Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/50980
said than done but you asked me what the issues will be! As for solutions, maybe golf course greens don't need to be running at high speeds in order for players to enjoy their round of golf and maybe we need to develop a better system to help sportsfield managers work with council and user groups to ensure overuse is at least recognized. There are lots of other suggestions I could make but there probably isn't enough room in the magazine. The point is, there is no single solution and the issues will always be there and they will always be moving targets. TL: Many sportsfield managers have already lost the ability to use pesticides and are dealing with the situation in a variety of ways. With the looming pesticide ban, what can golf superintendents learn from them and do you foresee a day when all turf managers will be growing grass without pesticides as a tool in the toolbox? SM: I honestly don't know how to answer this one. I am cautiously optimistic that we will escape the ban this time. I think there may be more stringent regulations and controls put in place and obviously whoever is already working under these limitations will have a head start on those who are not. Even if the situation isn't the same, ie. soccer field versus golf green, there will be lessons to be learned. What we know for sure is that pressure from activists will not stop and it's foreseeable that pesticides, as we know them today, will not be something a turf manager will be able to turn to in the very near future. I feel that this issue has become one of politics, and that certain interest groups are using it to try to raise their profile and in the end make a profit from it. I know that the facts have been lost in the shuffle. The popular opinion is that pesticides are bad and cause cancer. While this is absolutely incorrect when we are speaking about pesticides that are used today in the proper manner, it is still the popular opinion. It is one being spread and supported by some pretty powerful organizations, regardless of the facts! I am hopeful that like any other popular opinion it will eventually swing more to the middle, where facts and logical, level headed thinking will eventually come into play. There are already cases where weeds are getting out of control, and pesticide bans are coming under fire in other parts of Canada and having holes poked in them by "exemptions" for certain cases. So in the end, no I don't think we will ever be completely banned from using them as long as we continue to fight for research, education and discussion. Because of all the hard work of all of our members who have taken the time to help get the facts out we have a chance to escape this ban, so by no means should we give up, without all that hard work, a complete ban might have already been passed. TL: If you could ask the members to do one thing to improve the Association what would it be? WESTERN CANADA TURFGRASS ASSOCIATION 27 SM: Promote it, ask your neighbour to join, bring your boss, owner, pro or whoever you're accountable to, to the show and introduce them to the track for non turf managers. The association lives and dies by the revenue made at our conferences, and I think we give excellent value to those who attend, so if there is someone you can think of that would benefit from being involved, ask them to join or attend. TL: What's the single most important thing we need to do so succeed? SM: The biggest thing we can all do is work together. Determine the common goal, then break it down and be willing to compromise and help each other. We have a lot of golf course members, a growing number of sportsturf, parks and school board people, several with design, construction and consulting backgrounds, some landscapers and the list goes on. The point is the days of segregation are over and in order to succeed, all sectors need to recognize we're all speaking the same language, just a slightly different dialect. One thing that may help every turf manager, is to look at things from a business point of view. What would you do if this was your business? This is equally important for both golf course and municipal sportsfield people. Do what makes sense from that point of view. Let's face it, we all have a vested interest in the industry. It's about the small steps and small victories. TL