of information. Very few have time or can afford to travel to large educational events for professional development. Family time is valued more now.”

While this platform has proved to be efficient and effective for specific types of information, it is not intended to be a substitute for traditional, in-person learning opportunities. Te University of Tennessee, like most other land-grant universities, will continue to hold their annual traditional- style field day in late summer. Brown added, “Virtual field days such as #PoaDay are a great tool to provide education, but certainly don’t replace good networking. Events like this will never fully replace the industry’s staple events, but they certainly provide additional tools and opportunities at a very low cost of time and money.”

AQUA-AID is the official importer of Imants equipment, which is sold under the Campey Imants brand name in North America. Campey Imants has been a TPI member since 2013.

In addition to presenting novel programs such as #PoaDay, several members of UT’s turfgrass research team have active projects that are of importance to the sod industry. Dr. Brosnan is currently running a turfgrass trial at Tri- Turf Sod Farms, Inc. with TPI member Jason Pooler that is testing Poa control in Tifway Bermudagrass. He will be initiating a new study at Tri-Turf this summer focusing on the use of herbicides in combination with fraze mowing for total bermudagrass control (i.e., turning a field over from one species to another, or one cultivar to another).

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Dr. John Sorochan, Distinguished Professor of Turfgrass Science and Management, oversees the UT location for variety testing for the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP). Much of his research involves collaborating with turfgrass breeders from several universities and TPI-member seed companies to prescreen potential turfgrass varieties before they go to market. He also is currently working with TPI member David Doguet, of Bladerunner Farms, Inc., to evaluate several ultradwarf

zoysiagrasses for use as putting green surfaces in the transition zone. In addition to these projects, he has worked with growers around the world to assist in production practices from basic maintenance programs to variety testing to international import/export issues. Dr. Sorochan also serves as the Director of the UT Center for Athletic Field Safety.

Dr. John Stier, UT’s Associate Dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, has an active research project that is currently being funded in part by Te Lawn Institute (TLI), Documenting Water Use in Turfgrass in the United States.

TPI members individually, and turfgrass sod producers world-wide, benefit from networking with these turfgrass researchers. Working together, we can grow the turfgrass industry.

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Karen Cooper is associate executive director of Turfgrass Producers International.

TPI Turf News May/June 2018