similar type of organiza-tion first started in 1963 followed by other attempts in the mid-seventies and in the mid-eighties with the formation of a Minnesota Turf Council. While there are probably many different reasons for their lack of success, one of the main issues to establish these organizations was a real need to help

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GYPSY MOTH TREATMENTS PROPOSEDJulia Bobadilla, Information Officer

9This update is gathered from information presented at

a recent meeting of the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Regulatory Advisory Committee meeting at the MDA. The three issues that may be most alarming to MTGF members involve hostas, ash trees and gypsy moths.

Hostas – Hosta Virus X has been around for a number of years. However, the number of reported cases has shown an alarming increase in the past few years. The best “guess” for this increase is the use of the internet for ordering plants and the increased import of stock from the Netherlands due to cost savings. While this virus does not automatically spread within a stand, it is easily spread when plant fluids of an infected plant comes in contact with other plants within the stand. The best way to avoid this problem is to purchase stock from a reli-able source. This may result in a higher cost per plant, but it is the best assurance of receiving virus-free material.

European Ash Borer – This pest has the potential of result-ing in the next Dutch Elm Disease in our area. Currently the primary area of concern is in Michigan with the highest risk areas being campgrounds, boat launches and lake associa-tions with high tourist/camper traffic. European Ash Borer (EAB) adults are more likely to lay eggs on stressed trees. “The eradication strategy for areas infested includes the removal of all ash trees within a half-mile from any known site of infesta-tion.” EAB is an exotic, aggressive beetle native to Asia and was discovered in southeast Michigan in 2002. To date, the pest is responsible for the death or damage of approximately 15 million ash trees in 20 quarantined counties and 27 outli-ers. Outliers are areas of pest populations found outside of the 20-county quarantine. ED’S Note: We all know that extensive numbers of ash trees were planted as a result of DED through-out our area. According to the Invasive Species Unit of MDA, this has the very real potential of being comparable in scope to our past and current DED problem.

Gypsy Moth – The gypsy moth trapping program caught a record number in the state this year. In past years, the moth count fluctuated greatly, but the program typically found between 200 and 400 moths with a high of 953 in 1998. However, the 2005 program captured more than 1,000 moths and they are still counting. As of Octo-ber 5 “most of the moths that we’ve caught were in Cook and Lake Counties, and we are still removing traps there”, reported the Program Coordinator. Gypsy moth caterpil-lars can defoliate large sections of forest, with oak, poplar, birch and willow among their preferred hosts. Ranked among America’s most destructive tree pests, the moths are not native to North America. They have slowly spread west from New England and are now common in central Wisconsin, and are threatening to become established in Minnesota. The moths spread slowly on their own. Very commonly people can accidentally help them spread by giving them a free ride to new territory. The moths’ eggs can be deposited on any solid surface, including vehicles, firewood and nursery stock.

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president’s report

Mark StennesMTGF President

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This is my time of year. Watching all the living components of the landscape turn green really does it for me. Oak leaves in the “squirrel’s ear” stage are so engagingly delicate and the red maple flowers so pretty. Fortunately it gets good and green, and many ornamentals bloom before we see the first evidence of damage due to fungus diseases and insect parasites.

As some of you may know I am an arborist and plant pa-thologist who has been practicing commercial arboriculture for 25 years. Growing and tending to the well being of woody orna-mental plants (mostly trees) is a truly gratifying way to make a living. It’s even good enough to be a hobby. Three red oak trees that I planted myself now provide shelter and shade for my family’s domicile. I am one of the lucky ones who get to look forward to what they do on a daily basis, even when it comes to mowing 22,000 square of bluegrass/ryegrass/fine fescue turf every five days during the summer.

As a representative of the Minnesota Society of Arboricul-ture I have been serving on the MTGF Board of Directors since 1996, and am now pleased and proud to have been elected as president. It is certainly an honor, and I hope to also make it an opportunity. While I am a tree guy, and may take the opportu-nity to promote a couple of tree issues, please be assured that the progress that we have been making on several turf related fronts will continue. The Board has committed the MTGF to upgrading and remodeling the north end of the horticulture greenhouse on the St. Paul campus into a premier turf research and teaching facility, and I will work aggressively with the Board to extract the necessary commitment from the Universi-ty. In my view the value of the green component of the turf and grounds industries is obvious enough, but we have authorized $25,000 for an economic impact study to gather the facts, put them in writing, and turn the stick we have into a club.

Hopefully most of you availed yourself of the opportunity to attend Green Expo 2006. As usual it was a smashing suc-cess. The fact that the educational sessions continue to evolve and get better, and the trade show floor continues to expand, improve and attract more attendees is testimonial to the win-win synergy between the MTGF and the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association. Both associations do better col-lectively than we ever did separately; which is why we have the resources to bring in the very best speakers and educators from around the country. Green Expo 2007 promises to be bigger and better than ever. Don’t miss the opportunity to participate.

It has also been an interesting and rewarding year with regard to our mission and commitment to green industry research. For the first time in our history there were some requests we could not grant, and some requests we could not grant in their entirety, but we did pretty well anyway with

$103,577 in studies and grants. In addition to the economic impact study, we provided continuing support for Brian Horgan, Brad Peterson, Bob Mugaas and Eric Watkins.

Near to my heart is continuing support for Jeff Gillman’s and Gary Johnson’s research into the phenomenon of stem girdling roots of trees. While evidence will continue to ac-cumulate, it is time for us to collectively take what we already know and put it to work. It is a sad and unfortunate fact that as you read this, nursery trees continue to be cultured and planted improperly. As a consequence of my experience, it is my opinion that the phenomenon of stem girdling roots of trees (SGR) is the worst urban forest health epidemic on our plate at this time. And it is only going to get worse. As green industry professionals, leaders and ultimately consumers, we must insist on higher quality plant material and better planting practices every time. SGR is fully preventable if trees are installed with their root crowns at the ground line. When any portion of the stem is below ground the formation of SGR is nearly inevitable, and the most costly consequence is the years that pass between the time a tree is planted too deep and the time it either physically fails, or just declines and dies. The value of that time is in addition to the original cost of the improperly installed plant, the cost to haul it away, and the cost to prepare the site and buy and install another tree. No amount of money can buy time. So if a landscape con-tractor balks at the notion of untying the twine at the top of the ball and finding the root crown, or suggests that he can-not guarantee the tree if he does, show him the door because he is not even aware of his own industry’s protocols set out by the American National Standards Institute. Our trees and our time are too valuable to be wasted on this predictable, wholly destructive and fully preventable phenomenon.

On a more positive front is some cooperative research between Jeff Gillman’s lab in the Department of Horticul-ture and Robert Blanchette’s lab in the Department of Plant Pathology on Dutch elm disease tolerant cultivars of Ameri-can elm. To summarize a long story, there appear to be rarely occurring individual American elm trees that possess a very high degree of tolerance to the Dutch elm disease pathogen. Their existence has been confirmed by statistically signifi-cant research conducted by Denny Townsend at the National Arboretum. They are cultivars of American elm, the reigning world standard for elm trees, and bear the names: ‘Princ-eton,’ ‘Valley Forge’ and ‘New Harmony.’ Another candidate of local origin that I am familiar with is called the ‘St. Croix.’ The tree is 75 inches in diameter and growing in the St. Croix river valley near Afton. It has been living through an unabat-ed crown fire of Dutch elm disease for at least 30 years and shows no evidence that it has ever been infected. American elm is an aggressive native component of the woody plant community there and young elm trees continue to grow and die all around this tree to this day. Hopefully research con-ducted right here at the University will confirm that the ‘St. Croix’ is indeed tolerant of Dutch elm disease. Let’s not forget that American elm is still American elm, and is still good for all the reasons it was ever good. Having American elm back on our list of available shade trees will be especially sweet if we have our own local provenance cultivar.

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provide very basic, practical education for the association’s members in the area of turf and grounds management. This focus has evolved into the large educational events, confer-ences and workshops of today that are conducted across the country. They provide participants with rather high levels of technical and scientific education as well as opportunities for personal growth and development.

The MTGF was developed with this educational frame-work in mind to promote the exchange of knowledge among its members for the improvement of the industry and its personnel. The stated purpose as listed in the MTGF Consti-tution, Article III, Section 1, reads as follows:

The purpose of this Foundation is to promote the turf and grounds industry in Minnesota, to encourage and sup-port research, education and outreach at the University of Minnesota, and to represent allied associations including: sports fields, cemeteries, campuses, school grounds, golf courses, lawns, parks, public grounds, roadsides, airports, sod and seed producers and others in matters regarding the turf and grounds industry.

Membership in MTGF is unique in that any individual who is a member of an allied association belonging to the Foundation automatically becomes a member of the Foun-dation. Also, the respective associations do not pay a mem-bership fee for belonging to the Foundation. Individual members not belonging to an allied association may belong to the Foundation by paying an annual “membership” fee as determined by the Board of Directors.

MTGF began to fulfill its educational commitment by establishing a conference and trade in tandem with the Min-nesota Golf Course Superintendents Association (MGCSA) at the Minneapolis Convention Center in December of 1994. This arrangement established the Greater Minnesota Turf and Grounds Conference and Show in conjunction with the 67th MGCSA Annual Meeting. A similar arrangement existed for the 1995 Conference and Trade Show.

In 1996, the planning, development and operations were given over to the MTGF from the MGCSA and the MTGF would now assume all responsibilities and liabilities associ-ated with conducting this conference. The MGCSA would still utilize this conference for their Annual Meeting. How-ever, all proceeds would now be going to the Foundation and not be split between the MTGF and MGCSA as in the first two years of the show’s existence. This arrangement continues to the present day. See the attached chart for an overview as to the numbers of vendors and participants coming to the show over the last 4 years.

In addition to the Conference and Trade Show, the MTGF in cooperation with the Minnesota Park Supervisor’s As-sociation (MPSA) conducted a summer trade show held at various parks and facilities with the most recent several years at Resurrection Cemetery in Mendota Heights. In 1998, the MPSA agreed to turn over the operations and coordination for this event to the Foundation and as such the Foundation

would also assume the financial gains or losses associated with conducting this event. This had been a successful event in the past and continued to be successful endeavor this past summer.

Clippings, the official newsletter of the Association, began with the fall, 1994 issue. The purpose of this newsletter was to be a vehicle where educational information as well as information about the allied associations and other upcom-ing events could be posted. It is currently published twice yearly and distributed to about 3000 association members.

In 1998, following successful growth and increased revenue from the previous Turf and Grounds Conference and Trade Shows, a half-time Executive Director Position was created to help run the day-to-day operations and commu-nications of the Foundation. Prior to this, Scott Turtinen of Turtinen Communications located in Wayzata, Minnesota performed many of these duties through various types of contractual arrangements with the Foundation.

At the same time that this Executive Director position was being established by the Foundation, the University of Minnesota’s College of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences (COAFES) established a related half-time position. This position would be Coordinator for the Turf and Grounds Research and Education Center project being proposed for a portion of the University’s Rosemount Research Center. Through discussions with the COAFES, these two half-time positions were merged into one position with two distinct lines of responsibility: one to the college and one to the Foundation. This position was structured as a temporary leave position for two years at which time all the different dimensions of the position could be evaluated and a newly configured permanent(?) position created or perhaps the po-sition would be terminated. The position was posted in Janu-ary of 1998, and University of Minnesota, Hennepin County Extension Educator, Bob Mugaas was hired and began the position on May 1, 1998. Under the present situation, this leave will end on May 1, 2000.

It is hoped that the Foundation will continue to grow and expand in its mission to provide education to its members and support the teaching, research and outreach programs related to the turf and grounds industry at the University of Minnesota. We look forward to a bright and prosperous future.

ED’s Note: All of the individuals who contributed to this historical commentary have made major contributions to the formation and the evolution of the MTGF, from the initial con-cept, planning, formation and growth that has led us to where we are today. In the next issue, the past presidents and board members of the MTGF will offer remembrances, the current Executive Director will comment how the past has impacted current activities and additional faculty and administration at the University will gaze into their crystal ball and offer some thoughts on the future.

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MTGFminnesota turf and grounds foundation

University of Minnesota422 Alderman Hall1970 Folwell Ave.St. Paul, MN 55108

Prsrt StdU.S. Postage

paIDMpls., MN

Permit No. 155