UAC Magazine - Fall 2023

Board of Directors

Pam Dooley

Plants Creative Landscapes

Jennifer Jorge

King Green

Matt Lowe

Swift Straw

Josh Morrow

Athletic Fields, Inc.

Ken Morrow

The Turfgrass Group

Bob Scott

Irrigation Consultant Services

Steve Ware

Centennial Olympic Park/GWCC

Ray Wiedman

Outdoor Expressions

Ron White TurfPride

Ex Officio

Bodie Pennisi

UGA Extension Horticulturist

Clint Waltz

UGA Extension Turf Agronomist

Staff

Mary Kay

Executive Director

Kathy Johnson

Marketing Director & Editor A member of:

Fax: 404.900.9194

Dear UAC Members and Supporters,

Welcome, Fall! Wishing you all the best this season has to offer: cooler temperatures, family holidays and, of course, football. Naturally, we wish you a very successful aeration, overseeding, planting, installing and design/ build season as well!

Georgia UAC has some great opportunities coming your way this fall and into the new year. Some events offer the pesticide and continuing education credits you need, some will provide the education that will elevate your work, and some just give you the well-deserved opportunity relax and meet/reconnect with your colleagues.

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NG Turf’s Pro Day + UAC Networking Dinner

Tuesday, October 5

Registration includes NG Turf Pro Day Equipment Expo and UAC Networking & Education dinner and speaker presentations!

> NG Turf Pro Day Equipment Expo sponsored by NG Turf

> UAC Networking & Education dinner, cash bar, and speaker presentations by:

• Brian Schwartz, UGA

• Billy Skaggs, Georgia Crop Improvement Association

• Dr. Ben Campbell, UGA

UAC Sporting Clays Tournament

Thursday, October 26

The UAC Sporting Clays Tournament, held each fall at Blalock Lakes club, is one of UAC’s most popular events. Individuals and teams spend the morning outdoors on the course, then gather for a BBQ lunch and to find out who won the competition.

Bring your own shotgun and eye protection. Registration includes light breakfast, BBQ lunch and 50 shells.

UAC Georgia Sod Producer Field Day

Monday, November 6 & Tuesday, November 7

Monday: Attendee/exhibitor reception

Tuesday: Field day, educational sessions, exhibitor trade show, equipment demos

Monday night reception and Tuesday breakfast and lunch are included in registration.

Current UAC business-level members save $100 on display and exhibit space!

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GALA: Georgia Landscape Awards

GALA is back for 2024 and we’re excited to see your projects. Here are some important dates for you to keep an eye on:

> Entry deadline: 5:00 pm, Friday, January 5, 2024

> Late entry deadline: 5:00 pm, Friday, January 12, 2024 (late fee will apply)

> Judging: Early February 2024

> Notification of awards: Mid-February 2024

> Awards ceremony: March 19, 2024

Landscape Pro University

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Landscape Pro University is the only fully comprehensive educational conference and trade show scheduled in Georgia for 1st quarter 2024. We anticipate an excellent event and turnout, with the outstanding education that LPU is known for!

We are happy to announce that all UAC member companies are invited to participate in the exhibitor trade show in 2024!

See more details on page 18 in this issue, or visit our website to learn about all these events and more: urbanagcouncil.com/uac-industry-events

Keep your eyes open for additional events to be added to the calendar in the future, too! Any favorite events we are missing? Please reach out and let us know!

Mary Kay Woodworth | Executive Director

BrightView names new president/CEO

Dale Asplund takes helm to drive growth

BrightView Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: BV), the leading commercial landscaping services company in the United States, announced in August that its Board of Directors has appointed Dale A. Asplund, 55, as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective Oct. 1, 2023. In conjunction with his appointment as CEO, Asplund will also join the BrightView board as a director.

A respected and successful business executive, Asplund’s appointment follows a thorough search process, conducted by the Board over the last number of months in consultation with a leading search firm, with the mandate to appoint a next-generation leader who is capable of driving transformative growth at BrightView. Asplund succeeds Interim President and CEO Jim Abrahamson. Abrahamson, who has served as a BrightView independent director since 2015, will remain as a member of the Board.

Asplund brings 25 years of extensive operational, service provider, and publicly traded company expertise to BrightView from United Rentals, Inc., the world’s largest equipment rental company. Most recently, as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer,

a position he was appointed to in 2019, Asplund served on the executive leadership team with company-wide responsibility for operations and employee safety. Asplund, who joined United Rentals in 1998, has held strategic leadership roles encompassing business services, shared services, supply chain, fleet management, and information technology. Earlier in his career, Asplund worked for United Waste Systems, Inc.

“We are excited to welcome Dale to the BrightView team. Dale is an outstanding leader whose proven operational excellence and exceptional strategic capabilities make him an ideal choice for our next CEO,” said Paul E. Raether, Chairman of the Board of Directors. “As BrightView continues its transformational journey, the Board looks forward to working with Dale to deliver long-term growth and value for shareholders and is grateful to Jim for leading the company through this transition period and his continued involvement in BrightView.”

“I am excited to lead this great company and talented team into its next phase of growth and performance,” said Asplund. “BrightView has firmly established itself as the industry leader in commercial landscaping. I look forward to collaborating with the Board, senior management, and dedicated team members to build upon their success. Underscoring my confidence in the company’s future, in the coming weeks, I plan to make a personal investment of approximately $5 million in BrightView shares.”

Are you on track with your GALA awards submission?

Important dates

> Entry deadline: 5:00 pm, Friday, January 5, 2024

> Late entry deadline: 5:00 pm, Friday, January 12, 2024 (late fee will apply)

> Judging: Early February 2024

> Notification of awards: Mid-February 2024

> Awards ceremony: March 19, 2024

Questions about any part of the process?

We’re here to help!

Call 706-750-0350 or email kathy@georgiauac.com

It’s not too late to sign up for awards coaching! Sign up online or text GALA to 404-446-4026.

Catch up on the tips you missed:

> facebook.com/GeorgiaUrbanAgCouncil

> instagram.com/georgiaurbanag

Signing up for awards coaching doesn’t obligate you to enter the awards, but it just might help make it happen!

GLM acquires The Rock Yard

Landscape materials company expands offerings

GLM Landscape

Supply, a leading landscaping materials company serving the Atlanta Metro Area and North Georgia, announced in June the acquisition of The Rock Yard, a premier stone and masonry supplier.

GLM Landscape Supply is well-known in the Greater Atlanta Area for providing customers with competitive prices, prompt delivery and exceptional service. The business offers bulk landscape materials such as premium sod, mulch, soil, sand, rock aggregates, and other quality landscaping materials to suit projects of all sizes. The GLM team is excited to announce they have recently purchased The Rock Yard. The Rock Yard has served residential and commercial customers in Gainesville, Georgia for over 25 years. The business has built a solid reputation through exceptional customer service and a wide selection of quality products. The Rock Yard

complements GLM’s existing offerings and expands its capabilities to provide a full range of hardscape and landscape supplies.

“The Rock Yard was an obvious choice for an addition to our portfolio because it is an established and successful business that will expand our existing geographic footprint and create a positive synergy. It is also aligned with GLM products,” asserts GLM Division President Britt Thomas.

More About GLM Landscape Supply

GLM Landscape Supply has four conveniently located landscape materials yards located in the Atlanta Metro Area and North Georgia including Alpharetta, Duluth, Woodstock, and now Gainesville. GLM has Georgia covered for bulk landscape materials delivery, from one small load to several truckloads. The GLM team strives to offer exceptional customer service and the best landscaping materials on the market. For more information, please call (770) 664-8200 or visit glmlandscapesupply.com.

Lack of plan understanding

Insufficient time to explore options

Plan dilution

ICHRA, Captive and Self-Funding Expertise

Frustration around high renewal increases

Photos courtesy of Bruce Holliday

Thriving through the frenzy Mastering productivity and balance in the busy season

by Erin Saunders, Leica Geosystems

Q. Our busy season was so chaotic and inefficient, I don’t want to go there again. What can I do now to get ahead of the chaos?

As busy seasons approach, companies gear up for a surge in business. The busy period can be both exhilarating and challenging, demanding efficient time management and high productivity from managers and employees alike.

There are some things you can do to help you and your team manage through the busy season successfully. Planning for busy seasons can start during the less-busy season. When things are slower, consider things you can do to help you be more prepared for when things pick up.

One way you can do this is to create comprehensive training materials. Develop guides, videos, or interactive modules that focus on essential tasks during the busy season, such as seasonspecific landscaping techniques and safety practices. These resources will empower your team to handle tasks more efficiently, reducing errors and improving overall productivity when the workload intensifies.

Time management is also critical when things get busy.

> Encourage your team to adopt effective time management strategies, such as setting priorities, creating daily to-do lists, and using project management tools.

> Consider having a morning meeting with the day’s projects outlined. Make sure everyone knows who is responsible for what.

> Consider using a free shared calendar such as google calendar or other time-management apps.

By staying organized and focused, employees can maximize their productivity, tackle tasks promptly, and meet tight deadlines. This also helps everyone know exactly what is expected, helping them have a sense of certainty about their day and autonomy over their work.

Clear and open communication is paramount during the busy season.

> Create a platform where employees can voice their concerns, share ideas, and seek support when needed. Implementing regular team meetings and

For someone who didn’t mean to get into HR, I love my job and my field!

At its best, HR can help employees be happy and productive in a way that meets the needs of both employees and the business. I feel good knowing that I get to play a role in helping others feel happier and more engaged. On top of that, I like to win so I love when I get to be a part of my organization’s success.

I’m a lifelong learner and true nerd at heart, but I use what I learn at work every day. I’m an avid podcast listener and have taken learnings from Your Brain at Work, a podcast from the Neuroleadership Institute, and implemented them in my role.

Erin Saunders is Regional Human Resources Business Partner with Leica Geosystems, part of Hexagon

The most popular thing I’ve ever done as an HR professional is do away with traditional performance evaluations. We still help employees understand their objectives and make sure everyone is getting feedback, but we do it in a way that is based in science about effective feedback, not management via form.

I enjoy writing for the Georgia Urban Ag Council because it allows me to explore topics around helping teams and managers be more effective and is often an outlet for sharing what I’ve learned through various books, podcasts, and learnings in my day-to-day job.

P: 770.326.9517 | E: erin.saunders@leica-geosystems.com

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one-on-one check-ins can help address potential issues early on, preventing bottlenecks and ensuring smooth workflow.

> Help your employees feel safe to be vocal about potential problems. We inherently shy away from feeling like we didn’t do a good job, or other things that make us feel badly, but employees feeling safe to point out problems proactively is critical to getting ahead of potential challenges. Make it clear that you look to them to call out issues as they arise and let them know you’ll brainstorm ways to solve the problems together.

> Along with this, encourage a culture of teamwork and collaboration. When employees work together cohesively, they can support each other, share ideas, and collectively find solutions to challenges. Celebrate team accomplishments to build camaraderie and a sense of shared success.

> Consider having categories of recognition such as “best team player,” “most efficient worker,” “problem solver,” “Sense of humor,” and other categories that are important to you and the team. At the end of the week hand out little notecards to the recipients thanking them for their work.

> Consider offering lunches or bringing in cookies or other unexpected treats to your team. A little gesture can go a long way in helping the team feel appreciated and supported.

> Also ask your team for ideas on how they want to be recognized—look to them to come up with fun and free or low-cost ways to recognize each other.

Busy times can be stressful. But they also can bring a big sense of accomplishment when the team pulls together successfully.

By proactively planning during down times, helping your team have clear goals and time management tools, encouraging open communication, and recognizing your team’s success you can help the whole team feel a sense of accomplishment and camaraderie for a job well done.

Recognizing the hard work of your employees is crucial for maintaining motivation and morale when things get busy. There are lots of free and fun ways in which you can recognize your team members.

Have you met...

Ken Wheeler

Coosa Valley Growers

My first job in the green industry was...with Young Adult Conservation Corp, a federal program that taught young people to pursue a career in conservation.

My biggest challenge in my career has been…tough economic times, periods of drought, hard freezes.

Those who have most influenced my career are…. My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, for His many blessings on our business, and my very supportive wife.

My biggest career success so far has been….. meeting the challenges that come with the industry.

If I had it to do over again, I would…. probably be in the Green Industry. It is in my blood.

The thing I like most about my career is….. helping our customers to be successful.

My least favorite part of my job is…the trucking industry. It can be tough and a real logistical challenge. Dealing with the high cost of fuel is a real downer.

One piece of advice I would give to someone entering the green industry today is…acquire as much knowledge as you can, before jumping in with both feet.

The things most responsible for my success are… answered prayers and exceptional partners, friends and my wife.

If I could change careers, just for a month, I would…go back to acting, which I was doing until 2014.

Contact info:

Address: 5147 Stout Parkway Powder Springs, GA 30127

Phone: 770-790-8741

Email: kenwheeler@coosavalleygrowers.com

Web: plantant.com/nursery-availability/1007704/ coosa-valley-growers-south-mississippigrowers

One thing that really annoys me is…when a truck driver is late or has a breakdown.

When I’m not working, I like to…work in my garden, hunt, and fish.

One thing most people don’t know about me is… during the economic depression of 2008-2012, I took time away to produce a feature-length movie.

Planning to renew your membership online?

Did you know that only your company's primary contact can make this transaction?

As a business-level member, your employees also are members of UAC. If you have employees who would like to be added to our system as additional contacts, just let us know. Those additional contacts will be able to log in as a member, edit their contact details, view member-only content and register for events at the member rate. However, they will not be able to edit or renew the company membership unless they use the email and password of the primary contact.

Need help with login? Call 706.750.0350 or email office@georgiauac.com.

Benefits renewal season

Be prepared for less stress

by Tara Byrd, CIC, Employee Benefits Consultant, Snellings Walters Insurance Agency

Benefits renewal season can be a stressful time for both employers and employees – but it doesn’t have to be. While you’re taking a look at your current benefits package, evaluating new options, and making important decisions about your healthcare coverage for the coming year, there’s a lot to think about.

This affects your business, your employees, and even their families.

Here are some tips to help you prepare for benefits renewal season and make the process as smooth as possible:

Prepare and plan.

Don’t go in blindly to your renewal conversation. You should know what to expect. Use what you have evaluated to bring creative solutions for your demographics, and check what your participation levels look like.

Is there participation or is there rejection of your plan?

Look at your desired outcomes for your benefits plan and ask yourself if they align with the goals of the organization.

Finally, check if your plan is protecting your bottom line for the year to come.

Review your current benefits package.

Before you can make any decisions about your benefits for the coming year, you need to review your current benefits package.

What’s working well?

What’s not working?

What changes do you need to make?

Evaluate your options.

After you’ve reviewed and identified any needs, it’s time to evaluate other options. Work with your agent and take the time to do your research.

Ask yourself this question: Is my plan tailored to me and the unique needs of my employees?

Make a decision.

After you have evaluated your options, make a decision and feel confident about your plan and why you have taken the renewal you have chosen. By doing this you take control of the process and the associated costs.

Staying in control

Preparing for benefits renewal season can be a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. You should never be surprised with your renewal or have a yearly task to shop rates. This is a vicious cycle that leads to a lack of control and visibility. Instead, you should know throughout the year how your plan is performing.

Let’s talk. I’m happy to answer any questions you have about plan options.

About the author

E: tbyrd@snellingswalters.com

P: 770-268-3688

W: snellingswalters.com

Tara Byrd, CIC, is an Employee Benefits Consultant with Snellings Walters.

Image by Chen on Pixabay

Dogwood borer

Larvae bore into wounded trees and eat bark

by Shimat V. Joseph, Associate Professor, University of Georgia Department of Entomology

The dogwood borer, Synanthedon scitula (Harris), can be a destructive pest of many ornamental trees in nurseries and landscapes. Adults of dogwood borer are moths. Because the wings of these moths are clear, they are referred to as clearwing moths.

The name “dogwood” was derived because they primarily attack flowering dogwood, Cornus florida L., which is common in residential yards and public parks. The dogwood borer attacks fruit and nut trees in landscapes and commercial orchards.

www.canr.msu.edu/ipm/diseases/dogwood_borer#gallery

The dogwood borer is native to North America and common in eastern Canada and the United States. It is present throughout Georgia.

Life cycle

Moths of dogwood borer are robust fliers and active during the dawn.

Adults of dogwood borer are bluish-black, ~1.5 cm long, and look like a wasp. The wing span is ~1.5 cm. The abdomen of adults has golden-yellow bands on the second and fourth segments. Yellow bands are also present on the legs.

www.canr.msu.edu/ipm/diseases/dogwood_borer#gallery

In the spring, adults emerge from trees, and females look for suitable tree bark to lay eggs. Adults are active from April to October. Any wounded areas on the bark are preferred for egg laying over other areas of the bark.

The female moths singly lay pale yellow, oval-shaped, ridged eggs on the bark near the wounded area. Eggs hatch within nine days, and the white or cream-colored larvae bore into the wound and feed on bark after making galleries. They are white with a brown head and have two reddish-brown spots on the back, near the head.

The larvae molt through seven instars and grow up to 1.5 cm in length at the seventh instar. The late instar larvae prepare cocoons with silken thread and excrement, where they overwinter. Before developing into pupal stage, late instars feed on the bark and then pupate inside the silken cocoon near the surface of the bark.

The pupae are slightly brown and approximately 1 cm long. After 30 days, an adult moth emerges from the pupae leaving the pupal case behind. Part

of the pupal

Fig. 1. Adult dogwood borer.

NY State Ag Experiment Station

NY State Ag Experiment Station

James Solomon, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org

Fig. 2. Dogwood borer larva.

Fig. 3. Dogwood borer larval feeding damage on flowering dogwood (Cornus florida L.).

case is visible from the bark. Typically, dogwood borer has one generation yearly in the northeast, but multiple generations are suspected in Georgia.

Hosts Plants

The dogwood borer attacks many ornamental trees, such as American beech (Fagus grandiflora), black willow (Salix nigra), blueberries (Vaccinium spp.), American chestnut (Castanea dentate), hickories and pecans (Carya spp.), pines (Pinus spp.), mountain ash (Sorbus spp.), hazel (Corylus spp.), birch (Betula spp.), loquat (Eriobotrya japonica), oaks (Quercus spp.), elm (Ulmus spp.), cherry (Prunus spp.), apple (Malus domestica), bayberry (Morella spp.), and myrtle (Myrtus spp.).

Damage

The dogwood borer prefers to attack wounded or scarred bark near the tree’s base, but also uses regions where limbs branch out from the main trunk to enter.

Because dogwood larvae tunnel around vascular bundles of trees, the affected region swells up, causing gall-like symptoms. In apple, the burr knot region is mainly infested. Infested bark with early instars appears wet during the summer. The tunnels are typically filled with excrement and sawdust.

Some other symptoms include the change in leaf color (from green to red), dieback in the crown region, and production of adventitious growth. The infested bark swells up and falls off from the trunk. With time, the affected tree trunk appears devoid of bark layer. Repeated infestation often destroys the bark, blocking the movement of photosynthates and water. Those severely affected trees could die over years of repeated infestation.

Management

General best management practices, such as adequate fertilization and irrigation, especially during dry spells, will reduce tree stress. If the infestation is less severe and on a limited number of trees, a fine wire can be used to pull out the larvae from the infested area. Kousa dogwood appears resistant to this borer.

Infestation can be reduced by preventing any injury to bark when mowing or weed whacking. The weeds can be reduced with proper mulching around the base of the tree trunk to avoid weed whacking and thus injury can be reduced. The diseased and dead branches should be removed from the tree during winter.

Avoiding pruning in the spring as these new wounds can attract females, resulting in egg laying and infestation.

This pest can be monitored using traps with commercially available sex pheromone lures.

Although biological control agents, such as birds (woodpeckers and nuthatches), prey on the larvae, they do not effectively control the dogwood borers. Moths are vulnerable to predation from birds, bats, insects, etc. Applications of entomopathogenic nematodes, such as Steinernema carpocapsae are advised on infested areas of tree trunks to target developing larvae in the summer. Repeated applications with full coverage are warranted for effective control.

Insecticides, such as pyrethroids, permethrin, or bifenthrin, applied from the lower half of the tree to soil level during the spring (mid-March-mid-April) can prevent infestation. Proper insecticide coverage on the trunk and other areas is critical, especially at the root collar region of the trunk and where the limbs branch out from the main trunk. Repeated applications of insecticide at three-week intervals may be necessary to prevent infestation. Soil drench of imidacloprid, recommended for flatheaded apple borer, is ineffective on clearwing borer larvae. Reading the insecticide label before spraying is important because it is the law.

Growth Happens Here.

Healthy turf starts with Greene County Fert.

DATE: Thursday, October 5

PLACE: NG Turf | 801 Redman Shoals Road | Douglasville GA 30135

Don’t miss this landscape supply, ornamental and tree, equipment, technology, irrigation, business consultant supplier “Pro Day” trade show, plus dinner and speakers: Brian Schwartz, UGA; Billy Skaggs, Georgia Crop Improvement Association; and Dr. Ben Campbell, UGA.

Credits applied for include Georgia Pesticide License Cat 24, ISA, and GCLP

UAC Sporting Clays Tournament

Blast your troubles away | Win prizes | Eat BBQ

DATE: Thursday, October 26

TIME: 9:00 am - 1:00 pm

PLACE: Blalock Lakes 4075 New Corinth Road | Newnan GA 30263

Register as a team or an individual! Additional sponsorships available!

UAC Georgia Sod Producer Field Day

Annual event sponsor

Ball cap sponsor

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Cooler bag sponsor

DATES: Monday, November 6: Attendee/exhibitor reception

Tuesday, November 7: Field day

PLACE: Super-Sod Turf Farm | 158 Sod Farm Road | Fort Valley GA 31030

Current UAC business-level members save $100 on display and exhibit space!

Landscape Pro University & Expo

DATE: Wednesday, January 31

PLACE: Cobb Galleria | 2 Galleria Pkwy SE | Atlanta GA 30339

Exhibitor and sponsor registration now open!

We are happy to announce that all UAC member companies are invited to participate in the exhibitor trade show in 2024!

UAC business members are eligible to receive discounted sponsorships and trade show booths. Contact us at office@georgiauac.com for discount code PRIOR to registration.

CEUs and pesticide credits will be available for educational sessions.

Digitizing the customer experience 16 tips and 12 best practices

by Cal Haynes for manta.com

navigate. Ensuring a positive experience is essential for improving customer relationships and retention and is critical for increasing your revenue.

In short, the customer experience is no longer just a smile at checkout. It includes optimizing your digital technology for your product or service’s smooth and speedy delivery. It involves using digital tools so customers enjoy your brand even when there is no interaction with a human.

There are many facets that go into digitizing customer experience. You must create customer-centric content that meets customer pain points and anticipates their needs. Here are 12 best practices for creating the best possible user experience for your customers.

Practice #1

In today’s digital world, businesses need to offer positive, high-quality experiences to customers. Digitizing customer experience refers to ensuring that customers can have positive interactions with your brand, online.

There are lots of strategies that go into creating the perfect digital customer experience. In this article, we will offer 12 best practices for digitizing customer experience. We will also explain what that means and how it can benefit your company. Let’s jump right in!

Digitizing customer experience entails migrating your existing customer service processes and tools online or discovering new ones in a digital environment. The digital customer experience includes all user interactions with your brand online. It consists of all digital channels, like subscribing to your email list, following your company on social media, using your mobile app, or making a purchase from your online store.

When customers or potential customers visit your company’s website, they have expectations. They want information that is easy to find and easy to understand. They expect your site to be simple to use and simple to

Know your audience and their needs.

First and foremost, to create a digitized customer experience, you must understand your customers. You need to be able to answer a few questions before you can tailor your offerings to a target audience:

> Who is your target audience? What are their demographics? Where do they live? What are their ages?

> What are the interests and needs of your target audience?

> How does your product, service, or brand meet their needs?

> What goal do they want to achieve when they visit your website or app?

Start with research into who your target audience is and what they need. Collect customer data as you onboard or introduce new customers. Try in-app or on-page surveys to learn more about your users. Create “user personas” to understand the types of users, their common challenges, and how to help them best.

All of this serves to help you to understand the customer journey more fully.

Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

Practice #2

Create an omnichannel experience

An omnichannel customer experience refers to customers having the opportunity to connect with a company over various channels that connect seamlessly. In other words, a company provides users with access to its products, offers, and support services on all platforms and devices.

Some clients prefer a self-service experience; some like to chat with someone in real-time; others want a mix of both. With an omnichannel strategy, customers can choose whatever method or means suits them best.

Omnichannel experiences give customers the ability to choose how to communicate with your team. It also ensures no customer data is lost when customers choose a different method. For example, if a customer needs to call about an order, your team can pull up their information from previous emails or live chats.

Practice #3

Map the customer journey

To create better customer experiences, you should understand what those experiences are. How do customers interact with your website or app? Map out the entire process from opening the app or clicking on a link to your site. Answer these questions, and adjust as you go:

> What are the friction points?

> Where do users have to put in high effort?

> What things make users want to click away?

> When is your messaging inconsistent?

> Are there too many confusing options?

> Where are there opportunities to streamline or optimize your page?

> Are you offering help when they need it?

> What are the conversions or calls-to-actions you can suggest?

Practice #4

Provide guidance, answer FAQs, offer how-tos Once you have identified where customers might struggle, offer guidance. Consider adding tooltips or checklists to help users discover features. Answer frequently asked questions so they don’t get lost. Write blog articles or how-to guides users can read if they have questions.

The more you facilitate user interactions with your digital channels, the better.

Practice #5 Adopt live chat

Live chat allows users to ask questions or get real-time feedback from your customer service team. These live chats can be with a real human or with a chatbot service. Live chats result in increased sales, decreased abandoned carts, and a higher conversion rate. It can also allow your team to identify common complaints or struggle points.

Practice #6 Train tour team

Ultimately, your success in digitizing customer experiences depends on your team. Live chats, content creation, and client research all depend on how you train and educate your team. Teach your customer care or customer service representatives how to use the tech you implement. Make sure they can answer user questions and facilitate their experience.

Practice #7 Reduce friction

Ensure that customers can smoothly transition from one channel to another. After mapping the customer journey, you should be able to identify the points where customers will transition. Offer click-through buttons where customers can chat with a representative. Add hyperlinks to pages where customers can find additional information with just a click.

Practice #8

Use data to personalize customer experiences

Businesses that fail to personalize experiences for customers will lose revenue to competitors. 66% of consumers expect businesses to understand their needs. 52% of consumers expect all offers they receive to be personalized. If your business can create personalized customer experiences, you can expect to increase income, loyalty, and customer retention.

Personalizing means more than just adding their name to an email subject line. Segment your customers based on what it will take for them to convert. Offer small tips or help based on what is relevant to them.

Practice #9

Offer self-service options

An important part of the personalized customer experience is ensuring that users can do it on their own. Many Internet users, especially Gen Z and millennials,

prefer self-serve options over interacting with live agents. Consider including an in-app or on-site help center where users can find helpful information on-demand. When users can find the information they need without waiting for a response, it will reduce frustration and improve customer satisfaction. Try creating resources like the following for users:

> Video tutorials

> Written guides

> Case studies

> Webinars

> Direct support

Practice #10

Standardize and experiment

These two strategies might seem contradictory, but the most successful companies will strike a balance between the two. A standardized digital customer experience plan will make designing processes, training agents, and implementing new technologies easy. But too much standardization can turn into stagnation. Companies should also experiment with new formats, designs, and processes to ensure the best customer experience.

Practice #11

Get user feedback

Overall, there is no way to know how your users feel about your customer experience plan if you do not ask them. Quantitative data is essential, but you also need qualitative data to get a pulse for customer satisfaction. Use surveys to collect feedback about pain points, navigation issues, or other obstacles to conversion.

One of the best ways to know how your business can improve is to ask those who are dissatisfied. If a customer cancels your services or refunds your product, consider asking why they have left. Offer alternatives, ask what went wrong, and don’t make it too hard to cancel.

Practice #12

Make improvements and updates

Once you know why customers are dissatisfied, make changes. Use these opportunities to improve. Follow up with those who have left feedback to show them their opinion is valued. Consistently updating and improving shows your customers that you care.

PLUS: 3 bonus tips

> Use AI strategically

> Offer training and support

> Implement loyalty programs

About the author

Cal is a little bit of a marketing jack-of-all-trades, master of some. After graduating with a degree in Advertising with an emphasis in Copywriting, Cal has worked in both the corporate and non-profit worlds. Cal has also done graphic design, video production, social media management, and now, content management for an SEO company. Outside of work, you can find Cal at the movies, thrifting, or baking bread.

About Manta

Manta is one of the largest online resources dedicated to small business. We deliver products, services and educational opportunities that are effective, easy to understand and geared to help business owners become more competitive in their respective industries. Learn more at manta.com/resources

Monday, November 6

> Attendee/exhibitor reception

Tuesday, November 7

> Field day and educational sessions

> Exhibitor trade show

> Equipment demonstration

> Breakfast and lunch included

With over a decade in development and research, Innovation® Zoysia’s cutting-edge qualities beat zoysias of the past. Deliver THE superior zoysiagrass to your clients.

UAC Safety School

Training to keep you and your employees safe

UAC and its insurance partner, Snellings Walters Insurance Agency, have teamed up to create Safety School, a toolbox of information business owners can use to conduct safety training. Below is training content, along with a quiz for attendees. Log in as a member to the UAC website to download the PowerPoint presentation for this topic, along with the content in Spanish.

Housekeeping

• Keep designated walkways or paths clear of debris.

• Do not block designated emergency exits.

• Keep unused extension cords, hoses, or rope coiled up and out of the way.

• Do not place or store equipment, tools, or material on steps or landings or below ladders.

• Keep working area clean and organized.

• Immediately clean any spill and place wet floor signs out if necessary.

• Remove frayed or loose rugs or mats.

• Install absorbent material around equipment that leaks.

Uneven walking surfaces

Preventing slips, trips and falls

Objective: To point out the most common - and preventable - causes of serious injury and death related to slips, trips and falls.

Background: According to OSHA, slips, trips, and falls constitute the majority of general industry accidents. They cause 15 percent of all accidental deaths, and are second only to motor vehicles as a cause of fatalities.

Many causes: There are many situations that may cause slips, trips, and falls: ice, wet spots, grease, polished floors, loose flooring or carpeting, uneven walking surfaces, clutter, electrical cords, open desk drawers and filing cabinets, and damaged ladder steps. The controls needed to prevent these hazards are usually obvious but too often ignored, such as keeping walkways and stairs clear of scrap and debris; coiling up extension cords, lines, and hoses when not in use; keeping electrical and other wires out of the way; wearing lug soles in icy weather; clearing parking lots, stairs, and walkways in snowy weather; and using salt/sand as needed.

The following different situations present unique slip, trip and fall hazards, so here are some tips to help control the exposures:

• Identify any change in elevation in shops with reflective tape or paint (anything greater than a ¼ inch should be clearly marked).

• Remove any trip hazards in shop such as bolts or holes in the flooring.

• Employees should wear above-the-ankle lace-up boots with a heavy lug sole when working in the field. Tennis shoes or pull-on style boots do offer the best protection for preventing slips or ankle sprains.

• Step over or around obstructions, not on them.

• Keep your hands at your sides, not in your pockets, for balance.

• Walk, don’t run - and change directions slowly.

• Pay attention to what you’re doing and where you are going.

• Look out for broken concrete, manholes, uncovered drains and similar hazards.

• Do not twist to turn when walking through ivy beds or other similar areas.

• Watch out for slippery pine straw beds or slippery slopes.

Ladders

• Never carry equipment or other material when climbing up or down a ladder. Have another

employee hand them to you or use a rope to raise and lower the material.

• Always face the ladder and use a three point stance when climbing up or down.

• Never over-reach when working from a ladder. Climb down and move the ladder closer.

• Make sure ladder is on stable ground.

• Make sure your shoes and the rungs are free of mud, oil or grease.

• NEVER stand on the top two rungs.

• Have another employee hold the ladder or secure it by tying it off.

Stairs

• Keep stairs clear at all times: do not use stairs as storage areas.

• Always use the hand railing.

• Don’t carry anything that blocks your vision.

• Keep stairs free from water, oil, grease, mud or anything else that might create a slip hazard.

Dovetail ramps

• Don’t jump off. Always use a three-point contact.

• Walk slowly and avoid running.

• Avoid walking on diamond plating, unless painted with an anti-skid paint.

• Keep clear of debris and equipment if possible.

General tips to prevent slips, trips or falls:

• Stay away from the edges of loading docks, manholes, and similar places where falls could occur.

• Use a ladder, not a box or chair, to reach high places.

• Don’t jump from platforms.

• Don’t carry or push loads that block your vision.

• Identify all potential tripping and fall hazards before work starts.

• Use a salt or other similar product to prevent ice build up on walkways.

• Try to step flat footed and try not to place heel or toe down first.

Review the following points:

• Immediately clean up slip hazards.

• Pick up trip hazards like tools and electric cords.

• Inspect and use ladders safely.

• Do not jump off equipment.

• Always watch where you are going.

• Use shoe with good ankle support and good treads.

Quiz:

1. Slips, trips and falls are one of the leading causes for injuries in the workplace.

2. The controls for preventing slip, trip and fall injuries are hard to correct.

3. When working from a ladder it is okay to turn around and stand with your back to the ladder to reach something behind you.

4. When walking up or down a dovetail ramp it always best to avoid walking on the diamond plating.

5. Do not carry or push loads that will block your vision.

Answer key

1. True

2. False

3. False

4. True

5. True

Get the training

Visit UAC's Safety School to get training materials (training notes, slide presentation, attendance sheets) on a variety of safety topics.

UAC Safety School is available online to all businesslevel UAC members.

Here's how to access:

> Go to urbanagcouncil.com

> Use the "MEMBERSHIP" menu tab

> Click on "Members-only content"

> Log in as a member

> Use the email address and password that is associated with your UAC membership

> Need help? Contact us: Call 706.750.0350 or email office@georgiauac.com

> Scroll to the "Safety" category on that list and click on "Visit UAC Safety School"

Unleash the power of communication

Eight characteristics and one important question

by Brian Sulka, Certified EOS Implementer®at EOS Worldwide

It’s no secret.

Companies strong in communication are more successful, productive, and more profitable.

So why do 86% of polled employees claim poor communication is the cause of workplace failures? (Pumble.com).

Companies that have a culture of good communication have eight things in common. How many of these resonate with your company?

Clear and transparent communication. They have a simplified message! Where there is a gap in clarity, politics will fill the gap. Strong companies do not leave room for politics, hearsay, or misdirection in their company. When there is a leadership team, the leadership team acts as one with one clear consistent voice.

Active listening and open dialogue. Strong companies actively listen to their employees. Questions and issues are brought up in group meetings, not behind closed doors. Employees know what topics to bring up in public and are brave enough to raise company-critical issues. There is a safe place for individual and personal issues so they don’t come up in public discussion.

Clarity of goals and expectations. Companies that excel in communication define their goals, objectives, and expectations. They invite those who do not share the goals, culture and focus to leave the company. After all, life is short and everyone deserves to live their best life.

Effective internal communication. Successful companies understand the importance of effective internal communication. Quarterly, they give updates on where the company has been, where it is now, and where it will be going. All internal meetings have clear objectives, well-defined agendas, and active participation from all attendees. Effective meetings create a platform for open dialogue, decision-making, and accountability.

Regular and engaging meetings. Companies good at communication conduct regular and engaging meetings. They make time for this investment and protect the investment, scheduling things around these events. The leadership team takes time away from the business to strategically work “on’” the business.

1.

2.

Image by John Hain on Pixabay

3.

4.

5.

Create and protect a supportive, respected culture. Companies that excel in communication empower their employees to communicate effectively. They provide a space for employees to raise their hands and say, “Hey, we have a problem here.” Employees respect each other and raise their hands for appropriate topics, not idealistic, unrealistic, or personal wants.

Continuous Improvement. Strong communication companies understand that communication is an ongoing process that requires continuous improvement. They look for feedback and ways to improve. It’s baked into their processes, meeting agendas and culture. Getting feedback is not a one-time event, it’s integral to the process, system or agenda.

Emphasis on two-way communication. Companies that prioritize effective communication encourage two-way communication. They facilitate conversations where information flows freely in both directions, creating a culture of dialogue and collaboration. This means having 1:1 meetings with employees and making sure both parties have expectations.

How does your company rate against these eight characteristics? Here is a simple quiz to give you feedback.

At the end of your internal meeting ask members: “How effective was this meeting on a scale of 1 to 10” ?

If you would like a deeper dive into your company reach out to Brian Sulka at Brian.Sulka@eosworldwide.com.

Brian Sulka is a Professional EOS Implementer® at EOS Worldwide, helping organizations clarify, simplify and achieve their vision.

P: 770-364-1136

E: brian.sulka@eosworldwide.com

W: eosworldwide.com/brian-sulka

Step up and get fired up How onboarding well can improve retention

by Cindi Filer, Founder and CEO, Innovative Outsourcing

When I ask a client about their onboarding of new employees, they often tell me about their new hire payroll documents. And then I say to them, “What about the other onboarding activities?”

And I get a blank stare...

Just to refresh this statistic from my blog on pre-boarding (innovative-outsourcing.com/blog):

“Even after accepting a position, 91% are willing to quit within the first month and 93% during the probation period if the job doesn’t match their expectations.”

~ survey from Robert Half

With that said, let’s take a look at some of my favorite strategies around onboarding new employees:

Your new goals for onboarding:

Get your new employees super excited. One CEO of a large corporation we created onboarding for said, “I want to make the new hire run through the wall for our company.”. They need to be fired up when finished with onboarding.

Help your new employees understand the general employment policies and expectations. This should also be company wide, but they need to know the information.

Make them feel like they made the correct decision in taking this job. Sounds like it is not your job, but it is.

Tell your company story. You want new employees to get behind the mission, values, and history of your small business.

Help them to create great relationships. Introduce them to people around the office. Set up lunches for them with different people that will be useful to know.

Help them to learn necessary skills. This is the basics, but set them up well to learn the role.

Help them to know where to go for help and information. If they have questions about anything, they should know the best people to answer them.

Keep in mind the following statistic:

A strong onboarding process improves new hire retention by 82 percent and productivity by over 70 percent.

With these new “Onboarding Goals” in mind, ask yourself:

> Is this a strength of our company?

> When new employees are done onboarding, are they so aligned and ready to go that they hit the ground running with excited anticipation?

If not, let’s get to work. Two pieces of advice: The importance of setting aside the time to do onboarding well. The boss needs to participate and understand the importance of setting aside precious time in the first two weeks to do this well. We find that this is a real problem. If a boss doesn’t understand this critical need to onboard well, they just throw new hires in the job quickly to get work done. They are undermining future productivity without giving onboarding adequate time and attention.

The boss is the best person to onboard. The boss acts as a quarterback to determine what all is needed and to set up meetings and programs either with HR or alone if no HR exists to make sure all the objectives are met.

About the author

Innovative Outsourcing began 25 years ago with one woman who dared to think out of the box about corporate staffing. Cindi Filer, founder and CEO, started Innovative Outsourcing to give small businesses guidance in building their teams.

7.

7 keys to transform your workplace

A positive company culture starts with basic communication

by Brian Horn, Editor, Lawn & Landscape magazine

Silence distractions.

One of the biggest things that drive me nuts are the Apple watches. If you have an Apple watch, it’s great, but if you’re going to be meeting in a one-to-one, take that Apple watch off. I had a salesperson that every time he was talking to me, he was constantly looking down at his watch. Every time somebody emailed, every time somebody texts, he was constantly looking at it. So, when he’s going out and meeting with people and selling work, I guarantee he’s doing the same thing. You don’t want to be distracted. You want to be focused on the person and you want to be listening to what that person’s telling you.

Explain why.

Brad Stephenson started at New Castle Lawn & Landscape, based just outside of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as a laborer about 17 years ago, eventually working his way up into management and then ownership.

“That wasn’t because I was the best out there. It’s because I created teams. I built teams around me no matter where I went. And that is crucial.”

~ Brad Stephenson

New Castle was one of the winners in Lawn & Landscape’s Best Places to Work contest in 2022, and Stephenson shared some ideas on how they earned the award during a recent webinar, “5 keys to transform your workplace.” Here are some direct takeaways from the webinar. You can view the full presentation by visiting bit.ly/lawnbrad

Don’t assume all is well.

You at least have to start asking questions to understand how your culture is in your company. Walk around, do the four corners, feel what’s going on. As owners, we always think everything’s great because we have these four people that are around us. But if you walk down the line, you’ll realize that there’s some things happening you don’t even know.

I had somebody come into my office and he shut the door behind him. He told me I made the dumbest decision I ever made in my life. I’m like, okay, that’s fine. Let’s talk about it. But I was listening to how he felt and what it came back to is I wasn’t telling him the why behind things. We changed some things around, but I never told him why we were doing it, so he didn’t know. It’s really important to know the why behind things.

If you’re a foreman, say it’s 12 o’clock and you’re telling Johnny, “Hey Johnny, I need you to wheel that wheelbarrow of stone up this hill and be done by two o’clock.” He doesn’t know why you have to be done by two. He doesn’t know that there’s a either a funeral or a wedding at four o’clock. Maybe if he had that information, maybe he would do that job a little bit quicker. He would know that there’s a purpose behind it.

Set goals.

I have some people that say they’re not goal setters. If you’re waking up in the morning and going to work, that’s a goal. We look at these goals and it’s these big things – they don’t have to be big. You could start small, but you have to help your people set goals. Set goals that are true to them and who they are in order for them to grow and really buy into what they want to do.

Individual communication.

It really comes back to how people receive information and how people learn. Like myself, I’m a visual learner and I’m an outward processor, so I might be processing things, and somebody’s still stuck on the first thing I said, but I’m getting to like nine and 10

Image by Gino Crescoli from Pixabay

things and I really want to focus on 10. But somebody’s still stuck on one because they’re a detailed person. What we do to help us understand how to speak to our people is we have everybody take a DiSC (Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Conscientiousness) personality assessment. It allows supervisors and (even peers within the company) to learn how to communicate with each other.

The worst thing you can do is talk to somebody in your language and expect them to receive it how you would receive it. Everybody’s different. I’m a high ID, so I’m a high I, influence, and, D, a very forward person. And if I’m talking to a CS who’s more of a nurturer, more of a detailed person, I could drive them crazy. They’re not going to know what to do. They’re going to be so confused. So, before every one-to-one, I read everybody’s DISC as far as what to do and what not to do when communicating with that person. That helps get a lot of the stuff out in the open and helps people that are different than me to be able to speak and understand where they’re coming from.

6.

Be patient.

Middle management, I do believe, is the hardest job in the company and that’s any company. We’ll build people up and they’re great in the field and then we move them to a middle management. You’ve got to start as a laborer then you’re moving to a foreman and all of a sudden, you’re a supervisor, and we expect them to all of a sudden know everything about the job. We’ve done no training as far as emotional intelligence, communicating. We haven’t done any of that, and we expect them to succeed and that’s not going to happen.

He has to take information from the owner down to the employees below him and sometimes it’s tough, especially if you were the all-star in the field and now all of a sudden, you’re put into a position that you’re probably

going to fail and you don’t like it. So, what are you doing to train your people? I can tell you for the DiSC assessment, going through that training, our middle managers understanding how people communicate has been key for us. We’ve also sent people to our local chamber – they have done some leadership training. We make the mistake of promoting people that have been really good at install to now all of a sudden, they have to lead a bunch of people and they’ve got to filter information down.

7.

Explain, don’t just direct.

Six weeks before the end of the season, we found out we weren’t going to hit our numbers and we thought we were. So, we had this massive push to try to get to our numbers, our budget or this hypothetical number. The information went around the entire company, and I didn’t realize the damage that it was causing until I started asking questions. I spent a day and went around to probably 15 people – what does it mean to you when we don’t hit our numbers?

I’d say about 10 of them said, “Well, when we don’t hit our numbers, that means we can’t pay our bills, and then we may go out of business.” I’m like, “Oh, okay, well that’s not what we want to get across.” It’s more, we’re not hitting our numbers, we need to push, but it’s an infinite game. It’s this long game, not this short game. We have to do a better job of explaining that because the information went to our middle managers and they didn’t really know what to do with that other than transfer it down. It kind of blew up in our face. But I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. We had a surge; we had a lot of people asking a lot of questions, which helped with communication.

Reprinted with permission from the March 2023 issue of Lawn & Landscape. Visit. www.lawnandlandscape.com for more information.

The easiest 5% you'll ever save. Sign up for auto-renew now!

UAC business-level members can select the auto-recurring payment option for their annual membership investment and get an immediate 5% discount.

The auto-recurring payment option is available for credit card payments only. Your credit card automatically will be charged on your annual renewal date.

It's easy: First, go to urbanagcouncil.com > Choose the Membership menu, then Member Login. NOTE: Only the primary contact for your company will be able to manage/renew the company's membership. Contact us via phone or email if you need help with logging in.

Even easier: Contact us and we'll do it for you! Call 706.750.0350 or email office@georgiauac.com

Customer relationship management

What is the ultimate aim of CRM?

by Cal Haynes for manta.com

Customer relationship management (CRM) is one of the most effective approaches to creating and maintaining long-term relationships with clients.

CRM refers to strategies and activities that help businesses manage their interactions with potential and current customers. A CRM will also often refer to technologies or software that help businesses to do this. What is the ultimate aim of customer relationship management? It allows companies to build and maintain long-term relationships translating to high customer retention, loyalty, and, ultimately, high returns. This type of management drives enterprises to new levels of success.

Understanding CRM

Customer relationship management aims at developing long-lasting relationships between businesses and their clients. This is one technique that companies use to attract, impress, acquire, and retain clients. Today, businesses have invested in CRM software to communicate with and serve their customers.

Scope of CRM

Businesses design CRM management strategies to enhance sales, marketing, and customer service.

> CRM for sales management. An effective, mobileenabled CRM makes it easy for sales team reps to plan and manage their tasks and activities. This reduces unnecessary administration time and builds best practices into prospect management.

> CRM for marketing. Marketing CRM software collects and stores data about your leads. It then helps you organize this data to enable you to build long-lasting relationships with them.

> CRM for customer service. The customer service team must deliver an excellent customer experience to prospective and current clients. An efficient CRM system provides accurate records of product history, past client contacts, technical incidences, and support inquiries.

Key components and features

Every business is different. Every organization strategizes its CRM strategy to administrate and manage its customers in an efficient way. All the same, every CRM strategy should include the following features:

> Customer needs. An organization must take time to understand, ascertain and prioritize customer needs. Running customer surveys will allow you to know the requirements and needs of your target audience.

Image by Tumisu from Pixabay

> Customer response. This is the reaction an organization provides to customer activities and queries. The hack is understanding, interpreting, and handling the questions intelligently to provide the best solution.

> Customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction

analyzes how well a business meets the customer’s expectations. It is a crucial performance component in the modern competitive business world.

> Customer loyalty. This is the tendency of a client to remain in business with a particular organization and constantly engage in business deals. A business that wants to build brand loyalty must focus on customer satisfaction.

> Customer retention. This strategic process aims at managing and maintaining excellent relationships with existing clients. You should aim to keep them from defecting or diverging to other organizations and suppliers for business.

> Customer complaints. Your customer support team should be able to handle customer complaints to the client’s ultimate satisfaction. They can do this by having a predetermined set of steps in CRM to address these issues and provide solutions.

> Customer service. This provides timely, accurate, and reliable advice and assistance to potential and existing clients. If the recommended product or service exceeds client expectations, you can expect good business with your customers.

Benefits of implementing CRM for business

Investing in an effective CRM system can help you:

> Manage your sales pipeline

> Increase revenue

> Attract and nurture leads

> Manage your sales and marketing teams

> Manage customer service reports and analyze data

> Organize better marketing campaigns

5 strategies for enhancing customer engagement and loyalty

Strategy #1:

Cultivating strong customer relationships

First, cultivating strong relationships with your clients is crucial for the long-term success of your business. Communication based on customer communications, transparency, and trust helps your clients feel more connected and secure working with your brand. It also helps build customer retention and brand loyalty,

ultimately building goodwill and increasing business value.

Personalization and customization

Customers want you to see, hear, and cherish them, not merely acknowledge them. Personalization involves providing specific, tailored customer service and experience through recommendations, messaging, offers, and more. It treats clients as individuals with unique tastes and preferences rather than a segment of the general audience.

Effective communication and responsiveness

Regular and effective communication is one way of attracting new clients and maintaining existing ones. The hack is to figure out the most effective communication methods for your clients and brand. You can use newsletters, email marketing, social media platforms, customer loyalty programs, and surveys to pass information and receive feedback.

Customer satisfaction and retention programs

Customer satisfaction and retention programs encourage clients to engage with the business and purchase more often to earn great rewards. This increases purchase frequency and brand loyalty, ultimately increasing profit and revenues.

Facilitating relationship-building efforts

CRM lets you gather and store prospects and customer contact information, record service issues, identify sales opportunities, and manage marketing campaigns. It helps you manage direct interactions from marketing to sales and customer service, building better relationships and overall success.

Strategy #2: Maximizing Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)

Second, customer lifetime value is the measure of the total worth of a customer to a business over their entire relationship. CLV involves every potential transaction you can make during the entire relationship. It analyzes the specific revenue from that client.

How CRM contributes to maximizing CLV

The customer is king. Different businesses have different ways of maximizing their CLV. However, any business can improve their customer lifetime value by working on their CRM. A CRM can help enhance customer value by:

> Identifying high-value customers

> Tailoring marketing and sales efforts based on customer preferences

> Cross-selling and upselling opportunities through CRM data

Long-term profitability through effective CRM

An effective CRM helps businesses to manage direct transactions, from marketing to customer service, to sales. A reliable CRM impacts financial performance, customer loyalty, profitability, and overall business success.

Strategy #3:

Improving customer service and support

Streamlining the customer service process

Third, an effective CRM system consolidates all communication systems and easily handles customer issues. This translates to timely, efficient, and effective customer support, increasing lifetime value and longterm loyalty. It helps with reducing the number of customer complaints and cancellations.

Enhancing customer experience through CRM

CRM gives insights into conversations and topics most appealing to your customers. This information will help you understand your clients better. Once you understand your clients, you can devise target marketing strategies and create an unparalleled customer experience. CRM can help you enhance customer experience through the following:

> Centralized customer data and history

> Automated ticketing and issue resolution

> Proactive customer support and personalized assistance

Brand reputation and loyalty

Customers will love and develop loyalty towards your brand if they constantly enjoy a positive experience engaging with your business. They also feel happy and satisfied with the value of the service or product provided to them. Your clients will be confident enough to refer your services to their friends and relatives. Besides, customers are more likely to spend more money when engaging with businesses with a positive reputation.

Strategy #4:

Gaining actionable insights and data analytics

Leveraging CRM for data collection and analysis

Fourth, a CRM system is an essential tool that can store large amounts of information. You can use this data to gain actionable customer insights. These insights help with decision-making and positively affect a business’s success.

Extracting actionable insights from CRM data

CRM data helps organizations extract, combine, visualize, transform, and analyze data to derive actionable insights. Extracting actionable insights from CRM can help your

business stay relevant in your industry and outshine your competitors. You can do this through:

> Customer behavior and preferences analysis

> Sales forecasting and pipeline management

> Market trends and competitor analysis

Informed business decisions based on CRM insights Customer relationship management allows you to break down data into criteria and categories. This makes it possible to create focused lists. You can use the segmented lists to manage marketing campaigns and analyze your lead pool and sales process.

Measuring CRM impact on business growth and ROI

Measuring CRM’s impact on ROI and ultimate business growth gives you a clearer picture of your CRM’s effectiveness. Additionally, measuring CRM ROI helps you identify areas of improvement and make data-driven decisions.

Strategy #5:

Driving business growth and profitability

How CRM supports business growth objectives

Initially, CRMs were sales tools used to promote a brand. But today, these business solutions have expanded to work for customer service, marketing, and e-commerce functions. CRM supports and boosts business growth by streamlining sales processes, maximizing revenue, building sales pipelines, automating essential tasks, and increasing productivity and profitability.

Increased sales and revenue through effective CRM By gathering data on your customer’s purchase history, interests, and preferences, you can better customize your marketing to their needs. Effective CRM strategies can improve sales by up to 30%. This is possible through:

> Sales pipeline management

> Lead nurturing

> Targeted marketing campaigns

> Customer segmentation

> Customer referrals

> Word-of-mouth marketing

What is the ultimate aim of CRM?

So, what is the ultimate aim of customer relationship management? CRM is crucial in attracting new clients and building and maintaining long-term relationships with new and existing customers. It also helps increase a customer’s turnover and profits. If you are yet to incorporate CRM tools in your modern business, you’re missing out on the benefits.

Learn more at manta.com/resources

AgChimp names new Director of Market Acquisition

AgChimp LLC’s President & CEO, Brian Buchanan, announced that he has selected Barry M. Bennett to champion the position of AgChimp’s Director of Market Acquisition, effective in July 2023. In his new role, Bennett will continue the advancement of products and solutions for sod farmers across the United States by acquiring new products, new vendors, innovative solutions, and agronomic expertise. “Barry brings to the industry energy and knowledge that will be hugely impactful for the sod industry. His knowledge in dirt and grass is unprecedented.” said Brian Buchanan. “My team is deeply committed to this industry. We all approach it with a servant’s mindset, and Barry will certainly continue that and is most definitely a solid fit for AgChimp.”

Barry M. Bennett is a longtime fixture in the turf industry, with a career spanning over 30 years in all aspects of the turf industry. He is a degreed Agronomist from Mississippi State University, which has allowed Bennett to serve on multiple advisory boards. He has used his deep knowledge of the turfgrass industry to deliver hundreds of Turfgrass and Soil Science presentations worldwide. After many years of growing turfgrass, Bennett pivoted his focus to the consulting,

management, and sales aspects of our industry. Bennett has been instrumental in launching cuttingedge products and services that are vastly superior to the conventional approaches used by many. Bennett specializes in soil management, plant physiology, and pest management with respect to all species of turfgrass and their improved varieties.

About AgChimp LLC

AgChimp LLC has served the turfgrass and agriculture sector since 2019. This Georgia-based organization delivers data analytics, agronomic inputs, and consulting services across the United States and beyond with its networking and distribution model.

From left: Barry Bennett and Brian Buchanan

Workforce expansion

Georgia Senate taking a deep dive into

by Bryan Tolar, Tolar Capitol Partners

Industry advocacy is one of our key pillars to ensure your UAC dues are a worthy investment. You can see our engagement in our weekly reports when the Georgia General Assembly is in session January through March, but our work does not stop there.

The Senate Study Committee on Expanding Georgia’s Workforce began meetings across the state in June. Its purpose is to examine current practices, pilot programs, private-public partnerships, and initiatives by industries across Georgia to increase workforce opportunities.

UAC is attending these meetings, speaking with committee members and making sure our workforce challenges are part of the discussion.

At the end of this process in November, this group will issue a final report that could lead to policy initiatives in the 2024 session of the Georgia General Assembly. Go to www.expandinggeorgiasworkforcestudy.com for more details on the committee.

You may recall that in 2019, UAC led an effort to create a Senate Study Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, and Landscape Workforce Access.

Chaired by former Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Wilkinson, those meetings provided industry insight on workforce challenges that were captured in a final report on our industry discussions and suggestions. We submitted that report (http://www. senate.ga.gov/committees/Documents/AgricultureForestryandLandscapeWorkforceAccessfinalreport. pdf ) to the Senate Study Committee on Expanding Georgia’s Workforce and shared it with the Study Committee Chairman, Senator John Albers.

There is much to celebrate knowing so many Georgians have job opportunities, but we know UAC member businesses and others have many positions unfilled and employers are suffering. Workforce challenges facing landscape and agriculture businesses are very real. Finding workers in double-digit unemployment

opportunities

was fleeting…finding workers in the current 3.2% unemployment rate is nearly impossible even with pay topping $15 per hour for entry-level positions.

In the 2019 session of the Georgia General Assembly, the Senate Study Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, and Landscape Workforce Access held four meetings across the state to gather input from a variety of impacted industry interests. The work culminated with the unanimous approval of the 12-page final report that captured key points of testimony by each of the 17 speakers and a list of our recommendations.

Suggestions offered then still ring true today.

We believe the State should develop programs to recruit workers to Georgia, help qualified businesses apply and comply with federal H-2A and H-2B guest worker visa programs, have education leaders at all levels advance career opportunities and address pathways to career development and education programs.

UAC understands the important role federal guestworker programs provide in our industry. These necessary workers are critical parts of maintaining and growing services and products throughout the landscape and agribusiness industries. Our goal is to make sure lawmakers and thought leaders are aware of how these programs, and others, contribute to addressing workforce opportunities.

Governor Kemp rightfully states, “It is a great time to be a Georgian.” Much progress has been achieved and we want to see the economy continue to grow - we need a workforce to make that happen. The Senate Study Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, and Landscape Workforce Access reinforced the opportunities for jobs with a variety of skills and education levels and pathways to growth, but they require commitment to action.

We will keep you informed of developments and engagement opportunities as we monitor these meetings and discussions. Finding a workforce to serve these businesses benefits all of Georgia - both urban and rural. UAC is proud to advocate industry interests on your behalf. Thank you for being a member of the Georgia Urban Agriculture Council.

Senator John Albers

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Harnessing water Hawkins educates the public about the world’s most critical resource

by Emily Cabrera, UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

Agricultural engineer Gary Hawkins serves as a water resource management and policy specialist for University of Georgia Cooperative Extension, educating the public and improving ways to harness the world’s most critical resource.

A member of the University of Georgia Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Gary Hawkins is an agricultural engineer by training, with degrees from three orange universities around the Southeast — Clemson, Auburn and Tennessee.

“I was triangulating Georgia as a place to work,” Hawkins said, laughing. He studied overland flow with swine waste while attending Auburn University, and then anaerobic digestion of dairy waste at the University of Tennessee. Between his years at Auburn and Tennessee, he worked as an environmental engineer for the Alabama

Department of Environmental Management where he was in charge of permitting and closing landfills. He is not afraid to get dirty.

Hawkins started working for UGA’s Tifton campus in April 2001 as the pollution prevention specialist. In that role, he worked with farmers, Extension agents, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, Soil and Water Conservation districts and other groups to promote, educate and assist in reducing erosion from land surfaces to protect water resources.

An important method to reducing soil erosion in agriculture is through conservation production systems (or conservation tillage) of farming. He has cooperated with the Seven Rivers Resource Conservation and Development Council to organize the Conservation Production Systems Conference in Baxley, Georgia.

Beginning in 2015, Hawkins became the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences water resource management and policy specialist, based at the J. Phil Campbell Research and Education Center in Watkinsville. In this role, he continues to work with these groups and others to improve water quality and quantity in Georgia and the greater Southern region.

Hawkins’ Extension programming involves erosion control, water resource management, water conservation, stormwater management, well water, on-site waste treatment and alternative energy. His website, extension. uga.edu/water, has information about all of these topics.

He shares his knowledge with people at all stages of life, offering educational programs through agent trainings, workshops, conferences and field days to reach a wide audience. That audience includes Extension agents, various civic groups, school-age children, college students and industry practitioners.

“Water is one of those things we use every day but sometimes I think take for granted. There are a lot of interesting things about water — so when you have the opportunity, learn a little and share with others.”

~ Gary Hawkins

Hawkins also provides annual updates to the Georgia Pest Management Handbooks on the proper calibration of sprayers to provide proper pest control while also protecting water resources.

He contributes to sustainable integrated pest management, a growing field, in other ways. His work in water resource management helps reduce aquatic weed pressures by helping control nutrient movement from the land to the water. And his contributions to conservation production systems also help to reduce pest pressures in agricultural production.

Hawkins has been married for 28 years, and he and his wife have two daughters.

He is an Eagle Scout and also a registered Girl Scout Leader. He has trained other Girl Scout leaders how to teach the “Wonders of Water” Journey and other outdoor skills. He enjoys helping his daughter’s troop and other leaders learn ways to enjoy the outdoors while protecting water and soil resources.

Hawkins presents a lesson during the 4-H2O camp held at C.M. Stripling Irrigation Research Park in Camilla, GA.

Hawkins opens up an Adopt-A-Stream Visual Stream Monitoring Kit.

Hawkins works to improve water quality and quantity in Georgia and the greater Southern region.

UGA-Griffin Irrigation Demo Site Hands-on learning for landscapers

by Ashley N Biles

The University of Georgia Griffin campus hosted its first training for a landscape company, Chatham Landscape Services, at its new irrigation demonstration site in April. Chatham Landscape is a sponsor of the site designed for training, research and education in new irrigation technologies.

“We are trying to educate everyone on a basic knowledge of irrigation, which we encounter every day in our line of work,” said Scott Chatham, owner and president of Chatham Landscape. “It is one of the areas least known about in our industry in the South.”

The demonstration site, which opened in September 2022, is the brainchild of Rolando Orellana, an urban water management agent with UGA Cooperative Extension in the UGA Center for Urban Agriculture. After a conversation with an industry professional on ways to improve the irrigation and green industries, Orellana developed the program over four years, leading to the creation of the sustainable program for Extension programs, industry and homeowners.

The site includes four 30-by-30-foot plots for use in training, research and education. Three of the plots are designated for investing companies to showcase their latest products and technology. The fourth plot is used for research at UGA-Griffin.

The project is the first of its kind to involve researchers and students as well as the public.

Chatham noted many people in the landscaping industry are kinetic learners, meaning they learn better working hands-on rather than just in a classroom.

Eight members of Chatham’s management team and the company’s irrigation technician worked with Orellana and his colleagues, Greg Huber, training coordinator for UGA Center for Urban Agriculture, and Whitney Richardson, SARE sustainable ag educator. Chatham plans to bring more of his frontline workers to the site to learn about the proper use and installation of irrigation.

Scott Chatham, owner and president of Chatham Landscape (fourth from left) brought his management team to UGA-Griffin for a tour and training of the irrigation demonstration site, located on the Griffin campus. The group met with Rolando Orellana (third from right), the brainchild behind the site, and his colleagues to learn more about the proper installation and use of irrigation in landscaping.

Orellana is looking forward to working with other companies in the industry.

“Every landscape company or industry member in the state of Georgia should know that this tool can be used to learn irrigation in different areas such as troubleshooting, design, twowire systems, controllers and scheduling. It also is a great way to learn about newly available technology in the irrigation industry.”

~ Rolando Orellana

To schedule a training workshop or a tour, contact Orellana at jrolando@uga.edu.

About the author

Ashley Biles is an administrative associate at the UGA Griffin campus.

Science supporting sport

UGA Turf Team develops training for Mexican soccer field managers

by Emily Cabrera, Writer and Public Relations Coordinator, UGA CAES

Goooooooal! For billions of soccer fans around the world, the iconic exclamation announces either a thrilling victory or a crushing defeat as another point is scored on the field of play. And while most eyes are on the game, there is an entire industry of professionals whose main concern is for the grass on which the game is played.

Historically referred to as “pitch,” the playing surface is maintained through precise management and is the subject of an entire field of science.

The University of Georgia’s turf program is supported by a group of faculty and research scientists throughout the state dedicated to year-round turfgrass research and

outreach efforts. Members of the UGA Turf Team were recently invited to develop a training and certification program to support the field managers of Mexico’s premier soccer leagues — Liga MX, the top professional men’s soccer division, and Liga MX Femenil, the country’s top women’s soccer division.

Leading the effort is Alfredo Martinez-Espinoza, a professor in UGA’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, UGA Cooperative Extension plant pathologist and key UGA Turf Team member. For more than 30 years, Martinez-Espinoza has specialized in diagnosing and managing pathological diseases of commercial turfgrass and has built numerous international collaborations with research partners throughout Central America and in Spain.

Nicknamed “The Steel Giant,” the BBVA Stadium in Monterrey, Mexico, will host matches for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Members of the UGA Turf Team have just wrapped up a turfgrass certification program to support field managers of Mexico’s premier soccer leagues.

Having learned of UGA’s impressive turfgrass program and capacity to reach Spanish-speaking audiences, Conrado Sandoval requested the assistance of the UGA Turf Team to address the lack of professional, researchbased support in the country for managing turfgrass. Sandoval is the Director of the Center for Technological Innovation (CITEC) Campus of the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) and is responsible for monitoring the Liga MX Soccer Field Maintenance Program.

In 2022, Sandoval commissioned a cumulative, detailed evaluation of the more than 180 soccer fields and training facilities throughout Mexico to identify the main issues field managers face. The top concerns were climate, pests and diseases, proper use of equipment and turf management techniques, irrigation, plant nutrition, and integrated pest management (IPM) practices.

“These are problems we’ve sought to address over the years, but with the 2026 World Cup around the corner, we will host many of the games in our biggest stadiums,” said Sandoval. “We need to have a better grasp on dealing with these issues in-house, which is why it was critical for us to partner with UGA’s internationally recognized turf program.”

He explained that more than 70% of all fields in Mexico use a natural grass pitch. “There is simply nothing that compares to natural turf,” he emphasized. “It comes down to very minute yet significant differences for the game, including the performance, playability and safety of the playing surface.”

Natural turf has another, more aesthetic benefit as well. Soccer is the most watched and most participated sport in the world, played on every continent and in every country. Sandoval explained that, from a purely business perspective, the optics of the field of play are incredibly important for the billions of people watching. When it comes to quality, natural turf surpasses artificial if managed well, Sandoval said.

The Liga MX is the fourth most-attended football league in the world and ranks second in terms of television viewership in the United States.

“Television is the fundamental tool of the football industry,” said Sandoval. “The image the viewer receives, both on the field and on the screen, must be the best possible. Seeing large patches of diseased grass or discoloration from nutrient issues potentially conveys a lack of professionalism in our management. We aim to address that by working with the UGA Turf Team.”

Joining Martinez-Espinoza, UGA Turf Team members

Clint Waltz, Shimat Joseph and Patrick McCullough developed the training program and supporting materials, delivered in both English and Spanish, to provide the foundation of a professional certification program that will be used as the FMF seeks to raise the level of professionalism across the industry. Following the seminar series, participants are required to take and pass an exam as part of a standardized certification program.

“I want to express my greatest gratitude for this course,” said Juan Carlos Castelan, a field manager for Azteca Stadium in Mexico City who participated in the certificate program. “In our country, we don’t have a company or service dedicated to this type of training and it’s sorely needed to build uniformity between the different sports facilities. Now, we have a diverse team of people who work throughout the country with the scientific knowledge and experience to put this into action. And, as a bonus, because this course drew from so many different people from other facilities, we were able to make better connections and now have a wider network of support.”

“This is the wonderful thing about working in applied science,” said Martinez-Espinoza. “Our jobs are to filter through all the problems presented to us and pinpoint research-based, actionable solutions that can be taught so our clients are competent and prepared as a result of working with us.”

Alfredo Martinez-Espinoza Clint Waltz Shimat Joseph Patrick McCullough

A food resource for bees

The surprising benefits of turfgrass

by Cecilia Brown, Media & Content Manager, Sod Solutions

Did you know that turfgrass can serve as a food source for pollinators? Dr. Karen Harris-Shultz, a research geneticist with the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Tifton, GA, is leading the charge in the finding that many grasses, even some turfgrasses, can serve as a pollen food source for bees and hoverflies. Her findings are groundbreaking and could change the way we think about our lawns.

Harris-Shultz’s research shows that grasses provide a wealth of resources for bees and other pollinators. This means that homeowners can take steps to make their yards more pollinator-friendly simply by altering their mowing habits and limiting their use of insecticides.

“Anytime you can provide data to show the ecosystem services that turfgrass provides, it benefits the turfgrass industry,” she explains. And with thousands of bees collecting pollen from the inflorescences (or flower head of the grass) of centipedegrass alone, it’s clear that the benefits are significant.

So the next time you look at a lawn, remember that it’s not just a pretty sight – it’s a vital part of our ecosystem.

“Our research results show that turfgrasses can serve as a food source for pollinators. I find this extremely exciting and homeowners can observe bees right in their yards,” she said.

Harris-Shultz has heard turfgrasses referred to as “biological wastelands” that provide no resources to bees in seminars and on social media for years. Often grasses are dismissed as being primarily self- and windpollinated with no use for bees. But that was in fact quite opposite from what she’d been seeing in her home lawn and those of her friends. She recalls a particular memory walking over acres of centipedegrass and seeing thousands of honeybees collecting pollen from the inflorescences.

“The buzzing sound from all the bees was amazing. I started to pay more attention to bees on warm-season turfgrasses after this, realized this would be an exciting avenue of research, and recruited University of Georgia entomologist Shimat Joseph and physiologist David Jespersen for our first project together.”

Recent research in Tifton and Griffin

In their first study to address if turfgrass lawns are “biological wastelands,” Joseph, Harris-Shultz and Jespersen found that 13 different genera of bees were present in centipedegrass lawns in central and south Georgia. The most commonly found bees were sweat bees (of generas Lasioglossum, Augochlorella), bees of the genus Halictus, long-horned bees and bumblebees. Sweat bees of the genus Lasioglossum were most frequently captured (137 of 173 collected). Many of the bees found were ground-nesting bees.

The second project, led by Joseph, examined what pollinators directly consume or collect pollen from centipedegrass inflorescences. The setup consisted of 11 centipede lawns in central Georgia, mowed every 14 days, and sampled 12-13 days after mowing. The study observed pollinators collecting or consuming pollen on the inflorescence between 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Seven species of insects were found consuming or collecting centipedegrass pollen and the most commonly found insects were hoverflies, sweat bees (genera Lasioglossum), bumblebees and honeybees.

From both studies, bees are present in centipedegrass lawns, and hoverflies and bees are feeding on centipedegrass pollen. Harris-Shultz encouraged caution when using insecticides that impact bees and hoverflies on centipedegrass lawns and if you want pollinators to feed on your lawn don’t mow off the flowers when your lawn is actively flowering. Once the lawn has flowered be sure to mow to create new flowers, otherwise the lawn will start to produce seed instead of flowers.

Jonathan O’Hearn, entomologist with USDA-ARS in Tifton, is interested in bees that forage on grasses. Their Spring 2023 experiment was to answer the question, “How does mowing frequency, irrigation and fertility impact pollinators collecting pollen from bermudagrass (Celebration® Bermudagrass), centipedegrass (common) and zoysiagrass (EMPIRE® Zoysia)”?

Harris-Shultz explained that they are hoping to get 2-3 years of data from the Summer 2023 experiment. She is hopeful once they know what turfgrasses provide a food source for bees, people will start to notice them more on grasses. She shared that an estimated 75% of the world’s flowering plants and 90% of the world’s food crops depend on pollinators to reproduce, yet pollinator populations have been in decline worldwide for several decades. She also explained that bees and hoverflies have been documented consuming pollen from almost 100 species of grasses but that those interactions are often overlooked and understudied. “The grasses are serving as a food source for bees,” she said. Just looking at warmseason turfgrasses, bees have been observed collecting pollen from centipedegrass, bermudagrass (common type, not the pollen sterile hybrids) and bahiagrass.

Genetic analysis and background

Harris-Shultz has been on the cutting edge of DNA research in grass as well. When she started at Tifton, there were few genetic markers available for turfgrass. She created the first sets of microsatellite markers (small pieces of DNA that repeat) for bermudagrass and centipedegrass and said that over the years there have been many improvements in genetic technologies and phenotyping.

Centipedegrass flowers from the top of the inflorescence to the bottom. The anthers are key here. They contain the pollen. If you look at the centipedegrass seed heads in your lawn and the anthers look healthy or are just starting to flower don’t mow. If the seed heads have anthers that are all dried out, it’s time to mow.

“For turf genotyping, I look at the DNA using markers usually microsatellite markers,” said Harris-Shultz. Markers and flow cytometry are very useful for determining a myriad of stakeholder problems. Over the years she has genotyped almost 1,500 samples received from sod producers, golf courses, and researchers to determine the cultivars they have, identify contaminants, or to determine genetic relationships.

Harris-Shultz shares that she’s loved plants since she was young and over the past 10 years, her interests have expanded to insects. She explained that her experiences in college and undergraduate programs exposed her to biological research.

“After I graduated from the University of Tennessee as a Biology major with concentrations in Ecology and Evolution and Biochemistry and Cell Biology, I thought about what my favorite things were, which were plants and biochemistry,” said Harris-Shultz. “I applied to several graduate programs, visited their campuses and faculty, and I felt most at home in the Biochemistry department at Texas A&M University.”

Harris-Shultz looks forward to continuing her research on pollinators and turfgrass.

Sod Solutions has helped successfully develop and release to the market over 20 different turfgrass varieties over the past three decades including Palmetto® and CitraBlue® St. Augustine, EMPIRE®, CitraZoy® and Innovation® Zoysia and Celebration®, Latitude 36® and NorthBridge® Bermudagrass. The company is based in the Charleston, SC area.

Making the landscape less appetizing Deer-tolerant ornamental plants

by Sheri Dorn and Michael T. Mengak

Fencing whole communities or individual properties is often not practical, and may be against local ordinances or community covenants. Trapping and relocating deer is costly and often harmful or fatal to deer.

If deer are overabundant in your neighborhood, and deer herd reduction or management is not feasible, a good way to prevent deer browsing in landscapes is to plant ornamental plants that deer do not like to eat.

There is no such thing as a deer-resistant plant, and when deer populations are high and food becomes scarce, deer may feed on plants that are thought to be deer-tolerant.

However, deer generally do not like plants with pungent aromas. Some gardeners have reported success with planting strong-scented plants like lantana, catmint, chives, mint, sage or thyme adjacent to plants that deer frequently browse.

Deer also shy away from plants with prickly or rough leaves and plants with a bitter taste. Sometimes, deer browse new plantings or established plants with tender new growth, then avoid those same plants when their leaves are mature.

Deer like nutrition-rich plants, especially in spring and summer when does are pregnant or nursing, when young deer are growing and when bucks are growing antlers. Fertilized plants, such as those in home landscapes, provide protein, energy-rich carbohydrates, minerals and salts. Deer also get about one-third of their water from the moisture in irrigated plants and young, succulent vegetation on expanding leaves, buds and green stems.

Nuisance deer that feast on home gardens and bucks that damage young trees by rubbing them with their antlers during the rutting season are difficult and expensive to control in residential communities. Although there are a number of commercially available deer repellents on the market, none of them are 100 percent effective. Most “home remedy” repellents, such as soap, human hair and animal dung, are unreliable. Shooting deer or using noise guns is prohibited in most residential neighborhoods, and many citizens are opposed to this method of control.

Over the years, wildlife organizations, universities, botanical gardens and garden writers have constructed many lists of deer-tolerant and deer-susceptible ornamental plants. Because most of these lists are constructed from observational trial-and-error data instead of controlled scientific studies, they are open for criticism. Furthermore, many variables influence deer feeding preferences.

The following list is a compilation of ornamental plants for Georgia hardiness zones that appear in published literature as well as observations by the authors. It is intended to be a guide for selecting ornamental plants for landscapes where deer browsing is a problem.

Plants known to be invasive and a serious problem in natural areas, regardless of their level of deer tolerance, were excluded from the list.

Photo by Robert Woeger on Unsplash

Plants deer occasionally or frequently browse

(Protection is recommended)

Common name ..................... Botanical name

American Arborvitae ....................... Thuja occidentalis

American Beautyberry Callicarpa americana

American Elderberry Sambucus canadensis

American Sycamore ......................... Platanus occidentalis

Arrowwood ....................................... Viburnum dentatum

Asiatic Lilies ...................................... Lilium spp.

Beech (low branches) Fagus spp.

Bittersweet Celastrus scandens

Black-Eyed Susan.............................. Rudbeckia spp.

Black Gum ......................................... Nyssa sylvatica

Blanket Flower .................................. Gaillardia spp.

Buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis

Carolina Ash Fraxinus caroliniana

Carolina Buckthorn.......................... Frangula caroliniana

Carolina Yellow Jessamine .............. Gelsemium sempervirens

Chrysanthemum (fall mums) ......... Chrysanthemum spp.

Coleus Coleus spp.

Cosmos Cosmos spp.

Crossvine ........................................... Bignonia capreolata

Daylily ................................................ Hemerocallis spp. (prefer flowers and flower buds)

Eastern Redbud Cercis canadensis

Flowering Crabapple Malus spp. (small trees and low branches)

Flowering Dogwood ........................ Cornus florida

Fothergilla.......................................... Fothergilla spp. (flowers and new growth)

Fringetree Chionanthus virginicus

Gerbera Daisy ................................... Gerbera jamesonii

Grape Hyacinth................................. Muscari spp.

Green Ash (tender new growth) ..... Fraxinus pennsylvanica

Greenbriar Smilax spp.

Hawthorn Crataegus spp.

Hibiscus ............................................. Hibiscus spp.

Some Hollies ..................................... Ilex spp. (such as Lusterleaf, Mary Nell, Nellie R. Stevens, Blue)

Hollyhock Alcea spp.

Honey Locust .................................... Gleditsia triacanthos

Hop Hornbeam ................................. Ostrya virginiana

Hosta Hosta spp.

Hydrangea Hydrangea spp. (bigleaf, oakleaf, climbing)

Impatiens ........................................... Impatiens walleriana

Indian Hawthorn .............................. Rhaphiolepis indica

Japanese Maple Acer palmatum (tender new growth)

Morning Glory .................................. Ipomea spp.

Trumpet Honeysuckle ..................... Lonicera sempervirens

Pansy .................................................. Viola spp.

Petunia Petunia spp.

Redbay Persea borbonia

Red Maple .......................................... Acer rubrum

Rhododendron.................................. Rhododendron spp.

Rose Balsam ...................................... Impatiens balsamina

Roses Rosa spp.

Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’

Serviceberry ...................................... Amelanchier arborea

Soloman’s Seal ................................... Polygonatum spp.

Sourwood (tender new growth) ..... Oxydendron arboreum

Strawberry Bush Euonymus americanus

Summersweet Clethra Clethra alnifolia

Swamp Cyrilla ................................... Cyrilla racemiflora

Sweetbay Magnolia ........................... Magnolia virginiana

Sweetshrub ........................................ Calycanthus floridus

Titi Cliftonia monophylla

Trumpet Creeper Campsis radicans

Tulips .................................................. Tulip spp.

Violas .................................................. Viola spp.

Virginia Sweetspire........................... Itea virginica

Yew (English and Japanese) Taxus spp.

Plants deer rarely browse

TREES

Common name ..................... Botanical name

Bald Cypress Taxodium distichum

Carolina Silverbell ............................ Halesia carolina

Cherry Laurel .................................... Prunus laurocerasus

Crape Myrtle Lagerstroemia indica

Dawn Redwood ................................ Metasequoia glyptostroboides

Deodar Cedar.................................... Cedrus deodara

Eastern Redcedar Juniperus virginiana L.

Falsecypress Chamaecyparis spp.

Fir ....................................................... Abies spp.

Ginkgo ............................................... Ginkgo biloba

Goldenraintree .................................. Koelreuteria paniculata

Gordonia Gordonia lasianthus

Japanese Cedar Cryptomeria japonica

Katsura Tree ...................................... Cercidiphyllum japonicum

Kousa Dogwood ............................... Cornus kousa

Pawpaw .............................................. Asimina triloba

Palm Many genera and species

Pine Pinus spp.

Saucer Magnolia, Japanese Magnolia . Magnolia x soulangiana

Southern Magnolia ........................... Magnolia grandiflora

Smoketree .......................................... Cotinus obovatus

Spruce Picea spp.

Sugar Maple Acer saccharum

Sweetgum .......................................... Liquidambar styraciflua

Tuliptree, Tulip Poplar ..................... Liriodendron tulipifera

SHRUBS

Common name ..................... Botanical name

Banana Shrub .................................... Michelia figo

Barberry ............................................. Berberis spp.

Beautybush ........................................ Kolkwitzia amabilis

Bottlebrush Buckeye Aesculus parviflora

Boxwood Buxus spp.

Butterfly Bush ................................... Buddleia spp.

Common Witchhazel ....................... Hamamelis virginiana

Cotoneaster ....................................... Cotoneaster spp.

Deutzia Deutzia spp.

Drooping Leucothoe Leucothoe fontanesiana

European Fan Palm .......................... Chamaerops humilis

Firethorn (Pyracantha) .................... Pyracantha coccinea

Flowering Quince Chaenomeles speciosa

Gardenia Gardenia spp.

Glossy Abelia Abelia spp.

Some Hollies ..................................... Ilex spp. (yaupon, inkberry, Chinese and Japanese) See occasionally browsed list.

Japanese Andromeda ....................... Pieris japonica

Japanese Plum Yew ........................... Cephalotaxus harringtonia

Japanese Rose Kerria japonica

Junipers Juniperus spp.

Needle Palm ...................................... Rhapidophyllum hystrix

Oleander ............................................ Nerium oleander

Osmanthus ........................................ Osmanthus spp.

Pineapple Guava Feijoa sellowiana

Pomegranate Punica granatum

Primrose Jasmine.............................. Jasminum mesnyi

Sotol.................................................... Dasylirion wheeleri

Spirea .................................................. Spiraea spp.

Sweet Box Sarcoccoca hookeriana

Viburnum Viburnum spp.

Wax Myrtle ........................................ Myrica cerifera

Weigela ............................................... Weigela florida

Winter Daphne ................................. Daphne odora

Yucca Yucca filimentosa

ORNAMENTAL GRASSES

Common name ..................... Botanical name

Fountaingrass .................................... Pennisetum alopecuroides

Feather Reed Grass Calamagrostis spp.

Hakone Grass Hakonechloa macra

Lemongrass ....................................... Cymbopogon citratus

Little Bluestem .................................. Schizachyrium scoparium

Northern Sea Oats ............................ Chasmanthium latifolium

Pampas Grass Cortaderia selloana

Pink Muhly Grass Muhlenbergia capillaris

Purple Moor Grass ........................... Molinia caerulea

Ravenna Grass .................................. Erianthus ravennae

Sedge .................................................. Carex spp.

Sweet Flag Acorus spp.

Switch Grass Panicum virgatum

VINES AND GROUNDCOVERS

Common name ..................... Botanical name

Bugleweed (Ajuga) Ajuga reptans

Columbine Aquilegia spp.

Confederate Jasmine ........................ Trachelospermum jasminoides

Creeping Raspberry ......................... Rubus calycinoides

Creeping Lantana ............................. Lantana montevidensis

Dwarf Mondograss Ophiopogon japonicus

Japanese Pachysandra Pachysandra terminalis

Junipers .............................................. Juniperus spp.

Liriope ................................................ Liriope spicata

Plumbago ........................................... Ceratostigma plumbaginoides

Prostrate Rosemary Rosemarinus officinalis ‘Prostratus’

Sweet Woodruff ................................ Galium odoratum (Asperula odorata)

Thyme Thymus spp.

HERBACEOUS PERENNIALS & BULBS

Common name ..................... Botanical name

Allium ................................................ Allium spp.

African Lily Agapanthus spp.

Amaryllis Hippeastrum spp.

Anise Hyssop..................................... Agastache spp.

Aster ................................................... Aster spp.

Astilbe Astilbe spp.

Balloon Flower Platycodon grandiflorus

Beebalm ............................................. Monarda didyma

Boltonia.............................................. Boltonia spp.

Bush Cinquefoil ................................ Potentilla fruticosa

Butterfly Weed Asclepias tuberosa

Candytuft Iberis spp.

Cardinal Flower ................................ Lobelia spp.

Catmint .............................................. Nepeta spp.

Christmas Fern ................................. Polystichum arcostichoides

Cinnamon Fern Osmunda cinnamomea

Columbine Aquilegia spp.

Crinum Lily ....................................... Crinum spp.

Crocosmia ......................................... Crocosmia spp.

Crocus ................................................ Crocus spp.

Daffodils Narcissus spp.

Dahlia Dahlia spp.

Delphinium ....................................... Delphinium spp.

tiied tur fgrass available in Mega-rolls, 30” rolls or slab pallets. Call Darren at 770-530-5078

Elephant Ears .................................... Alocasia spp./Colocasia spp.

False Indigo ....................................... Baptisia australis

Foamflower Tiarella cordifolia

Forget-Me-Not Myosotis spp.

Four O’Clock ..................................... Mirabilis jalapa

Foxglove ............................................. Digitalis spp.

Gay-feather (Liatris)......................... Liatris spp.

Globe Thistle Echinops spp.

Goldenrod Solidago spp.

Green Jerusalem Sage....................... Phlomis spp.

Hens and Chickens........................... Sempervivum spp.

Iris ....................................................... Iris spp.

Jack-in-the-pulpit Arisaema triphylum

Lamb’s Ear Stachys byzantina

Lantana .............................................. Lantana spp.

Larkspur ............................................. Consolida ambigua

Lavender ............................................ Lavandula spp.

Lavender-cotton Santolina chamaecyparissus

Lenten Rose Helleborus spp.

Lily-of-the-Nile ................................. Agapanthus africanus

Lupine ................................................ Lupinus spp.

Marjoram ........................................... Origanum marjorana

May Apple Podophyllum peltatum

Meadow Rue Thalictrum aquilegifolium

Mint .................................................... Mentha spp.

Money Plant ...................................... Lunaria annua

Oregano ............................................. Oreganum vulgare

Peony Paeonia spp.

Perennial Sunflower Helianthus spp.

Pinks ................................................... Dianthus spp.

Poppy.................................................. Papaver spp.

Primrose ............................................ Primula spp.

Purple Coneflower Echinacea purpurea

Rose Campion Lychnis coronaria

Rosemary ........................................... Rosmarinus officinalis

Royal Fern ......................................... Osmunda regalis

Russian Sage ...................................... Perovskia atriplicifolia

Snowdrop Galanthus nivalis

Society Garlic Tulbaghia violacea

Speedwell ........................................... Veronica spp.

Sweet Woodruff ................................ Galium odoratum (Asperula odorata)

Statice Limonium latifolium

Tansy .................................................. Tanacetum vulgare

Tarragon Artemisia dracunculus

Threadleaf Coreopsis ....................... Coreopsis verticillata

Toad Lily Tricyrtis hirta

Texas Sage Salvia greggii

Wallflower.......................................... Cheiranthus spp.

Wild Indigo Baptisia spp.

Wormwood........................................ Artemesia spp.

Yarrow Achillea filipendulina

ANNUALS

Common name ..................... Botanical name

Ageratum Ageratum houstonianum

Alyssum Lobularia spp.

Annual Periwinkle............................ Catharanthus spp.

Annual Salvia .................................... Salvia spp.

Baby’s Breath ..................................... Gypsophila spp.

Bachelor’s Buttons Centaurea cyanus

Basil Ocimum basilicum

Calendula, Pot Marigold.................. Calendula officinalis

California Poppy ............................... Eschscholzia californica

Cock’s Comb ..................................... Celosia spp.

Dusty Miller Centaurea cineraria

Flowering Tobacco Nicotiana spp.

Lantana .............................................. Lantana spp.

Marigold ............................................ Tagetes spp.

Parsley ................................................ Petroselinum crispum

Scarlet Sage Salvia coccinea

Swedish Ivy Plectranthus spp.

Snapdragon ....................................... Antirrhinum majus

Spiderflower Cleome spp.

Strawflower Bracteantha bracteata

Stock ................................................... Matthiola incana

Sweet Pea Lathyrus odoratus

Verbena .............................................. Verbena x hybrida

Content from UGA Extension Circular 985: https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html? number=C985&title=deer-tolerant-ornamental-plants

About the authors

Sheri Dorn is Senior Public Service Associate & State Master Gardener Coordinator; Emphasis: Consumer ornamentals, Horticulture

Michael T. Mengak is Professor-Wildlife Specialist, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources

New

honeybee threat in Georgia

Yellow-legged hornet found near Savannah

from the Georgia Department of Agriculture

In August 2023, the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA), in coordination with the United States Department of Agriculture Plant & Animal Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) and the University of Georgia, confirmed the presence of a yellow-legged hornet (YLH; Vespa velutina) near Savannah, GA. This is the first time a live specimen of this species has been detected in the open United States.

The yellow-legged hornet poses a threat to honeybees and other pollinators in our state. These pollinators play a significant role in Georgia’s agriculture industry, the state’s main economic driver, and it is imperative that these invasive pests are tracked and eradicated. We are working with USDA APHIS and UGA to trap, track, and eradicate these pests and will continue to assess the situation as new information becomes available and allocate additional resources as need.

The public plays an important role, and we are asking Georgians to report sightings of the yellow-legged hornet using our online reporting form. We urge the public to be cautious in the event they come across a suspected yellow-legged hornet. If you can safely take a photo of the suspected yellow-legged hornet, we encourage you to do so to assist us with identification.

About the yellow-legged hornet

A native to tropical and subtropical areas of Southeast Asia, the yellow-legged hornet is generally smaller than the Northern Giant Hornet (NGH).

Workers can be around half the size of an NGH, and queens can be around ¾ the size. The legs are partially or primarily yellow, hence the common name “yellowlegged hornet.” The body and head coloration can vary.

This hornet is a social wasp species that constructs egg-shaped paper nests above the ground, often in trees. These nests can become large, housing an average of 6,000 workers.

The yellow-legged hornet feeds on a variety of insects. If allowed to establish in the US, this invasive species could threaten honey production and Georgia’s native pollinators. These native pollinators play a vital role in our state’s agriculture industry.

Report a yellow-legged hornet

If you believe you have seen a yellow-legged hornet in your area, complete the online reporting form at agr.georgia.gov/yellow-legged-hornet. If it is safe to do so, submit a picture and other details about any suspected sightings of the yellow-legged hornet. Photographs allow us to verify the identification, which is important since some native wasps can look very similar. If you are unsure about your specimen, please send a picture anyway.

If you are not in Georgia, please report your sighting to your local extension agency or Department of Agriculture.

Please note: There are many domestic lookalikes that are native to the United States and do not pose a threat to honeybees. Many of them are valuable pollinators.

Questions and/or comments can be sent to yellow.legged.hornet@agr.georgia.gov.

Photos courtesy of Allan Smith-Pardo, Invasive Hornets, USDA APHIS PPQ, Bugwood.org

What are soil pores?

Different sizes and shapes serve different purposes from the Soil Science Society of America

Pores are in almost everything. Look closely enough and you will find them in the wood and bricks of buildings, your skin, and the ground beneath. Soil pores are the spaces between Earth’s solid pieces (rocks, sands, silts, clays, and organic matter).

Some pores are isolated and surrounded by solids on all sides, like a trapped bubble. Most pores are connected to each other and form pathways reaching far into the Earth. These pores are like the shops, social hangouts, roadways, and commercial flyways of the world below our feet. They are where the action happens.

Soils have pores, too. Soil is made of solid material –particles of sand, silt, clay, and organic matter. Some of the soil pores are large enough for us to see, such as earthworm holes and cracks that occur in soil during droughts. However, you cannot see most pores because they are so small, even for standard microscopes.

Soil pores have a huge variety of shapes and sizes. Imagine your shoe was equal to the smallest pore from which a sunflower can take up water. Compared to that, an earthworm hole’s entrance would be twice as tall as Mount Everest! The variety of sizes and how they connect

to each other lets water and air flow through them, but also holds and stores some of the water, just like pores in a kitchen sponge.

The different sizes and shapes of pores support many services in soils that ultimately benefit nature and humans. This may not be obvious at first, but it is like how we use different spaces in our everyday lives.

For instance, hallways, stairways, and elevators allow people to move through buildings. The pipes in the walls move water to sinks and fountains, while other pipes remove waste from bathrooms, dishwashers, and laundry rooms. Rooms within buildings give us spaces to rest, eat, work, play, and socialize. Notice how all these different types of spaces have their own size and shapes to work the way we intend them to.

In the same way, some soil pores are great for holding water, while others are excellent for moving water and air in and out of the soil. Networks of differing pores support the large diversity of organisms living under ground to meet their own needs for water, air, food, and shelter.

The surfaces of pores are particularly active, with some more active than others. Pore walls built from or lined with clays and organic matter provide a fertile area for the trading, transforming, and storing of desirable chemical compounds such as plant nutrients and food for microorganisms.

All this activity with chemical compounds is due to the surfaces having electrical charges. Chemical compounds with an opposite charge to the pore walls will tend to stick to the wall, similar to how magnets work, as long as another compound has not already taken the space. Compounds with a similar charge as the pore wall will be pushed away and suspended out in the pore’s water. When water moves through the pores, these compounds will flow with the water to wherever the neighboring pores connect to, such as water tables and aquifers.

Lastly, these pores give the space for plant roots and microorganisms to be born, grow, and recycled back into the earth. Tubers such as potatoes and carrots are produced in pores. Other plants that provide food aboveground, such as beans and lettuce, anchor themselves into pores by their roots which also let them drink water and get nutrients stored in the soil’s pores. And, roots themselves create more soil pores.

Since soils are generally soft, at least when compared to rocks, we can change the sizes and shapes of pores to a certain extent.

Much like how architects, craftspersons, and engineers design the layout of homes, botanical gardens, closets, and tractors, we can partially design and manage pore spaces in the upper parts of the soil.

So, the next time you drive across a field, till the garden, or choose which vegetables, flowers, or trees to plant in the yard (and yes, plant roots design and manage their own spaces below ground!), think of yourself as a designer and ask yourself what you want the pores below your feet to achieve.

To learn more about pores and soil health in your area, contact your local extension educator or specialist.

Reprinted with permission from the blog, Soils Matter, Get the Scoop! Read more at soilsmatter.wordpress.com

About the author

Answered by Aaron Lee M. Daigh, University of Nebraska –Lincoln

Aggregate stability: Soil particles clump together – in what soil scientists call aggregates. These structures can also affect water’s ability to move in soil. Water will move down and through networks of soil pores. Some soil pore walls will retain water as well.

Root architecture: Corn root system with fibrous root system featuring brace roots and multiple seminal roots. Roots vary in their size and will create soil pores as they grow. They also obtain water and nutrients stored in soil pores.

Photo credit: Jake Mowrer

Photo credit: Arina Sukor

Crushes the Cold.

Georgia’s Preferred Choice for Tahoma 31

T a h o m a 3 1 B e r m u d a g r a s s i s a m o n g t h e m o s t w i n t e r - h a r d y o f t h e i m p r o v e d h y b r i d b e r m u d a g r a s s e s o n t h e m a r k e t t o d a y ! D e v e l o p e d b y O k l a h o m a S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y ( a s O K C

1 1 3 1 ) i n r e s p o n s e t o a g r o w i n g d e m a n d f o r t h e n e x t g e n e r a t i o n o f w i n t e r - h a r d y v a r i e t i e s ,

T a h o m a 3 1 d e r i v e s i t s n a m e f r o m t h e N a t i v e A m e r i c a n w o r d , T a h o m a , w h i c h m e a n s f r o z e n w a t e r . W i t h t h e a d d i t i o n a l c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s o f b o t h i m p r o v e d w e a r t o l e r a n c e a n d d r ou g h t r e s i s t a n c e , T a h o m a 3 1 i s i d e a l l y s u i t e d f o r s p o r t s t u r f , g o l f c o u r s e s a n d h i g h - q u a l i t y l a w n s o n

t h e E a s t C o a s t T h r o u g h n a t i o n w i d e t e s t i n g i n N T E P , T a h o m a 3 1 e x c e l s i n k e y m e t r i c s c o m p a r e d t o o t h e r b e r m u d a g r a s s e s i n c l u d i n g T i f w a y 4 1 9 , T i f T u f a n d L a t i t u d e 3 6 .

COLD TOLERANT:

Up to 75% more cold tolerant than TifTuf, Tifway & Latitude 36

DROUGHT RESISTANT:

EARLY SPRING GREEN UP:

AVAILABLE NOW:

SHADE TOLERANT:

18% less water use than TifTuf

Earlier than Tifway, TifTuf & Latitude 36

Harvested 12 months a year in Cartersville, Georgia

Thrives in semi-shade with 5-6 hours of sunlight

L E G A C Y T U R F F A R M S 8 5 0 I n d i a n M o u n d s R o a d C a r t e r s v i l l e , G e o r g i a 3 0 1 2 0 7 7 0 - 6 0 7 - 0 4 9 1 s a l e s @ l e g a c y t u r f f a r m s c o m