By Brad Park, Rutgers University
In what has become an annual tradition, the New Jersey Turfgrass Association (NJTA), Sports Field Managers Association of New Jersey (SFMANJ), and Rutgers University will once again collaborate to hold the Rutgers Lawn, Landscape, and Sports Turf Field Day at the Rutgers Adelphia Turfgrass Research Farm in Adelphia, NJ on Wednesday, August 1, 2012.
The schedule of events and format for integrating educational talks and commercial equipment demonstrations has evolved into a win-win half-day program for both attendees and Green Industry vendors. Field day participant totals at Adelphia have ranged from 317 to 408 during the past five years.
The trade show is sponsored and administered by SFMANJ and is open to all vendors who sell products and services to the Green Industry. Coffee, bagels, Danish pastries, etc. will be served during the trade show. The trade show provides a great opportunity for attendees to network with other Green Industry professionals and examine the latest product offerings from Industry-supporting vendors.
After opening remarks from Rutgers University representatives, the education and equipment demonstration portion of the program will begin at 9:00 am. Attendees will be divided into three groups – the Red group, White group, and Blue group. Attendees will be asked to follow a group leader carrying either a Red, White, or Blue flag for the remainder of the morning program.
Groups will rotate between three 17-minute tour stops per hour. Two stops will consist of turfgrass education and one stop will consist of equipment demonstrations. There will be four 3-stop rotations between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm.
The Adelphia Research Farm is home to the Rutgers Center for Turfgrass Science Turf Breeding Program. The primary focus of work performed at the farm is the development of new varieties of Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue, perennial ryegrass and fine fescues. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear Rutgers Turf Center faculty describe large field trials consisting of commercially-available varieties and new experimental selections of the major cool-season turfgrass species.
Turfgrass fungicide and herbicide trials are annually conducted by Rutgers Faculty at the Adelphia Farm and are typically included as educational tour stops. Stark contrasts between effective and ineffective treatments are often visually apparent in these trials providing attendees with useful information on product selection, application timings, and application rates.
Green Industry vendors who market turfgrass and landscape equipment or who provide equipment-based contract services are invited to demonstrate their equipment and/or services during a demonstration stop at Adelphia. In previous years, vendors have demonstrated mowers, aerification equipment, debris collection machines, line painting tools, drill-and-fill and slice-and-fill machines, and turf removal and sodding methods.
Demonstrations will be available to potential sponsors for purchase from SFMANJ in 5-minute periods per piece of equipment demonstrated. Vendors who wish to demonstrate equipment must purchase a trade show booth. Three demonstrations will occur per tour stop; thus, vendors will have the opportunity to show their equipment to the Red, White, and Blue attendee groups per 1 hour rotation.
A total of twelve demonstrations are available. The first twelve vendors to reserve a demonstration will be allocated 5 minutes of demonstration time per piece of equipment. If all twelve equipment demonstrations are not sold within two weeks of the Field Day, the first vendor to reserve a demonstration will be provided the opportunity to purchase an additional demonstration.
Following the turfgrass education and demonstration period, a fine lunch will be served to all of those in attendance. The trade show will also be open during this time. Following lunch, New Jersey DEP pesticide recertification credits, and credits from neighboring states per approval, will be available to attendees. Attendees will also have the option to remain onsite and attend an NJ DEP Core credit session after lunch.
Please note the following:
Attendees may register online by visiting the NJTA website: www.njturfgrass.org; (o) 973.812.6467; (email) execdirector@njturfgrass.org
Those vendors interested in reserving a trade show booth or a trade show booth and demonstration are encouraged to contact SFMANJ for more information and appropriate paperwork (website) www.sfmanj.org; (o) 856.514.3179; (email) mail@sfmanj.org
The schedule for August 1 is as follows:
6:30 am Vendors may arrive
7:30 am Registration & Trade Show Opening
9:00 am Research Tours & Equipment Demos
1:00 pm Lunch & Open Trade Show
2:00 pm Optional CORE Pesticide Credit Session
2:30 pm Conclusion
Brad Park is Sports Turf Research & Education Coordinator, Rutgers University; Editor, SFMANJ Update newsletter; and a member of the SFMANJ Board of Directors since 2003.