Tag Archive for: Leads

Performance leads Brighton College back to Baroness

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Performance leads Brighton College back to Baroness: Brighton College has improved productivity in its grounds maintenance operation with the purchase of a new LM531 fairway mower from Baroness.

Chosen for its outstanding cut quality and ease of use, the new machine will keep on top of mowing the heavily used rugby and cricket facilities at the Jubilee Ground and joins a Baroness LM281 which has been delivering reliable service at the College’s Home Ground for the last four years.

Performance leads Brighton College back to Baroness

Performance leads Brighton College back to Baroness

Head Groundsperson Adrian Brunton oversees a dedicated team of five and, together with a separate gardens team, they manage the three sites which make up the College, Prep School and Pre-Prep School. The grounds are used intensively – not only by pupils but also local sports clubs and even international teams, most recently the New Zealand Women’s Rugby squad as part of their World Cup preparations.

With such high levels of usage, maintaining consistent playing surfaces is key and, as Adrian explains, the Baroness equipment has played a part in that over recent years. “It was partly down to our relationship with Lister Wilder that we really got familiar with Baroness. We purchased an LM281 triple for the Home Ground and that has delivered on all fronts.”

“The results, reliability and aftercare we’ve had with that machine meant that, when the time came to upgrade to a wider mower for the Jubilee Ground, we didn’t look anywhere else.” The new Baroness LM531 features five 22” cutting units which offers high productivity for large areas and superb contour following ability. Powered by a 25hp Kubota engine, it features industry leading blades and cylinders that stay on cut up to three times longer than the competition.

Adrian notes, “The cut quality is outstanding. The cylinders keep their edge to deliver a consistent, high-quality finish from the start of the job to the very end. Since it’s delivery in early August, the LM531 has been out twice a week and then this will drop to roughly once a week over the slower growing months.” He adds, “This machine also enables us to cut down to 10mm which is lower than our previous mower and will give us a better playing surface particularly for cricket.”

The college, too, have been impressed with the service received from both Lister Wilder and Luke Collins from Baroness. “He’s been a constant point of contact for us since our first purchase and has always made himself available for advice and to answer any follow-up questions. That level of support makes such a huge difference.”

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The Heron Golf and Country Club Leads the Way

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The Heron Golf and Country Club Leads the Way: The Heron Golf and Country Club, one of Essex’s premier 27-hole courses, has announced a major step forward in golf course management with the adoption of seven Belrobotics Robotic Mowers. These advanced machines now maintain all fairways and the club’s expansive driving range.

Leading the Way in Innovation and Sustainability

Renowned for its pristine fairways and natural parkland setting, The Heron has long been a favourite among members and visitors alike. Now, the club is reinforcing its commitment to excellence by integrating cutting edge robotic technology into its turf maintenance.

The Heron Golf and Country Club Leads the Way

The Heron Golf and Country Club Leads the Way

Why Robotic Mowing?

More and more golf clubs are making the move to robotic mowing, and for good reason. Here’s why:

Healthier Grass, Better Play
Robotic mowers trim the grass daily, creating a finer cut and promoting stronger, healthier turf

Eco-Friendly Operations
Electric mowers significantly reduce emissions and noise pollution compared to traditional gas powered machinery.

Efficient Grounds Management
With mowing handled automatically, the grounds team can focus on other vital tasks like irrigation, landscaping, and bunker maintenance

“At The Heron Country Club we have worked with AMS for a number of years since their installation of robotic mowers at our driving range, and they have recently expanded their service of robotic mowers to all 27 fairways on the golf course.

The automation has resulted in an improved quality of grass cutting and savings in resources and bills.

AMS provide an excellent service and we would highly recommend.”
— Alex Bartle

A Course for the Future

With this investment, The Heron continues to set the standard in modern golf course care—combining technology, sustainability, and an unwavering focus on delivering premium playing conditions.

To book a tee time or learn more about our facilities, visit www.herongolfclub.com.

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Bionema Leads £961,000 Biofilm Biofertiliser Project

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Bionema Leads £961,000 Biofilm Biofertiliser Project: As the world faces mounting pressure to reduce synthetic fertiliser use amid climate and soil degradation crises, a groundbreaking £961,000 project led by Bionema Group, a UK-based biocontrol technology developer, is paving the way for a sustainable transformation in nutrient management.

This project is funded by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) through the Farming Innovation Programme, under the Nutrient Management Competition. The programme is delivered in partnership with Innovate UK.

Bionema Leads £961,000 Biofilm Biofertiliser Project

Bionema Leads £961,000 Biofilm Biofertiliser Project

Funded by Innovate UK, the Biofilm Biofertiliser project brings together a consortium of scientific and industry leaders to develop a first-of-its-kind, biofilm-based biofertiliser, offering a scalable, low-cost, and environmentally responsible alternative to chemical fertilisers. This UK-developed innovation is poised to have global relevance as agriculture seeks regenerative, high-impact solutions to feed a growing population without destroying natural ecosystems.

“The global fertiliser crisis is not just about rising prices—it’s about the survival of our soils,” said Dr Minshad Ansari, CEO and Founder of Bionema Group. “This unique biofilm technology enables farmers to drastically cut synthetic inputs while restoring soil health and increasing crop productivity.”

A Unique Microbial Solution for a Global Challenge

By leveraging a novel consortium of UK-native, biofilm-forming plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB), the biofertiliser is designed to reduce synthetic fertiliser usage by 40–50%, while improving nutrient uptake, soil structure, and crop yields by 20–30%.

Formulated as water-dispersible granules (WDG) and encapsulated products, the solution will be easy to apply and have a minimum shelf life of up to 24 months, meeting the operational needs of both large-scale and smallholder farms globally.

Three-year field trials will assess product performance on wheat, potatoes, strawberries, and ornamentals across multiple UK farms. The results are expected to provide a blueprint for international adoption across diverse soil and crop types.

“This project offers a revolutionary approach to improving soil health and reducing nitrogen dependency,” said Richard Glass, Innovation Lead at the UK Agri-Tech Centre. “The environmental and economic benefits could be transformative for farmers in the UK and globally.”

A Collaboration to Scale Sustainability

In addition to Bionema Group’s leadership in microbial R&D and product development, the project consortium includes:

  1. CPI, providing process development, scale-up, and manufacturing support.
  2. UK Agri-Tech Centre, leading knowledge exchange, end-user engagement, and impact dissemination.

“We’re excited to help bring this breakthrough to market,” said Kris Wadrop, Managing Director – Materials at CPI. “By combining our formulation expertise with Bionema’s biological innovation, we’re creating a product that can be scaled in the UK and deployed globally.”

Lasting Impact and Global Relevance

This innovative product addresses critical issues in modern agriculture:

  1. Reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and nitrogen runoff
  2. Strengthens resilience against climate and market volatility
  3. Supports compliance with UK and EU fertiliser reduction targets
  4. Aligns with UN SDGs: Zero Hunger, Climate Action, Life on Land, and Responsible Consumption

By producing and scaling the solution in the UK, the project reduces import dependency and positions the UK as a global leader in biocontrol and biofertiliser innovation.

“This is not just a UK story—it’s a global one,” added Dr. Ansari. “With the right partnerships and investment, we can roll out this sustainable technology to farmers worldwide.”

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Toro leads the charge to OPE electrification

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Toro leads the charge to OPE electrification: Drawing on a century of expertise and engineering excellence, Toro has launched the Revolution Series, combining the brand’s proven outdoor power equipment (OPE) expertise with pioneering battery technology.

Aimed at groundskeeping, facilities maintenance, gardening and landscaping professionals, as well as municipal authorities, Toro’s Revolution Series delivers a more sustainable product with like-for-like performance with equivalent petrol or diesel machines.

With other significant benefits to the end user – including less direct exposure to carbon dioxide emissions and reduced noise and vibration – Toro has also launched a campaign promoting the benefits of switching to battery-powered outdoor equipment, called ‘Lead the Charge’.

Anthony Nadalin, director of marketing at The Toro Company said: “As one of the world’s leading manufacturers, we have a responsibility to drive decarbonisation in outdoor power equipment. For Toro, this means leading the charge from the front. We are a passionate advocate for this change and through our extensive range of electric-powered equipment, our focus is to meet the growing demands of outdoor maintenance professionals.”

As a global leader in outdoor power equipment, Toro’s ‘Lead the Charge’ campaign also helps highlight the savings that can be made by switching to all-electric OPE, as well as providing clear and accurate information about pricing and performance.

Lead the Charge aims to help owners and operators of commercial OPE to understand exactly what all-electric OPE can now achieve in terms of performance, sustainability and cost savings.

“By presenting all the information in a factual and user-friendly way, we can help landscaping professionals and municipal authorities to make truly informed decisions,” added Anthony. “Our customers have trusted us for over 100 years and our latest campaign, Lead the Charge, is about Toro repaying that trust by giving them the confidence to transition to cleaner, more cost-effective outdoor power equipment.”

The Revolution Series is easy to maintain and cost-effective to run, lowering the total cost of ownership while contributing to greater business efficiency. For further details, visit https://sites.Toro.com/leadthecharge/index.html.

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Technology leads Surbiton’s new Toro fleet

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Technology leads Surbiton’s new Toro fleet: In its latest Toro fleet deal with Reesink Turfcare, Surbiton Golf Club has invested for the first time in environmentally friendly technology with two Greensmaster 3360 hybrid mowers and accessed the industry’s newest spraying technology with the GeoLink system.

Course Manager Andrew Kerr says the reasons for these choices are progressive as well as practical: “We’ve been evolving and adapting to golf technology and the needs of golfers since we began, and this is the next step. We’ve noticed in recent years that members use Surbiton as a destination location, to enjoy the environment it provides, not just for playing golf.

Technology leads Surbiton's new Toro fleet

Technology leads Surbiton’s new Toro fleet

“With reduced emissions and lower operating noise these mowers contribute to creating a better and more relaxed place to be. And for the same reasons, are pleasing to the residents around us.” The benefits don’t stop there though, Andrew is also noticing a significant reduction in fuel consumption too.

Based on the outskirts of Southwest London, Surbiton Golf Club is one of the first clubs to take advantage of the latest GeoLink spray system, further helping with club efficiencies.

“The level of accuracy it provides you just wouldn’t be able to achieve manually no matter how good or experienced the operator,” he says. “It’s reducing how much product we use and lowering our costs because we’re only using what we need to, there’s no wastage. We don’t have square greens or fairways here and that had made spraying tricky but now we cover every inch with no over or under spraying.”

Andrew has noticed a big difference in the presentation and quality of the grass since using the GeoLink: “We don’t overdose and the grass is as plump as possible, which members love. They perceive the general standard of the course to be improved as a result.”

Also included in the order are two Groundsmaster 3500-D with Sidewinders, seven Greensmaster 1021 pedestrian mowers, two Reelmaster 3575-D fairway mowers and a Groundsmaster 4700-D rough mower in what is the club’s second Toro fleet deal.

“We got our last fleet about six years ago and we would usually replace it after five years, but we’ve been waiting for the machines to be available,” explains Andrew. “What we’ve noticed in the interim is that with the quality and longevity of Toro and the support of Reesink this hasn’t been a problem. We’ve had a Reesink technician come onsite for a day every two weeks and that’s kept maintenance and machinery performance up to standard.”

Andrew and his team of nine have found all the machines involved in the order deliver to their specific presentation requirements: “Our members love striped greens and complexes and having the combination of the cylinders and Sidewinders makes delivering eye catching stripes easy.”

To see how Toro fine turf machinery can benefit your course, call Reesink Turfcare on 01480 226800 or visit reesinkturfcare.co.uk.

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