Golembiewski leaves Oregon State, joins Bayer

There have been rumblings of this today, but now it is official. Rob Golembiewski, Ph.D., director of Oregon State's turf program, has accepted a position with Bayer CropScience. Golembiewski made the announcement publicly this afternoon via an email sent to all the members of the Oregon GCSA.

The email reads as follows:

Golembiewski will begin his new position with Bayer on April 2nd.

This is an email that I thought I would never be writing. Before you start hearing rumors, I wanted to let all of you know that I have been offered and accepted a new position with Bayer CropScience.  I will be serving as the Technical Service Specialist for the Midwest Region working out of my home in Columbus, Ohio. This is an amazing opportunity for me and my family to get back to the Midwest and closer to my 8 siblings and their families in Michigan. I plan to start my new position April 2nd and will be working out of my home in Philomath until approximately June 1st.

Please let me express that this is the most difficult decision that I have ever had to make professionally but for those who know me understand how important family is to me. I can’t overstate how appreciative I am for the support and friendship you have provided me over the past four years. I believe with all my heart that the OSU Turf Program is the preeminent turf program on the West Coast and it was made possible by each and every one of you.

PCNB's Return

Last month American Vanguard Corp. announced that the stop-sale placed on PCNB fungicide had been lifted by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. But superintendents already were forced to work without the product last winter, and availibility of the product this year is unclear.

“This has been a long and trying process which appears to be coming to a conclusion. We are now focused on working with the U.S. EPA to get our amended end-use labels for PCNB products issued as quickly as possible, so that we can return to the market,” Eric Wintemute, chairman and CEO of American Vanguard, said in a statement released by the company. “We are also grateful to our customers for their continued support and patience throughout this ordeal and hope to be in a position to meet their needs in the very near future.”

Rob Golembiewski, Oregon State University turfgrass specialist, said he was at an assistant superintendent’s workshop recently, and news of the lifting of the PCNB stop-sale had not spread yet.

“I think (PCNB) is pretty darn popular. I think there are a lot of good products to control pink and gray snow mold, but for the cost – and in this economy – it’s one of the most effective,” Golembiewski said. “Last year when we lost PCNB, a lot of superintendents had to look for alternatives, and they also had to worry about balancing their budgets. Is it the only product? No. But I guarantee people will integrate it right back into their programs once it becomes available.”

Bruce Cline, superintendent at Gladstone (Mich.) Golf Club said he did pretty well for himself last year without the use of PCNB, and will probably continue the same program this year.