Defining a Purpose and Adapting a Plan: Enabling a Sustainable Future for the Turfgrass and Managed
Landscape Industry Te morning session was then wrapped up by Dr. Mark Schmidt who is the principal scientist and manager of global university relations at John Deere. Dr. Schmidt spoke about an initiative that TPI is directly involved in that involves “Defining a Purpose and Adapting a Plan: Enabling a Sustainable Future for the Turfgrass and Managed Landscape Industry.”
Turfgrass is a core component of the managed landscape. Among individual sites and as a collective industry, turfgrass and managed landscapes serve an important societal purpose in contributing economic, environmental, and social value.
Yet, this value is often overlooked, undervalued, and under pressure from challenges and debate over the use of inputs and supporting management practices. As a result, the turfgrass and landscape industries have developed and adapted important changes and innovations to the design, construction, and management of turfgrass areas and managed landscapes. Tese include advances in precision management, plant genetics, sustainable design and management, and the incorporation of landscape performance and valuation methods, among other factors.
Understanding current and future industry pressures and means to adapt to these pressures will be critical to creating a sustainable industry future rooted in value. To achieve a sustainable future, the turfgrass and managed landscape industry must continue to define and reinforce its purpose, while also adapting a plan to achieve that purpose.
Te public conversation around our industry is all related to inputs. Right now, it appears that costs outweigh the benefits because costs are more easily measured than benefits. It is important that we develop and implement a system that we can use to measure the benefits of natural landscapes so that we can show their value. Tis will most certainly help our discussions on policy because it could allow us to demonstrate the value of ecosystem services and natural capital.
“It is important to create sustainable value that is relatable, essential, and measurable to society.”
–Mark Schmidt, PhD, Principal Scientist and Manager of Global University Relations, at John Deere
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During the Symposium, those presenting Posters were able to interact with attendees as Patrick Maxwell does here, with his Poster: Soil volumetric water content application affecting subsurface lateral herbicide movement. Photo courtesy of NCSU
Casey Reynolds, PhD, is executive director of Turfgrass Producers International.
TPI Turf News March/April 2018
Over 130 people attended NC State’s Turfgrass Research Symposium in person and another 120 attended live from all over the world via live streaming. Photo by Casey Reynolds, PhD
Te symposium continued with speakers from the academic world, which was then followed by lunch and a presentation and competition of research posters by faculty and graduate students. Te three top posters all reflect areas of research that impact the development of turfgrasses and turfgrass management practices. Te winner of the poster competition was PhD student Ray McCauley for his poster Evaluation of sand topdressing on bermudagrass recovery post fraise mowing. Second place was shared by Patrick Maxwell’s Soil volumetric water content application affecting subsurface lateral herbicide movement and Xingwang Yu’s High- resolution genetic mapping and comparative genomic analysis in St. Augustinegrass.
TPI will continue to be involved in events such as this and will always be on the lookout for turfgrass industry and research news that may impact its members.
Te entire agenda for this Turfgrass Research Symposium, including speakers, academic posters, and even recorded presentations, can all be viewed by clicking on the following link:
https://events.reporter.ncsu.edu/turf/.
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