TURF INDUSTRY NEWS
Sod Production Services Launches Redesigned Website Sod Production Services launched a redesigned website,
sodproductionservices.com, which serves as a platform to assist sod farms with every step of sod production and the sales cycle. Sod Production Services offers support to turfgrass producers to help grow healthy turf and successful businesses. Tey provide agronomic consulting services such as design management protocols, optimal land planning and design, farm technology recommendations, sprigging services and sales consultations. Tey also offer assistance in PremierPRO turfgrass licensing and marketing. Te website is a resource for turfgrass professionals looking to find information about the services provided by Sod Production Services. Te website features a comprehensive page on the benefits of PremierPRO bermudagrass, testimonials from sod producers, licensed producers and their contact information. Te website also shares news and research about PremierPRO bermudagrass. Sod Production Services is a division of Riverside Turf.
Montgomery County, Md., Pesticide Ban Struck Down Te Montgomery County, MD, Circuit Court struck down the county’s ban on lawn and garden pesticide use on private property, deeming it unlawful and preempted by Maryland law. Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment (RISE), a co-plaintiff in the suit said it is pleased with the court’s decision. “We are gratified that the court agreed that the county’s ban on the use of State- and EPA-approved pesticides on private land is preempted by Maryland state law, which already provides uniform and comprehensive regulation of pesticide use across the state,” said RISE President Aaron Hobbs. “Today’s decision is a win for resident and community choice. Pesticides purchased and applied by consumers and licensed professionals in the county help maintain healthy outdoor spaces for more than 1 million people who call the county home.” In November 2016, RISE, along with seven residents, six local businesses and CropLife America, filed a legal challenge to Montgomery County’s ban on the application of hundreds of lawn and garden products on private property. A grassroots coalition of more than 400 residents, homeowners and licensed professionals worked together to oppose the ban since it was introduced in 2014. Te ban narrowly passed the County Council with County Executive Ike Leggett expressing doubt about its legality before allowing it to go into effect without his signature. Tis grassroots coalition succeeded in laying the groundwork for a successful legal challenge to a contentious and complex ordinance that left Montgomery County residents uncertain about how to protect their lawns from weeds and pests.
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Te end of Velocity®? According to a report filed recently by University of Nebraska – Lincoln the end may soon be near for a Velocity, a pesticide used in the turfgrass industry. Velocity® SG (bispyribac-sodium) is a useful herbicide in integrated management plans for both annual and roughstalk bluegrass, but that soon may change. While the future of this herbicide is still somewhat uncertain, it is currently no longer in production. Te current inventory is expected to last for a short time while a final decision is made, but local and regional distributors have already reported shortages of Velocity. It seems that those who rarely sell Velocity still have a small inventory, whereas those who have historically sold more are completely out of the product and are unable to get more. If you are a fan of this herbicide, look for and purchase all that you can. Assuming this truly is the end for Velocity, cool-season turf managers are left with only Prograss® (ethofumesate), Xonerate® (amicarbazone), and Tenacity® (mesotrione) for selective postemergence control (or suppression) of annual bluegrass. Perhaps even worse, Velocity is currently the only herbicide labeled for the selective control of roughstalk bluegrass in cool-season grasses, leaving only mechanical or nonselective control strategies for this formidable foe. If you are looking for a Velocity replacement (for annual bluegrass control) this fall, remember that Prograss is best applied in fall, but Xonerate should be applied in spring. Alternatively, a preemergence herbicide application this fall may mitigate annual bluegrass establishment next spring. For roughstalk bluegrass, remember that spring applications of glyphosate are more effective than fall applications (http://turf.
unl.edu/turfinfo/5-18_Poa_triv.pdf). If you use Velocity, please email Cole Tompson at
cole.thompson@
unl.edu. He has agreed to pass testimonials on to a Nufarm representative in an attempt to quantify the void that may be left in the absence of this product.
Update: Waters of the United States Rule
In late June the EPA and the US Army Corps of Engineers released a proposed rule to rescind the Obama Administration’s Clean Water Rule, also known as the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) Rule. Te proposed rule would also re- codify the regulatory text that existed prior to 2015. According to EPA and the Corps, this proposed rule is intended to provide certainty during an interim period while the agencies work to craft a “substantive re-evaluation of the definition of ‘waters of the United States.’" Te agencies intend for the proposed rule to be “implemented in accordance with Supreme Court decisions, agency guidance, and longstanding practice,” according to an EPA press release.
TPI Turf News September/October 20 2017
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