ASPA BULLETIN AMERICAN SOD PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION July, 1971 ANNUAL MEETING IN MICHIGAN The 4th annual meeting of ASPA is now recorded in history as another success­ ful activity of your Association. The registered attendance of 160 represented the sod industry from throughout the United States and Canada. In spite of uncomfortably high temperatures during the two day event, interest and enthusiasm did not wilt. During the afternoon of June 29, Dr. James Beard, Research Professor, and his capable staff at Michigan State University, gave us a real treat at the Michigan Muck Sod Research Farm. The well organized and conducted tour included research plots on a wide range of sod production problems. The research program at Michigan State represents the most concentrated effort on sod production problems in the United States. The following day, an all-day bus tour was conducted. We are indebted to Don Juchartz, Wayne County Extension Director, for his efforts in organizing and conducting the tour. Visits were made to the Ludema Sod Farm at Clarksville, Blue Grass Sod Farms at Allendale and Baldwin Sod Farms at Leslie and Stockbridge. We regret the long mileage traveled to make these stops which were specifically selected for different points of interest. "Home-made" developments in equipment for mechanization of sod harvesting and handling appeared to capture greatest interest. More complete details of the two-day activity will be featured in the August issue of Weeds, Trees and Turf publication. Election of New Board Members At the annual meeting, three members were elected to serve on the Board of Trustees for a term of three years (July 1, 1971 - June 30, 1974). Elected were: 1. 2. 3. Tobie Grether, Cal-Turf, Camarillo, California. John Nunes, Nunes Turfgrass Nurseries, Inc., Patterson, California William Latta, Latta-Scholes, Princeton Turf, Kansas City, Missouri Other members of your present Board of Trustees and the year their term of office expires are: 1972 - Robert Daymon, Emerald Valley Turf Nurseries, Gregory, Michigan Wiley Miner, Princeton Turf Farms, Hightstown, New Jersey Ben Warren, Warren's Turf Nursery, Palos Park, Illinois 1973 - Dale Habenicht, H & E Sod, Tinley Park, Illinois Jack Kidwell, Kidwell Turf, Culpeper, Virginia George Stewart, Karandrew Sod, Suffield, Connecticut Newly Elected Officers Officers elected for 1971-72 at a reorganization meeting of the Board of Trustees were as follows: President - Tobie Grether Vice President - Jack Kidwell Secretary - Bill Latta Treasurer - George Stewart Executive Secretary - Henry W. Indyk President Grether appointed the following Council chairmen: Council Chairmen Appointed 1. Administration & Finance - George Stewart 2. Ecology - Wiley Miner 3. Legislative - Dale Habenicht 4. Management & Industry - Robert Daymon 5. Membership - Ben Warren 6. Mechanization - John Nunes 7. Public Relations - Bill Latta Congratulations to our new Board officers and Council chairmen. We wish them well in their efforts in furthering the objectives of ASPA for the benefit of the sod industry. Let's all pitch in and give them our full support so that their efforts can be more meaningful and effective. Progress On Activities Completion of a long-time effort on drafting a set of sod specifications for ASPA is in sight. Your Board has approved a set of specifications and will be ready to go to the printers after some minor revisions. Copies will be made available to the membership for distribution. Details will be provided when they become available. The green light has been given by the Board to Daymon and Juchartz for the development of a simple cost accounting chart of accounts and manual as a guide for setting up your own individual accounting system. This is a major need in the sod industry. Hopefully, this project will move along as rapidly as possible considering its importance and need by the industry. Printing of our first Membership Directory is being planned. This can be very useful in our promotional efforts. In order to facilitate printing of the Directory, the cooperation of the ASPA membership is urgently needed. Prompt payment of your dues for 1971-72 is required. In order to be included in the Directory, your dues must be paid before October 1. Your dues statement is enclosed. Subsequent notices become costly and deplete funds that are needed for other activities of your Association. ALCA Invitation Accepted The American Landscape Contractors Association has invited ASPA to participate in its Annual Conference in Las Vegas on February 9, 1972. The invitation has been accepted and we will participate with a two-hour program in the form of a workshop on sodding. Specific details for this workshop are being handled by President Grether. In addition, we shall participate in their trade show with an appropriate exhibit. Parker Shirling (Princeton Turf, Centerville, Md.), has accepted the responsibility for the booth. ALCA has been invited to reciprocate and participate in our California meeting. Participation in activities of this nature offer unlimited opportunities for the development of a better understanding and relationship between organizations that have common or associated interests. Future Activities Our next major activity - Cal Turf, Santa Ana, California, is scheduled for February 22-24, 1972. Details are being worked on at present and it appears that this will be bigger than and quite different from any previous activity. This will be an opportunity that you can't afford to miss. Specific details will be provided later. Plans are also being formulated for our annual meeting in the summer of 1972 in Toronto. We appreciate the invitation from the Nursery Sod Growers of Ontario and look forward to a very interesting meeting hosted by our fellow sod producers in Canada. Did You Know? The membership of ASPA can be easily doubled if each present member will get one, yes - only one - new member. ASPA is moving ahead and making considerable progress in many areas. One of its major needs is increased representation of the sod industry. Previous appeals for new members has not been too productive. If each member makes a concerted effort, a seemingly difficult task to accomplish for a small membership committee will become very simple. Enclosures Occasionally, printed information such as the enclosed sod research reports will be sent to you as another service of ASPA for its membership. In the next mailing, several reports from Michigan that Dr. Beard has agreed to supply in sufficient quantity will be included. Reports of this nature are of considerable value in keeping abreast of new developments. Henry W. Indyk Executive Secretary