Clark Talks Turf: Winter is Coming

The golf and growing seasons are winding down in much of the country, while in southern locations, the primary golfing season is just getting cranked up. Up north and in the northern part of the bermudagrass belt, putting green grasses are showing signs of dormancy including a slower growth rate and a gradual loss of green color.

Now is a great time to raise the mowing height on bermudagrass, creeping bentgrass and annual bluegrass greens that are entering dormancy. Green speed is always fastest in fall thanks to Mother Nature, so golfers will still enjoy fast greens while the grass gets a break from a higher height of cut. The extra leaf area will increase carbohydrate production which the turfgrass plant will use to develop a deeper, more extensive root system and storing more carbohydrates which will help the plant survive winter and kick start green-up in spring.

The higher height of cut will help the plants cope with traffic during the winter months when there is no growth. And for superintendents who are planning to paint dormant bermudagrass the extra leaf area will intercept more colorant, leading to a better looking putting surface. The extra leaf area in fall will help dormant bermudagrass greens from having excessively fast green speed in spring as the turf canopy gradually wears away over the winter due to traffic.

Here's a useful link

Want to check out an issue of Golfdom from 1975?

Or just want to see how many times we've done a story on fairy ring?

Maybe you just want to search for a random word -- like I just did, with the word "spider" -- and see what comes up? (Stories from 1929 and 1949!)

Then this is the link for you: http://archive.lib.msu.edu/tic/golfd/

Please, check it out, have some fun... maybe even enter your own name and see what pops up! (If nothing pops up? Well, let's get to work on that!)

I have to admit, it's pretty humbling to look back at all this Golfdom history and think to yourself, "This is the magazine I'm in charge of now?!?"

I'm sure it's a lot like taking care of a golf course that's been around for a long time. You have to appreciate the history, while still looking forward!

When it comes to email, less is more

You may have noticed you’re seeing less clutter in your email inbox from your friends at Golfdom.

Well, that’s intentional. It’s not that we don’t want to write to you more, but… Well, let me explain:
For years we’ve been sending out multiple e-newsletters each month, under such names as “Inside Irrigation,” “Chip Shots,” “Puttin’ Down Roots,” “On the Green,” “Turfgrass Trends” and “Golfdom Insider.”

Moving forward, we’re going with the “less is more” approach. North Coast Media, parent company of Golfdom and our sister publications, Landscape Management and Athletic Turf News, hired an honest-to-goodness expert on digital media, a talented young woman by the name of Bethany Chambers. She brings with her real world experience as well as a masters degree from Northwestern University’s prestigious Medill School of Journalism. And with Bethany’s help, we’re going to streamline our e-news offerings for maximum impact.

So what does that mean?

Gator!

Let's fix those ball marks, people!

Just got done with a tour of the Eagle One facility in Anaheim. Love this sign!

Our grand prize winner: Junior Storie!

Last night we met up with the superintendent who won Rain Bird and Golfdom's grand prize; a trip for two to Beverly Hills to attend the intelligent use of water film Festival… Junior Storie!

Junior's a superintendent in Arkansas. we had a fun time hanging out with him last night and I'll be able to talk to him some more this evening... And good on Junior for bringing his wife out to the event, too!

More soon!

Traffic!

Slow going in traffic... Pat tells me this is where Boyz in the Hood took place... Crenshaw Blvd! Guess I need to add that one to my Netflix, huh?

Jack Hanna in the house!

Ok, so we ran into jack hanna while we were waiting to leave for dinner. Nice guy. But...

Everyone was waiting for the debate on TV! Isn't that the worst bar entertainment ever?

Here we come Los Angeles!

I missed Rain Bird's Intelligent Use of Water film festival last year because it was very near the due date of my son. This year, I'll be there in full force, as a judge and as a fan!

I'll keep you posted with pics and quotes as the event nears. Maybe even a celebrity sighting, if we're lucky!

Andy Wilson talks soil moisture meters, path to Bethpage

Hey everyone,

 It's been a crazy week as I've been in Cleveland most of the week, at North Coast Media headquarters, making plans for 2013. What kind of plans? BIG PLANS, my friends... BIG PLANS.

I'm back now, for two business days. I head out to the Rain Bird Intelligent Use of Water film festival next Tuesday. Look for me to be blogging and Tweeting from that event.

 Anyway, a Golfdom Insider went out this week while I was in CLE. This below was the video we included with it.

 Pay close attention to the part where Andy tells me that Golfdom is indeed his favorite magazine in the industry... it's at the 1:15 mark... just in case you missed that part.

You know me, I'm here to help!

 

In memoriam: Dr. Reed Funk, 84

Was just forwarded this email from Bruce Clarke, with the sad news of Dr. Reed Funk's passing:

Dear Friends:

It is with deep sadness that I announce the passing of Dr. C. Reed Funk. Reed passed away the morning of Thursday, October 4 after a brief battle with pneumonia. He was 84 years old.

Reed joined the faculty at the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station in 1961 and was a pioneer in the field of turfgrass breeding. Throughout his illustrious career that spanned over four decades, he is credited with the development of hundreds of cool-season turfgrass cultivars with dramatic improvements in pest and stress tolerance. Many of his germplasm releases, such as 'Manhattan' perennial ryegrass and 'Rebel' tall fescue, are considered landmark cultivars and have served as a foundation for many of the new turf-type cultivars used throughout the world today. His tremendous intellect and keen sense of observation lead to many significant discoveries including the development of the first successful method of breeding Kentucky bluegrass by means of intraspecific hybridization, and the discovery that endophytic fungi can impart increased tolerance to major insect pests and enhanced performance for turfgrasses growing under environmental stress. Reed's diverse germplasm collection and enhancement programs have revolutionized the turfgrass sod and seed industries throughout the world.

In 1996, Reed embarked on an ambitious perennial tree crops breeding project at Rutgers, setting his sights on using plant breeding to develop highly nutritious and sustainable tree crops able to be grown on marginal land. Later, he expanded this project to Utah and developed a non-profit foundation dedicated to breeding tree crops adapted to the Intermountain West region of the United States. Both of these projects are prospering today because of Reed’s vision, unmatched work ethic, and commitment to excellence. Reed was a mentor to dozens of students, faculty and staff and a friend to everyone in the Rutgers and Turfgrass Community. He will be sorely missed.

There will be a viewing Tuesday, October 9, from 6:00 - 8:00 pm at Allen-Hall Mortuary (34 E. Center Street) in Logan, Utah and Wednesday morning, October 10 from 9:30-10:30 am at the LDS chapel (corner of 150 South and 100 East street) in Richmond, Utah prior to the funeral service. The funeral will be held on Wednesday at 11:00 am at the LDS chapel.

Sincerely,

Bruce Clarke

Fame!

I have a question for you:

Who is the most famous LIVING superintendent?

A few names come to mind right away... but I think it might depend on what part of the country you're from, on who you would say is the single most well-known superintendent alive.

But I want to know what you think!

Post your answer in the comments section below... or, if you prefer, shoot me an email -- sjones@northcoastmedia.net -- and tell me who you think is currently the most famous superintendent in the land. Then, depending on the number of answers I get, maybe I'll post a poll here on the Golfdom Daily to see who comes out ahead.

Yesterday's "Chip Shots" e-news

Did you get yesterday's "Chip Shots" in your email inbox? If not, here's what you missed, below!

To sign up for Golfdom's e-newsletters (you know you want to!) visit www.golfdom.com and click on the "Golfdom E-Newsletters" button on the left-hand column.

Talking 'Back

It was a win-win at John Deere Feedback, where supers told Deere what they thought of its products in development.

By Beth Geraci

On the Duke University Campus in Durham, N.C., the patio overlooking the school's golf course was jumping. Superintendents from across the country were talking shop over cocktails and appetizers, and socializing with the Deere distributors who invited them there.

The casual evening reception, held just as the sun was about to set, was the perfect launch to John Deere's Feedback event. The superintendents, and other course reps, had been invited there to sample Deere products in development and tell Deere what they liked about them and what they didn't. Hence the name "Feedback."

Now accepting Herb Graffis Businessperson of the Year nominations!

Has someone you know made a positive impact at your golf course? Has their outside-the-box thinking resulted in increased revenue? Does this person perform at such a level of excellence that he or she has made the facility more successful?

If you know someone who has done this, nominate them for the 2013 Herb Graffis Businessperson of the Year! We're now accepting nominations. 

Last year's winner, Paul Chojnacky, won an expenses-paid trip to the 2012 Golf Industry Show as well as the 2012 Golfdom Summit, and was profiled in our January cover story. Just ask Paul the next time you see him (pictured here on the cover of the aforementioned magazine) -- it's good to win the Herb Graffis Award!

To nominate someone -- it can be a superintendent, an assistant, a general manager, anyone, really -- shoot a message here describing why this person is deserving of the award.

Here we go USA!

No, I'm not at Medinah this weekend. I was in Florida at the RISE meeting most of the week, so I'm going to be watching the action from the comfort of my couch this weekend!

Having said that... GO USA!!!

Golfdom Summit coming soon!

November 27th-30th, we'll be at the Reunion Resort in Orlando!

I'm so excited! Only about 10,000 things to do before then...

Check out this video preview of what we've got cooking for the 2012 Summit.

Becker Underwood reports "business as usual" during acquisition

There was a lot of talk last week about BASF's announcement of its plans to acquire Becker Underwood for $1.02 billion (see previous post). But one thing I didn't see was any word from Becker Underwood on what was the plan for right now, for today. Are products going to be available to superintendents as normal during the transition?

I reached out to Charlie Hale, Becker Underwood's marketing strategy and support lead, and this is what he had to say:

"The number one goal of Becker Underwood and BASF is ensuring that our customers continue receiving the high quality solutions they have come to expect from Becker Underwood. For now, business will continue “as usual” with the same people, products and services that our customers know and trust. Our production facilities are producing products; these products are available for purchase by our customers. And except for a few already-planned lineup tweaks -- including a couple new and/or improved products, no changes in the overall Becker Underwood product lineup is currently anticipated. Product lineups always evolve over time with new, improved products typically replacing older and/or poorer performing products. I wouldn’t expect that to change going forward."

BASF to acquire Becker Underwood for $1.02 billion

More big news in our industry -- big to the tune of $1.02 BILLION! BASF to acquire Becker Underwood, this news just hit my inbox at 8:03 a.m. EST... the entire press release is below.

We'll get on the phone to learn more, but for now, here's the official word from BASF: 

BASF to strengthen global crop protection business with acquisition of Becker Underwood

* BASF to become a global leader in biological seed treatments
* Strategic growth field Functional Crop Care strengthened
* Broader portfolio of integrated, sustainable solutions for agriculture

Ludwigshafen, Germany – September 20, 2012 – BASF plans to acquire Becker Underwood for a price of $1.02 billion (€785 million). The company, headquartered in Ames, Iowa, is one of the leading global providers of technologies for biological seed treatment, seed treatment colors and polymers, as well as products in the areas of biological crop protection, turf and horticulture, animal nutrition and landscape colorants and coatings. Becker Underwood has 10 production sites worldwide and 479 employees. BASF came to an agreement with Norwest Equity Partners (NEP) to acquire Becker Underwood which has been a portfolio company of NEP since 2004. The purchase is subject to approval by the responsible authorities and legal closing of the transaction is expected by the end of 2012.

“We are impressed with Becker Underwood’s ability to translate growers’ needs into innovative, tailor-made solutions that can promote higher yields while conserving resources. Becker Underwood is to become part of BASF and we are excited that together with our new colleagues we can continue expanding our competencies. Particularly in the rapidly-growing seed treatment market, we will be able to develop innovative solutions for agriculture,” said Dr. Andreas Kreimeyer, Research Executive Director and Member of BASF’s Board of Executive Directors responsible for the Agricultural Solutions segment.


Becker Underwood is expected to achieve sales of $240 million (€185 million) for fiscal year 2012, ending on September 30. As part of the acquisition, BASF’s Crop Protection division will create a strategic global business unit called Functional Crop Care. The unit will merge BASF’s existing research, development and marketing activities in the areas of seed treatment, biological crop protection, plant health, as well as water and resource management with those of Becker Underwood. Becker Underwood’s animal nutrition business will be integrated into BASF’s Nutrition & Health division.

Markus Heldt, president of BASF's Crop Protection division.

“Becker Underwood has a strong position in North America. We will continue to expand this core business as we expand globally. Together we can sustainably create value for our customers,” said Markus Heldt, President of BASF’s Crop Protection division. “We are thrilled at the prospect of working with the highly-qualified employees at Becker Underwood as we continue to develop our combined businesses.”

“Over the past years, Becker Underwood has established itself as an innovative provider of solutions for agriculture,” emphasized Dr. Peter Innes, Chief Executive Officer of Becker Underwood. “Strengthened by the power of BASF’s research capabilities as well as its existing portfolio of solutions, we will be able to develop and globally market new types of solutions for growers.”


Upon receiving the necessary legal approvals, the majority of Becker Underwood’s business will be integrated into BASF’s Crop Protection division. In 2011, the division recorded sales of around €4.2 billion and is expecting another top year in 2012 as well. With its products and services, BASF helps growers to improve their yields and the quality of their products.

Northwest Oregon? Yes, please.

I was looking for some information on my upcoming travels and was very excited to see this:

http://www.ogcsa.org/Pages/events-sign-up/environ-mtg.html

Yes, Northwest Oregon, I'm coming to see you, Tuesday, Nov. 13th! The "Seth on Tour" trip continues, this time at Oregon Golf Club in West Linn, Ore., at the 2012 Golf and Environmental meeting. For the low, low price of $75, they'll have speakers such as Andy Staples (ASGCA), Kevin Fletcher (ePar USA), Chava McKeel (GCSAA), Steve Kealy (First Green) and... me (gulp. I mean... Golfdom).

And yeah... they've got me batting clean-up. Is that good or bad? Well, it certainly is cool to have the "keynote" spot, but it's also nerve-wracking to think of the mass exodus that could occur as soon as Staples gets done. Heck, I might already be at the clubhouse bar by then, too!

Reader feedback -- professional courtesy

Got a nice email from a reader regarding Mark Woodward's most recent column (which you can read here.)

Here's the note:

Mark nailed it, RE: Professional Courtesy.

It only take a moment to make an impression. I remember visiting a younger superintendent on his job who I had tried to call earlier. When I arrived on site, I could see him in the distance. I rang his cell, watch him look, and shove it right back in his pocket. I lost respect for him. I learn he lost his job later that year!

It only takes a moment to say thanks (or no thanks). Just respond!

I'm always afraid I'll have this happen to me, or do it to someone. Sometimes I don't take a cell phone call because it's not an appropriate time to chat on the cell. And I also try not to call people when I can see them, because it would crush my ego to see my call getting ignored.

There's pretty much only one person who is in the 100%-always-answer category: my wife. It could be the final seconds of the Super Bowl, and if my wife rings my cell, I answer. Mainly because she rarely dials me up, but also because that's the one person (and with her, my kids) who are so important that I would drop everything to check in on. Everything else? Everything else probably can wait, when you think about it.

So what am I rambling about here? Well, I guess I'm making a defense for NOT answering your cell phone. Because there are times when taking that call can also be a breach of etiquette, right?

What do you think?