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GroundTech robotics and renewables work in perfect partnership

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GroundTech robotics and renewables work in perfect partnership: Rushden Golf Club has introduced three Echo TM-2050 robotic mowers to maintain its newer back nine holes, in a partnership with autonomous specialists GroundTech.

The investment marks a major step forward in both sustainability and efficiency with the trio, powered by bespoke solar panels, alleviating the pressure on a busy greenkeeping team of four.

GroundTech robotics and renewables work in perfect partnership

GroundTech robotics and renewables work in perfect partnership

The historic Northamptonshire course has gone through a number of redevelopments and expansion since its formation in 1919. The back nine, opened in 2013, offers an interesting contrast to the original parkland front nine, with a flatter, more open layout. Ideal terrain for an autonomous mower, Director Paul Newell got in touch with GroundTech. “I’d been keeping an eye on the new technologies and identified how much time robots could save us, freeing up our skilled team to focus on improvements in other areas of the course” he explains.

“After a demonstration, the whole team were impressed with the outstanding quality of cut and presentation from the Echo mowers – arguably more accurate and consistent than traditional machines.”

There was just one more issue to overcome, the distance the mowers would be operating away from mains power. “GroundTech’s Marcus Glover quickly suggested a solution in the form of solar panels, which ensures the mowers can operate efficiently when not in close proximity to mains power. This was key to making the whole package work for us and, just a few months on from install, we couldn’t be happier with the whole set-up.”

The TM-2050’s – the largest of the Echo commercial range – can mow up 75,000m2 making them ideal for situations that require high performance and high productivity. At Rushden, the robots are responsible for cutting all areas except the tees and greens, and members have been quick to spot the improvements. “It’s clearly the future of course management, and as one of the first clubs in Northamptonshire to make the jump, we’re delighted the members can already see the difference in presentation and have been so willing to embrace innovation” he adds.

Paul was also quick to praise the club’s first collaboration with GroundTech. “They’ve been brilliant at guiding us through the transition, ensuring the team are all fully happy with the technology and working with us to find solutions such as the solar panels that really meet our needs. We are excited to explore extending the scope of the Echo units in other areas of the course over the coming months and years. “

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Sankt JörgenPark reduce disease and increase quality

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Sankt JörgenPark reduce disease and increase quality: Life is all about balance, but for the greens team at Sweden’s Sankt Jörgen Park, achieving the balance of Nitrogen in the greens profile became critical as the club battled extensive annual outbreaks of Snow Mold (Fusarium Patch).

Helping them lower the Nitrogen content without detriment to plant health or play quality is 6-2-4 Turf Revival from Suståne which, after just three years, has significantly reduced the severity of the fungal disease.

Sankt JörgenPark reduce disease and increase quality

Sankt JörgenPark reduce disease and increase quality

Part of a wider resort and business park, the unique Sankt Jörgen course blends testing parkland and classic heathland holes – all under the stewardship of Head Greenkeeper Andreas Flodman, three full time greenkeepers and a team of summer and seasonal helpers. “In recent years we started noticing that the warmer, wetter winters were contributing to issues with Snow Mold which meant that we were not in good condition going into spring” Andreas explains. “I spoke to our distributor Crophealth who identified with soil samples that we had high levels of Nitrogen in the ground over winter which is not ideal when disease pressure is high and plant growth is low.”

Crophealth suggested the club look at the more gradual nutrient release of the Naturel base Suståne range – a product Andreas used previously and was pleased to be re-introduced to. “I think previously the cost of pursuing an organic strategy was too high however, now, it’s on par with synthetic products we’ve used previously and obviously brings with it many benefits from a plant health and sustainability point of view.”

Andreas has been conducting two to four applications of Suståne 6-2-4 Turf Revival per season for the last three seasons, together with supplementary applications of Suståne 5-2-4+Fe all-purpose fertiliser for an additional boost in the early autumn when required.

Suståne Turf Revival® 6-2-4 is designed to replenish the soil with a rich supply of humus and mycorrhizal fungi, to improve the uptake of nutrients and boost overall plant health without causing a spike in growth. “It provides a reliable and consistent source of Nitrogen and other nutrients, without excess growth or creating issues with thatch and organic matter. This means our greens look healthy and play true as we’re not having to cut them as frequently to retain the same quality.” He continues, “Every winter we are seeing less disease and we hope that soon we’ll be able to get through to spring without any disease impact at all.”

The success of Suståne is not limited to it’s work on the golf course – 6-2-4 Turf Revival is also contributing to an naturel base approach at the resorts vineyard! “Crophealth have been great at helping the vineyard manager covert over to organics, this is incredibly important to them.”

For more information on Suståne 6-2-4 Turf Revival or other products from either Sustane’s professional-grade all-organic or naturel base ranges visit www.sustane.com

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MSC Regional Expansion and New Strategic Partner

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MSC Regional Expansion and New Strategic Partner: John Deere and DeLaval announce the Milk Sustainability Center expansion to dairy farmers in more countries and welcome dsm-firmenich as the next strategic partner.

Designed to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of dairy farming operations, the Milk Sustainability Center offers a unique solution by integrating data on crop, animal and feeding performance into one unified platform.

MSC Regional Expansion and New Strategic Partner

MSC Regional Expansion and New Strategic Partner

Developed through a joint effort initiated in September 2023, the Milk Sustainability Center empowers farmers to optimize their operations, reduce environmental impact and become more profitable.

Dairy farmers can use the Milk Sustainability Center to monitor nutrient use efficiency (NUE) and carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) across their farm, herd, and fields. It provides insights to help farmers manage nutrient utilization effectively and reduce the need for manual data input. Today, dairy farmers can already choose to create automized data flow to MSC from 30 herd-, milking- and feeding software. Farmers can also invite their consultants, dealers, veterinarians and other partners to access the platform.

Regional Expansion

The Milk Sustainability Center is designed to serve dairy farmers, independent of their farm machinery brands, feeding technology, milking equipment brands, or herd management software. It is now fully available in 13 countries across North America and Europe (full list of countries see below). Farmers can easily subscribe free of charge at

www.milksustainabilitycenter.com.

The highly innovative digital ecosystem addresses evolving sustainability standards and the growing demands for sustainable practices in dairy farming.

Alexander Berges, Production System Manager at John Deere says, “We’re already working on future additions like benchmarking and recommendations functionality. This will further help farmers being more profitable while improving their sustainability.”

dsm-firmenich New Strategic Partner

dsm-firmenich joins the Milk Sustainability Center as a Strategic Partner. It’s software Sustell™ is the industry leading lifecycle assessment (LCA) solution that helps the agricultural industry measure and improve sustainability performance. This partnership will allow primary data to flow from MSC to the Sustell™ software, if the farmer agrees. This will further enhance MSC functionality with extra Sustell™ data sources and certified carbon footprint calculations, supporting the customers to drive profitable environmental improvements.

Dr. David Nickell, Vice President of Sustainability and Business Solutions at dsm-firmenich Animal Nutrition & Health, commented: “The partnership between the Milk Sustainability Center and dsm-firmenich makes environmental impact assessment scalable and easier to implement. This will enable value chain partners to regularly track sustainability performance and to understand where and how to make profitable improvements with credible and transparent data and insights.”

Lars Bergmann, Executive Vice President of Digital Service at DeLaval, explains: “We aim to unify the industry to support dairy farmers improving their sustainability footprint. Partnerships like this will provide farmers with integrated tools that simplify automatic data flow, and enhance herd and field performance, which will support long-term sustainability goals.

Processors and consumer goods companies will benefit from a more transparent supply chain, strengthened by verifiable sustainability credentials.”

The Milk Sustainability Center welcomes partners in addition to Dinamica Generale and dsm-firmenich to join its mission to provide farmers with the comprehensive data and insights needed for a holistic view of the efficiency and sustainability in their dairy operations. For more information, potential partners are welcome to contact us at:

inquiries@milksustainabilitycenter.com

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Growth In GMA’s Training And Turf Care Advisory Services

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Growth In GMA’s Training And Turf Care Advisory Services: The Grounds Management Association (GMA) has expanded its Technical and Learning department with two strategic appointments, boosting the support and expertise available to the sector through high-quality training and consultancy.

Bojan Jovanovic has been appointed as Learning Programme Lead, and Fiona Lyttle takes on the role of Turf Care Advisory Support Lead. Together, they bring extensive experience that will enhance the GMA’s educational and advisory services for both professionals and volunteers.

Growth In GMA’s Training And Turf Care Advisory Services

Growth In GMA’s Training And Turf Care Advisory Services

Bojan has worked closely with the GMA for over five years as an online tutor, supporting learners undertaking GMA qualifications. He brings a unique blend of educational and practical turf care expertise, having spent more than a decade teaching land-based qualifications at Further Education institutions. Earlier in his career, Bojan specialised in construction and maintenance of elite sports surfaces, contributing to high-profile projects across tennis, croquet, elite football and the London 2012 Olympic equestrian facilities.

Fiona brings a deep understanding of the sports turf industry, particularly in learning and development. Well known for her work with the Greenkeepers Training Committee (GTC), which works closely with the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA) on education and training, she offers valuable educational insight and industry knowledge. Her appointment will support the continued growth and delivery of the GMA’s Turf Care Advisory (TCA) services.

The appointments mark a significant step in the GMA’s ongoing mission to provide high-quality training and consultancy, supporting the development of skills and standards across the entire industry.

Dan Prest, GMA Technical and Learning Manager, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Bojan and Fiona to the team. They both bring incredible industry knowledge and fresh perspectives that will help us grow our education and consultancy offer. Bojan’s background in both turf management and further education is a perfect fit for our evolving learning programmes. Fiona’s insight into training and development, along with her knowledge of the industry, will be so important in strengthening our Turf Care Advisory support. This is a real boost for the industry as a whole.”

Bojan Jovanovic, GMA Learning Programme Lead, said: “Having worked with the GMA for several years as a part-time tutor to many learners, I’m excited to step into this new role and help shape the learning journey for professionals and volunteers. Education is a vital part of raising standards in the sector, and I’m passionate about helping people succeed both on the ground and in the classroom.”

Fiona Lyttle, GMA Turf Care Advisory Support Lead, said: “I’m thrilled to join the GMA at a time when support and guidance are more important than ever. I’m looking forward to working on and developing the consultancy provision offered by the association and supporting those working across the breadth of the grounds management industry. It’s all about helping people feel confident and connected in their roles, allowing them to provide safe and fit for purpose playing surfaces.”

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SIS Pitches Acquires Both DrainTalent and HeatTalent

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SIS Pitches Acquires Both DrainTalent and HeatTalent: Global leader in sports surfaces SIS Pitches has acquired a majority stake in DrainTalent, a Netherlands-based business specialising in circular soil management systems, and HeatTalent, an innovative and sustainable, electric undersoil heating.  

This latest acquisition cements SIS Pitches’ position as the most comprehensive provider of pitch construction and maintenance by incorporating two further sub-surface technology systems at the cutting-edge of soil science within their already comprehensive range of add-on systems.

SIS Pitches Acquires Both DrainTalent and HeatTalent

SIS Pitches Acquires Both DrainTalent and HeatTalent

DrainTalent’s patented, flagship product – which shares the same name as the company – is a unique, sustainable soil management system that regulates moisture levels in soil by extracting water from the top layer and reintroducing it from below. This keeps grass healthier and improves recovery after use, resulting in less fixture cancellations.

Using the system’s sensors and climate information provided in the company’s app, grounds teams can manage their playing surface conditions remotely via a connected device. Working this way, a sports club can drastically reduce its water consumption while also promoting natural grass growth. With installations at both amateur and elite-level, DrainTalent has been proven effective across the most challenging playing conditions, guaranteeing optimal conditions all year round.

The acquisition also includes HeatTalent, pioneers of innovative electrical undersoil heating systems, some of which are already being used within the Eredivisie, having been installed at FC Utrecht. One of HeatTalent’s lead technologies include grid heating, a wired, uninsulated stainless-steel grid that heats the soil at much quicker speeds using low voltage and high frequency current pulses.

SIS Pitches’ acquisitions come off the back of impressive organic growth in recent years, with revenue up by 30% over 2024/25. In response, the company has opened new offices in the USA, Saudi Arabia, Georgia and Poland to meet the needs of its growing client base.

The acquisitions are also the latest step in an ongoing growth strategy, which seeks to invest in forward-thinking businesses that add a competitive edge to its existing portfolio. DrainTalent was a natural choice in this respect, with the company boasting its own Research and Innovation Centre. This facility – located next to the manufacturing site – is used to validate product performance, with all trials audited by a local independent consultancy.

George Mullan, Executive Chairman of SIS Pitches, said: “DrainTalent has an exciting range of products that complement what we do as a business, backed by data and the latest industry insights. It’s a company that aligns with our vision to deliver exceptional sports surfaces at every level of competition across the world. These acquisitions are an important step for our long-term growth, adding an extra dimension of performance for both new and existing customers.”

Ivo Lamot, CEO of SIS Pitches, added: “These acquisitions mark an exciting step forward. For existing clients, we’re unlocking enhanced pitch longevity, reducing water usage and maintenance costs, ensuring greater year-round playability. Similarly, DrainTalent clients will now have access to premium surface technology and a seamless end-to-end service through SIS. This combined offering is unmatched in the market.”

Arno Reimert, Managing Director at DrainTalent believes the investment from SIS will be key to the system’s long-term success: “Our shareholders and management see great potential in cooperation with the SIS team to grow global sales and development of the DrainTalent company and its products. With SIS’s proven installation expertise and global reach, we’re now positioned to deliver even greater value – from sustainability gains and lower lifetime costs to a seamless experience for facility owners and grounds teams. It’s a powerful combination that takes our system to the next level.”

Recognising the product’s success and brand visibility, DrainTalent will continue to operate under its current name, as an affiliated company within SIS Pitches.

For more information about DrainTalent, please visit: draintalent.com

To find out more about HeatTalent, go to: heattalent.com

For more details about SIS Pitches, visit: sispitches.com 

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