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NEWS ARTICLES

Först diesel chippers approved

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Först diesel chippers approved: For those customers looking to enhance their environmental credentials, Först’s diesel woodchippers fitted with Doosan engines are now approved for use with HVO fuel. HVO (or hydrotreated vegetable oil) is a paraffinic diesel fuel which offers a significant reduction in net greenhouse gas emissions.

Following a period of substantial testing and consulting with Doosan, Först are pleased to confirm that their Doosan engine machines are all now certified for use with HVO fuel. Available from most fuel wholesalers, HVO eliminates up to 90% of net CO2 as well as significantly reducing nitrogen oxide (NOx), particulate matter (PM) and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions.

Först diesel chippers approved

Först diesel chippers approved

With such a strong focus on climate change in all industries globally, the opportunity to switch to greener fuels is an attractive one, especially when coupled with the power and performance of Först’s diesel wheeled and tracked woodchippers.

Först’s Senior Engineer, Gary Wheelband, says of the new fuel option:

“We’re extremely pleased to enable Först customers to switch to a more environmentally friendly fuel option without the need for any additional investment in fuel storage or infrastructure, and with no compromise on the performance our woodchippers are known for. The benefits of HVO aren’t just related to sustainability – it can be bulk stored, is cheaper than pump fuel and has a much longer shelf life than diesel or petrol.”

The Först machines approved for use with HVO fuel are the ST6D42 and ST8D55 in the wheeled woodchipper range and the TR6D42, TR8D55 and the XR8D in the tracked woodchipper line up. Först offer a comprehensive 3 year warranty and sell direct in England and Wales, and through an approved dealer network in 20 other countries.

For more information visit www.forstglobal.com or call +44 1264 721790

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Huxley partners with Honourable Company

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Huxley partners with Honourable Company: Huxley Golf was extremely proud to collaborate with The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers Muirfield this autumn.

The Honourable Company commissioned Huxley Golf to create an all-weather practice tee of the highest calibre for what is one of the world’s most prestigious Clubs dating back to 1744. Known for its masterful layout and stunning location, the course remains as challenging today as it ever was.

Huxley partners with Honourable Company

Huxley partners with Honourable Company

Having hosted the Open Championship 16 times, it will continue to make history when it welcomes the world’s top female golfers for its first AIG Women’s Open Championship in 2022.

The Huxley Golf team, led by Hugh Fraser for this project, replaced an existing hard practice area with a new and expansive all-weather one, measuring 12ft (3.6m) by 138ft (42m). The company’s renowned Premier Tee Turf 2 was used to update the facility to be the best that it could be. This surface has an exquisitely dense pile which provides an attractive and hardwearing surface that is quiet, comfortable and realistic to play off. The installation was carried out on schedule in just a couple of days and, of course, golfers could enjoy the facility immediately.

Course Manager, Colin Irvine, commented, “We pride ourselves on the quality of our facilities and service and are focused on ensuring that members and visitors alike have an enjoyable and memorable time, every time they visit. That’s why we have taken the opportunity to update our practice area, thus ensuring that the customer experience on all aspects of our beautiful course is second to none.

“I had not worked with Huxley Golf before but I knew from my industry peers that the company has the best all-weather golf surfaces on the market so I was confident they would be the perfect match for us here at Muirfield.

“I am absolutely thrilled with the result. It looks good and it plays well. I have no doubt that our members and visitors will appreciate the exceptional quality of this specialised golf surface which offers a realistic grass-like feel to the golfer.

“I was also delighted with the overall service delivered by Huxley Golf. From initial enquiry through to completion, I received efficient, reliable and friendly support throughout. Huxley Golf has my unreserved endorsement, and I would be pleased to call on them again.”

Hugh Fraser added, “It was a great privilege for us to be selected by The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers to help the team there realise their ambition for their practice area which I’m sure will help to draw generation after generation to this most revered sporting venue.”

For over half a century, the name Huxley has been synonymous with premium all-weather golf surfaces and products. Endorsed by the UK’s leading golf organisations as well as many legendary golfers and celebrities and their coaching teams, the Hampshire-based company’s artificial golf surfaces are in use all around the world at top-flight courses, resorts, and training academies. For more information visit www.huxleygolf.com

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Fight against the Garden Chafer

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Fight against the Garden Chafer: International Pheromone Systems is looking for trial sites as part of its work to develop lures and traps to help monitor and control an insect pest that is menacing golf courses, race courses, amenity gardens and parks across much of the UK.

Dr Sam Jones, Technical Manager for IPS, explains: “Garden Chafer beetles are turf pests and are most problematic in locations where turf must be kept pristine.

Fight against the Garden Chafer

Fight against the Garden Chafer

“While adults can cause some damage from feeding it is the grubs (larvae) that are the most damaging as they feed and develop on the roots of the grass. In certain locations populations of the Garden Chafer can proliferate. There has been an increasing demand for an environmentally friendly, biocontrol method of managing these pests particularly following the ban of some pesticides. We estimate that a typical golf course would probably need 8 – 12 traps to efficiently monitor for these pests, dependent upon size, shape and planting.”

Monitoring provides early warning of a pest’s presence and identifies areas to be targeted, rather than treatments being applied to large regions where the beetle may not be present. Any trials would be expected to take place between May and July when the pests are usually most abundant.

“We don’t have a pheromone for either the Garden Chafer or the Welsh Chafer, so we currently use plant derived attractants which in the case of the Garden Chafer are floral odours. The hope is that our new lure formats will attract both species. This work will later be extended to the less damaging pests, the Rose Chafer and the Cockchafer,” Sam added.

Chafer larvae are distinguished by their “C” shaped body, which is white with a pale brown head. Garden chafer larvae reach up to 15 mm long when fully grown. Larvae feed on the roots of grasses which results in the formation of patches. Damage is often exacerbated by badgers and crows which like to dig into the turf to feed on the larvae.

“Damaged turf on sports pitches can sometimes impact on player welfare. Once weakened the turf may not provide adequate traction which can result in increased slips and falls and potential player injury.

“As well as injuries there can be loss of revenue for the facility if a sporting event has to be cancelled and the capital costs of replacing the damaged turf can often be substantial,” Sam explains.

International Pheromone Systems offers a nature-based approach and specialist knowledge for natural and safe solutions to monitor and manage pests in agricultural and domestic environments.

The company’s highly skilled entomologists find solutions from nature itself. Together with universities, scientific partners and growers, the IPS team works to find natural solutions to help reduce pesticide use and support integrated pest management (IPM) in agriculture, horticulture and forestry businesses.

A healthier, safer and more productive environment is achieved by using the natural behaviour of pests and finding the right pheromone combination and trapping solution specific to a particular species.

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Knapsack sprayer best practice

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Knapsack sprayer best practice: A new initiative between leading land-based training body Lantra and sprayer specialists Hozelock-Exel aims to raise operator awareness of the mechanics of knapsack sprayers to improve performance and longevity of equipment.

Raising operator awareness of the importance of sprayer maintenance is a key priority for both Lantra and Hozelock-Exel in what is a drive to reverse the throwaway culture endemic in the industry.

Knapsack sprayer best practice

Knapsack sprayer best practice

Units available to trainers include the Berthoud 16l capacity Vermorel 2000 Comfort, the 20l Cooper Pegler CP3 Evolution and giant telescopic lances, particularly helpful for arb applications.

Robert Tabor, Chief Operating Officer for Lantra Awards, stressed the importance of maintenance to the effectiveness of spraying and sprayer lifetimes: “It’s only by working closely with industry experts, including manufactures like Hozelock, that we’re able keep in touch with current industry requirements and trends and tailor our training appropriately.

“Our Instructors are key in ensuring relevant industry comment is fed into our development process.  Discussions between our Instructor, Doug Price, and Allan of Hozelock, have highlighted an opportunity for potentially including a maintenance module to some of sprayer courses – a great example of effective partnership in practice”

Continuing the theme, Hozelock UK National Account Manager Allan Wainwright said: “Sprayer lifetimes can be considerably extended by operators ensuring they complete checks regularly, especially before storing sprayers for winter and preparing them for work in spring.

“Contractors should avoid viewing professional sprayers as items disposable as soon as there’s a hitch. The more operators know about how sprayers work, the more likely they are to be able to diagnose and rectify any functionality issues.”

Hozelock-Exel is committed to a programme of product support for trainers and instructors nationwide to extend knowledge of knapsack and compression sprayers.

Lantra instructor Doug Price commented: “As a freelance instructor, constantly moving from place to place, I can feel a bit isolated. But the background support I receive by being part of the Lantra team makes me feel less of a `lone wolf`.

“Their industry links are invaluable,” he added, “and this latest initiative with Hozelock-Exel is a prime example of the backing Lantra provide and the mutual respect both have for each other’s brand.

“As an instructor, I’m excited with the link-up and am only too happy to promote such reliable and effective knapsack sprayers.I look forward to christening mine soon.”

Allan concluded: “I believe that Lantra’s network of fully qualified trainers will be able to inject know-how of sprayer function in a way that will allow students to engage more completely with what are vital products in the groundscare sector.”

www.lantra.co.uk

www.cooper-pegler.com

www.berthoud.fr/en/

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Leicester chooses John Deere technology

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Leicester chooses John Deere technology: Based at Leicester City Football Club’s new state-of-the-art training facility in Seagrave, north Leicestershire, the club’s Sports Turf Academy aims to inspire the next generation of sports turf students by offering an elite training environment, with access to the latest technology and expertise.

The Academy is built around four distinct pillars – Education & Training, Technical Services, Tournament Support and Trials & Research – to support the development, diversification and professionalisation of the sports turf industry.

Leicester chooses John Deere technology

Leicester chooses John Deere technology

The 185-acre complex at Seagrave has 21 playing surfaces in total, including 14 full-size pitches – one indoors in the King Power Centre – and two show pitches for use in selected matches by the club’s Development Squad and Academy. There is also a 9-hole private golf course, for use by players and staff.

These are now being maintained by a new fleet of 32 John Deere sprayers, mowers, compact tractors and Gator utility vehicles supplied by local dealer Farol Ltd at Hinckley, which will also be supported by the dealership’s brand new outlet at Newark.

Machines include two GPS PrecisionSprayers based on the ProGator utility vehicle, 8000E and 2750E hybrid electric ride-on cylinder mowers, 7700A PrecisionCut cylinder and 7400A TerrainCut rotary ride-on mowers with TechControl display, a 1600T wide-area rotary mower, X950R rear-collect lawn tractor and Z997R zero-turn rotaries, 2036R and 3038R compacts, and TE electric and XUV 855 plus 855 S4 Gators.

Leicester City FC bought the first of the new environmentally friendly John Deere sprayers to be delivered to a non-golf customer in the UK, as part of the package agreement.

“The Sports Turf Academy is designed to be a hub of innovation and professional development,” says John Ledwidge, Leicester City FC’s head of sports turf & grounds. “Our aim is to be world leaders in the training and education of the current and next generation of sports turf and grounds staff, while applying that learning to live working environments. As well as creating a world-class facility at our new training ground, we aspire to be world-class in the way we operate.

“Adopting this new precision technology from John Deere will help in our aim to be as efficient and environmentally sustainable as possible in everything we do. There were many reasons for choosing the sprayer, the chief one being accuracy. It means we can apply exactly what is required without overspraying or overspending.”

The training grounds and golf course are maintained to the highest standards by 18 pitch staff, 10 garden and landscaping staff and four greenkeepers, led by John Ledwidge and senior sports turf & grounds manager Callum Allsop. There are also four staff based in the well-equipped workshop, including two apprentices, with the machinery fleet monitored by workshop manager Chris Minton and his deputy Colin Barkby using the TurfKeeper web portal.

“Knowing that we needed to make a very significant investment in new equipment, we went through a very robust, rigorous and transparent tender process,” says John. “We invited all the key players to demonstrate their latest, greatest and best machines, and the whole process ended up taking almost a year to complete – it was extremely thorough.

“Aside from the basic transaction, it was just as important for us to be able to establish a long-term relationship with the chosen supplier. It became clear after visiting John Deere’s UK HQ at Langar, where we were given a very comprehensive presentation by the company and the dealership, that their values and aspirations aligned very much with ours.

“My deputy Callum, working closely with Chris, was instrumental in bringing all the tender documentation and figures together, looking particularly at machine usability and serviceability. All the grounds and workshop staff completed feedback forms, so everyone was invested in the process and contributed to the final decision.

“The final choice was then presented to and approved by all the club’s Board of directors, including communications, finance, operations and the procurement team. All involved were impressed by the efforts and lengths that John Deere and Farol went to before the deal was signed – ultimately the decision was a very easy one for us to make.”

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