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NEWS ARTICLES

Rain Bird’s new Xeri Bug™

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Rain Bird’s new Xeri Bug™: Rain Bird’s new Xeri Bug™ pressure compensating emitter with Check Valve (XBCV) reflects the company’s commitment to the development of products designed to conserve water.

When drip irrigating green walls, sloping landscapes or raised potted plants, a major issue has always been the escape of water and over watering at the base of the installation. Xeri Bug XBCV overcomes these problems, holding back up to three metres of water by simply snapping shut and then keeping the dripline charged and ready for the next irrigation cycle when the pump or water source is stopped.

Rain Bird's new Xeri Bug™

Rain Bird’s new Xeri Bug™

Using the Xeri Bug XBCV emitter is simple. Its self-piercing barb is designed to push quickly into the dripline tubing without the need for a hole punching tool. The emitters can be positioned exactly where they are needed next to any plant to provide irrigation where it is needed at the root base. Versions with flow rates are 2.0, 4.0 or 8.0 litres per hour are available and the pressure-compensating diaphragm ensures uniform delivery through a consistent flow from 1.0 to 3.4 bar.

The Xeri Bug XBCV has a compact, robust and durable design. It is manufactured from highly inert materials that are resistant to chemicals and furthermore its UV-resistance will also extend the life of the emitter. By retaining its charge of water and immediately beginning irrigation, it will reduce cycle times. The self-flushing action prevents clogging and reduces calcium build-up on the inlet.  Products are colour coded for flow rate identification.

Rain Bird’s complementary Point Source Emitter Calculator calculates the Daily Plant Water Requirement (PWR)  providing the number of emitters required to irrigate each individual plant, and the suggest the run time for any point source drip irrigation project.

For more information contact Peter Longman, Rain Bird Europe, plongman@rainbird.eu  www.rainbird.eu

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EFL Pitch Winners Use Mansfield Sand

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EFL Pitch Winners Use Mansfield Sand: The English Football League (EFL) has named the 2021/22 Grounds Teams of the Season, and 8 out of the 10 clubs use Mansfield Sand products on their pitches.

Up and down the country, groundstaff have again worked tirelessly this campaign to maintain pitches across all 72 of the EFL’s clubs. The Grounds Teams of the Season awards recognise the staff who have produced the best quality playing surfaces in each division.

EFL Pitch Winners Use Mansfield Sand

EFL Pitch Winners Use Mansfield Sand

Throughout the season, pitch marks are provided by the referee and the away team manager for all EFL matches. The teams that receive the highest number of marks are then visited by the STRI (Sports Turf Research Institute), where further assessments are carried out.

Once all the club visits have taken place, the reports are submitted to the Playing Surfaces Committee, at which point the winners and the highly commended teams are determined. 8 out of the 10 successful teams use Mansfield Sand products.

Middlesbrough FC, Nottingham Forest FC, Lincoln City FC, Newport County FC, Bradford City FC, and Exeter City FC all use Mansfield Sand’s Fibresand and Ipswich Town FC relies on Mansfield Sand’s MM40 product. Furthermore, League One winners Bolton Wanderers FC use Fibresand on their training pitch.

Mansfield Sand is a company with history and pedigree – in fact, its origins can be traced as far back to 1840. It has been a long-standing pioneer in the development and production of premium sand-based products and boasts the most up-to-date and advanced equipment currently in the industry.

From winter sports pitches, golf courses, bowling greens and all amenity turf areas – Mansfield Sand has a solution for all.

Commenting on the winners, Gary Cunningham, Football & Golf Sales Representative for Mansfield Sand, said: “We would like to say a huge congratulations to all the successful teams and we are honoured that so many of them use our products.

“Groundstaff deserve so much credit for preparing and maintaining the stage on which so many sporting men and women depend for their performance and enjoyment. It is vitally important to recognise and celebrate this highly skilled profession.”

For more information visit www.mansfield-sand.co.uk

You can also follow the company on Twitter – @MansfieldSand and Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MansfieldSandSportSurfaces/

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Ludlow Castle ‘smitten’ with Dennis FT610

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Ludlow Castle ‘smitten’ with Dennis FT610: After trying various mowers, Ludlow Castle Croquet Club has finally found the one it was looking for in the Dennis FT610 interchangeable cassette mower.

Beyond the tennis courts and bowling green, there is a large area of lawn known as the North Field.  It is the home of a small band of croquet enthusiasts and was formed six years ago.  It started with just two founding members, but the croquet club now has a thriving membership which seemed to increase sharply as a result of “Lockdown”.  It plays on two lawns.

Ludlow Castle ‘smitten’ with Dennis FT610

Ludlow Castle ‘smitten’ with Dennis FT610

The North Field was formerly used as grazing land and only recently was bought by the Bowls and Tennis Club to provide, on a part of the field, a permanent car park for the club.  The remaining area lay unused for two years before one of founder members of the croquet club, David Jones, suggested it be mown and croquet played on it.  He persuaded Bob Purcell to join him in this venture.  They took their own mowers to mow the rough grass.

Others soon joined to help; a member of the bowling club, David Davies, arranged for half of the field to be ploughed, harrowed and seeded – this is now known as Lawn 1 and is the flatter of the two lawns.  Another member of the bowling and croquet clubs, John Nash, worked on and improved a 24” cylinder mower that the bowling club had put on a pile of items that were to be discarded.  An enthusiastic mowing group then improved the lawn so much so that it led to the accusation that it was really a mowing club that occasionally played croquet.  Bob Purcell, who leads this group, certainly leaves no stone unturned when it comes to lawn maintenance, and there were many stones to remove after the ploughing and harrowing.

“As a group, we work very hard to ensure we have the best possible playing surface,” he said.  “Having the right mower is key and we’ve certainly tried a few over the year.  A generous grant from the Mid Counties Co-Op then allowed us to purchase a more up to date cylinder mower from a professional manufacturer, but we found that it just could not cut low enough, and it didn’t deal too well with our bumpy lawn.”

Whether it was borrowed, repaired, or bought, the club has long been searching for a mower that would help him to produce a fine surface for this much loved and quintessentially English game.

“Discussions continued among the members and we agreed to try out a 13-bladed cylinder mower; it was good but then Dennis came along.  A demonstration was quickly arranged and we saw a couple of mowers and the one that stood out for us was the 24” version of the FT cassette system.”

The Dennis FT610, along with other models in the FT series, has become the ‘must have’ piece of turf maintenance machinery at bowling clubs around the country. With a 24″ working width, the FT610 provides its user with comfort, flexibility and excellent performance. A true sense of control is obtained through the unique roller clutch drive for a smooth take-up and a variable clip rate helping to create the desired finish.

Available with five-bladed and ten-bladed cutting cylinders the machine can be matched to any situation and the interchangeable cassettes can be changed without the requirement of any tools. The range of 12 different cassettes mean that one machine can be used for several key maintenance tasks including scarifying, verticutting or brushing.

“We chose the FT610 over the FT510 purely because it has a larger working width, which helps us to mow the lawn quicker,” he said. “The ten-bladed cylinder provides a great finish, and we are currently cutting down to 7mm three days a week having started at 11mm. We have also ordered the verticutter cassette to help us get rid of the lateral growth, so I’m looking forward to using that.”

“I know it is a minor feature, but we all really appreciate how the FT610 starts first time every time – it is really quite remarkable. The mowing group also like the way the height of cut can be adjusted without using any tools, it is just a simple turn and a click adjustment. On our previous mowers it has always been difficult to adjust the cutting height which required the use of tools.

“I was particularly keen to use a British company, and I’m pleased we chose Dennis,” continued Bob. “In many ways we are smitten with Dennis.  The next stage is to begin the process to achieve a truly level surface”

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact Dennis 01332 824 777 or visit www.dennisuk.com

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

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Two new Agrovista Amenity Apprentices

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Two new Agrovista Amenity Apprentices: Agrovista Amenity has announced the appointment of two new apprentices – Sophie Allen and William Gray.

Sophie joins the company as a Trainee Business Support Administrator and will be working towards an NVQ Level 3 in Business Administration. As a keen cricketer and a volunteer groundsperson at her local cricket club, Sophie was already aware of Agrovista before applying for the position.

Two new Agrovista Amenity Apprentices

Two new Agrovista Amenity Apprentices

“Whether it is rolling, marking, spiking or renovating, I really enjoy preparing the cricket pitches and maintaining them so that they are ready for our teams to play on,” she said. “This work has provided me with a lot of knowledge about the company because we get all our products from Agrovista Amenity.

“This is a fantastic opportunity and I’m really looking forward to starting a brand-new career which will hopefully be long-lasting.”

When Sophie is not at her cricket club, she likes to keep active and go on long walks with her ‘crazy’ puppy.

William is the newest addition to the sales team and is three weeks into his apprenticeship. He joins the company with a great knowledge in IT and communications, which he gained through education and various work experience. In his spare time William is a keen swimmer and a fan of history, who enjoys visiting ruins and museums.

Commenting on his new role, William said: “I get the impression that Agrovista is very up to date and progressive with the market it operates in and covers a wide range of products where I could gain new and interesting knowledge. I am also thrilled to learn about commercial exporting as I find it very interesting in how goods are transported in and out of the UK.

“I am looking forward to being able to assist my team and increase productivity. My new team is a big factor and have been excellent at making me feel welcome – so a big thank you to them.”

Dan Hughes, Head of Commercial for Agrovista Amenity, revealed his delight at welcoming Sophie and William to the team.

“As an employer, nothing is more rewarding than providing young, talented, and ambitious people an exciting career opportunity.

“With amenity being such a niche sector, both Sophie and William have the opportunity to harness specialist skills and knowledge for a successful career. We are fortunate to have a team and organisational culture that prides itself on helping, knowledge sharing and progressing committed team members and that is vital to our ethos and business success.”

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

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Kubota tractor wins at top equestrian venue

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Kubota tractor wins at top equestrian venue: Equestrian sport is quite literally riding high in Britain – with Team GB winning medals in dressage, showjumping and eventing at the Tokyo Olympics, the passion for horses has never been greater.

Specialist riding arena surfaces have transformed the possibilities for venues wishing to offer training and competition opportunities all-year round, but require regular, skilled maintenance. A leading venue in Leicestershire has invested in a Kubota L-1382 compact tractor to help them achieve this.

Kubota tractor wins at top equestrian venue

Kubota tractor wins at top equestrian venue

Vale View Equestrian offers extensive facilities for all three disciplines: a state-of-the-art all-weather cross-country arena which replicates the terrain and obstacle challenges of a grass course plus its adjacent practice arenas span 2.5 acres. Then there are 66x26m and 70x30m indoor arenas ideal for show jumping and dressage, plus two other large outdoor arenas and a new lunge pen.

“The surfaces have to be harrowed every day, in preparation for events and during them,” explains Julie Hyslop, who founded Vale View Equestrian with husband Mark and daughter Emma Hyslop-Webb. “We have used a quad bike in the past but it lacked the power needed and became unreliable. The special sand mixture contains wax, which makes it difficult to pull through, but we are renowned by the leading riders for the quality of our surfaces, so we have to be able to harrow and level effectively.”

Local Kubota dealer Farmstar had previously supplied an F Series front mower which is used to cut grass areas around the site, so Mark approached the company to source a tractor.

“We were originally interested in a smaller tractor, but Farmstar suggested the 38hp L-1382 and it was the right choice to give enough power to pull the harrow,” he explains. “Yet it is very manoeuvrable with its hydrostatic transmission and power steering – we can even harrow around the jumps during a break in the showjumping competitions to ensure that we are offering the ideal footing to every competitor.”

The tractor is driven by a several members of staff including Olivia Toone and Fran Segalov who have a varied roles in the business, and two part-time groundsmen who set up the arenas with jumps or dressage markers.

“It’s a big plus that the tractor is so straightforward that anyone can drive it,” comments Mark. “Access for daily checks is also very quick and logical.”

While the L-1382 is kept busy with the harrow much of the time, it has also been deployed to move trailers carrying showjumps and portable cross country fences. Emma says that it will be used for a wider range of tasks in the equestrian centre’s grazing paddocks in the future.

“It will be really useful for topping up water troughs, manure clearance and maintenance of fencing in the future.”

“It’s the perfect equestrian tractor in our opinion,” she says.

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