TIMELY TOPICS
Outdoor Power Equipment Institute Disappointed
About EPA Announcement The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) issued the follow- ing statement on the November 30 announcement by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding federal agency quotas for renew-
lion legacy engine products in use today including boats, snowmobiles, outdoor power equipment, UTVs and autos.”
According to most engine manu- facturers, fuels containing greater than ten percent ethanol can damage or destroy outdoor power equipment, including lawn mow- ers, chain saws, generators, utility vehicles and other small engine equipment such as motorcycle, snow mobile and boat engines. Fuels con- taining more than 10 percent may void prod- uct warranties, and by Federal law, it is illegal to use higher ethanol fuel blends, specifically E15, in outdoor power equipment.
“Herein lies the conflict. EPA’s ruling seems to suggest that fuels greater than 10 percent are now being mandated into the mar- ketplace,” Kiser added. Surveys conducted in April and May with
able fuels that must be blended into gasoline in 2014, 2015 and 2016. The announcement underscores the real- ity of an ever changing and expand- ing fuel marketplace, with ethanol increasing to 10.10 percent in the general fuel market in 2016.
Kris Kiser, president and CEO of OPEI, said, “Today’s EPA announce- ment is regrettable as the likely intro- duction of midlevel ethanol fuels for which our products are not designed, built or warranted will increase, and yet not providing any consumer edu- cation on the use of fuels containing more than 10 percent ethanol. Ad- ditionally, a mandated fuel of greater than 10 percent ethanol ignores the fueling requirements of the 400 mil-
32
consumers, show nearly three quar- ters (74 percent) of Americans say they are not at all sure if it’s legal or illegal to put high level ethanol gas (i.e., anything higher than 10 percent ethanol) into small engine products. “It is more important than ever, for consumers to pay attention at the pump. You must put the right fuel, in the right product,” Kiser says. More information on fueling properly is available at www.
LookBeforeYouPump.com.
Impact of loss of plant protection issues spark debate at TGA Autumn
Conference Turfgrass growers in the UK have always prided themselves on the quality of turf that they produce for
a very discerning market. The recent loss of plant protection products (PPP) has meant that they have less in their armory to combat problems that affect their customers. The main one is Poa annua. The theme of the Turfgrass Growers Association (TGA) conference held on November 19, 2015, looked at improving quality and addressing the issues caused by the loss of PPP’s.
Jayne Leyland and Peter Corbett from the seed house Rigby Taylor looked at how grass seed is pro- duced around the globe and the efforts that are made to produce a “clean” sample without contami- nates and also at the PPP’s that are used elsewhere in the EU and what the situation is in the UK and what may happen in the future.
Finally Ruth Mann from STRI (Sports Turf Research Institute) spoke on the latest news from the Central Registration Depository (CRD) and the European Commis- sion on the legislation on PPP’s and also looked more deeply at the im- pact of specific pests and diseases on the grass while under produc- tion and when it has been laid and is being used.
TGA Chairman Robert Adcock said “The UK turf industry works hard to grow and deliver top quality turf. We are all disappointed if customers are unhappy with what they get from us. The message we have to get across is that, at present, we do not have the tools at our disposal to combat problems like Poa annua. The TGA Council is putting together a strat- egy, working with British Growers Association, to lobby and work towards getting help to solve these issues.” For more information visit
www.turfgrass.co.uk.
Note: If you have timely information that impacts sod producers, please send the news to the editors.
TPI TURF NEWS • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68