Turf pros in the golf market now have Insignia® SC Intrinsic™ brand fungicide for up to 28 days — or up to 672 hours — of broad spectrum disease control and additional plant health benefits. That’s why #672matters.

Timing is everything when staying ahead of the industry’s most pervasive turfgrass disease, dollar spot. Research from university turfgrass pathologists and experiences of golf course superintendents confirm that controlling dollar spot requires a year-round, preventative approach, which is the foundation of BASF’s Emerald® First, Emerald Last fungicide application strategy.

The 2011 GIS show floor buzzed with golf course superintendents, distributors and manufacturers discussing the turf-killing summer of 2010, ways to maintain healthy turf in 2011 and the state of the golf market and economy. The conclusions—the market seems to be leveling out and producing a renewed fervor for sustainable industry growth.

Golf course superintendents and assistant superintendents have a lot of reasons to stop by our GIS booth 940:

•    Connect with our sales and technical experts to learn the latest on turfgrass disease control and plant health science.

•    Get a free author-signed turfgrass book.

•    Get a free sample of Insignia® SC Intrinsic™ brand fungicide.

•    Test your turf trivia knowledge playing Superintendent Thousandaire for the chance to win up to $1,000.

•    And more!

Home base:  Humble, Texas

Time with BASF:  Three years

Approach with customers:  “It’s my job to educate users on the technical features and benefits of our products, and, most importantly, how our products can solve issues that they face on golf courses, in nurseries or through their lawn care businesses,” said Klosterboer. “I don’t believe in short-term selling – I want the best long-term solutions for my customers.”

Home base:  Longmeadow, Mass.

Time with BASF:  Five years

Approach with customers:  Listen first and recommend second. John’s regular contact with customers extends beyond the phone; he makes a point to listen in person. That means walking the course with superintendents and meeting growers at their greenhouses and nurseries. By phone or in-person, he asks questions, listens, identifies issues and then discusses solutions.

Most golf course superintendents will remember the summer heat stress of 2010 as one of the most challenging in their careers. Jeff Rottier, golf course superintendent at Janesville Country Club in Wisconsin, however, will look back fondly. In a summer that brought much of the nation’s turfgrass to a breaking point, Rottier’s turfgrass on Hole 15 – usually the highest in disease pressure and the toughest to keep grassed – had a breakthrough. 

Timing is everything when staying ahead of the industry’s most pervasive turfgrass disease, dollar spot. Research from university turfgrass pathologists and experiences of golf course superintendants confirm that controlling dollar spot requires a year-round, preventative approach, which is the foundation of BASF’s Emerald® First, Emerald Last fungicide application strategy.

Home base: Millsboro, Del.
 
Time with BASF: 11 years
 
Approach with customers: 
“The industry is constantly evolving,” said Huhn.“The changes my customers deal with, whether it’s a new disease or turf type, encourages me to diversify my understanding of the industry. I must quickly adapt to new situations so I can offer my customers the best solution.”

This month, BASF Professional Turf & Ornamentals launched Honor^® Intrinsic^TM brand fungicide and Insignia^® SC Intrinsic brand fungicide into the turfgrass market. Both Intrinsic brand fungicides are labeled for disease control and have added plant health benefits.

Intrinsic brand fungicides – the BASF umbrella brand for all products labeled for disease control and plant health in the turf and ornamentals market – prime the immune system of the turfgrass before a stress event occurs helping the turfgrass endure and overcome the event through root retention.

BASF research shows pyraclostrobin, the active ingredient in Intrinsic brand fungicides, enhances many physiological processes in the plant, enabling the turf to withstand disease and environmental stresses, including drought, moisture, temperature extremes, as well as mechanical stress, such as aeration.

Home base: Chesterfield, Virginia

Time with BASF: 21 years

Approach with customers:  “I really enjoy educating people and helping customers solve problems. I work on the front end of bringing products to market. It’s my job to work with our customers and help them understand the solutions that BASF offers from start to finish. That means listening to customers face to face and working with them to break down complex, scientific processes into simple, customer-specific solutions.

For golf courses in the northern U.S. the window of opportunity to preventatively control snow mold turfgrass diseases in winter and early spring is in the fall. Once the snow flies, the window shuts. And if turfgrass is left untreated, pink and gray snow mold can take hold, spread through early spring, and cause poor playing conditions once the snow melts.

BASF Professional Turf & Ornamentals offers several effective solutions that can be applied in the fall to help protect northern turfgrass from snow mold and other diseases that can appear after the snow disappears.

Home base:  Manhattan Beach, California

Time with BASF: 5 years

Approach with customers:  “A typical day for me is answering inquiries from distributors and end users. I do ride-alongs with distributor reps where we visit end users and help them address their pest challenges,” said Eckert.

Summer heat and humidity can stress turfgrass, leaving roots, blades and sheaths weakened and susceptible to disease infection.

Turf professionals should monitor the key environmental conditions, such as air and soil temperature, and leaf-canopy and root moisture, as well as examine turfgrass for mowing injuries to help avoid top summer diseases.

Link to the Onetime® herbicide online training now and within minutes you’ll learn how Onetime improves turfgrass conditions with its broad-spectrum, postemergent control.

The spring rains and warmer temperatures encourage healthy turfgrass growth but turfgrass professionals know that moisture and heat also create ideal conditions for challenging, invasive weeds.

Fortunately, BASF offers extensive postemergent herbicide solutions to control sedges, broadleaf weeds, and grassy weeds in landscape bedding and turfgrass.

Home base: Lexington, Ky.

Time with BASF:  11 years

Approach with customers:  “This business really is a relationship business,” said Poole. “The best part about working at BASF is meeting new people and making—not just new contacts—but new friends throughout the industry. I work to help customers solve their problems."

Home base:  Visalia, Calif.

Time with BASF:  10 years

Approach with customers:  “I learn from many people throughout my life; in fact, I learn from customers every day, but I’d have to credit my dad as my most important influence,” said Burkdoll. “He instilled in me a strong work ethic and being honest with myself and others. He always told me, ‘A man’s only as good as his word.’ That’s how I try to live my life.

Managing turfgrass thatch with aeration is an important cultural control for superintendents across the country. While it improves long-term turfgrass playability, it often creates short-term inconveniences for players.

For Matt Kowal, golf course superintendent at Twin Hills C.C. in Longmeadow, Mass., weak turf caused by a heavy level of organic matter on his course’s original pushup greens led to year-round disease pressure.

Turfgrass professionals know that prevention is the key to effective and economical weed control. Weeds are best controlled with preemergent herbicide applications in early spring, prior to weed seed germination. To further broaden the weed control spectrum of your spring application, consider tank mixing preemergent herbicides, such as Tower® herbicide and Pendulum® AquaCap™ herbicide. 

This year’s new two-day exhibition schedule was packed with exceptional turf education and meetings with golf course superintendents, distributors and industry partners. The BASF Professional Turf & Ornamentals team greatly appreciated all who stopped by the BASF booth in San Diego. A big “thank you” to our BASF booth visitors for taking time to learn about our products and people, as well as taking part in booth events.

Take control of dollar spot with the Emerald® First, Emerald Last application strategy

Timing is everything when staying ahead of the industry’s most pervasive turfgrass disease, dollar spot. Research from university turfgrass pathologists and experiences of golf course superintendents confirm that controlling dollar spot requires a year-round, preventative approach, which is the foundation of  BASF’s Emerald® First, Emerald Last fungicide application strategy.

With the most of the country in a deep freeze the past several weeks, there is no better time to start thinking about San Diego and the 2010 Golf Industry show. BASF will be there in a big way so make plans to visit booth #3039 to meet the team, get pest management tips and enter to win turf tools!

While at GIS, visit BASF to:

• Receive a free book on green speed management (supplies limited).
• Play Superintendent Thousandaire to win up to $1,000.
• Enter to win a plant disease weather station and Apple iPod® Touch.
• Meet NFL legend Coach Mike Ditka.
• Learn about improving course conditions and much more.

Golf course superintendents love their jobs but when their truck keys jingle before dawn no one can match the get-to-work enthusiasm of their dogs. Whether chasing geese or riding shotgun in the utility vehicle, the tail-wagging companions assisting course superintendents and crews across the country have earned Best Friend status.

Last year was challenging for the T&O industry and based on projections for 2010 the challenges will likely continue.

Turf pros in the golf market will see golf rounds flat to slightly up but membership fees down. This dynamic will further pressure them to make the most of their course maintenance investments. When selecting pesticides, we anticipate superintendents will seek products with broad-spectrum efficacy and supported by manufacturer reps and their distributor partners who are a phone call away.

BASF Turf & Ornamentals Senior Technical Specialist Kyle Miller will educate golf course superintendent audiences on turf maintenance and disease control topics for GCSAA credits at the fifth annual Heartland Green Industry Expo: “Common Ground.”

Raised on his family’s Iowa farm, Dave Maubach (pronounced MAW-bah) understands the weather and pest pressures that threaten agronomy professionals’ valuable products. Throughout his 23-year career at BASF, Maubach has served customers in Crop Protection and Pest Control. Now he shares his expert growing knowledge with turf professionals and ornamental growers as a senior sales specialist on the Turf & Ornamentals team.

Timing is everything when staying ahead of the industry’s most pervasive turfgrass disease, dollar spot. Research from university turfgrass pathologists and experiences of golf course superintendants confirm that controlling dollar spot requires a year-round, preventative approach, which is the foundation of BASF’s Emerald® First, Emerald Last fungicide application strategy.

Register now for the TurfNet University webinar featuring Toni Bucci, Ph.D., BASF Professional Turf & Ornamentals business manager, at 2:30 p.m. EST on Nov. 4, 2009.

Dr. Bucci will discuss how state and federal laws influence the chemical registration process and ultimately product availability. Her presentation includes discussion of federal regulations such as the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act, the Food Quality Protection Act and Pesticide Registration Improvement Act, and how public and political pressures can influence the chemical registration process.

BASF launches new Honor^™ fungicide and Tower^® herbicide

BASF Professional Turf & Ornamentals has announced the launch of Honor^™ fungicide, a combination of two industry-leading active ingredients, and Tower^® herbicide, which features dimethenamid-P, a new active ingredient for the turf market. Both products give golf course superintendents broad-spectrum control to help them optimize applications.