New Ransomes Jacobsen Dealer

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New Ransomes Jacobsen Dealer: Andrew Symons Ltd has been appointed as a new Ransomes Jacobsen dealer, representing the Ransomes, Jacobsen, E-Z-GO, Cushman, Turfco and Smithco brands. Andrew Symons Ltd. will cover a territory that includes Devon, Cornwall and Somerset.

Ransomes Jacobsen, a Textron Inc. company, operates as part of Textron Specialized Vehicles Inc., the manufacturer of Jacobsen and Ransomes turf-care equipment, E-Z-GO golf cars, and Cushman utility vehicles. In addition, Ransomes Jacobsen is the distributor for Turfco and Smithco equipment in the United Kingdom.

New Ransomes Jacobsen Dealer

Andrew Symons is a major agricultural, construction and groundcare business, with an exceptional reputation in the area. The company was set up in 1987 by current owners Andrew and Lisa Symons. It has flourished over the years and is now one of the most reputable distributors in the region, employing more than 40 full-time staff and offering an impressive portfolio of agricultural and groundcare equipment.

Andrew Symons, Managing Director of Andrew Symons Ltd said,

“We are very proud of the addition of Ransomes Jacobsen to our groundcare portfolio. It is testament to the success of our business; we recently opened another depot in Crediton in 2017 which offers parts, service and sales in a first class, modern facility. Customers are the focus of everything we do, and we are very excited to be representing such reputable brands and backing them up with fantastic customer service.”

Speaking after the signing of the distribution agreement, Nathan Walker, National Accounts Manager at Textron Specialized Vehicles, said,

“Andrew Symons Ltd is a well-established and highly professional business in the area and we are delighted to welcome them as a new distributor. The level of service and enthusiasm for the industry that its personnel display is second to none, and I am confident that they will do a good job of enhancing our presence in Devon, Cornwall and Somerset.”

For more information, visit: www.jacobsen.com/europe

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Revenge Is Best Served… Fresh!

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Revenge Is Best Served… Fresh!: Remember last year, when pests decimated your carefully planned and sowed plants and flowers before you even had a chance to enjoy them? This year start plotting your revenge now, by ordering a season’s worth of fresh nematodes, to be delivered straight to your door to provide ongoing protection. 

Nematodes offer a biological solution to pest control, and the various species grown by BASF, in the only specialist nematode production facility in Britain, can protect your plants from a variety of pests.   Nematodes are naturally occurring microscopic animal organisms that act as natural pest controls.

Revenge Is Best Served… Fresh!

BASF grow a range of nematode products including Nemaslug and Nemasys Chafer Grub Killer, Leatherjacket Killer, Vine Weevil Killer and No Ants. There is, even, a nematode product, containing a variety of different nematode species, created specifically for fruit and vegetable pests, making it perfect for gardeners who are passionate about ‘grow your own’.

BASF grows fresh nematodes, rather than dehydrated, and is passionate about doing so as this ensures the quality of the product remains high and consistently effective.

Nematodes attack the pest by entering natural body openings, releasing a bacteria which quickly and safely kills it. The nematodes then reproduce inside the dead pest and release a new generation of hungry nematodes, which disperse and search for further prey.

Unlike alternative pest control solutions, nematodes can be used as a preventative control, so even if you are lucky enough to have not seen any damage yet, treating the garden to a dose of nematodes will keep the critters at bay before they become a real problem.

Simply mix with water and either apply from a watering can with a coarse rose or spray the nematodes onto the foliage and soil, depending on the variety. There is no need to keep children or pets away from treated areas and the whole programme is entirely biological so that all the Nemasys products can be used by organic gardeners.

All Nemasys products can be ordered online, with an entire season’s worth being ordered and sent out as and when needed. This means that all of your planning can be done now, and you can concentrate of planting and growing, safe in the knowledge that your pest control is taken care of.

For more information, visit: www.basf.com

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Greenmaster Aids Recovery

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Greenmaster Aids Recovery: Following a severe Microdochium Nivale outbreak which left scars on the greens at Blackpool North Shore Golf Club, Head Greenkeeper Andy Moore, turned to two products from the ICL Greenmaster Pro-Lite range in order to assist the recovery.

Designed by legendary golf course architect Harry Colt, Blackpool North Shore was established in 1904, and has been an Open Championship qualifying venue. The course can even boast the fact that it hosted the first ever fund raising event of The Duke of Edinburgh Awards Scheme in 1963 and attracted a number of golfing greats such as Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player. The course has continued to flourish and has been home to the PGA Lancashire Open for over 17 consecutive years.

Greenmaster Aids Recovery

Andy, who was promoted from Deputy to Head Greenkeeper in March 2017 immediately had his work cut out, as he explains:

“We got hit quite hard in autumn 2016 and almost every green was infected with Microdochium. After that we were left with a lot of scars and my first six months were all about trying to get the greens back and to try and achieve a truer surface,” he said.

As a result from the outbreak, members were forced to play on temporary surfaces for a period of six months, and Andy knew he had to turn things around incredibly quickly.

“The members knew the full extent of it and although they were understanding they still needed to see improvements. If we were going into April, May or June and we still hadn’t done anything about the scarring then the members could have remained on temporary greens for nine months. They pay good money to be part of this club and I wanted to give them something they could be proud of. I spoke to Phil Collinson (ICL Technical Area Sales Manager) and am pleased I did because the two Greenmaster Pro-Lite products have worked wonders for us.”

Greenmaster Aids Recovery

Andy and Phil decided that ICL’s Greenmaster Pro-Lite Cold Start 11-5-5 and Greenmaster Pro-Lite Invigorator 4-0-8, would be the best course of action, and it wasn’t long before Andy started seeing the results.

“Initially, I felt that we had to alleviate the disease scars and encourage the poa so that we could produce a truer and smoother surface the members could start to enjoy playing on again.As well as providing nutrition we also carried out some solid tining maintenance  along with overseeding. We started with one application of Cold Start at 25g/m2 and then we applied Invigorator at 30g/m2every four weeks. We went with both products, to get the recovery as quickly as possible. The trial work carried out by ICL backed up Phil’s recommendations and this gave me even more confidence in the approach.

“We started by applying Cold Start in February 2017 and it  gave us fantastic recovery at a time of year when conditions were challenging for growth. We followed this up with an application of Invigorator 4 weeks later to keep driving the recovery we needed. Once we got the greens to a good standard, and the recovery was gained, we appliedGreenmaster Cold Start at a low rate again in mid-April . They no longer required any further applications of Invigorator because its main use was to get the greens back to a puttable standard, and it did just that .It was at this point we switched to the ICL liquid products that have given us the consistency we wanted over the summer.”

With the greens back to the excellent standard expected by both Andy and the club members, he has since embarked on a full ICL iTurf programme, which he devised with Phil Collinson.

Greenmaster Aids Recovery

“I’m fairly new into the management side of things but I was always aware of what products worked for us and what didn’t. With that in mind I wanted to embark on an ICL iTurf programme and I always had a good relationship with Phil so it just felt right. A programme has now been put in place and we’ve had great success with it. I think the combination of the ICL products and the site conditions here have worked really well. The course is close to the best it has ever been and that is according to the members. In my opinion, that is the best feedback I can get.”

“We are now working with Phil to put in place an integrated management programme that will help avoid a repeat of the disease problems that the club experienced last year.”

Please contact ICL on 01473 237100 or visit www.icl-sf.co.uk or www.icl-sf.ie if you are in Ireland.

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Ransomes Dealer Changes

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Ransomes Dealer Changes: Ransomes Jacobsen has announced several changes to sales territories in the north of England and Wales to streamline and strengthen its U.K. dealer network.

Ransomes Jacobsen, which distributes Ransomes and Jacobsen turf-care equipment, E-Z-GO golf cars, and Cushman utility vehicles in the U.K., operates as part of Textron Specialized Vehicles Inc.

Ransomes Dealer Changes

Following a review of regional coverage, three existing dealers: F.R. Sharrock Ltd., Rickerby Ltd., and Burdens Group Ltd. will take on additional territories as part of their current dealer agreements. All three dealers are experienced with the full range of Ransomes Jacobsen products and are geographically well-placed to offer an excellent customer experience for sales and after-sales support, spare parts and service.

F.R. Sharrock Ltd, which has depots near Manchester and Stoke, has extended its current areas in the North West & Midlands to now include the areas of Lancashire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and Derbyshire with additional responsibility for Harrogate and Doncaster.

Rickerby Ltd., which has depots at Carlisle and Hexham, has been awarded an extension to its territory to cover an area from Dumfries and Galloway down to the Lancaster district of Lancashire and North Yorkshire.

The Burdens Group Ltd. which has depots at North Kyme and Sutterton, will cover the East of England from Yorkshire in the north down to the A14 through Northamptonshire.

Commenting on the changes to the dealer network, international sales manager at Textron Specialized Vehicles Inc., John Quinton, said:

“I would like to thank our partners for their continued hard work and dedication to the Ransomes Jacobsen product range. Our dealers are very knowledgeable about the machinery, and have an excellent track record of first-class customer service and support. We are delighted with the way the dealer network is set-up, and look forward to supporting our dealers and customers moving forward.”

In addition to these changes, John Osman Groundcare will now focus on the Textron Golf family of products for North Wales, including Jacobsen turf-care equipment, E-Z-GO golf cars and Cushman utility vehicles. The Ransomes franchise for this area has been awarded to F.R. Sharrock Ltd.

GGM Groundcare and Platt Harris Groundcare have had their Ransomes Jacobsen dealer agreements terminated and will no longer represent products from the TSV portfolio.

For more information, visit: www.jacobsen.com/europe

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MM60 Integral For Leeds Rhinos

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MM60 Integral For Leeds Rhinos: Ryan Golding, head groundsman at Leeds Rhino’s and Yorkshire Carnegie’s Emerald Headingley Stadium, believes that Limagrain’s MM60 grass seed has been integral to the success of the pitch.

Ryan has been working at the stadium for fifteen years and has occupied the position of head groundsman for the last four. With two deputy’s underneath him – Dan Connor and Leon Pearson – Ryan and his team tend to the stadium pitch, two first team pitches, four academy pitches, a 3G pitch and the Stanningley rugby league club – where the Rhino’s academy teams play.

MM60 Integral For Leeds Rhinos

“On average with both first teams and academy games we host around 50 – 60 games,” says Ryan. “In addition to that we also have under 19 games, community games, disabled rugby games, and also events. This year when in mid-season the pitch was transformed into a Bollywood film set as a 1930`s hockey pitch. It is a very intense work place and it never stops but it’s interesting, challenging and enjoyable.”

With such a heavy fixture list, renovations largely depend on available windows but Ryan tends to aim for June each year. However, where many groundsmen may have extended periods throughout pre-season, Ryan has as little as 26 days to get the pitch up and running again.

“Getting the right seed is key and that is why I use Limagrain’s MM60,” he says. “We had been with another seed supplier for a number of years but I felt we needed a change to keep on improving. I looked into it and spoke with other groundsmen who use Limagrain and received nothing but excellent feedback.

“As a groundsman I’m very open to what I use and I don’t mind taking a risk but I’ll do my research first. Before I did anything I got some samples of MM60. We trialled it in a tough area in the North East corner which is consistently in the shade and we saw great recovery rates.”

Limagrain’s MM60 grass seed is renowned for producing an excellent playing surface in a stadium environment. It is a 100% Ryegrass formula which is perfect for renovation and divot repair, has a high disease resistance, fantastic aesthetic qualities and offers extremely fast germination – which is boosted by the inclusion of Headstart® GOLD. Developed using the latest scientific findings and field experience, it is a natural revolutionary grass seed treatment that ensures rapid germination and is perfect for enhancing performance on grass seed coatings for sports fields, golf courses, lawns and amenity turf.

MM60 Integral For Leeds Rhinos

“The germination is incredibly fast and I’ve noticed a particular improvement in the centre spot,” says Ryan. “You would not believe the hammering that area gets. A lot of the time you find that kick off’s go straight out which means that there are scrums straight over the centre spot. It was always a problematic area in the past but MM60 has made a noticeable improvement especially when combined with sheets and lighting rigs.

“I’ve also noticed that it doesn’t fray the leaf edge when compared to our previous seed so we tend not to get as much disease – we hardly encounter any leaf spot as a result from stress and there is no yellowing of the leaf either.

“I think my priorities have changed as I’ve got older and wiser. It’s all very well wanting the pitch bright green throughout the year but you are stressing the pitch in doing so and is it really needed for a game that isn’t televised? I’m not so sure. For me, aesthetics isn’t my priority sometimes, it’s all about the recovery and germination and MM60 provides me with this.”

Furthermore, Ryan was quick to praise the customer service he receives from Limagrain.

“Suppliers have to understand the needs of the pitch and the Limagrain team know the standards here which certainly helps – the back-up is great. I can call them whenever I want and we will normally start with a general discussion about rugby before going into the technical side of things. Personally, I think that Limagrain treats each and every customer the same – and that is a fine art if you ask me.”

For further information, please contact Limagrain UK on 01472 371471 or visit the company’s website www.lgseeds.co.uk/amenity

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