TURFGRASS INDUSTRY NEWS


University of Georgia Releases ‘SeaBreeze’ Seashore Paspalum Te University of Georgia has announced the release of a new vegetative seashore paspalum turfgrass called SeaBreeze. Developed at the university's campus at Griffin, Georgia, after 16 years of research, this is the fifth paspalum released by UGA, the third under the leadership of Dr. Paul Raymer. “SeaBreeze is by far the best paspalum we’ve developed. It combines vigor and performance with beauty and toughness. Tis grass establishes readily and grows in rapidly. I think sod producers are going to love it because it cycles quickly and it’s fun to grow,” said Dr. Paul Raymer, professor of crop and soil science at the Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics at the University of Georgia, Griffin Campus. ‘SeaBreeze’ is a vigorous vegetative seashore paspalum cultivar that produces excellent quality turf under a range of mowing heights, and is suitable for use on golf courses, athletic fields, home lawns, and other recreational venues as fine turf. SeaBreeze was tested under the experimental name of ‘UGP 73’ and has been under development and evaluation for 16 years. It has been evaluated extensively in both in the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP) at eight southern locations from 2016-2020 where it was a decisive winner, and as part of a USDA Specialty Crops Research Grant (SCRI) to develop improved drought and salinity tolerant warm-season grasses where it was tested at six southern locations from 2011-2013, and in SCRI advanced trials at six locations in 2016-2019. In initial two-year SCRI drought trials, ‘UGP 73’ was the top performing entry in overall turf quality out of 80 entries. For more information on SeaBreeze, visit gapaspalum.com. Additional non-exclusive licenses are available. Contact Ms. Shelley Fincher shelleyf@uga.edu for licensing information or Dr. Paul Raymer at praymer@uga.edu for more performance information.


STEC to Distribute Landmaster Industry Pro UTVs In a March 14, 2024, press release, STEC announced a partnership with Landmaster to distribute Landmaster’s Industry Pro commercial utility vehicles as an addition to their growing line of equipment. Built for commercial, industrial, and rental applications, the Industry Pro brand includes gas-powered and lithium-powered utility vehicles. Te UTVs are designed, engineered, welded, and shipped out of Landmaster’s Indiana manufacturing facility to ensure prompt product delivery times.Te 4×4 vehicles include standard options that satisfy key safety protocols, including four- wheel disc brakes, three-point seatbelt, ROPS-certified rollover protective cages, front bumper, backup alarm, horn, strobe light, taillights, and 15- or 24-mph speed options.


NTEP Turfgrass Trial Explorer a Great Tool for Sod Producers Turfgrass Trial Explorer is a search tool linked to 40-plus years of data collected by the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP) and its university partners. Te tool allows a user to efficiently locate the information needed to make smart and timely decisions on turfgrass cultivars and experimental selections. An introduction to the tool can be found on the NTEP website at this link (www.ntep.org/database.htm) or go directly to the tool at the link that follows. https://maps.umn.edu/ntep/ Watch for more information on this resource and the introduction of a new NTEP website in an upcoming issue of Turf News.


STEC Equipment Adds Earth & Turf Products STEC Equipment recently became a new dealer for Earth & Turf Products topdressers and spreaders. With a new line of self- propelled and tow-behind top dressers and spreaders, STEC now offers versatile dressing and spreading solutions to customers for their projects. “Earth & Turf Products is proud to announce STEC Equipment as our new dealer and product representative in Anderson, SC. STEC will be handling our full lineup specializing in landscaping self- propelled and turf care products that provide solutions to compact topdressing jobs,” said Jeb Fregm, sales and marketing for Earth & Turf. “Earth & Turf ’s line will complement STEC’s current line as a smaller, more maneuverable top dresser for tight areas, trailering between locations, and a smaller pull-behind spreader for a budget- conscious consumer.”


U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Announces Final Rule on Classifying Workers as Employees or Independent Contractors Under Te Fair Labor Standards Act On January 9, 2024, the U.S. DOL issued a press release announcing this final rule which took effect on March 11, 2024. It rescinds the 2021 independent contractor rule, replacing it with analysis consistent with case law. According to the release, this final rule is to help employers and workers better understand when a worker qualifies as an employee and when they may be considered an independent contractor under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Te rule provides guidance on proper classification and seeks to combat employee misclassification, a serious problem that impacts workers’ rights to minimum wage and overtime pay, facilitates wage theft, allows some employers to undercut their law-abiding competition, and hurts the economy at-large. “Misclassifying employees as independent contractors is a serious issue that deprives workers of basic rights and protections,” explained Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su. “Tis rule will help protect workers, especially those facing the greatest risk of exploitation, by making sure they are classified properly and that they receive the wages they’ve earned.” Te guidance provided by the final rule aligns with longstanding judicial precedent on which employers have previously relied to determine a worker’s status as either an employee or independent contractor. Te new rule will preserve essential worker rights and provide consistency for entities covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act. Te new “independent contractor” rule restores the multifactor analysis used by courts for decades, ensuring that all relevant factors are analyzed to determine whether a worker is an employee or an independent contractor. Te rule addresses six factors that guide the analysis of a worker’s relationship with an employer, including any opportunity for profit or loss a worker might have; the financial stake and nature of any resources a worker has invested in the work; the degree of permanence of the work relationship; the degree of control an employer has over the person’s work; whether the work the person does is essential to the employer’s business; and a factor regarding the worker’s skill and initiative. Te rule separately rescinds the 2021 Independent Contractor Rule that the department believes is not consistent with the law and longstanding judicial precedent. In crafting the new rule, the department’s Wage and Hour Division considered feedback provided by stakeholders at forums in the summer of 2022 and during the comment period after the


62 TPI Turf News May/June 2024


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