TURF INDUSTRY NEWS


Former Manager at TIC Accepts New Position in MSU Libraries Mike Schury, who had been the manager of the Turfgrass Information Center (TIC) since 2009, has accepted a new position at Michigan State University. As of December 11, he has a position as an original cataloger in the Michigan State University Libraries. In his new position he will perform original and complex copy cataloging for print, non-print and electronic publications in a variety of subjects and languages, with an emphasis on monographs. As the manager of the Turfgrass Information Center, he handled all staff supervision, training, and evaluation; student supervision and budget development/oversight; liaised with external cooperators and internal and external units; and advanced the function and size of TIC's print and digital products and services to a worldwide audience. His new email address is schurmi@lib.msu.edu. In a December email Mike stated, “Tank you for helping make my many years in the Turfgrass Information Center the positive, rewarding experience that it has been!” Any future correspondence pertaining to the Turfgrass Information Center should be sent to the departmental email address of tgif@msu.edu or via phone at 517-353-7209


Two of five Americans with yards hired pros in 2017, NALP survey shows Americans seem to think it is important to make the investment to take care of their yards, with 40 percent of those with a lawn or landscape hiring a professional in the last year. According to an online survey commissioned by the National Association of Landscape Professional’s Industry Growth Initiative and conducted by Harris Poll in September – October 2017, the top services used among Americans who have hired a lawn/landscaping professional in the past 12 months include tree care (51 percent), mowing (50 percent), lawn pest control (46 percent), and weed prevention and control (42 percent). NALP’s Industry Growth Initiative commissioned the survey as a benchmark to track consumers’ purchasing habits when it comes to lawn and landscape services. Other survey results include the fact that among those who have a lawn or landscaping at their home, married individuals are more likely than those who aren’t married to have invested in lawn care and/or landscape maintenance services for their home in the past 12 months (45 percent vs. 33 percent). Sixty-two percent of those who didn’t hire a lawn/landscape professional in the past 12 months say the costs is too high, while nearly half (49 percent) say they enjoy caring for their lawn themselves and 43 percent believe their yard is fine as is. For those who have hired professional help, 52 percent did so to help their lawn/landscape look better, while 41 percent


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wanted to save time and 30 percent wanted to enjoy their yard more. Te full report and data, including geographic and demographic details, are available to investors in the Industry Growth Initiative. For more information, contact Missy Henriksen at Missy@landscapeprofessionals.org.


E.U. Extends Glyphosate Use for Five Years On Monday, November 27, 2017, the European Union (E.U.) voted in favor of continuing its sale and use of glyphosate, the main ingredient in Monsanto's Round-up weed killer, for an additional five years. Te verdict took 18 months of debate and a decisive 18 to 9 vote authorized the usage of glyphosate for all countries in the E.U. Germany's decision on the matter played an essential role in the verdict, as it permitted obtaining a majority vote and allowed the legislation to pass. Twenty-eight nations constitute the E.U. and a majority vote is needed for most legislation to pass. Tis vote comes just months after a petition with over 1.3 million signatures was given to the E.U. calling for a complete ban of glyphosate and more transparent scientific practices in the future. Although the petition was the largest in history, it ultimately failed to garner the support needed to persuade lawmakers to completely ban the chemical. Subsequently, the dismissal of this petition resulted in protests across Europe, more specifically in France and Belgium, as they were two of the countries that voted against the use of the glyphosate. Portugal was the only country to abstain from the vote. With so much debate on both sides, it is no surprise that glyphosate has become a hot-button issue. In 2015 the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified the chemical as "probably carcinogenic to humans." Although, despite this classification, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) lists on their website that the toxicity level of glyphosate is "Conclusive but not sufficient for classification." Tis is where the problem stems, as many studies on the use of glyphosate conflict with one another; because as of right now, there is no irrefutable evidence that the substance is harmful to people. For instance, studies have been conducted that show trace amounts of glyphosate in bovine and human urine, however other experiments have disproven that there is a definitive link between the chemical and cancer.


TPI Turf News January/February 2018


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