Driving change at Les 3 Dindes

/in , /by

Driving change at Les 3 Dindes: Polaris Off Road continues its Ranger Stories video series in a new light with the introduction of the ‘Ranger Stories: Driving Change’ initiative.

Polaris is a firm believer that a product comes to life through its applications, partnerships but most importantly, via the people who use it; which is why once again, Polaris has embarked on a journey across Europe, the Middle East and Africa to discover and capture how its customers are driving change alongside the Polaris RANGER. Dedicated to the good that Polaris customers do, Ranger Stories: Driving Change is inspired by the many Polaris customers that are working hard to make a positive impact on the world.

Driving change at Les 3 Dindes

Driving change at Les 3 Dindes

Episode 1 – Les 3 Dindes, Animal Refuge in Southern France

Les 3 Dindes is built on the firm foundation that every animal – from the noble horse to the overlooked turkey –  should be treated with love, care and respect, making no distinction between species.

Welcoming animals that have been abandoned, mistreated or rescued from cases of neglect, factory farming and laboratories, Les 3 Dindes is a non-profit association dedicated to the animal cause, currently home to 145 animals that can now experience life to its fullest. The refuge has been built to give the animals a forever home that mimics their natural environment as closely as possible, with the room to enjoy the beautiful french countryside. The impact is visible; every animal has an obvious bond with the team at Les 3 Dindes, regaining their trust in humans, rediscovering their instincts amongst other animal friends, and learning that they no longer need to live in fear.

Kicking off the ‘Driving Change’ spin-off series, Polaris joins Les 3 Dindes owner and president Lisa Fernandez to see what a huge difference care, love and attention can make to the animals’ lives. A longstanding friend of the Polaris brand and an avid driver herself, Lisa uses the Polaris Ranger XP 1000 to help manage the 30-hectare farm – not only with the day-to-day feeding, medicine administration and grounds maintenance for the animals already in the refuge, but also with expansion and building for new rescues in the future.

Much like Lisa and her team, the Ranger XP 1000 is ready to work hard, every day. With its dependable Prostar® DOHC engine, the Ranger XP 1000 is not only Polaris’ most capable and comfortable Ranger yet, but it also delivers excellent reliability and versatility. Set in the rolling hills of Southern France’s countryside, Les 3 Dindes needs a capable off-road vehicle to reach all corners of the refuge. From steep inclines and narrow trails to forest areas and wide-open fields, the Ranger takes the team all over with its 33cm ground clearance, 27.9cm suspension travel and huge 27-inch Maxxis tyres. Not only that, the 1134kg towing capacity is put to use with trailers to carry large bales of hay, and the many, heavy buckets of feed and the large, 454kg-capacity cargo bed not only gives the team enough space for maintenance and fencing supplies but comes in handy to take along the many rescue dogs that like to ride alongside Lisa too.

Les 3 Dindes relies upon its volunteers, sponsors and contributors to continue its care, treatment and rescue missions. Please visit www.les3dindes.org, or follow them on Facebook and Instagram to find out more.

Catch the first episode of Ranger Stories: Driving Change here:  https://youtu.be/lo_Guyda4fo

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

INFINICUT mark start of ‘Electric Era’

/in , /by

INFINICUT mark start of ‘Electric Era’: Marking the start of a shift over to more battery-powered equipment, the University of Nottingham are now the proud owners of three 26” INFINICUT® FX mowers.

Along with completing the daily mowing on the campuses two cricket squares and bowling green, the purchase of additional UltraGroomer™ and ThatchMaster™ cassettes from the TMSystem™ means that the grounds team can now undertake multiple maintenance tasks – all with reduced hand-arm vibration and fuel costs.

INFINICUT mark start of ‘Electric Era’

INFINICUT mark start of ‘Electric Era’

In charge of the maintenance is Interim Grounds Manager Greg Smith, who specified the investment in the INFINICUT’s, delivered by George Browns in March 2022. “Sustainability is something that’s now at the heart of a lot of the decision making we do here at the university, but switching to electric is only an option if the equipment is up to the job” explains Greg. “With mowing a daily activity, this was an important step for us and, while we explored the alternatives, the INFINICUT® with its excellent battery life and quality of cut was the perfect fit for us.”

“Hand-arm vibration and noise are massive issues in our industry and these were things that improved instantly for the team with the purchase of the INFINICUT’s – they can’t believe how quiet they are! In a relatively short period of time, we are already also noticing the benefits in terms of big savings on our fuel costs.”

To get even more return from the three 26” Fixed Head machines, the University also purchased a set of UltraGroomer™ and ThatchMaster™ cassettes from the renowned TMSystem™ collection. Featuring over 80 tungsten carbide tipped blades, the UltraGroomer™ improves the plants immediate environment by removing Poa ingress, lateral growth and organic matter to enhance the movement of oxygen, moisture and nutrients. Also designed to prevent thatch accumulations, the ThatchMaster™ utilises 2mm thick tungsten blades to cut through stolons and rhizomes in fine turf.

“We specified these cassettes as part of the package and all of the training and support we’ve had from Oliver Hall at INFINICUT® and our local dealer George Browns has been fantastic. We’ve been passing over the cricket squares and bowling green with these once a week and the results have been superb.” Greg adds, “We’re a high wear site, with lots of community usage on top of that by the students and the combination of the INFINICUT’s and the cassettes mean that the facilities are healthier and presenting better than ever!”

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Pitch management amid record temperatures

/in , /by

Pitch management amid record temperatures: Notts County’s head groundsman Matt Hallam has shared how his team have coped in the unprecedented temperatures with the new Meadow Lane pitch set to be used for the first time next week against Nottingham Forest.

Read the full article from Nottingham Post here

Pitch management amid record temperatures

Pitch management amid record temperatures

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Kubota to acquire Officine

/in , /by

Kubota to acquire Officine: Kubota Corporation intends to merge the lawn-mower business division of Italian manufacturer Officine BIEFFEBI (BFB) and its subsidiary Gianni Ferrari (GF) into a new wholly-owned subsidiary of Kubota Holdings B.V., Kubota’s European subsidiary for its agricultural industrial machinery business.

The creation of this new subsidiary, which will be called Kubota Gianni Ferrari S.R.L., will expand Kubota’s range of Groundcare products, aimed at professionals in sectors such as parks, stadiums and landscaping for individual customers. By integrating these new resources into its sales, production and development processes, Kubota Holdings Europe will speed up the expansion of this business line in Europe.

Kubota to acquire Officine

Kubota to acquire Officine

Officine BIEFFEBI and Gianni Ferrari have an excellent reputation and large market share in Europe as pioneers in centre collect front mowers (CCFM), a segment of medium to large high-end professional mowers for which demand has been growing steadily in recent years. In particular, both companies enjoy great popularity as CCFM pioneers in Italy, France, Germany and the United Kingdom, among other Western European countries.

That is why Kubota has chosen BFB and GF as the best partners to strengthen and complement Kubota’s lawn equipment business in Europe. The two acquired companies and Kubota have their own competitive advantages and product ranges in the different markets. This allows their offerings to complement each other perfectly, making this commercial partnership the optimal choice to take this line of business forward in the future.

Although Kubota’s lawn-mower division in Europe had been showing solid growth in the professional and high-end consumer segment thanks to its products’ superior resistance and operating capacity, the new company, Kubota Gianni Ferrari S.R.L., will have even vaster capabilities to develop and manufacture lawn equipment in Europe, including the highly-demanded CCFM. Kubota’s CCFM segment will thus also receive a major boost and will have the company’s sales and dealer support network at its disposal.

The closing of this transaction is subject to the completion of the condition precedents including the obtainment of the Golden Power clearance. (The Golden Power is the special power of the Italian government to limit or stop foreign direct investments (“FDI”) and corporate transactions involving Italian strategic assets).

About BFB

Corporate name Officine BIEFFEBI S.p.a.
Head office Gonzaga, Lombardia, Italy
Established 1979
Business Develop, manufacture and sale of small and mid-size mower

About GF

Corporate name Gianni Ferrari s.r.l.
Head office Reggiolo, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Established 1989
Business Develop, manufacture and sale of small and large-size mower

Reference – About KHE

Corporate name Kubota holdings Europe B.V.
Head office Nieuw-Vennep, the Netherlands
Established 2017
Business Management of farm and industrial machinery business

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Golf courses tackle extreme heat

/in , /by

Golf courses tackle extreme heat: Smoking bans, course closures, early finishes, just how are some golf courses tackling the high temperatures?

Read the full article from Golf Monthly here

Golf courses tackle extreme heat

Golf courses tackle extreme heat

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.