“On the Road” — Again!

By Melanie Bonds, Executive Director, ATA

By the time you receive this issue, another great season of Road Shows will be in the books. This year we had Road Shows in Montgomery, Loxley, Dothan, Birmingham, Auburn and Huntsville with Huntsville wrapping up the schedule on February 26th! The Road Shows bring an opportunity to earn pesticide and CEU points in various cities around the state.

PHOTO 1: Ben Anderson, ATA Secretary/Treasurer, congratulates Hunter McBrayer on winning the cash door prize at the Montgomery Road Show.

This year’s Road Shows were staffed by a great field of speakers. Jim Harris (Auburn University) gave an overview of results from 2019 turfgrass trials and research at Auburn. Drs. Beth Guertal and Audrey Gamble (Auburn University) presented information on “Soil Testing, for Information and Profit.” Drs. David Held and Katelyn Kersheimer (Auburn University) presented on the “Responsible Use of Insecticides for Common Pests in Turf.” James Horton, retired, Birmingham Botanical Gardens, shared his passion for drones and the use of them to improve Turfgrass Management Efficiency. We also had a presentation on “Ride-On Applicators: A New Method of Chemical Delivery”, provided by Toro and Jerry Pate Turf & Irrigation.

PHOTO 2: Dr. David Held, Road Show presenter, holding his recently published book, Urban Landscape Entomology.

Peter Lange, PBI Gordon, carried on Scott Wanzor’s tradition by sponsoring our lunch and giving an update before lunch. Thanks to all who made this program a success.

PHOTO 3: Walker and Wright Mowers take advantage of every Road Show for an Equipment Demo.

Social Media Outreach

In an effort to improve our Social Media reach, attendees at this year’s Road Shows were given an opportunity to win a door prize of cash by liking and sharing on the ATA Facebook and Twitter accounts. At the termination of the Road Shows one name was selected from all the entries to win a grand prize of $200. Thank you to all who participated in this program and “liked” and “tweeted!”

PHOTO 4: Welcome Dr. Audrey Gamble (Auburn University) as a presenter at the Road Shows this year.