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Industry Experts and Cutting-Edge Content Confirmed for TurfTech

Industry Experts and Cutting-Edge Content Confirmed for TurfTech

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Industry Experts and Cutting-Edge Content Confirmed for TurfTech

The programme is taking shape for TurfTech 2026, with an impressive line-up of speakers and technical sessions now confirmed for the two-day summit, taking place at Brighton & Hove Albion FC’s AMEX Stadium on 1 and 2 October 2026.

Industry Experts and Cutting-Edge Content Confirmed for TurfTech

Industry Experts and Cutting-Edge Content Confirmed for TurfTech

Bringing together some of the most respected names in sports turf, science and technology, the event promises practical insights, pioneering research and innovative solutions for turf professionals.

Created by experienced turf professionals, TurfTech was established to bridge the gap between technological innovation and the real-world challenges faced by grounds teams.

The summit has quickly become the leading event for those looking to stay ahead of developments in elite turf management, with an emphasis on practical knowledge that delegates can take back to their own facilities.

Among the headline speakers is Fabio Travaini, CEO and co-founder of FlexGrass, who will share his expertise in the development of hybrid sports surfaces following more than 15 years of innovation in the sector. Joining him is Olivier Courot from IAGE, whose keynote session, How to Manage Grey Leaf Spot in an Elite Stadium: Detect Sooner, Treat Smarter and Spend Less, will explore how advanced biological diagnostics are helping turf managers identify disease before symptoms become visible.

The programme also features Dr Richard Earl of Labosport UK, who will demonstrate how pitch design directly influences drainage, moisture movement and long-term surface performance, while John Coleman, Managing Director of Advanced Turf Technology (ATT), brings decades of practical and technical expertise to the summit.

Industry Experts and Cutting-Edge Content Confirmed for TurfTech

Industry Experts and Cutting-Edge Content Confirmed for TurfTech

Delegates will gain valuable agronomic knowledge from Kelly-Marie Clack of Origin Amenity Solutions, who will discuss successful football pitch grow-in strategies, alongside Anne Mette Dahl Jensen from DLF, who will examine the benefits of tetraploid ryegrass and its role in producing resilient, high-performing sports turf.

Innovation continues to be a central theme throughout the event. Jake Browning from Wessex International will introduce the company’s latest autonomous and interchangeable turf management technologies, while Simon Watson from ICL will explain the science behind new approaches to turf stress management.

Also joining the speaker line-up is Clément Bodin, Managing Director of Natural Grass, who will explore one of the biggest challenges facing modern sports turf – adapting to increasingly extreme weather conditions. Drawing on this summer’s exceptional weather in France, his presentation will examine how sports pitches can become more resilient while reducing their dependence on water. Delegates will also learn about Aquaflow, Natural Grass’s innovative water management technology, which is helping to reduce water consumption, limit disease pressure and strengthen turf resilience. Already deployed on more than 15 elite pitches over the past two years, the technology is delivering measurable results in real-world conditions.

Presentations from GrassMax, Raw Stadia, Net World Sports and Stogger Turf Care will showcase the latest thinking on hybrid systems, global stadium standards, sports equipment, lighting technology and sustainability.

In addition, delegates will hear from Phil Fifield of Brighton & Hove Albion FC, alongside experts from PARADELLO, Orion Future Technology, ProPitch Ltd, Precision Turf LLC and Helvaterra, further strengthening an already outstanding educational programme.

With an unrivalled blend of science, technology and practical experience, TurfTech 2026 is set to deliver two days of learning, discussion and networking for professionals responsible for the performance and future of sports turf.

Register free for TurfTech 2026 by visiting www.turftechsummit.com

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Ransomes Jacobsen Limited Introduces Ransomes MP670

Ransomes Jacobsen Limited Introduces Ransomes MP670

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Ransomes Jacobsen Limited Introduces Ransomes MP670

Ransomes Jacobsen Limited, a Textron Inc. company and part of the Textron Specialized Vehicles business, announces the Ransomes MP670 Wide Area Commercial Rotary Mower. The Ransomes MP670 is a versatile mowing solution designed to efficiently maintain expansive turf areas, delivering enhanced productivity, performance and operator comfort for municipalities, contractors, sports facilities and other large-area turf maintenance operations.

Ransomes Jacobsen Limited Introduces Ransomes MP670

Ransomes Jacobsen Limited Introduces Ransomes MP670

The MP670 combines flexible cutting configurations, advanced traction capabilities and intuitive controls to help operators maximize productivity across a wide range of applications. The MP670 features three individually controlled rotary decks that allow operators to adapt the machine to varying mowing environments, from large municipal fields and sports complexes to narrower areas where full-width mowing is not required. Available cutting widths of up to 4.39 meters (173 inches) and cutting capacities of up to 5.7 hectares per hour (14 acres per hour) help operators efficiently maintain large turf areas while delivering a consistent finish. The MP670 features a transport width of only 1.72 meters (68 inches), allowing it to move nimbly through large campuses and complexes. Direct-drive hydraulic decks reduce maintenance requirements and provide reliable performance across a variety of operating conditions.

At the heart of the MP670 is a 48.6 kW (65.2 hp) Kubota turbo diesel engine paired with the SureTrac hydrostatic four-wheel-drive traction system, providing the power and traction needed for demanding commercial mowing applications.

Operator comfort is central to the MP670’s design. The machine features an ISO-mounted operator platform with a full-suspension high-backed seat, ergonomic controls, hydraulic power steering and cruise control, and a full-colour display that provides key operating information, diagnostics and machine settings. An available climate-controlled operator cab with SureAir air conditioning and heating further enhances operator comfort throughout long workdays and in changing weather conditions.

To help operators work confidently in a variety of conditions, the MP670 incorporates Ransomes’ Tilt Sensor Technology, which helps maintain safe working angles on slopes.

For more information about the MP670 and the complete line of Ransomes turf maintenance equipment, visit http://www.ransomes.com.

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Suståne partnership delivers more than just reliable product

Suståne partnership delivers more than just reliable product

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Suståne partnership delivers more than just reliable product

While ground conditions at Ferndown Forest may fluctuate between extremes of wet and dry, one thing that has remained consistent at the Dorset club for many years is the use of granular feed from Suståne. In a greenkeeping career that may not have been conventional, but has so far spanned more than two decades, Jon Hatt praises not just the reliability of the products but the honest, trusted advice from the Suståne team which helps them to deliver proven results season after season.

Suståne partnership delivers more than just reliable product

Suståne partnership delivers more than just reliable product

The picturesque Ferndown Forest course is characterised by its flat terrain, mature surroundings and two streams that border the property. As a former estate agent, Jon knows a thing or two about property, but admits his knowledge of golf course maintenance was rather limited when he joined Ferndown as a seasonal temp 26 years ago! “I had no greenkeeping training or experience but really enjoyed just learning on the job.” Establishing a career for himself on the course, he stepped into the Head Greenkeeper role nine years ago.

Key to his success, he says, has been building a network of knowledgeable people in the industry – with Suståne playing a significant role. “One of the very first people I met when I started here was Dave Smart, a representative for Suståne. We were already using the products then and the relationship has simply carried on ever since” Jon explains. More recently, Suståne’s Russell Riley has been on hand with trusted advice. “He’s always popped in regularly and is on the phone if I’ve got questions. I know with him I’ll get honest, practical advice and while I’m still learning all the time, that level of trust and support makes a huge difference.”

The longstanding partnership between Ferndown Forest and Suståne has seen their products become a key part of the greens maintenance strategy, with Jon using Suståne 5-2-4+Fe granular as the cornerstone to the club’s nutritional programme. “We apply this roughly every four weeks and it just works” he says. “It greens everything up, keeps the soil supplied with the nutrients it needs and delivers reliable results even with the variable weather conditions.”

Suståne 5-2-4+Fe granular provides a steady, balanced release of nutrients, helping to support consistent growth and plant health without excessive flushes of growth. Its organic-based formulation delivers soil health and dependability throughout the growing season.

“It’s easy to apply and, by now, the whole team know exactly what we’re going to get from every bag.” He concludes, “When you’ve got a product that consistently performs and support behind it that is always willing to help, we have absolutely no reason to look at anything else.”

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How Nature-Minded Greenkeepers Are Transforming Golf Courses

How Nature-Minded Greenkeepers Are Transforming Golf Courses

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How Nature-Minded Greenkeepers Are Transforming Golf Courses

An award-winning golf club near London has won plaudits from bee and butterfly experts by transforming rough into nectar-rich wildflower meadows.

How Nature-Minded Greenkeepers Are Transforming Golf Courses

How Nature-Minded Greenkeepers Are Transforming Golf Courses

Featured in a new episode of YouTube series The Green Report by Syngenta – broadcast to mark International Thank a Greenkeeper Day on September 8 – nature-conscious greenkeepers Matt Aplin and Melissa Winkworth at Goring & Streatley Golf Club explain how they have created 7.5 hectares of habitat perfect for pollinating insects.

According to local beekeeper Rob Nickless of Meadow Honey Farm, the golf course, which sits on chalk downland in the Thames Valley, is his most productive cropping site, yielding hundreds of jars of honey and making the club more than £20,000 in revenue, all reinvested into further biodiversity projects.

“Most people expect golf courses to be green deserts,” said Nickless. “Far from it. There are fantastic amounts of flowering plants here and it is beautiful natural forage for the bees.”

Syngenta established Operation Pollinator to address the decline in natural habitats and pollinator numbers. Active in 41 countries, the initiative is estimated to have restored biodiversity across more than eight million hectares of unused land.

Simon Elsworth of Syngenta said: “Pollinators as a group are critical to the environment and for the production of our food. Without pollinators much of the world’s food wouldn’t exist, or would be produced much more inefficiently.

“What Matt, Melissa and the team here have done here is a real exemplar. By taking some areas out of high maintenance and allowing them to regenerate into areas for biodiversity, it reduces the labour requirements and enables the team to spend more time on the in-play areas, creating brilliant playing experiences for customers.”

Like many greenkeepers around the world, the team at Goring & Streatley care passionately about the golf courses they manage and the environment they work in.

Melissa Winkworth, Deputy Course Manager, whose interest in ecology kick-started the biodiversity projects at the club, said: “It’s great to see how far we’ve come and how people have bought into it. Now, we are always looking to see where we can add wildflowers.”

Course Manager Matt Aplin confirmed further projects are planned, funded by sales of honey.

“We look at things completely differently now,” he said. “We’re looking to create an orchard close to the beehives where we are going to plant around 150 apple, plum, pear and cherry trees which will be pollinated by the bees and harvest the fruit to use in the clubhouse.”

The episode release coincides with International Thank A Greenkeeper Day, an annual campaign recognizing the hard work and dedication of turf management professionals worldwide.

The Green Report docuseries recently surpassed 100,000 views, providing a global platform for leading course superintendents to showcase practical environmental stewardship and progressive land management.

The full episode is available to watch now on YouTube.

Get involved

Golf clubs and sports facilities interested in joining Operation Pollinator can register at: https://turf.syngentaturflandscape.com/en-gb/operation-pollinator

To watch all episodes of The Green Report and access case studies on sustainable golf, visit syngentagolf.comsyngentagolf.com

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Avant Tecno expands UK coverage

Avant Tecno expands UK coverage

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Avant Tecno expands UK coverage

Manufacturer of compact multifunctional loaders, Avant Tecno, have announced the appointment of Charlies Ag & Turf as a new authorised dealer, strengthening their coverage and customer support across Wales.

Avant Tecno expands UK coverage

Avant Tecno expands UK coverage

Through the new partnership with the Welsh supplier of agricultural and grounds care machinery, Avant Tecno are able to provide a better service to customers, improving local sales and aftersales support, increasing machine availability and strengthening parts and service coverage within the Mid Wales region.

“Charlies Ag & Turf has built an excellent reputation within the agricultural, grounds care and machinery sectors, with a strong customer-focused approach that aligns closely with our values at Avant. This new appointment represents an important step in strengthening our dealer network and further improving the support, accessibility and customer experience we provide across the UK” says Raimo Ala-Korpi, Managing Director of Avant Tecno UK.

Due to the growing demand of Avant loaders and attachments across British agriculture, equestrian, landscaping, construction and municipal sectors, the company has sought to invest in stronger regional representation by expanding their UK dealer network.

“We’re pleased to be joining the Avant Tecno dealer network and adding their world-renowned, multifunctional loaders to our fleet! Stocking various of their attachments that are purpose-built for specialist task, Avant machines offer outstanding versatility and will help enhance productivity for both our agricultural and turf customers” says Harry Jones, Territory Sales Manager at Charlies Ag & Turf.

Founded in Finland in 1991, Avant Tecno are the world’s first producer of the compact loader – a multifunctional machine built to tackle a wide range of tasks with ease and efficiency.

With over 200 attachments designed to meet the needs of their customers, Avant loaders support productivity across construction, plant hire, agriculture, landscaping, equestrian and property maintenance applications.

Part of the Charlies Stores Group, Charlies Ag & Turf Ltd are a dealer of agricultural and turf products, operating from their depot in Coed Y Dinas, Welshpool.

“Welcome to the Avant family Charlies Ag & Turf, we look forward to working together to continue growing the Avant brand throughout Mid Wales and beyond!” concludes Raimo.

For more information about Avant Tecno, visit https://www.avanttecno.com/uk

For more information about Charlies Ag & Turf, visit https://www.charliesagturf.co.uk/

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

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