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Bionema appoints TurfCare distributor for Nematrident®

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Bionema appoints TurfCare distributor for Nematrident®: Bionema Ltd, a leading biopesticide technology company, has signed a distribution agreement with TurfCare to sell its unique patented NemaTrident® range of products on an exclusive basis in the turf, leisure and amenity sector in Ireland.

NemaTrident® is a Tri-Component patented, environmentally friendly solution used to control more than 50 different insect species including chafer grubs and leatherjackets. These pests eat grass roots and can cause devastating damage to golf courses, sports turf and ornamental lawns. According to a research report conducted by independent agricultural and environmental consultancy ADAS the economic cost of damage by chafer grubs at UK golf courses alone is estimated to be £85million a year, from lost income and damage repair, and lost income by 40% of UK racecourses affected by pest damage could amount to £605,000 per course.

Bionema appoints TurfCare distributor for Nematrident®

Bionema appoints TurfCare distributor for Nematrident®

Bionema’s NemaTrident® Tri-Component patented solution incorporates a range of highly virulent insect-parasitic nematodes within the Heterorhabditis and Steinernema genera, a biocompatible wetting agent (Nemaspreader®) and expert advice. These nematodes attack and destroy the larvae of the insect pests – preventing future pests from developing. They are safe, non-toxic to users and consumers, decompose rapidly and can be targeted at specific pests to avoid harming beneficial insects. These sustainable products provide 70-95% success rates in combating pests.

TurfCare is a leading distributor of fertilizers, seed, irrigation and other amenity sector specialist products within Ireland and the company is constantly on the lookout for innovative products within the sport and amenity sectors. Bionema has partnered with TurfCare because it believes it has the best product knowledge and insight into the Irish turf and amenity sector and is well-positioned to include the NemaTrident® range of biological products.

Commenting on the partnership, Dr Minshad Ansari, Bionema founder and CEO, said: “In a market with significant potential, there is a clear opportunity for TurfCare to continue helping greenkeepers, grounds managers, racecourse managers and landscapers in the control of chafer grubs and leatherjackets, when chemicals are banned across Europe.”

Pat Galavan, CEO at Turf Care said: “Our role is to combine all the potential solutions for our customers throughout Ireland.  Our staff have all been briefed on the most effective way to use the Nematrident® range of nematodes to help control chafer grubs and leatherjackets as part of an Integrated Pest Management programme.”

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Applications open for Bernhard’s #200Club

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Applications open for Bernhard’s #200Club: Industry-leader in turf sharpening equipment and management solutions, Bernhard and Company has announced that the application process is open for the exclusive 2022 BIGGA Delegation trip.

Revered around the country, the Bernhard and Company BIGGA Delegation is one of the most respected and sought-after personal development opportunities for greenkeepers and turf professionals in the UK. The week-long educational trip to the coveted GIS Show as part of the BIGGA Delegation will feature experiences designed to elevate attendees’ careers, and will also include site visits to leading golf facilities in the region.

Applications open for Bernhard’s #200Club

Applications open for Bernhard’s #200Club

2022 will mark the 20th year that Bernhard and Company have worked in synergy with BIGGA to deliver the delegation. As such, successful applicants will form part of ‘The 200 Club’ – an exclusive group of professionals that will form part of the 20th iteration of the delegation.

The chosen BIGGA members will represent the UK’s greenkeeping industry, as they develop their network with likeminded professionals from around the globe. They will also take a deep dive into the educational offering at the largest turf management exhibition in the world, this time taking place at The Harbor Drive Convention Center, in San Diego.

Tom Smith, now a senior greenkeeper at Wylihof Golf Club in Switzerland, and member of the San Antonio, 2019 delegation party, commented: “The education is second to none. The week was packed full of learning experiences relating to different aspects of greenkeeping, as well as site visits to top golf courses in the area. I really can’t speak highly enough of the trip and would encourage everybody to put themselves forward.”

Steven Nixon, Director for Bernhard and Company, added: “We are looking forward to resuming the BIGGA Delegation this year after missing out in 2021. The company is excited to be working with BIGGA once again to give something back to the industry we love. I’m certain it will be a career-defining week for our #200Club attendees.”

The GCSAA educational conference takes place from the 5th – 10th February 2022, in San Diego, and the deadline for applications is Friday 17th September 2021 at 5pm BST.

To apply, head online to: https://www.bernhard.co.uk/bigga2022.

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A Masterline mix for all surfaces

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A Masterline mix for all surfaces: In the 12 years since he established Greensward Sports Consultancy, it’s been seed from DLF that Director Andy Boyce has turned to for reliable results on surfaces from across the sporting spectrum.

Whether it’s bowls, cricket or winter sports, Andy swears by mixtures from both Masterline and Johnsons Sports Seed for germination, presentation and plant health that never fails to hit the mark.

A Masterline mix for all surfaces

A Masterline mix for all surfaces

Offering everything from regular maintenance contracts through to one-off renovations, Greensward delivers the full complement of services to a wide variety of sports facilities across the South West. “For me, the Masterline range from DLF offers not just versatility, but quality that has been consistent over the years” explains Andy, who heads up a team of seven. “This means that no matter the type of venue we’re working at, there’s a mixture or a combination of cultivars that’ll work.”

Andy’s go-to mixtures have been PM36 (Wicket) for cricket, croquet and grass tennis courts, and Masterline’s PM79 (Playing Field) for winter sports surfaces and cricket outfields. PM79 incorporates 50% Double 4Turf® tetraploid rye for stronger establishment, drought tolerance and exceptional disease resistance and overall performance during the winter months. “A lot of the football pitches we’re working on are at grassroots level, some of which can be hosting three or four matches a week. This is where you’re relying on mixtures with high wear tolerance and seed that can germinate at colder temperatures. DLF’s tetraploid perennial ryegrasses have been a massive step forward in helping us to deliver that.”

“The Masterline range tends to be at just the right price-point for a lot of our clients, but it’s great to also have the Johnson’s mixtures at our disposal if we think something from this range will be better suited, or sometimes to fulfil a customer request.” Andy will consult with his DLF Regional Technical Manager Ian Barnett, whose advice he has trusted for many years. “Ian is always on hand with the knowledge we need and can answer any questions we may have on the various cultivars, mixtures and ranges. The fantastic service compliments the seed – it’s the whole package.”

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Snow blades & spreaders for John Deere Gators

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Snow blades & spreaders for John Deere Gators: John Deere and Douglas Dynamics, the parent company of US brands such as Western, Fisher and SnowEx, have entered into an allied partnership agreement for the Western Products range of snow and ice removal solutions for utility vehicles.

Located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Western Products is the leading manufacturer of snow and ice control products. It offers a variety of front-mounted blades plus hopper and tailgate-mounted sand and salt spreaders, along with a wide selection of performance-enhancing snow plough and spreader accessories and parts.

Snow blades & spreaders for John Deere Gators

Snow blades & spreaders for John Deere Gators

All Western products can be installed quickly and easily on John Deere’s range of Gator utility vehicles. There is a choice of 1.82m (72in) straight and V-blade snow plough models with hydraulic or winch lift, and each comes with replaceable cutting edges and plough markers. The hydraulic blades feature an in-cab joystick control for lifting and angling, and optional accessories include plough shoes, rubber deflectors or poly cutting edges.

Alongside the snow blades, the Western stainless steel spreaders feature variable material flow rates with in-cab speed controls. These include a 340kg capacity hopper unit with a spread width of up to 9m, and two drop spreaders with capacities of 90 or 217kg, fitted plastic covers and adjustable spread pattern widths of 76, 83 or 91cm.

For more details regarding product information and compatibility with John Deere Gator models, please refer to the online quick match selection system at https://www.westernplows.com/quick-match/, or contact your local John Deere dealer.

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Retirement for Robert Bayliss

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Retirement for Robert Bayliss: Robert Bayliss has said goodbye to Weymouth Golf Club in Dorset after 42 years serving the James Braid-designed parkland course.

Now 65 years old, Robert originally came from a sports-ground maintenance and horticulture background, landing a post as head greenkeeper at the club in 1978 when he was only 22. Initially thinking of the position as he says, “another rung in the ladder”, he ended up enjoying his work so much he stayed until his retirement, over four decades later!

Retirement for Robert Bayliss

Retirement for Robert Bayliss

One of Robert’s biggest achievements while at Weymouth Golf Club has been his involvement in training and education, club accreditation and charity work, he says: “Training and education are paramount when it comes to staff improvement. In the early days, one of my priorities was to obtain funding for training and education from committees. Although challenging, once it became apparent that increased technical skills, as well as greater motivation and morale, resulted in an overall improvement on the work carried out on the course, getting support for these areas became a lot easier.

In Robert’s long-run career he’s experienced many advances to the greenkeeping profession, some of which he calls “remarkable”. He says: “The evolution of mechanisation and machinery is remarkable and has made the lives of greenkeepers everywhere a lot easier and safer, not to mention more productive. There’s now an open world of possibilities when it comes to the maintenance and design of turf, which simply wasn’t there when I started out.

“I sometimes relay to younger greenkeepers how many of the machines they take for granted today didn’t exist when I started, and when they did, it was only a few prestigious clubs that could afford them. The rise of technology means now we all have the machinery we need to do the job properly.”

Toro is the one brand Robert has worked with from the very beginning. “Bringing new equipment from the United States, it completely revolutionised the greenkeeping world,” he says. “One machine that, without a doubt, made my daily routine so much better was the Toro Greensmaster 3 riding greensmower; it did so much to cut maintenance time on the course.”

Robert’s personal favourite, however, was the Toro Sidewinder with its mowing units able to shift sideways, allowing the mower to cut close to obstacles while keeping both operator and machine away from hazards. “If ever there was a mower that can lay claim to being in a class of its own, then surely this is it,” says Robert.

With the club a Toro customer and considering Robert’s long-term relationship with local Toro dealer Devon Garden Machinery and his long-standing contribution to the greenkeeping profession, the news of Robert’s retirement was certainly a milestone to be marked.

John Pike, previous regional manager at Reesink Turfcare, who has also recently retired after 48 years in the turfcare industry, was happy to be involved, he says: “I was delighted to come out of my retirement for the special occasion of marking Rob’s retirement. I worked with Rob for many years as did Dennis Lumley, who worked at Devon Garden Machinery before his retirement, so we arranged a surprise lunch meeting for Rob. There, Elliot Wellman, who is Weymouth’s current contact at Devon Garden Machinery, and I presented Rob with a Reesink/Toro decanter, plus a nice bottle of malt to fill it!”

Robert calls himself “extremely fortunate” to have been surrounded with individuals who would end up becoming long-time friends, one of which is deputy Rob Mabb, a most-trusted work companion of 35 years and recently promoted to the course manager position at Weymouth upon Robert’s retirement, is one of them. A choice that Robert couldn’t be “more pleased with”.

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