Lawn-O-Gram LOG -- Quarterly Newsletter for Members of THE LAWN INSTITUTE VOLUME 3 NUMBER 2 APRIL 1986 Finally January Harvests got to the Post Office. We even had some letters and phone calls asking about what had happened to the issue [6 weeks late]. We hope that the 40 page devoted to Turfgrass Industry Characteristics and Statistics will prove of sufficient value to make the extra effort worth while. Press Kits were mailed on schedule and already have generated requests for radio talk show participation and follow-up answers to questions resulting from newsprint articles. Although we ran over budget on some items, we seem to be sufficiently under budget on others so that we should finish out the fiscal year [April 30] in the black. April issue of Harvests is all printed and mailed well ahead of schedule. Copies to members and to communicators were mailed as in the past. Copies to potential subscribers and potential members were mailed bulk rate, in an envelope with a cover letter describing the new policy approved at our last Executive Committee meeting. Plans for a talk at the HBJ Landscape Exposition in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania failed to materialize and thus there was no out-of-state travel in Mach. This gave a full month for attention to office affairs. Spring has arrived here in Tennessee and we look forward to a good one. We hope that yours is the best yet. Sincerely, Executive Director Office Manager CONTENTS TOPIC PAGE - A-34 Kentucky Bluegrass 2 - New Affiliate Members 2 - Institute Bylaws 3 - Pro-Team Premium Lawn Seed 3 - Budget Report 3 - Spring 1986 Press Kit 5 7 - Harvests - January Issue - New Harvests Supscriptions 8 - Lawn-O-Gram - January Issue 8 - Turf Heroes 9 - Articles Published 9 - The Weeder Guide 10 - St Louis Post Dispatch Article 10 - The Lincoln [Nebraska] Star Article 10 - Radio Talk Shows 10 10 - 1986 Tennessee Turfgrass Association Conf - 1986 GCSAA Continuing Edication Seminar 11 - Turf-Related Injuries 11 11 - MUsser International Turfgrass Association Annual Meeting 12 - Grounds Maintenance Turf Master Award 12 - Turfgrass Research Specialists at GCSAA Conv - Private Turfgrass Breeders at GCSAA Conv 13 - National Sports Turf Council 13 - Preparation for Sports Turf Forum III 13 - sportsTURF Magazine 13 - Update of State University Teaching, Research, 14 14 - ATOM Plugs Lawn Institute 14 - Lawn Institute Recognition 14 and Extension Turfgrass Lists A-34 Kentucky Bluegrass Approved by The Variety Review Board Warren's A-34 Kentucky bluegrass has been approved by The Variety Review Board. We welcome A-34 to our VRB list. New Affiliate Member Applications Received From: - Dale Mayo, Vice President D R Mayo Seed Company P O Box 10247 Knoxville TN 37919 - City of Huntsville 125 Earl St Huntsville Alabama 35802 Jim Schumacher Deputy Director of Parks Institute Bylaws on Computer The Lawn Institute Bylaws [revised and adopted 5/25/85] have been entered into our office computer. Copies are available upon request from the headquarters office. Pro-Team Premium Lawn Seed Roger Rupp of Wauseon, Ohio, has been working on Pro-Team Premium Lawn Seed. He is ready to go this spring with mixtures and blends of Variety Review Board approved grasses and will use the Seal of Approval. Budget Report [start of 4th quarter] For 1985-1986, funds have been allocated as follows for office operation: First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter $7685.00 7785.00 6785.00 2595.00 Yearly budget. $24850.00 An office budget statement as of February 1,1986 [start of 4th quuater] follows: Item Description 1985-1986 Budget Spent to Feb 1 IA IC ID IE IF IIA IIB III IV V Press Kits Harvests Lawn-O-Gram Reprints Office Supplies Travel Annual Meetings Dues Subscriptions Postage $7,000 2,400 200 1,500 1,700 6,000 1,000 350 200 1,500 $5732.11 2196.03 203.63 956.00 1628.21 3157.90 1212.88 390.00 100.50 1322.33 Balance $1267.89 203.97 (3.63) 544.00 71.79 2842.10 (212.88) (40.00) 99.50 177.67 VI VIIA VIIB VIIC empty table cellempty table cell Hourly assist Equipment Ser Photography Operating Exp 100 500 800 1,600 - 686.80 452.82 1375.56 100.00 (186.80) 347.18 224.44 $24,850 $19414.77 $5435.23 As of the start of the fourth quarter, the following budget items were in the red: - Lawn-O-Gram ($3.63) with one more issue to be mailed; - - Dues ($40.00) - Equipment service ($186.80) with one more quarter meetings ($212.88); to go. In addition, the following should be noted: - $5732.11 spent for Press Kits includes folders and envelopes sufficient for Fall 1986 Kits. - Of the $956.00 spent for reprints, $176.00 was for this year; $780.00 was spent for reprints budgeted last year but not billed until this year. - Unbudgeted items: Computer service contract Fourth quarter payment $342.00 171.00 Insurance on office and equipment Service Musser Foundation as Secretary * Mail Harvests to Jacklin, Rothwell and Lebanon * 197.00 509.66 407.00 Total unbudgeted items $ 1626.66 * These funds are reimbursed and deposited into the National Account. The amount of $1626.66 has been deposited back into the office account. - Spring 1986 Press Kits have been paid for in the fourth quarter at a cost of $5343.59. This leaves the budgeted Press Kit account ($3069.36) in the red. - January 1986 Harvests cost $897.80. This leaves the budgeted Harvests account in the red ($693.83) with one more issue to go. - Even with $4196.50 over budget in the items identified, sufficient items have been under budget to finish out the year in the black. Spring 1986 Press Kit The Spring 1986 Press Kit was mailed on February 5, 10 and 12. There were about 800, 1000 and 550 pieces respectively in the 3 mailings. A revised and updated mailing list was used to provide the following distribution. Zip 0 - 300 - ME, NH, VT, CT, RI, MA, NJ, PR 34 - TN, MS, AL, GA, FL 364 - MI, IN, OH, KY 1 - 415 - NY, PA, DE 2 - 150 - MD, DC, VA, WV, NC, SC 3 - 4 - 5 - 257 - MT, ND, SD, MN, IA, WI 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 299 - NE, KS, MO, IL 6 - TX, OK, AR, LA 73 - ID, WY, CO, NM, AZ, UT, NV 359 - CA, OR, WA, AK, HI 2257 84 CANADA 2 OVERSEAS 2343 This amounted to an increase of 113 more than Fall 1985 Press Kit. Because of the size of the kit, costs were $1843.59 over budget. The unit cost delivered was down to $2.28 from $2.56 for the Fall 1985 Press Kit which included reprints. Costs were as follows: Folders Envelopes Printing Labels, string Postage $ 796.62 199.16 3645.83 25.00 676.98 $ 5343.59 Since February 1984, nine different Feature Items have been presented in different Press Kits. These are identified in the following table along with the number of sheets and sides of sheets devoted to each in Press Kits from Spring 1984 through Spring 1986. Total sheets have increased as follows: 19,39,45,32,43. Total sides have increased as follows: 36,39,45,36,52. On the basis of this analysis, it would seem that 40 sides be targeted as adequate space for press kit releases, and that this space be scheduled ahead of time for various feature items. PRESS KITS Feature Items Introduction News releases Cultivar features Var Rev Bd I Speak for the Lawn Questions/ Answers Graphics Research Rep Reprints Feb 1984 Feb 1984 Jul 1984 Jul1984 Sh 1 6 4 5 2 1 - - - - Si 2 12 7 10 4 1 - - Sh 2 18 8 - 6 - 1 4 - - Si 2 18 8 - 6 1 4 - Feb 1985 Feb 1985 Jul 1985 Jul 1985 Sh 2 13 8 8 Si 2 13 8 8 Sh 2 14 _- 1 8 -_ 8 6 - - - - - 6 5 - 4 6 - Si 2 14 - 1 6 - 5 8 - Total 19 36 39 39 45 45 32 36 NOTE: Sh = sheets; Si = sides. Feb 1986 Feb 1986 Sh 2 18 - 9 - 14 - - - 43 - Si 2 18 - 18 14 - - - 52 Based on numbers of Press Kits mailed, the following table makes some interesting comparisons from Spring 1984 to Spring 1986. Number of kits mailed has increased from 2023 to 2343. In each instance, Bev has gone through the entire mailing list to update changes in addresses, delete old listings and add new listings. Costs have increased as sheets and sides of sheets have increased and as reprints were included [Autumn 1985]. Coots delivered have fluctuated on the same basis from $$1.49 to $2.56. It would seem appropriate to budget Press Kits at $4,000.00 an issue, $8,000 per year [an increase of $1000] and expect a unit delivered cost of about $1.75. empty table cell 2/84 7/84 2/85 7/85 2/86 Number Mailed 2023 2079 2188 2230 2343 PRESS KITS Total Cost $3381.26 $3087.37 $3805.22 $5697.76 $5343.59 Unit Cost Delivered $1.67 $1.49 $1.74 $2.56 $2.28 Harvests Vol urne 32 Number 4 The January 1986 issue of Harvests was mailed February 24 [some 6 weeks late]. This special issue of 40 pages is almost double the normal size and was scheduled in response to requests for information on Lawn and Sports Turf Characteristics and Statistics. An attempt was made to condense the information to 24 pages, but this was thought to reduce the effectiveness of the presentation. In anticipation of a larger than normal demand for this issue, 2000 copies were printed. One thousand two hundred and seventy four copies were mailed with the following distribution: Zip 0 - 110 - ME, NH, VT, CT, RI, MA, NJ, PR 123 - NY, PA, DE 97 - MD, DC, VA, WV, NC, SC 221 - TN, MS, AL, GA, FL 96 - MI, IN, OH, KY 95 - MT, ND, SD, MN, IA, WI 123 - NE, KS, MO, IL 53 - TX, OK, AR, LA 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 74 - ID, WY, CO, NM, AZ, UT, NV 9 - 204 - CA, OR, WA, AK, HI 1196 63 CANADA 15 OVERSEAS 1274 Because of the larger issue and increased number of copies printed costs were up. The following data is of interest: 5.32 Envelopes Printing 596.07 Labels, string 20.00 Postage 276.41 $897.80 This amounted to $297.80 over budget. Unit cost delivered was up to $ .70 from $ .57 for the October 1985 issue. In October 1985, 1210 copies were mailed. Sixty four more copies were mailed this time. Postage increased because of increased weight of the issue. A check of the records on numbers of subscriptions received for Harvests reveals the following: Harvests Subscriptions Month July 1985 August 1985 September 1985 October 1985 November 1985 December 1985 January 1986 February 1986 March 1986 Number of Subscriptings Received 1 2 1 0 2 1 6 1 5 Total 19 [$190.00] With the April 1986 issue of Harvests, all those who are not members, communicators, or subscribers will receive a letter describing the new subscription policy and rate. Starting July 1,1985 no new names [other than members, communicators and subscribers have been added to Harvests mailing list. Lawn-O-Gram - January 1986 Issue Lawn-O-Gram Volume 3 Number 1 was mailed January 28. It consisted of 6 sheets printed on 12 sides plus an addendum of 22 sheets printed on 37 sides. Seventy copies were mailed. Coots are itemized as follows: Paper Envelopes Postage $16.66 9.10 78.91 Total $ 104.67 Delivered rost was $1.50 per copy compared with October 1985 Lawn-O-Gram which had a delivered rost of $1.09. Printing costs are not listed as we are able to handle this in-house. Turf Heroes A second cartoon strip entitled "Turf Heroes" has been roughed out by Bev. A copy of this is attached. Little by little we are getting some ideas put together for a series of these that will relate to lawngrasses as components of an overall landscape ecology. A check of the records on numbers of articles published to date reveals the following: Articles Published Calendar Year Number of Articles Published 1983 1984 1985 1986 9 10 13 4* * during the first quarter. "Setting Priorities for Public Athletic Fields" The January-February issue of sportsTURF contained an article entitled "Setting Priorities for Public Athletic Fields". [See copy attached], "Cultivars for Hard Tse Turf" The February issue of Park Maintenance contained an article entitled "Cultivars for Hard Use Turf". This is one of three short articles presented for publication and is concerned only with perennial ryegrasses. [See copy attached]. "Renovate Your Lawn" The March issue of Rodale's Organic Gardening contained an article entitled "Renovate Your Lawn". Limited space availability restricted the listing of Variety Review Board cultivars other than fine fescues and perennial ryegrasses. [See copy attached]. "Cultivars For Hard Use Turf - Part 2" Sports Turf-Part 2 "Cultivars for Hard Use Turf" was published in the March issue of Park Maintenance. [See copy attached]. The Weeders Guide Earl Aronson prepares AP Newsfeatures and has worked with The Lawn Institute for some years. His latest release, dated February 7,1986, is concerned with growth regulators. Moot of the material contained in this release was provided by The Lawn Institute. [See copy attached] St Louis Post Dispatch Article January 28, 1986 An article entitled "Love-Hate Affair with Lawn" by Clarissa Start has generated a lot of mail for us. Ms Start must have a large following of people who need help that she cannot provide. That’s why we're where we are. [See copy attached.] Lawn Care Article in The Lincoln Star An article entitled "It's Time to Get Out There and Inspect That Lawn" was featured in a recent issue of The Nebraska Lincoln Star. [See copy attached ] . Radio Talk Shows Two radio talk shows were presented in March - one on the fourth - WLPA from Lancaster, Pennsylvania - 5 to 6 pm; and the other on the sixteenth - WMAQ from Chicago, Illinois - 7:30 to 8:00 AM. Both were combination interview/listener call-in shows. The WLPA show had less audience involvement; the WMAQ show consisted of one call after another. The half hour presentation was too short to satisfy listeners and thus follow-up letters are being received. 1986 Tennessee Turfgrass Association Conference and Trade Show The Tennessee Turfgrass Association Conference and Trade Show was held in Nashville on January 6-8. A talk was presented on January 7 under the title "Sources of Weed Seed in Turfgrass". At the General Membership meeting, January 7, The Lawn Institute's Executive Director was elected to a fourth term on The Board of Directors of The Tennessee Turfgrass Association. Dr Thomas Samples, Extension Turfgrass Specialist, and Dennis Shepard, Research Associate-Turfgrass. were present as evidence of two new positions filled with young men of national prominence.. At least in Tennessee, we feel it is not necessary for Turfgrass Science and Education to accept cuts. In fact, we are looking towards further expansion. Continuing Education Seminar at GCSAA Convention On January 27 and 28 the Seminar "Identification of Turfgrasses and Varietal Uses" was presented to 20 men at the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America Convention and Show in Sac Francisco. Audience response to the 16 hours of subject matter presented was excellent. Lawn Institute visuals numbered 1013 and Dr Hurley used a similar number of excellent slides. The notebooks which contained materials from the various member firms of The Lawn Institute, in addition to Lawn Institute reprints and LISTS were well received. Note on the attached sheets [2] the number of pre-registered superintendents for each of 9 Seminars selected for comparison purposes. Our Seminar on Turfgrass Varieties had the smallest number pre-registered. It seems that there is work to do in emphasizing the importance of new varieties and the' value [dollars] to superintendents who use them. We are starting out in this venture at a time when other topics are rated more important than seed. If the job is done right this should change. "Turf-Related Injures GCSAA Talk The Lawn Institute delivered a talk entitled "Turf-Related Injuries" on Friday, January 31, at the Industry Update Session of the GCSAA Contention in San Francisco. This presentation will be included in the Conference Proceedings. It was concerned with the major benefits of lawn and sports turf in the enhancement of our quality of life it comparison with very minor effects of equipment and chemical related injury to turf mangers, gardeners and urban residents who care for lawns and sports turf. The assets far outweigh the liabilities and yet concerns of environmentalists continue to be heard and influence the outcome of litigation. Musser International Turfgrass Association Annual Meeting The annual meeting of the Muster International Turfgrass Foundation was held it San Francisco on Sunday afternoon, February 2. Nineteen directors were present, including one from England and one from South Africa. Support for the newly formed National Sports Turf Council was voted so that during the year ahead more progress should be made. The Lawn Institute's Executive Director was elected to a second term as Secretary of the Foundation. Grounds Maintenance - Turf Master Award Grounds Maintenance presented the first Turf Master award to Dr C Reed Funk at a ceremony in San Francisco on Saturday, February 1. Dr Funk's nomination was made by Dr Rich Hurley. Judges were Dr James Beard, Dr Victor Gibeault, Dr Robert Miller, Dr Eliot Roberts,Dr James Watson, Mr James Prusa and Ms Kathy Copley. This group met with the publishers of Grounds Maintenance for a dinner in Dr Funk's honor following the presentation. Turfgrass Research Specialists st GCSAA Convention The annual GCSAA Convention is an attraction for turfgrass research specialists from around the country. Of those in attendance, contact was made with the following twenty scientists: - Dr Arden A Baltensperger - New Mexico; - Dr James B Beard- Texas; - Dr Jack D Butler - Colorado; - Dr Robert N Carrow - Georgia; - Dr Patricia Cobb - Alabama; - Dr William M Dest - Connecticut:; - Dr Ralph E Engel - New Jersey; - Dr Milt C Engelke - Texas; -Dr C Reed Funk Jr — New Jersey; - Dr Victor A Gibeault — California; - Dr Ali Harivandi- California; - Dr Gerald L Horst - Texas; - Dr Jeffrey V Krans - Mississippi; - Dr Harry D Niemczyk - Ohio; - Dr James A Reinert - Texas; - Dr Paul E Rieke- Michigan; -Dr C Richard Skogley - Rhode Island; - Dr Richard Smiley — Oregon; - Dr Donald White - Minneota; - Dr Hank Wilkinson- Illinois. Of the various topics discussed informally was the contribution Harvests is making in behalf of turfgrass education across the country. We have received high ratings from the academic community. Private Turfgrass Breeders at GCSAA Convention The GCSAA Convention provides an opportunity to meet with private turfgrass breeders each year. Five members of The Lawn Institute Variety Review Board were present: - Dr David Casnoff; - Dr Richard A Hurley; - Dr Kevin J McVeigh; - Dr William A Meyer; - Dr Jerry Pepin. National Sports Turf Council An insert to accompany the descriptive brochure for the Musser International Turfgrass Foundation has been printed to announce the formation of The National Sports Turf Council. There is much to do before NSTC becomes a reality. No formal request for recognition has been made up to this time. The organizations listed have expressed interest only through their Executive Directors. In principle there seems to be a need. At such time as organizational details are worked out, these will be presented to the Executive Committee for consideration. Preparation for Sports Turf Forum III April 7 and 8 in Beltsville, Maryland the Sports Turf Forum III will be held. This meeting will serve as a workshop to tackle details on the formation of a National Sports Turf Council. There has been much discussion abort this and now seems to be the time to ’’fish or crt bait”. Input has been made ready concerning objectives of the proposed Council. sportsTURF Magazine The January-February issue of sportsTURF was released at the recent GCSAA Convention in San Francisco This new trade journal is gaining respect in the field and is an example of an increased interest in sports turf that has developed during the past year. Besides this journal is the new organization of the Sports Turf Managers Association and the newly formed National Sports Turf Council. Bruce Shank, associate publisher of sportsTURF, Dr Ken Kurtz, Executive Director of STMA and Dr Fred Grau and Jack Murray, organizers of NSTC, have contributed much during the past year. The Lawn Institute has served as a catalyst in this process and we are pleased to be recognized by Bruce Shank in the current issue of sportsTURF and in his "The Front Office" editorial. Update State University Teaching, Research and Extension - Turfgrass Lists On March 18 sufficient time was spent at The University of Tennessee in Knoxville to revise and update our list of teaching, research and extension staff at state ties who have lawn and sports turf responsibilities. We have worked on this list of communicators during the past several months and now have 152 names and addresses confirmed. These are probably over 200 that we should be in torch with eventually. ATOM Plugs Institute The January issue of the newsletter from the Association of Turf and Ornamental Managers in Memphis Tennessee gives a good plug for The Lawn Institute. We look forward to having an influence on lawns in the Memphis Metropolitan Area though ATOM. [See copy of newsletter attached]. Lawn Institute Recognition Organic Gardening magazine provides a new audience for The Lawn Institute to be of service. The attached letter from The Adirondack Park Agency requests information on Integrated Pest Management. With current budget cuts in Agricultural Research and Extension across the country, this program will suffer. More promotion of Lawn Institute services by Organic Gardening. There seems to be eves increasing in zoysia. A recent issue [February] of New Shelter has identified The Lawn Institute as a source of lawn information. Horticulture recognizes The Lawn Institute as "experts" in our field. We appreciate having this and work hard to maintain it.