Important Upcoming Events
- August 14th: 2001 WTA Summer Field Day at the O.J. Noer Research and Education Facility. For more information contact Audra Anderson at (608) 845-6536
- August 18th: 2001 Homeowner Field Day at the O.J. Noer Research and Education Facility. For more information contact Audra Anderson at (608) 845-6536
- October 10th: WTA Golf Outing at Grand Geneva Resort in Lake Geneva, WI. For more information contact Audra Anderson at (608) 845-6536
- January 8th, 9th, and 10th: 2002 Winter Turfgrass and Greenscape EXPO at the Madison Marriott. For more information contact Audra Anderson at (608) 845-6536
NR151 is a set of new rules proposed by the Wisconsin DNR which will further regulate pesticide and fertilizer application and turf use. The rule is intended to reduce nonpoint pollution. Public hearings are scheduled for the month of March, 2001, while written comments on the proposed rule will be accepted until April. The rule applies to all non-agricultural lands greater than 5 acres, including parks, school grounds, roadsides, cemeteries, municipalities, large lawns (public and private; commercial or individual), and golf courses. In short, the rule
- Requires pesticides to be applied only in accordance with and IPM program
- Restricts fertilization to soil test recommendations
- Requires non-turf buffer strips in areas bordering surface waters
For more information, consult your green industry organization (Wisconsin Turfgrass Association, Wisconsin Landscape Federation, Grounds Management Association of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Golf Course Superintendents Association, Wisconsin Sports Turf Managers Association, Northern Great Lakes Golf Course Superintendents Association) or the DNR website at:
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/water/wm/nps/admrules.html
Specific information can be found on the following pages:
Construction standards, NR151.11, p. 37-38
Post-construction/redevelopment standards, NR151.12, p. 39
Municipalities, NR151.13, p. 46: For fertilizer and pesticide distributors, language here will impact businesses dealing with municipalities.
NR151.14: General areas, p. 48
NR151.24: Buffer strips, p. 60
By Monroe Miller, Blackhawk Country Club
The Wisconsin Turfgrass Association used the occasion of the 2000 Field Day to announce the establishment of the Wayne R. Kussow Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellowship for turfgrass science. The fellowship will be in the Department of Soil Science where Dr. Kussow is a faculty member.
The University of Wisconsin Foundation, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, and the University of Wisconsin – Madison Graduate School initiated the Distinguished Graduate Fellowship program as an endowment project to ensure Wisconsin’s continued prominence as a research institution.
The program forms a partnership between the donor and the University. An endowment of $500,000 is required to maintain a graduate student, and the program matches a donor’s $250,000 gift with the same amount. Donors, such as the WTA, are able to detail how the gift would be used. In this case, the graduate student will study soil-related problems in turf (e.g., nutrition, compaction, root zone amendments).
The WTA plans on developing a fellowship in each of the departments of soil science, horticulture, plant pathology, and entomology. The first of these four Distinguished Graduate Fellowships will also serve as a way to honor Wayne Kussow for his years of devotion and dedication to the turf industry in Wisconsin. Dr. Kussow received all of his education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in soil science – B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. A native of Oconto, Wayne has spent all but a year of his career at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The research he has conducted at the Noer Facility, in the lab, and in the greenhouse has contributed mightily to the betterment of the turfgrass industry everywhere, especially in Wisconsin. His commitment to teaching and to undergraduates is impressive and appreciated by students (and parents!); in addition, he has been recognized by CALS for his undergraduate advising. And although not part of his formal appointment, Wayne finds time to do outreach and extension work to share with us what he has learned from science and research. He is a familiar speaker and frequent writer in Wisconsin.
Since the retirements of Professors Love, Worf, Newman and Koval, there have been many changes in the turf program; Kussow has been the constant factor and the glue that held it together during a period of many changes. He kept the turf program focused and moving forward.
In essence, it is impossible for us to ever truly repay someone like Wayne Kussow. But we can show him and the rest of the world the high regard we hold for him by naming, for all time, the first turfgrass Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellowship for him. It is a great honor for a great man.
Fellowship offered to and accepted by Douglas Soldat
Doug is a senior in the Turf and Grounds Program and majoring in Soil Science. He was born in Eau Claire and moved with his family to Janesville at the age of 5. His turfgrass management experience includes 2 summers at Janesville Riverside Golf Course, one summer at the Janesville Country Club and one summer at Northmoor Country Club in Northbrook, IL. doug will be graduating in May of 2001 with a cummulative GPA in excess of 3.6. He will return to Northmoor C.C. for the summer and begin his graduate studies in September when the Fellowship first becomes available.
For more information on Doug's research click here.