Maxicrop Becomes Valagro UK

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Maxicrop Becomes Valagro UK: Valagro, a leader in the production and marketing of biostimulants and specialty nutrients, announces that its subsidiary Maxicrop (UK) Ltd, has changed name to Valagro UK Ltd.

The seaweed extract fertiliser and biostimulant company became part of the Italian global plant nutrition group Valagro in 2002, but has continued to trade as Maxicrop UK until now. Following the signing of the strategic partnership agreement with SBM Company last September, for the distribution and sale of Maxicrop garden products, Valagro UK is now firmly focussed on the professional grower markets. This is in line with Valagro’s global strategy to become a leading player in Ag Nutrition and Biologicals by integrating and delivering advanced products and value-added tech-based services to farmers globally. The name change to Valagro UK therefore further aligns the company with the Valagro corporate approach.

Maxicrop Becomes Valagro UK

Valagro UK Country Manager Shane Deaville: “ Valagro UK will continue to market the Maxicrop Professional range of seaweed extract – based biostimulants. In addition, the company will supply other Valagro biostimulant and plant nutrition products, such as Megafol, Radifarm and Erger . Sales of Maxicrop Professional products have seen significant growth in recent years, and with the very late Spring this year, there are signs that growers are turning to these products to give backward crops a growth boost and reduce plant stress.”

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Yobs Trash Cricket Wickets

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Yobs Trash Cricket Wickets: Yobs smashed a pick axe into two wickets at a cricket club just weeks into the new season.

Shocking images show dozens and dozens of divots were taken out of the surfaces.

Club officials at Ashton Ladysmith Cricket Club in Ashton-under-Lyne, Tameside , said they were baffled over the motive behind the vandal attack.

The small club, based on Rose Hill Road, survives because of community spirit and its members, who all volunteer to help out.

Groundsman John Hillson gave up hours of his free time to get the ground fit and ready for the new season after the winter’s bad weather.

Members arrived at the ground on Bank Holiday Monday to discover the damage.

The club field two teams in the Greater Manchester Cricket League.

John said: “We think it is a pick axe and it has been done with some force. Someone has gone to the trouble of climbing over the gate taking a heavy implement with them.

“It has definitely been done with real purpose.

“If it is someone we have upset, then we want to put it right. People put hours into this cricket club in terms of volunteering and it’s a terrible thing to do. We think it may have happened on the Sunday evening before it went dark.

“The team met for a game on the Sunday and there was nothing untoward then.

“It’s three weeks into the start of the new season and they have targeted our two wickets – they are the two that we have been using.

“There are 10 wickets altogether and we had just prepared the two. Obviously we are interested in who might have done this and if anyone has heard anything they should let us know.

“We don’t want it happening again.”

On each wicket, the crease area where balls land and batsmen stand had been targeted in a bid to cause the most damage to the surfaces.

The sods of soil displaced have been put back into the holes left behind.

Both wickets then were watered then rolled.

John said he believes no serious damage has been caused, although other wickets have been cut and are now being used.

The incident hasn’t been reported to police.

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CMAE A New John Deere Supplier

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CMAE A New John Deere Supplier: John Deere has confirmed a new official supplier agreement with the Club Managers Association of Europe (CMAE), to assist the association’s vision of being the leading organisation for club management educational programmes.

John Deere is an industry leading, full range supplier of sports club maintenance equipment including mowers, tractors and Gator utility vehicles. The CMAE is a non-profit professional association which is the leading authority for club manager education.

CMAE A New John Deere Supplier

“We are delighted to partner with the CMAE and so make ourselves available to its membership for advice and support,” says Carlos Aragones, John Deere’s European turf sales & marketing manager. “Continued education is a core pillar of the John Deere philosophy and we look forward to supporting the CMAE in its quest to increase club manager education across Europe.”

The CMAE’s director of education Torbjorn Johansson adds: “As the CMAE continues to grow and evolve we are always pleased to welcome industry leading brands such as John Deere. Our stated aim is to continue with our evolution and execution of educational programmes.”

Under the terms of the agreement, both organisations will begin working together on the lead up to the CMAE’s annual conference, which will take place in November this year in Marbella, Spain.

For more information, visit: www.deere.co.uk

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Dennis Prepare For The World Cup

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Dennis Prepare For The World Cup: The national football team won’t be the only team of professionals making the trip from England to Russia this summer. In fact, a whole fleet of Dennis G860 cylinder mowers will already be making their mark in Russia before the England squad is even announced.

Dennis Prepare For The World Cup

A staggering 88 Dennis mowers will have the task of preparing stadium and training complex pitches for the world’s greatest football players throughout the tournament while some venues will also utilise the Dennis Premier in conjunction with the G860 for matchday preparation.

7 of the 11 stadiums will use Dennis mowers, including those hosting the quarter finals, the semi-finals and the final, and 70% of the training camps will also be maintained by Dennis.

Steven Rienks – managing director of Queens Grass, who are the official Dennis dealer in Russia, has orchestrated proceedings and admits it is a proud moment for himself and his company.

“This is the greatest show on earth and is not just another contract.  Yes, it is fantastic to be a part of it but it is also a responsibility,” he says. “After all, the quality of play depends on the quality of the pitch. But this is why the G860 has been chosen – due to the quality and the presentation it offers. They all want that perfect stripe which the G860 provides because they know it will be watched by a worldwide audience.”

However, the task of preparing the pitches is made slightly more difficult by unfavourable weather conditions, as Steven remarks: “In Russia, the weather is not ideal – for instance, in one area we only have around 60 days of sunlight over the course of a year. The interchangeable cassette system really helps with maintenance procedures in a difficult climate. Also, the mowing height may differ and the sandy materials on the pitches are different.”

While the games will no doubt attract billions of viewers worldwide, many will be oblivious to actually what goes into ensuring the pitch is up to the standards expected for a tournament as prestigious as the World Cup. Even before the pitch is prepared, contracts must be concluded and signed and Steven admits that it can be somewhat of a rigorous process.

“Russia is a whole different ball game and one of the attractions of working with companies such as ourselves is the fact that we have been working with the groundsmen at the stadiums since 2001. Russian clubs prefer to be supported by local companies that supply European machines but quick, straightforward contracts are hard to make.”

“Every offer was made specifically for each stadium and training complex and all were tendered by the Russian Government. Then of course there are the complications of dealing with an eastern European country – let us say that the customs and borders in Russia are an interesting challenge.

“It is not easy but of course it is fantastic to work at such a tournament. We love our profession and it is a nice challenge to have!”

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

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Irrigation At Bush Hill Park

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Irrigation At Bush Hill Park: Bush Hill Park Golf Club is based a stone’s throw from Enfield Town in North London. Originally 9 holes, this 100-acre parkland course was designed by Open Championship winners James Braid and Harry Vardon and boasts a running reputation for being the best maintained in the area.

Much of the irrigation system was installed 25 years ago, had deteriorated and needed a complete overhaul. Head Greenkeeper Graham Careford has worked at Bush Hill Park since 1986 and explains,

Irrigation At Bush Hill Park

“The ground here is clay so very dry in summer. With only a small number of heads on tees, irrigation coverage was poor, combined with leaks and frequent system breakdowns. The challenge any club like us faces is that you can’t see how badly the irrigation system’s deteriorated because the pipework’s buried underground. Extra watering takes place in the early hours or at night, and staff working overtime to keep the course in the best condition won’t usually be seen by most club members and players. Keeping an unreliable and ageing irrigation system going becomes increasingly expensive.”

To help build the case for investment in a new irrigation system, Graham began keeping a detailed timeline, recording all system faults, breakdowns and overtime as well as taking photographs of course conditions. This information was presented to the management committee to inform decision-making and help the club properly evaluate its various options.

The club appointed Irritech Limited to undertake the irrigation system design and specification and to coordinate a competitive tender process for a fixed price contract including warranties and retentions.

The committee decided that the major investment of £300k in a new Rain Bird IC™ Stratus™ II Central Control System with Windows™ 10 functionality and mapping for greens, approaches and tees would provide the system reliability and future water efficiencies that would maintain the quality of the course for many years to come.

Irrigation At Bush Hill Park

With over 300 sprinkler heads, 7 miles of piping, 6.5 miles of cable and 3,500-man hours, the contractor, Irrigation & Water brought the project in within budget. The new system will be operational this spring.

Irrigation & Water Director Ashley Proctor, comments,

“Our biggest challenge has been heavy clay and high water table which meant adopting a more sympathetic approach to ground conditions. It’s taken a little more time and care but that’s been essential to minimise damage to the course. This is our first complete Rain Bird renovation and we’ve had a superb Rain Bird team working with us providing all the technical support, training and back-up we needed to make sure the system was installed to the right standards. We’re delighted to have been involved in what’s been a landmark project.”

Jimmy Sandison, Regional Golf Sales Manager for the UK, Ireland, Iceland and Scandinavia, adds, “We were thrilled to be awarded this project and Graham Careford and the project team were a delight to work with from the start. We all knew ground conditions were going to be a challenge but Bush Hill Park now has a highly efficient irrigation system that can be upgraded easily upgraded in future years, reducing the cost of overall ownership.”

For more information, visit: www.rainbird.eu/golf

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