Jeff Anguige takes early retirement

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Jeff Anguige takes early retirement: Reesink Turfcare has announced the retirement of its national sales manager Jeff Anguige after 21 years working with the Toro UK distributor and its predecessor Lely UK, and a total of 46 years serving the turfcare industry.

Jeff, 63, began working in the industry straight after leaving college, learning the business working at golf and grounds dealerships and turf machinery manufacturers such as Ransomes. In 1999 he joined the then Toro UK distributor Lely UK, with headquarters at St Neots, Cambs., as national Toro sales manager, responsible for spearheading sales of its golf course and sports turf maintenance machinery.

Jeff Anguige takes early retirement

Jeff Anguige takes early retirement

At Lely, and latterly Reesink, he has played a leading role in helping develop the Toro name and reputation for quality products that today sees it as the market-leading brand it has become.

It is, he says, his biggest career achievement: “Toro has been the constant in my working life at Lely and Reesink,” says Jeff. “For over two decades I’ve worked with a brilliant team to help it grow to where it is today – in my view, holding the number one spot for quality with its reputation preceding it.

“I’ve always had total belief in Toro. So many of my career highlights have come from witnessing how Toro has made such a huge difference for our customers. How it has greatly improved the quality of the golf course, made tasks easier for the greenkeeping team or solved a particular problem.  In my time I’ve seen Toro go to the top of not only the golf industry, but the sports sector and other fine turf sites, too. It’s now at a point where around 80 percent of Premiership football clubs, as well as other major sporting venues in, for example, cricket, rugby and tennis, also use Toro.”

Jeff has seen many big changes throughout his time in the industry. Among the biggest, he says, is the way in which clubs now buy their machinery. He says: “When I started, people tended to get their cheque book out and buy one piece of equipment at a time, outright. Now the majority of customers invest in fleet deals on finance. It gives the option to have more machines straightaway for the same level of investment, as well as the latest technology to maintain playing surfaces. The upscale is huge, as is the improvement in quality of playing surfaces. It’s certainly a very different market to when I started, and very much for the better.”

David Cole, managing director at Reesink, pays tribute to Jeff and the instrumental role he’s played with the company: “Jeff has been at the forefront of the Toro equipment success for over twenty years and his focus and dedication will be challenging for the business to replace. I am sure that the extensive contacts and colleagues Jeff has built up during his time in the industry will want to join us at Reesink in wishing him all the very best for a well-earned and enjoyable retirement. Jeff will always be able to look back with pride on his role with the Toro brand, as a job well done”.

Jeff plans to spend his retirement in his native Yorkshire, where he lives in Gomersal with his wife, Julie, enjoying time with his family and grandchildren – and, of course, playing golf!

A man who enjoys huge respect and fondness from among his many friends and colleagues in the industry, Jeff says: “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working in the industry and am delighted to have been a part of it. It’s a relationship industry and I’ve gained friends for life. I believe it still offers great career opportunities for young people and will watch with interest as the next generation comes through.

“Despite the current difficulties presented by Covid-19, I’m confident that Reesink, Toro and the turfcare industry has an exciting future,” he says. “Yes, there will be challenges and changes ahead, but also plenty of opportunities. I wish it and all my friends and colleagues in the industry every success for the future.”

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Monitor chafer beetle numbers now

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Monitor chafer beetle numbers now: Now is the time to start monitoring chafer beetle numbers to allow effective control of their vulnerable offspring with entomopathogenic nematodes, advises an industry expert.

“Chafer grubs can be extremely damaging to golf courses and with limited chemical options available for controlling them, the use of entomopathogenic nematodes can be an effective and natural way to protect courses this season,” explains Dr Colin Mumford, technical manager at Bayer.

Monitor chafer beetle numbers now

Monitor chafer beetle numbers now

To get the application of nematodes right, Colin explains that timing is crucial.

“Over the past few years, we’ve seen that chafer beetles have been emerging six weeks later than normal, so it’s important to start monitoring for activity during May and continue to do this throughout the season,” he says.

“This can be achieved by simply looking for the beetles, but to get a more definitive measurement I would use pheromone traps,” says Colin.

“The beetles are usually active for a couple of weeks, so look for the point when their numbers start to decline in the traps. You should plan to apply the nematodes three-to-four weeks after this point, as the eggs they have laid would have hatched by then.

“By getting this timing right, the nematodes will be primed and ready to attack the chafer grubs at their most vulnerable stage, when they are newly hatched or juvenile,” he says.

Colin notes that it is also important to get the application process right as well as the timing.

“Pick an overcast day with a soil temperature above 12ºC to apply the nematodes, as direct sunlight will kill them and cold temperatures will limit their activity,” he says.

“Irrigate the area the day before to ensure there is adequate moisture for the nematodes, and it will help them move through the rootzone.

“Make sure to remove all filters from your sprayer and spray nozzle, as this can cause blockages,” adds Colin.

He also explains that it is important to use whole packs, if possible, as some will contain more than one species, that won’t be evenly distributed throughout the pack, so by using whole packs you’ll get a good mix of species.

“For example, Bayer’s nematode product, Harmonix Tri-Nema, contains three different species of nematode,” he says.

“This combination of nematodes provides better control of the grubs because each species tries to outcompete each other to become the dominant species, meaning they are far more aggressive than they would usually be.”

Colin adds that it is important to maintain good soil moisture for a couple of weeks after the application, but warns not to over irrigate, as you will either flush the nematodes through the rootzone and down the drain, or simply drown them.

“Nematodes can be a very good option for controlling chafer grubs, but it’s important to get the timing right to target the grubs when they are at their most vulnerable to maximise control,” he concludes.

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Symbio appoints new business development manager

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Symbio appoints new business development manager: Jeremy Hughes has been appointed by Symbio as its new International Business Development Manager.

He has taken the reins from Martin Ward in providing advisory services, product support and training to the company’s growing number of distributorships serving an expanding customer base in overseas markets. Jeremy also provides direct support to a number of golf resorts and football clubs in Europe and the Nordics.

Symbio appoints new business development manager

Symbio appoints new business development manager

Jeremy has been with the Surrey-based company for five years as Technical Sales Manager for the Midlands, north west England and west Wales. He was previously Course Manager at the Vale of Llangollen Golf Club where he adopted and advocated a biological approach to turf management.

Jeremy says that interest in the company’s products has never been greater. “Over the past 30 years, we’ve worked with customers to restore a healthy balance to their soil. As the market-leader, we’ve experienced year-on-year growth in recent years, spurred on by wider access to education, the withdrawal of active ingredients in chemical applications, and greater environmental awareness.

A growing understanding of soil biology is resulting in an increasing number of sports turf managers changing their approach to problem solving and the improvement of their playing surfaces, whether that’s thatch reduction, grass species conversion, disease prevention, maintaining firmer, drier greens, or increasing the holding capacity of sand-based sports pitches. Club owners are increasing seeking advice at the construction stage, starting as they mean to go on in ensuring soil and turf health is optimised from the outset. We continue to improve and develop the company and our product range, building on our excellent results and customer satisfaction.”

Jeremy can be contacted on Tel: 07554 668423 and by email at jeremy@symbio.co.uk.

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A spotlight on Ramsay MacGregor

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A spotlight on Ramsay MacGregor: Ramsay MacGregor, amenity specialist for Agrovista Amenity, has enjoyed a long and successful career which can be attributed to his determination, drive, passion and strength of character.

Although far from the end of his journey, the father of four often reflects on his career path, which all started when he first left agricultural college in the early eighties. “When I came out of college there were no jobs in agriculture especially for farm managers – which is what I had been studying,” he says.

A spotlight on Ramsay MacGregor

A spotlight on Ramsay MacGregor

“At that time, a lot of my friends were going to America and Australia to work on farms but I saw an advert for a job in Denmark and I like to be different – I don’t like to follow the pack. I phoned the number, spoke to a Danish farmer and a week later I was on a farm in Denmark. I stayed there for two years.”

Ramsay enjoyed his overseas adventure, which also included stints in Holland and Iceland, but at the age of 22 decided it was time to return to Scotland. As he departed his seat on the plane, little did he know that he was about to line up his next job immediately.

“I landed at the airport and went to meet some friends from my old college. While I was waiting to meet them, I picked up a newspaper and there was a job advertisement for a horticultural engineer. I phoned the number, went for an interview the very next day and got the job. However, the guy that interviewed me thought that I’d be more suited to sales.

“I learnt all of the machines in the workshop inside and out and from there I moved into the show room before eventually getting out onto the road.”

After a solid 12 years in sales, which also included a position at Aitken’s Sportsturf, Ramsay faced one his toughest decisions yet.

“At the time I was working for CSC (Chemical Spray Company), who are now part of Agrii, and my sales manager decided he wanted to set up his own business. There were four of us and we were all going to go and start up this business together. However, two of them decided at the last minute not to do it and it was just myself and the sales manager. We left in 2001 and started up a business called Terra Firma.

“I remember us both walking into a big empty warehouse and looking at each other, laughing and saying what have we done? The salaries, company cars and pensions – we gave it all up. It was scary, but we managed to build it up to a substantial size and that is probably what I am most proud of in my career.”

Since its creation in 2001, Terra Firma had grown into one of Scotland’s largest suppliers to the amenity and local authority markets. In recognising its potential, Agrovista bought the company in 2017. The combination of both companies’ industry knowledge, experience and customer service ethos quickly formed a strong, sustainable and service-focused business model.

“Agrovista is a great company to work for,” he said. “Admittedly I was apprehensive – particularly going from a small independent company to a massive organisation. Big ships are notoriously difficult to a steer, but I’ve been amazed at just how reactive they are. I’ve been really impressed. The company is big on education and I’ve always had a hunger for developing and learning. Every day I learn something new and I think the day that I stop learning is the day that I will hang the boots up. It’s not always about grass or weeds or weather, but about people. I love to learn about someone’s background or how they function and operate.”

Ramsay’s passion for conversation and people is demonstrated daily as he attends his diverse customer base. While he admits to enjoying the variety of his work, he also believes it has made him more aware of some the struggles faced by some amenity professionals – particularly greenkeepers.

“On any one day I could go into a couple of golf courses in the morning to see some greenkeepers, then in the afternoon I could go and visit a council and be talking about Japanese Knotweed, and then I could be out talking to a landscaper – I have a very diverse and interesting customer base which I really enjoy.

“Unfortunately, it does make me realise some of the troubles these people have. Greenkeepers are becoming under more and more pressure – whether that be from the club where they work or the members. The number of greenkeepers that are going off with stress is disappointing. In fact, so many greenkeepers have walked away from their jobs because of the grief they have received.”

Many of his customers will know that Ramsay is, in fact, his middle name. Allan Ramsay MacGregor is his full name, but by his own admission, he cares little for names or titles.

“Over the years I’ve had various titles, but I’ve never been big on them if I’m being honest. What’s in a name? It’s what is on the inside that counts. People take you for what you are and who you are.”

It is safe to say that most people Ramsay has encountered throughout his career have taken him for who he is and that is why he is such a respected figure in the industry – someone who people can turn to for advice, support or just a good conversation.

For more information, visit www.agrovista.co.uk/amenity.

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JCB finale for Terence

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JCB finale for Terence: JCB’s Terence Smith has put the fun into furlough with a madcap fancy dress fundraising idea which has netted almost £3,000 for charity.

For the whole of April he donned a different fancy dress outfit every day, filmed a funny sketch and uploaded the footage to his social media pages – all to raise cash for worthy causes.

JCB finale for Terence

JCB finale for Terence

Now he has signed off from his wacky month of fundraising by donning fancy dress outfit number 30 – a JCB digger he made from scratch out of cardboard in his garage.

Terence, 35, who works in sales at JCB Power Products in Hixon, Stafford, says building his mini 3CX backhoe was one of the most difficult challenges of the month.

He said: “We’ve got a fancy dress box at home with outfits worn at parties over the years, but the JCB backhoe loader was one of the harder ones to devise! You have got two choices when you are furloughed; either sit at home doing nothing or make the best use of your time by staying active. I chose the latter, not only to raise money for charity, but for my own sanity too.”

Terence, of Littleover, near Derby, is now just a few pounds away from raising £3,000 in aid of the Derby and Burton Hospitals charity, Community Action Derby and Rainbows Hospice in Leicester.

Over the past month he has dressed as a Transformer, Harry Potter, sports star Tom Daly, Baywatch characters and even Britney Spears – trying hard not to disturb his fiancée Nicola as she worked from home.

Terence added: “The response from friends, family and JCB colleagues has been amazing. I originally set out to raise £2,000 for charities, which are assisting with the response to COVID-19. I’ve had fun, it’s helped my my mental health and it’s great to know that I’ve put a smile on people’s faces for the past month.”

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