BASF Support World Pest Day

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BASF Support World Pest Day: World Pest Day is coming up on June 6, and BASF, producers of the Nemasys range of pest control products, will be promoting the importance of pest management to gardeners, highlighting its value in protecting human and garden health, food quality and the environment.

Nemasys grow five different nematodes at its UK facility, which is the largest in Europe. Nematodes are micro organisms that occur naturally in garden soil. Each of the five different species BASF grows each target just one specific prey species.

BASF Support World Pest Day

Nemasys pest control replicate nature by increasing the amount of these microscopic organisms that are already present in the soil to give nature a helping hand in fighting pests in your garden, without upsetting the delicate eco-system. Once the pests are eliminated, nematodes die back to their natural level. They are a sophisticated, yet simple, biological method of ridding gardens and allotments of pests, and can be applied by simply watering them on!

Nematodes are produced to control slugs, leatherjackets, ants, vine weevils and chafer grubs, as well as a product containing a number of different nematode species which will protect against a range of pests that attack various fruit and vegetables.

BASF, producers of Nemasys and Nemaslug products have made them easily accessible online and user friendly; perfect for the domestic gardener who demands an effortless product that is non-toxic and extremely effective. Their online website makes gardeners lives easier as an entire season’s worth of pest control can be purchased and delivered. They are passionate about supplying its nematodes alive and fresh, rather than dried, as this ensures the quality of the product remains high and consistently effective. Customers can order a season’s worth of products and they will be delivered fresh each month.

To use nematodes, simply select the appropriate product, mix with water and either pour from a watering can or spray onto the foliage and soil, depending on the variety. This process is repeated throughout the season, from the moment that the first signs of pests occur and can be easily slotted into your regular watering routine. There is no need to keep children or pets away from treated areas and the whole programme is entirely biological, so all the Nemasys products can be used by organic gardeners.

An entire season’s worth of pest control can be purchased via online stockists at www.nemasysinfo.co.uk/en/Products/Overview/index.html and will be delivered fresh, straight to your door throughout the season.

BASF is the only nematode producer to supply fresh nematodes, rather than dehydrated, and is passionate about doing so as this ensures the quality of the product remains high and consistently effective.

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Denmark Course Wins BTME Draw

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Denmark Course Wins BTME Draw: The winner of an Underhill AuditMaster Combo LT sprinkler performance test kit was announced at the recent BTME exhibition.

Entrants into a draw were the attendees at a Rain Bird irrigation workshop ‘Understanding the maintenance and management of your irrigation system’, attended by over 32 golf course greenkeepers, and the winner was Mads Lund Christiansen, head greenkeeper of the Randers Golf Klub in Denmark.

Denmark Course Wins BTME Draw

Receiving the award on his behalf (Mads was unable to stay for the draw) was Peter Robin, Rigby Taylor’s newly-appointed UK Irrigation Products Manager in the company of Alastair Higgs, Rain Bird’s UK Golf Course District Manager.

Details of the Underhill AuditMaster and other irrigation products in the Rain Bird range can be obtained from your Rigby Taylor area representative or via Freephone 0800 424 919.

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SALTEX Exhibitor Growth Continues

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SALTEX Exhibitor Growth Continues: Now in its 74th year, SALTEX is continuing to grow from strength to strength at the NEC.

In fact, already 70 per cent of the SALTEX 2019 floorplan has been allocated with more than 180 SALTEX 2018 exhibitors returning. Over 40 of these exhibitors have increased the size of their stand and a further influx of debut exhibitors are looking to engage with the show this year.

SALTEX Exhibitor Growth Continues

Campey Turf Care Systems will be building on its success at SALTEX 2018 by upgrading its stand and showcasing an even wider range of turf machinery.

“The SALTEX exhibition has proved it is still popular with the professional groundsperson attracting visitors from both here and abroad. Last year we trialled a smaller stand with an area for seating and refreshments for our visitors. This was very successful, so this year we are taking a larger stand to create an even more welcoming space for our customers while at the same time increasing the number of machines on display,” said managing director Richard Campey.

AS Communications, a provider of industry-leading technology to the amenity and agricultural sectors, has enjoyed many successful SALTEX exhibitions over the years and according to marketing manager Holly Jones, now is the time to maximize its show presence.

“We’ve been exhibiting at SALTEX a number of years now and have always found it to be a good event. SALTEX allows us to meet numerous turf professionals across the grounds industry in a very focused environment. The show is going from strength to strength, something we are aspiring to do too, hence investing in our stand space and design.”

Lister Wilder is a new exhibitor for 2019 and division sales director Phill Hughes revealed that the company will be using its first appearance at the NEC as an opportunity to promote its impressive hire division.

“I’ve been monitoring show attendance and feedback prior to making a commitment. My view of last year was that it felt like there was a level of excitement around the manufacturers. The customers attending appear to be of good quality and in good spirit, something which I believe has been achieved by combining the IOG Awards with the show.

“Over the last few years we have seen a rise in the number of commercial fleet customers looking for both long and short-term hire as an alternative to purchasing assets and we look forward to promoting our commercial hire division to a wider audience in order to increase our current customer base.”

For Arysta LifeScience, a global agricultural company specialising in the marketing and distribution of innovative crop protection and biosolution brands, the opportunity to meet distributors and end users was a major factor in deciding to exhibit at SALTEX for the first time and following the acquisition of Arysta LifeScience by UPL in January, the two companies will become one, with Arysta LifeScience presenting itself as UPL at SALTEX.

Campaigns & communications manager Janine Heath, said: “As we continue to drive into new cropping sectors we thought it would be a good idea to exhibit at SALTEX.

“Although we sell through distributors, we also aim to connect with end users. If we raise the brand awareness amongst them, then it’s more than likely to drive back up the chain.

“We’re always looking to expand our customer base and build business and SALTEX is a great occasion to meet everyone in one place.”

SALTEX 2019 takes place at the NEC, Birmingham on October 30 and 31.

For more information visit www.iogsaltex.com

Follow SALTEX on Twitter @IOG_SALTEX and Facebook – www.facebook.com/IOGSALTEX

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Dennis & SISIS Seminar A Success

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Dennis & SISIS Seminar A Success: St. Albans School, Woollam Trust Playing Fields played host to the Dennis and SISIS Groundcare Seminar on Tuesday 19 February with delegates labeling the event a huge success. For a number of years, the Dennis and SISIS pre-season indoor seminars have toured up and down the country and have successfully seen over 1800 ground staff in attendance. As they continue to grow in both size and reputation, the seminars are continually evolving with the people of the industry in mind.

Designed to educate those involved in groundcare on a variety of sports turf topics, this seminar signalled an exciting new chapter in the series and it certainly didn’t disappoint the two hundred and fifty strong audience which consisted of volunteers and professionals representing schools, sports clubs, local authorities and contractors.

Dennis & SISIS Seminar A Success

The seminar was well supported by the industry and welcomed a number of key sponsors which included Bernhard and Company, Consolidate Turf, CricketWorld.com, Garside Sands, Harrod Sport, Headland Amenity, Limagrain UK, Poweroll, RT Machinery and SIS Pitches.

After an introduction from Dennis and SISIS’ Robert Jack, former Rugby Union star Kyran Bracken, arguably best known for his heroics in England’s victorious 2003 World Cup win, took to the stage to relay some highly interesting and humorous stories about that memorable campaign in Australia.

It was then straight to business with back-to-back presentations from key speakers Rob Kendle (ATB Sports Solutions), Dr. Iain James (TGMS Ltd) and Alex Vickers (IOG consultant).

Rob started proceedings by discussing best practice in renovating and rejuvenating a surface; Iain followed with a plethora of advice on how to get the most out of a sportsground construction project and Alex gave the audience a fantastic insight into drainage on sports pitches.

A complimentary lunch signalled the halfway point and attendees had the opportunity to network with one another and discuss individual projects with event sponsors.

Once refreshed, delegates settled into their seats for an afternoon feast of knowledge served by Chris Wood (ECB pitch consultant) and Keith Kent (RFU head groundsman, Twickenham).

Keith drew on his wealth of experience as a groundsman to explore the transformation of winter sports pitches into cricket outfields and Chris reflected on 50 years in cricket groundsmanship in which he focussed on vital techniques before discussing emerging trends which could become essential in the not too distant future.

The day concluded with a special recognition award by Tim Lamb, former chief executive of the ECB, to Chris Wood for his outstanding contribution to the game of cricket over the past 50 years, which also saw a standing ovation from the crowd.

Commenting on the event, Alison Davenport, general manager of the East London Community Sports Association said:

“We are currently having drainage issues with one of our pitches and fortunately today’s seminar has covered this at length,” she said. “In fact, we are in the process of trying to persuade our council to let us take over a contract for some grounds maintenance work and the knowledge we have gained today will only help our cause because we now feel confident that we can go back to them and showcase that we have the ability to do the work successfully. We have taken something from every element of this seminar and it has been invaluable.”

Nick Lockhart, cricket professional and head of grounds and gardens at Felsted School in Essex, brought two members of staff along with him and believes the Dennis and SISIS seminars are essential for anyone who wants to take their sports surfaces to the next level.

“It has been thoroughly enjoyable, informative and thought provoking. I would go as far as saying that it is a must-attend event for people in this industry. It has been incredibly interesting listening to all of the speakers who have all raised great points that we can take away with us and put into practice. Speakers aside, the networking opportunities are also important because it gives us a chance to speak to other delegates, find out what they might be doing differently to us and hopefully learn from them too.”

Echoing Nick was Andy Mackay, head groundsman at Sussex CCC, who said that the line-up of speakers was just too good to ignore.

“The quality of speakers at this particular event was a huge draw in my decision to come. I’ve been in turf for over 20 years and I still learn something new every single time I listen to Alex Vickers. The general atmosphere of the event was worth coming for and the whole programme was spectacular.”

Keith Kent may well be responsible for one of the most prestigious stadiums in world sport but claims that every day should still be a learning day.

“I think that as part of everybody’s education every day should be a school day and a seminar such as this, where there are such high-quality speakers, is a vital opportunity to progress. For me, it is all about the education and that is why I’ve brought my staff along. I like them to see what I do because I don’t want to be the boss who just disappears. They have come along, enjoyed the day, picked up new ideas and met lots of people from a range of different sports.”

Further information about the range of cricket maintenance products available can be found by visiting www.dennisuk.com / www.sisis.com.

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow Dennis on Twitter and Instagram @DennisMowers and SISIS @SISISMachinery. You can like the Facebook page – www.facebook.com/DennisMowersUK and www.facebook.com/SISISMachinery. You can also view the latest Dennis videos by visiting www.youtube.com/DennisMowers and www.youtube.com/SISISMachinery

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CMAE MENA Launch First Series Of Seminars

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CMAE MENA Launch First Series Of Seminars: The recently formed Club Managers Association of Europe – Middle East & North Africa Region (CMAE MENA) is launching its first club education seminars with the support of John Deere. Communication expert Bill McFarlan will deliver three seminars in the Middle East this spring, one at Education City Golf Club, Qatar on 23rd April, one at Al Mouj Golf Club, Oman on 25th April and one at Jumeriah Golf Estates on 28th April.

Bill McFarlan has a passion for helping people build their confidence in communication. Having been a broadcaster for 25 years with some of Britain’s top radio and TV stations – presenting flagship programmes in news and sport – he established a company that’s taken his training to over 20 countries. Sharing what he’s learned from broadcasting and business, he helps clients create and deliver passionate presentations and conduct interviews confidently with the media or at work.

CMAE MENA Launch First Series Of Seminars

In his 30th year of business, he’s delivered over 4000 seminars across the world, and written two best-selling books on how to Say What You Mean – and Mean What You Say. He’ll share his top tips and techniques with delegates, to help them write better emails and better reports, deliver better presentations and interviews, and overall present themselves better in front of their Boards and members. The seminars will be fun and educational – and life-changing, if you adopt the principles!

CMAE MENA Region chairman Chris May CCM says of the seminars: “It’s great to have someone of Bill’s knowledge and skill come to the region to help club industry professionals further develop their communication skills. Our clubs are becoming bigger, more diverse and more demanding and communication is now a key skill for managers and operators. We are grateful to John Deere for its support in bringing Bill here.”

Carlos Aragones, John Deere’s Turf & Golf Sales & Marketing Manager for Europe, CIS, North Africa and the Near & Middle East, adds: “We are delighted to support this initiative and the CMAE’s broader vision of being the leading organisation for club management educational programmes in the newly expanded area of the Middle East and North Africa. Continued education is a core pillar of the John Deere philosophy, and through our partnership we are committed to making ourselves available to the association’s membership for advice and support.

“As an industry leading, full range supplier of sports club maintenance equipment including mowers, tractors and Gator utility vehicles, we also look forward to the opportunity to present our business and advanced technology solutions to those attending these events.”

Any club or hospitality professional interested in attending the seminars should contact Michael Braidwood by email to mbraidwood@ecgolf.com.

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