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NEWS ARTICLES

New Infinicut Territory Sales Manager

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New Infinicut Territory Sales Manager: Stephen Shaw has been announced as the new Territory Sales Manager for the INFINICUT® and TMSystem™ product ranges.

A well-known industry face, Stephen returns to the UK after spending the last 10 years of his career in Qatar, to support the continued growth of the collections, in use at leading golf venues and sports stadia worldwide.

New Infinicut Territory Sales Manager

New Infinicut Territory Sales Manager

In Qatar, Stephen worked at a main Toro dealership and Doha Golf Club, before taking on the role of Machinery Division Manager at Nakheel Landscapes which is where, over the last three years, he worked alongside John Coleman of INFINICUT® to spec machinery for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. When travel restrictions came into force earlier in the year, Stephen returned to his roots in Northumberland and the opportunity arose to use his acquired knowledge to support to dealers and customers across the North of England, Scotland and Ireland – along with spearheading exports and the construction of a worldwide dealer network.

“Joining the INFINICUT® team is hugely exciting” comments Stephen. “It is a quality British-built product, driven by technology that demonstrates a real understanding of what is required by today’s turf care professionals. It quickly became evident to me, working together with John and the INFINICUT® product, that this range is very much the future of the mower industry. Their engineering prowess continues across the multi-functional TMSystem™ collection, which delivers versatility, durability and precision to a wide variety of turf maintenance activities.”

Although Stephen only joined in the middle of September, he has already utilised his many international connections to remotely establish dealers in India, Thailand and South Korea and he looks forward to supporting these, and others, with product and sales training as and when travel restrictions ease.

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Updating events to be run online

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Updating events to be run online: At the start of each year the Amenity Forum run a series of free updating events for all involved or with an interest in amenity management.

These normally take place at venues across the UK and have been very well received. Given the current restrictions, opportunity to run these in the traditional way has been lost but the Forum are going ahead with them but online. The same technology will be used as for the Forum’s very successful conference held in October.

Updating events to be run online

Updating events to be run online

The format will be very similar to normal, with the programme starting at 10.15 and concluding by 12.30pm. There will be opportunity for questions and all the current issues will be covered. 2021 sees the UK fully depart from the EEU bringing with its new regulations on plant protection products. The UK is also issuing a new national action plan relating to amenity management in 2021. Just these two items present challenges and opportunities. The events also give opportunity to catch up on new developments and innovations and what is required to meet the Amenity Standard, set to become a requirement in future.

Whilst the content of each event will be broadly the same, each will have a particular nation focus. The dates are given below, and each event is free to attend but pre-registration is required. If you would like to register or receive further information, please contact admin@amenityforum.net Full programmes for each event will be available early in 2021.

February 9th            England

February 11th      Wales

February 23rd         England

February 25th     Northern Ireland

March 4th             Scotland

Professor John Moverley OBE, Independent Chairman of the Forum, said ‘As I often say, what happens in amenity management impacts upon every UK citizen every day seeking to provide safe and healthy spaces fit for purpose. The importance of this has never been more apparent in the last year. Our Updating events are always popular and relevant, but this year is set to be more than ever. There is much change around and how we address this will be vital’

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Green light for green weed control

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Green light for green weed control: Greentown Environmental Ltd and Weedingtech’s Foamstream have been chosen by Dublin City Council for the provision of herbicide weed control across the Dublin City area.

It is the first contract of its kind in Ireland, with the council making the bold decision to move away from herbicide-based weed control and seek greener alternatives. Greentown has been carrying out weed control for Dublin City Council since 2010, initially as a subcontractor before securing the principal contractor role in 2014.  Greentown is a weed control company, not a chemical company, and in 2017 they started exploring glyphosate alternatives.

Green light for green weed control

Green light for green weed control

In 2018 they trialled several chemical-free methods and Foamstream was the clear winner.  With a strong belief in this product, Managing Director John-Ross Armstrong decided to heavily invest in the equipment required to carry out this service to its full potential. “We are responsible weed control providers and we wanted to source a viable alternative, so we have this as an option to offer our clients.” He says. “We are conscious that there has been a shift towards greener methods, and we wanted to ensure we have a solution and that we are the market leader.”

Foamstream is an innovative approach to weed control and has the desired benefit of being completely herbicide free.  Its patented low-pressure process combines heat with biodegradable foam, making it safe for use around people, animals, and delicate environments.  The foam is created through a mixture of plant oils, wheat proteins, and sugars. It is supplied by Furlong Equipment, the exclusive importer and distributor of the solution to help organisations in Ireland make outdoor areas greener, cleaner and safer. They customise the machines for county councils and public works and, for Greentown, modified the skid unit to load on the truck, and added an extendable boom.

A representative of Dublin City Council was asked why the council made this decision.

“Action 9 of The Dublin City Biodiversity Action Plan 2015-2020 states the Council should: ‘Prepare and implement a pesticide reduction strategy within Dublin City Council.  The use of herbicides and pesticides by Dublin City Council will be examined, minimizing, and where possible, eliminating their use. This will require a clear and well-thought-out series of actions, which does not entail an overnight switch to a new regime, but rather a structured step-by-step approach. However, as part of the Dublin City Biodiversity Action Plan 2015-2020, Dublin City Council will develop a transparent strategy for minimizing pesticide use, which will be an exemplar for other organizations and authorities within the City’. As part of this minimisation programme, Dublin City Council sought tenders for alternatives methods for the control of weeds other than the use of glyphosate in line with Dublin City Council Biodiversity Plan.”

The method behind Foamstream is the longer a plant is kept in the kill zone (temperatures above 57˚C) the better.  By providing a layer of foam to the water, its acts as an insulator and holds the heat from the water in the kill zone for long enough to penetrate the leaf’s waxy outer layer, and travel down the stem and into the roots. This severely damages the plant, either killing it or causing it to die back.  The main benefits to using this kind of treatment are used in all weathers, on any surface, all-year-round. It delivers instantly visible results and is herbicide free.

“Foamstream is a great alternative to traditional methods. It has immediate effects on roadside verge weeds and uses organic means to do so.” Says Dineka Maguire, Greentown’s Dublin Divisional Manager. The weeds overtime then decompose naturally leaving streets weed-free.  The public have responded positively to this service and are delighted to see an alternative to herbicide-based methods. Members of the public are at first curious as to how the machine works, however, once we engage with them, they are delighted we are Foamstreaming their streets.”

More information can be obtained by calling Weedingtech on +44(0)2039090050
info@weedingtech.com

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Ventrac at Saunton Golf Club

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Ventrac at Saunton Golf Club: Saunton Golf Club, situated south of Woolacombe on the coast of north Devon, is the latest golfing venue to purchase a Ventrac 4500 all-terrain compact tractor and a selection of attachments. Delivered by local dealer, Devon Garden Machinery, the package includes the 25 hp tractor unit in its 8-wheel configuration, a Contour deck, a Tough Cut deck and Power Rake.

Formed in 1897 as a 9-hole course, the 103-year old club now has two 18-hole championship-standard links courses, with reputations that stand comparison with the finest in the UK. The East Course is ranked No.12 in the Golf World ‘Top 100 Courses in England’ and the West Course is No. 98.

Ventrac at Saunton Golf Club

Ventrac at Saunton Golf Club

Murray Long, the former Courses Manager at Sunningdale, has recently been appointed Course Manager at Saunton. Commenting on the Ventrac he said,

“We need to control bramble and scrub around the courses and we have pathways made of seashell shingle, which can become rutted and uneven over time. The practice ranges are enclosed by steep banks, which we maintain by the labour-intensive job of strimming. To tackle these issues, we needed a versatile machine and thought that a Ventrac might provide the solution.

“I first saw it during visits to BTME and then became aware of the positive feedback from respected industry professionals in our trade magazines and on social media. Following our initial enquiry to local dealer, Devon Garden Machinery, they quickly provided quotes and a demonstration, which confirmed the premise that this was the machine for us. Their service has been excellent throughout.

“Until you experience it working, it’s had to appreciate how versatile it is. We purchased the Tough Cut deck, which will help combat the bramble and scrub issue; the Contour deck will be used on the banking around the practice area and some areas of rough. The Power Rake is great attachment as it agitates the shingle, smoothing out the ruts, leaving pristine pathways.

“It will certainly increase productivity and reduce the use of machinery linked to hand/arm vibration hazard, such as strimmers. It is unique in its multi-use applications giving it extreme versatility. I have seen many machinery demonstrations but none have been as impressive as the Ventrac. Every course would benefit from having one.”

Saunton’s General Manager, Jon Sutherland added,

“As Murray has indicated, it was a very impressive demonstration. I hadn’t seen the machine before, but it quickly became apparent that not only would it increase the productivity of the greenkeeping team, but also safeguard them as well. Paul Vickery, our Chairman of Greens, attended the demonstration and we quickly made the purchasing decision. It will certainly contribute to raising the already high presentation standards of our facility, for members and visitors alike.”

Saunton has hosted the R&A Boys Amateur Championship on two occasions. In August 2019, 252 of the world’s most talented boys battled it out over our East and West Courses. After 91 holes of play, the winner Tom Gueant of France beat Wilmer Ederö from Sweden in a sudden-death play-off on the first hole of the East course. Saunton also hosted the Championship back in 1997, when a young Sergio Garcia won the title, before amassing the highest points total for Europe in Ryder Cup history, and also winning the Masters Tournament back in 2017.

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Spectrum® unveils WatchDog® 3000

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Spectrum® unveils WatchDog® 3000: Spectrum® Technologies Inc., expands its broad product offering with the release of the WatchDog® Wireless ET Weather Station. Through the single station, customers can now receive real-time, site-specific weather data on their smartphone, including temperature, relative humidity, rainfall, wind speed/direction and solar radiation. 

With an LTE CAT-M1/NB-IoT cellular radio, the 3000 Series can monitor the widely dispersed turf areas on a golf course and send data to the SpecConnect™ cloud.  After an overnight rainfall, a turf manager can see which areas of the course received different amounts of rainfall with a separate Wireless Rain Temperature/Relative Humidity Station and adjust irrigation run times accordingly.  The varied microclimates of a golf course are capably tracked, with localized disease pressure warnings available. The all-in-one design with smartphone setup makes installation quick and easy for someone whose real job is not setting up weather stations.

Spectrum® unveils WatchDog® 3000

Spectrum® unveils WatchDog® 3000

“With this new wireless station, you no longer have to rely on local weather services providing inaccurate rainfall and ET data,” says Mike Thurow, president and CEO of Spectrum® Technologies.  “And you can view current weather conditions for your course on your smartphone.  With site-specific rainfall and temperature data through the season, more effective decisions are made, and playing conditions are optimized and consistent.”

Spectrum® Technologies is proud to announce ­­that the WatchDog® 3000 Series Weather Station product line recently received the 2021 AE50 Award from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE). This marks Spectrum®’s 25th AE50 award recognizing the top innovative new products produced in agricultural equipment.

About Spectrum® Technologies

Spectrum® Technologies was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Aurora, Illinois. The company manufactures and distributes affordable, leading-edge, plant-measurement technology to agricultural, horticultural, environmental and turf markets throughout the world, serving more than 14,000 customers in more than 80 countries. Spectrum® Technologies brands include: WatchDog®, FieldScout®, WaterScout®, DataScout®, LightScout® and SpecConnect™. Spectrum has won 25 AE50 Awards from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, which demonstrates the company’s deep commitment to innovation and quality. For more information, call 815-436-4440 or visit www.specmeters.com.

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