Turfgrass managers and students will get an update on current issues and new technology during the Iowa Turfgrass Field and Demo Day Sept. 8. They will also get to tour the sod that will become Iowa State University’s football field in 2022.
The annual event is a cooperative effort of Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and the Iowa Turfgrass Institute, and provides participants hands-on learning and engagement with some of the biggest issues facing their industry.
This year’s program includes a presentation on sports turf research, an update on cultivar trials, a talk on tree maintenance, an insect pest update for the landscape and various other topics related to fertility and turf health.
Speakers include Adam Thoms, assistant professor in horticulture and extension turfgrass specialist with Iowa State University; Nick Christians, university professor of horticulture at Iowa State; Donald Lewis, professor and extension entomologist at Iowa State; Jeff Iles, professor and chair in horticulture at Iowa State; and various Iowa State graduate research assistants and horticulture experts.
The field day will be held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Iowa State University Horticulture Research Station, and there will be opportunities to see new equipment and products.
“Our attendees tend to be hands-on workers and they like to see demonstrations and products in the field,” said Randy Robinson, executive director of the Iowa Turfgrass Institute.
Unique this year is the sod project for Jack Trice Stadium. “We sand-capped a cornfield and are growing six acres of Kentucky bluegrass to be used as the next playing surface for the stadium,” said Thoms. “This will be the first look at this project for the public since we started it in April.”
The field day will help managers get a better idea if something is for them or their program, or how something like a new herbicide could fit into their maintenance program.
Registration should be done online and in advance, but on-site registration will be available. Cost to register is $40 per person, and all registrations include snacks and lunch.