Schedule:
7:30 AM Registration Opens 
8:45 AM Opening Comments
9:00 AM Morning research tours begin
12:00 PM Catered lunch by Spartan Hall of Fame Cafe
1:00 PM Afternoon workshops/field tours begin
3:00 PM Afternoon workshops/field tours conclude
5 MDARD pesticide recertification credits available.
3 credits available for 3A, 6, or Comm. Core for the morning tour. 2 credits available for 3A, 6, or Comm. Core for the afternoon diagnostic tours.
Morning Research Tours
There are separate tours for Golf and Lawn Care/Grounds/Athletic Fields. Each tour will have 6 stops of 30 minutes in length.
Golf Research Tour (3 MDARD pest. recert credits; .30 GCSAA Education pts)
Topics/Stops include:
Managing diseases on golf courses
Annual bluegrass control on fairways
Rolling fairways and rolling during establishment
Putting green renovation practices including Basamid and fraze mowing
Update on Japanese beetle and other turf pests
Using drones for predicting stress
Lawn Care/Grounds/Athletic Field Tour (3 MDARD pest. recert credits)
Topics/Stops include:
Disease management
Preemergence herbicides and mulches for weed control in ornamental beds
Update on Japanese beetle and other turf pests
Annual bluegrass control in athletic fields and lawns
Herbicide timing and tactics for enhancing broadleaf weed control
Species and cultivar evaluations
Afternoon Workshops/Tours
1. Weed Walk (2 MDARD pest. recert credits; anticipate .20 GCSAA Education pts) limited to 60 registrants
As the weed walk enters it’s 18th year, the summer of 2018
has produced another bumper crop of weeds infesting turf. Aaron Hathaway will lead the tour of the turf center and teach identification characteristics of the common turf weeds and the best control practices. Tour will include discussion of best management practices both with and without herbicides to ensure high turfgrass quality and most importantly customer satisfaction.
2. Disease Walk (primarily golf turf diseases) (2 MDARD pest. recert credits; anticipate .20 GCSAA Education pts) limited to 60 registrants
The turf pathology research team will lead this diagnostic
tour for pathogens. If you have difficulty distinguishing between Laetisaria fuciformis and Limnomyces roseipellis on your golf course you definitely need to attend this workshop. Participants will learn:
- 1) How to identify the common turfgrass diseases using both in-field techniques and microscopes
- 2) Management options for common diseases including: dollar spot, brown patch, crown-rotting anthracnose, red thread, and pythium blight and root-rot.
- 3) How to recognize the symptoms of summer decline of both bentgrass and Poa annua
3. Insect Walk (2 MDARD pest. recert credits; anticipate .20 GCSAA Education its) limited to 50 registrants - Not Available - Completely Filled
Proper insect management demands proper identification of damage and the insect. Join MSU entomologist Dr. David Smitley for an insect diagnostics walking tour of the MSU campus. During the tour various ornamental and turfgrass insect damage symptoms will be observed and cultural and insecticide management options will be discussed.
4. Athletic Field Tour (2 MDARD pest. recert credits)
Hop on the bus for the athletic field tour as we will visit Cooley Law School Stadium - home of the Lansing Lugnuts, and MSU's Spartan Stadium. Zach Severns from the Lugnuts and Amy Fouty from MSU Athletics will discuss their management programs for baseball and football fields and provide tips and tricks for helping you improve the turf at your facility.