ROCHESTER, NY—The Empire State Green Industry Show, which will be held at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center on January 7-9, 2009, will feature many educational sessions and events tailored for sports turf professionals. Hosted by the New York State Turfgrass Association (NYSTA), Nursery and Landscape Association (NYSNLA), and New York State Arborists – ISA Chapter, Inc. (NYSA), the show provides education tracks offering a variety of credits including continuing education units for the Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA); Professional Grounds Management Society (PGMS); and New York State Parks and Recreation Society – which can be obtained by contacting Rachel LeMarre at (518) 584-0321, ext. 14. In addition, DEC, CNLP and ISA credits will be offered.
Key green industry vendors will be showcasing their products and services at the 200 booth trade show. Those interested in exhibiting can view a map of available booth space on the show web site. The 2007 booth price remains in effect for the 2009 show and includes conference registration for two representatives. To reserve exhibit space, contact Jill Cyr at show@nysta.org.
According to NYSTA Secretary/Treasurer, Robert Sanderson, Grounds and Landscape Manager of the Sodexho Campus Services team at Nazareth College, “Sports turf professionals who attend the Empire State Green Industry Show will be surprised at all the opportunities available there. In addition to daily sports turf education tracks, there are many other sessions from related industries that sports field managers will find helpful to their careers. These include the round table discussions and breakfast program with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation representatives.”
Sports turf educational sessions will be presented by many prominent industry professionals.
Dr. Frank Rossi, Associate Professor of Turfgrass Science at Cornell University, will review the manual, “Sports Field Management,” which will be provided to session attendees at no charge. He’ll discuss the main concepts in this guidebook on maintaining safe sports fields including sports turf management, cultural practices and how to develop a management team. Daniel Schied, Horticulture and Grounds Manager at the University of Rochester, will present sessions on a variety of subjects including maintenance calendars, communicating snow removal plans, and reducing pesticide use on athletic turf. Steve LeGros, Mid Atlantic Sports Field Consultant with Turf & dirt Inc., will discuss the organic agronomic methods used on two Little League World Series fields. Robert Sanderson, Nazareth College, will review synthetic turf removal and
safety issues involving synthetic turf. A complete list of sports turf sessions is included in the attendee brochure which is available on the show web site.
Round table luncheon discussions, which were introduced at the last show, proved to be very popular with attendees and have been brought back this year. On Wednesday, January 7, from 12:00 – 1:30 p.m., registered participants will be given the opportunity to meet with expert facilitators, have lunch, and exchange ideas with colleagues. Sample forums include, “Opportunities for Reducing Pesticide Use on Turf,” facilitated by Daniel Schied, University of Rochester; “De-icing Materials, Liquids and Solids, Bulk/Bagged Material,” facilitated by David Cook, Sales and Marketing Manager, Innovative Municipal U.S., Inc.; “What are ‘Soft’ Pesticides,” facilitated by Dr. Jennifer Grant, Assistant Director of the New York State IPM Program, Cornell University; and “Equipment Options: Rent vs. Purchase,” facilitated by Jim Hornung, Jr., CSP and Vice President of Elbers Landscape Service, Inc. and Great Lakes Athletic Fields.
Another forum back by popular demand is the “NYSDEC Panel Discussion and Breakfast” scheduled for the morning of Friday, January 9. Participants are invited to have breakfast with three New York State Department of Environmental Conservation representatives and have questions answered on a variety of topics including neighbor notification, lawn care contract implementation and fuel tank inspections. There is a $15 fee for the required breakfast portion of this program.
For students, the NYSTA Annual Collegiate Turf Bowl Competition will be held on Thursday, January 8 from 10 am to 4 pm. The competition is designed to test students’ knowledge of turfgrasses and the weeds, diseases, and insects that affect them. High-scoring teams and individuals are recognized with cash prizes, certificates, a one-year student membership to NYSTA and the honor of taking back to their school the silver Turf Bowl. To pre-register individuals and teams, contact Turf Bowl coordinator, David Chinery, Rensselaer County Cornell Cooperative Extension, at (518) 272-4210 by Monday, December 15.
Attendee and exhibitor registration is now available on line. For more information on the 2009 Empire State Green Industry Show, call the show office at 800-873-8873, (518) 783-1229, or visit our web site at www.nysta.org.