Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/62071
Annual Report - Continued From Page Eight example, member dues invoicing is a challenge to due to sheer volume and it raises the question of whether or not membership dues should be considered a receivable. Annual attrition is around 10% so recording these as sales skews the income statement, inflates A/R and creates significant administrative work to back out unpaid dues after the cut-off. There is still much work to do in other areas of databasing and record-keeping. I hope to produce a complete scorecard later this summer. A new Federal Act regulating not-for-profits is in the works that will tighten up the previous set of rules which is about 40 years old. We will be reviewing this and making the required adjustments over the next 12-18 months. The NAGA BC golf group met on January 12th with Trevor Smith representing the WCTA as I was unable to attend due to conference priorities. The organization is in the midst of formalizing its structure which is being spearheaded by Trevor and efforts are in progress (again by Trevor) to include/solicit feedback from other golf sectors not currently being represented, ie Club Managers (which are now involved) and the suppliers/manufacturers. Another NAGA BC meeting took place on February 23rd and the group continued to work through some growing pains while discussing many of the hot topics affecting the golf industry like Growing the game (or Golf 2.0 as many in the US are calling it). Also discussed was one possible funding method as everyone at the table agreed that without money, the group will be limited in scope and effect. I made a brief Need to Support Turf Research presentation at the end of the meeting which tied to the current pesticide issue and attempted to identify the golf industry s need to recognize and direct resources at environmental sustainability studies. With continued efforts, we are enlightening many in this group that traditionally have not put The Canadian Turf Research Foundation (CTRF) Board of Directors voted to support two turf research projects for 2012 funding totaling $43,000. Total project value to completion is $68,000 over two years. University of Guelph Dr. s Goodwin and Hsiang s project titled Defense Activators as an Alternative to Pesticides for Controlling Turfgrass Diseases is valued at $25,000 per year for two years. The purpose of the work is to investigate an organic control strategy for turfgrass diseases by stimulating a lot of attention toward turf management in general. Championed by the BC Golf Association, NAGA- BC is attempting to organize a State of the Industry summit meeting to take place in Richmond on March 28 similar to the panel discussion that took place at our conference but much broader in scope and with more focus on ensuring all golf industry sectors participate. On the sportsfield side, we had a very interesting meeting the day after the conference with representatives of the STA, a 300+ member sportsturf organization based in Ontario, regarding the formation of a national association for sportsturf managers. A partnership agreement has been presented to the WCTA Board and progress is being made. We hope to have details finalized this spring upon which a formal partnership announcement will be made if both Boards approve. TOP PRIORITIES FOR YOUR E.D.: Over the the next several weeks, we will pick away at transitioning all the website information from the old site to the new. There is still much to be done in terms of 2012 annual planning including finalizing the TARS arrangements. There is also a strong desire to put more effort into member recruitment this year on both the sportsfield and golf side throughout BC and moving into Alberta, Saskatchewan and even Manitoba. OFFICE REPORT: Meanwhile, we have some major house-keeping items in front of us as we begin a review of our constitution / operating procedures and with all the CEC program questions we ve been fielding, its time to create a better vehicle of communication in a simply stated format so everyone has a much better idea of how this program functions. And believe it or not, 2013 Conference organization has already started and is a very high priority. Thanks and all the best throughout the 2012 season! the inherent ability of plants to resist pathogen attack. Past research has found that resistance can be induced in susceptible plants by microorganisms and their metabolites or by synthetic analogs of natural products. The benefits of such an approach could be enormous as the industry and society trends away from traditional synthetic pesticides. Tompkins, Fry, Ross and Anderson of the Prairie Turfgrass Research Centre based out of Olds College will build on previous winter turf survival work through a project called Evaluation of Ventilation Systems under Winter Covers to Prevent Injury from Anoxia on Annual Bluegrass Putting Greens valued at $18,000. The project stems The TARS program is an educational seminar series stopping at locations throughout the regions of BC. It is free for WCTA members; other interested parties may attend and will only have to cover their lunch. We would like to thank in advance our gracious hosts, without whom this program would not TRAVELLING ROAD SHOW SCHEDULE 2012 Eaglecrest Golf Club, Qualicum Beach host Brent Shanley Tues, May 15 Redwoods Golf Course, Langley Weds, May 30 host Peter Szarka from testing done at the Glendale Golf Club where clever systems have been installed (in winter) using roof turbines to blow air through pipes laid under impermeable covers on greens to mitigate any toxic gas build-up. The goal is to develop a simple and inexpensive system that can be used at all courses that have chronic ice damage issues. Also, the CTRF website is now active (www.turfresearchcanada.ca) adding a new resource to communicate both past and current research efforts to all Canadian Turf Managers. The CTRF reached a deal with Naylor Publishing that included both the website and an annual magazine to be circulated be possible. Further details will be emailed to all members and posted on our website at wcta-online.com. Speakers to be announced and CEC point availability is yet to be determined. NOTE: a sportsfield specific TARS is being worked on, more details will be released shortly. Prince George G&CC Prince George host Murray Kutyn Wed, June 6 Tues, August 14 Sun Peaks Resort Kamloops host Keith Lyall host Kevin Schiefner Mon, August 20 Cranbrook Golf Club Cranbrook throughout the golf and turf industry. Additional content will be added as time permits. The Canadian Turfgrass Research Foundation (CTRF) is a partnership between Golf Canada, the Canadian Golf Superintendents Association, the Western Canada Turfgrass Association, the Saskatchewan Turf Association, the Manitoba Golf Superintendents Association and the Turfgrass Research Foundations of Alberta, Atlantic, Ontario and Quebec. The CTRF funds research projects at different Canadian universities and research facilities designed to answer the research needs of the Canadian golf and turf industry.