Search For UK’s Best Park

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Search For UK’s Best Park: The Fields in Trust UK’s Best Park, 2019 is now open for a public vote to select the nation’s favourite local park. A total of 364 public nominations for parks and green spaces across the UK have been made – each one a much-loved part of its local community. Now it is time to choose the winners via an online public vote at www.fieldsintrust.org/best-park until noon on Monday 19th August.

Voting opens to coincide with “Have a Field Day” on Saturday 6th July, the annual celebration of parks and green spaces. Over 250 community-led events will engage thousands of people across the UK, people are coming together for picnics with their friends and neighbours, celebrating local parks and green spaces and joining a movement of fellow park users across the UK who want champion their parks and protect them for future generations to enjoy.

Search For UK's Best Park

Fields in Trust is a UK-wide charity that legally protects parks and green spaces in perpetuity. The UK’s Best Park Award recognises the role that parks play in our communities, supporting mental and physical health and bringing people together. The charity is concerned that many parks and green spaces are under threat and are at risk of being lost to development or a cycle of decline and disappearance. Last month Fields in Trust published research which revealed that over 2.5 million people across Great Britain live more than ten minutes’ walk from a park or green spaces. With public sector cuts leading to pressure on parks and green spaces, there is the risk that a lack of legal protection could lead to more being sold off or developed.

Fields in Trust Chief Executive Helen Griffiths said: “Our parks and green spaces are a vital part of UK community infrastructure. We know that they provide benefits to the physical health, mental wellbeing and community connections for people that use them, so we are delighted to see a record number of nominations for the UK’s Best Park award and it is encouraging to see so many people organising picnics with neighbours to celebrate how much they love their local park.  Fields in Trust is committed to protecting these valuable and much-loved parks and green spaces for future generations to enjoy.”

Nominations include small community gardens and large nature reserves, sports fields and playgrounds, each green space valued by its community and nominated by the regular park users who love to walk, run, cycle, relax, picnic and play with their children in the UK’s parks. The UK’s Best Park 2019 will see the park with the most votes in each of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland shortlisted with the UK’s Best Park, 2019 announced in mid-September.

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Bobcat: A Benchmark In Olive Harvesting

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Bobcat: A Benchmark in Olive Harvesting: Six Bobcat T770 Track Loaders help Servicios Agrícolas La Pamparioma to complete its olive harvests. Beyond picking this valuable fruit, the company from Baena (Cordoba, Spain) uses its Bobcat machines for other tasks, such as earthmoving and maintaining plantations.

According to Francisco Bujalance, Manager of Servicios Agrícolas La Pamparioma, over 5,000,000 kilos of olives were picked in last year’s harvest using the Bobcat T770 loaders, which have been fitted with olive tree shaker attachments with umbrellas and vibrating clamps adapted to the size of olives in the area. Harvesting approximately 160,000 olive trees, covering 800 hectares of land, took 100 days (or around 6000 working hours) to complete.

Bobcat: A Benchmark in Olive Harvesting

Francisco Bujalance said: “In our increasingly competitive sector we need to innovate in order to stay productive – but without losing our roots and respect for the environment.

“The Bobcat T770 Compact Track Loaders are ideal for this type of work for a number of reasons. For one thing, we need less staff – the work is easier and progresses faster. They are also well suited for various, even difficult, terrains – whether flat or sloping, dry or muddy. Their performance and manoeuvrability are another big plus. For reasons of space, olive plantations are becoming increasingly packed. It takes a very compact machine such as the Bobcat T770 to move in these narrow lanes with speed and ease.”

He continued: “The Bobcat T770 with its umbrella and clamp gets much more done than any other olive harvester. Add to that reduced labour costs, and you get an excellent ROI in the medium term. What is more, we don’t need to move or handle the olives as much because the umbrella goes directly into the trailer, making the whole job cleaner and allowing us to harvest the product quickly, when it’s at its best.

“And last but not least, the Bobcat T770 does not require any modifications prior to harvesting, whereas other machines do. This speeds up the start-up phase, as there is no need for a mechanic, also saving costs.”

Francisco Bujalance added: “Having used the Bobcat T770 in previous harvests as well, we are by now well acquainted with it, familiar with its features and benefits. Our overall appreciation is very positive: the Bobcat T770 clearly has the hydraulic flow and power needed for this kind of work. Previously we were picking the olives manually, which naturally prolonged the harvest period. Now we are saving 70% in time, while a single loader performs the work of 15 olive pickers, according to our estimates.

“We also chose the Bobcat T770 Track Loaders for the renown of the Bobcat brand, which is well known the world over for reliability, as well as the support and aftersales service of GGM, our dealer, covering us for any unforeseen event. Once the harvest has begun, the machines must not fail. The fruit must be picked at the ideal moment, determined by the plantation owner according to the intended use. GGM gives us the peace of mind we need. As official Bobcat distributor in our area, they have considerable experience in our sector. Guillermo García Muñoz, their founder, invented the harvesting system for Bobcat loaders specifically for Andalusian olive groves – a testament to the company’s enduring commitment to and involvement with our market.

“The great number of attachments available for this loader is another point worth noting. In addition to the bucket, we have a Bobcat backhoe, which we use for various maintenance tasks.

“After many years of experience and after numerous harvests with these compact loaders, we can say with confidence: Bobcat has become a benchmark in the Andalusian olive tree sector,” Francisco Bujalance concluded.

2018 Andalusian olive harvest performed by 6 Bobcat loaders with olive tree shaker attachments:
160,000 olive trees
800 hectares
5,000 tonnes of olives
100 days
6000 hours
6 Bobcat loaders equipped with umbrellas and vibrating clamps

For more information about Bobcat and Bobcat products, visit www.bobcat.com

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The Agronomic Elephant In The Room

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The Agronomic Elephant In The Room: Dr Minshad Ansari, left, discusses the Leatherjacket and Chafer Grub problem with Scott MacCallum.

The agronomic elephant in the room over the last 15 years has been what on earth will we do when chemicals we’ve relied upon for decades to ensure our turf can fight back against attacks from pests and diseases are removed from the authorised lists.

The Agronomic Elephant In The Room

We have benefited from the great work being carried out in laboratories across the world to replace those active ingredients, which are no longer with us, with alternatives which have often been more effective and better than what they have replaced.

However, there is one area in which the loss of the recognised chemical has had a major impact on the quality of turf greenkeepers and groundsmen have been able to prepare.

Leatherjackets and Chafer Grubs are relishing the freedom that a chemical-free playground has given them and the damage they are inflicting on turf is enough to reduce the most stoic of turf managers to tears.

It has got so bad in recent times that an Emergency Summit was held by Dr Minshad Ansari, Founder and CEO of Biomena, to pool all necessary expertise and look at what could be done to counter the Leatherjack and Chafer Grubs infestations.

The Agronomic Elephant In The Room

“I’ve been in the industry for 10 years now and seen the widening problem of Leatherjackets and Chafer Grubs but even I was surprised when I saw the damage caused by Leatherjackets at a golf club in Kent. Five greens were completely destroyed as a result of the damage,” Dr Ansari, told Turf Matters.

“Whereas it was very easy to put the chemical pesticide into a tank and go off and spray the recognised active ingredients came off the lists in 2016 and there has been no alternative. The problem is going to accelerate if few don’t do anything,” he explained, of the imidacloprid and chlorpyrifos which have now been banned.

A short term sticking plaster solution has been found with Syngenta receiving emergency authorisation for Acelepryn reapproved for turf for the 2019 season. It has been permitted for use in situations where there is an acknowledged instance of economic damage, or risk of bird strike on airfields and where the product has been recommended by a BASIS qualified agronomist.

The approval will be in place until September 30 of this year.

The Emergency Summit has a host of influential speakers including Professor John Moverley, of the Amenity Forum; Dr Kate Entwistle, and Dr Colin Fleming, and covered topics including Major turf pests and disjeases; the rising threats of plant parasitic nematodes in turf; the biology of Chafers and Leatherjackets; the role of Biostimulants in turf management and root development. Dr Ansari is working closely with Swansea University on biological solutions using nematodes and ensuring that they are utilised to best effect to bring about the most effective outcomes.

“Nematodes do produce results but we have to learn how to use them properly otherwise people will be dissatisfied with the results. There is a way to apply them to get the best results. We are looking at the Leatherjacket and Chafer Grub lifecycle, at which stage they cause damage and at which stage are they most susceptible to nematodes. Learning about the pest is important in order to get the control we are looking for,” said Dr Asari.

The Agronomic Elephant In The Room

“The nematodes can do the job if they are applied in the proper manner – without a problem.”

If there was a key headline to have come out of the Emergency Summit it was that Integrated Pest Management was the solution going forward.

“Whether you have a chemical or biological product you have to use it in such a way that you can get the best control of the pest. There is no single solution,” explained Dr Ansari, who added that better results are achieved by using a wetting agent in conjunction with the use of the nematodes.

Should the status quo remain, more golf courses will be rendered unplayable, or less enjoyable to play, and the work being carried out to find means to resolve the problem is welcome and necessary.

‘Bored’ Groundsman’s Grand Design

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‘Bored’ Groundsman’s Grand Design: A “bored” lower league football groundsman went to great lengths to create the perfect pitch – covered in geometric shapes.

Fed-up with ‘drawing’ the same outline on the Brechin City turf, Neil Wood, 54, decided to design something more creative with his lawnmower.

The patient Glebe Park groundsman spent six hours mowing the intricate pattern into the grass.

But despite the huge compliment, Neil, from the Angus town, remains humble about his design at the 4083 capacity stadium – home to the League Two side.

He said: “I usually cut the pitch in squares but we got bored of doing that so I wanted to do something different.

“The players were all taken back by it but they are happy with it. It’s nice to hear that the club think the design is the best in the world.

“It could be possible but I’ll just let them decide that.”

Neil carefully etched out the swirls by starting from the outside and works his way into the middle of the pitch.

He said: “I start from the outside and work my way in but I don’t change the height level of the lawnmower.

“I use the lines on the pitch as a rough guide which is probably why I manage to get it more precise.

“It’s just about changing your direction rather than the height level. Maintaining the pitch is ok in the summer but it’s hard in the winter.”

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Ardent Place Loadall Order

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Ardent Place Loadall Order: JCB has secured the biggest single order for Loadall telescopic handlers ever placed by a UK customer as part of a two-year deal worth more than £75 million.

Ardent Hire Solutions, one of the country’s leading plant hire companies, and the UK’s largest telehandler hirer, has invested in a fleet of 1,100 Loadalls ranging from the compact 525-60 through to the 550-80.

Ardent Place Loadall Order

The company is also investing in a fleet of 3CX backhoe loaders, rough terrain fork lifts and the flagship 7T Hi-Viz site dumpers that address key safety concerns experienced on construction sites today. By using a low-slung chassis design and revised skip, the 7T Hi-Viz operator benefits from huge improvements in front visibility with an improvement of 77% compared to conventional six-tonne dumpers when laden.

The machines are built at JCB’s Staffordshire factories, powered by JCB engines from JCB Power Systems factory in Derbyshire and with transmissions and axles from JCB Transmissions in Wrexham. They are also fitted with the latest JCB LiveLink telematics fleet management system giving real-time information on the machines’ operation and safe usage.

Group Managing Director Global Major Accounts, Yvette Henshall-Bell, said: “We are delighted to secure this major order from one of the UK’s leading plant hire companies.  It shows great confidence in JCB machinery and also in the wider construction sector which Ardent’s plant hire business supports.

“JCB has worked closely with Ardent for a number of years and it’s testament to the quality of our range of Loadalls and safety credentials of our site dumpers, as well as the world-class service back-up, that we’ve secured this valuable business.”

Ardent Hire Solutions Head of Marketing, Anuj Patel, said: “This latest acquisition further strengthens Ardent’s telehandler fleet which is the largest available in the UK today. The availability of advanced technology and telematics on the entire fleet was critical for us when specifying JCB machines.

“For Ardent clients, the knowledge that we are working closely with our supply chain to provide solutions that increase productivity, reduce their costs and, most importantly, reduce their on-site risk gives great reassurance. We are stepping away from the plant hire norm and offering a service that sparks real change in the market.”

Trading from 11 depots nationwide and specialising in providing plant hire to major housing, civil and construction clients, Ardent is constantly investing in the most technologically advanced machines and innovations on the market. It has a range of over 5,000 units for rent with an average age of less than two years.

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