ITGAP TOUR 2019 –
U.S. EXPERTS EDUCATE GROWERS Reprinted from Turf-Talk April 2019
AusGAP certified turf producers in Australia got a bit of extra attention in March this year with a visit from two representatives of the International Turfgrass Genetic Assurance Program (ITGAP). Te turf certification section of AusGAP has been based on the guidelines outlined in the ITGAP system and must be audited annually as part of the contractual agreement.
as Vice President of Marketing in 2004 for which Bill and his staff are responsible for all certified turf production licensing, as well as turfgrass certification compliance and field inspections.
With the growing number of certified paddocks in Australia and the constant need for third party audits of the AusGAP program, these trips to Australia are an annual requirement for at least one member of the ITGAP inspection team. AusGAP certified growers have over 1,000,000 square meters of TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda grass, 700,000 square meters of Sir Grange Zoysia, and many other certified turf grasses that must be walked and inspected on a regular basis to ensure genetic purity and quality.
ITGAP’s Bill Carraway checks the turfgrass during the ITGAP Tour 2019 in Australia.
Te annual system audit and farm inspections ensure the turf producers licensed under AusGAP are ITGAP compliant and the grasses involved in this transpacific certification program are in fact genetically pure and meet the required ITGAP certification standards. Billy Skaggs and Bill Carraway spent a week with AusGAP manager Nick Dorney travelling between farms in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria to carry out on farm inspections and staff training.
Billy Skaggs has served as Certification Program Manager with the Georgia Crop Improvement Association since June 2013. In this role, Skaggs oversees the certification of seed and turfgrass, including field inspections, seed conditioning and program promotion. Skaggs also serves as Executive Secretary for the Georgia Soybean Commodity Commission and the Georgia Seed Association. Skaggs’ previous experience includes 13 years with the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension and two years at the Georgia Department of Agriculture.
Bill Carraway has a long history in the turf industry which dates back to the late 80s. Bill has been involved in landscape installation and management, turf grass production and sales as well as golf course and sports field construction. Mr. Carraway joined Te Turfgrass Group
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Under the AusGAP program, the producers of these specially bred and certified grasses are obliged to conduct self-inspections on their fields and report back to AusGAP with any issues that may have arisen. Tis requirement on the growers to carry out quality inspections was the instigator of the staff training that was scheduled in each growing area to complement the paddock inspections.
Bill Carraway and Billy Skaggs took the staff of each certified farm through a session in which they discussed the intricacies of turf grass inspections, from the ideal conditions that lead to a thorough inspection such as sun pitch, dew covering and visual aids, to the growth habits and morphological traits of each of the grasses being inspected. Growers from all over the country came together to improve the level of competency among farm staff and learn from two of the most experienced turfgrass inspectors in the world.
AusGAP manager Nick Dorney (center) delivers a training session. TPI Turf News September/October 2019
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