Arkansas Turfgrass - Winter 2023

T H E A R KA N S A S T U R F G RA S S A S S O C I AT I O N M AG A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2023

A Contrarian’s Guide to AUTONOMOUS

TURFGRASS ROBOTIC TECHNOLOGY Plus, Don’t Miss the

ARKANSAS TURFGRASS CONFERENCE! JANUARY 25 – 26, 2024

T H E A R KA N S A S T U R F G RA S S A S S O C I AT I O N M AG AZ I N E CO N T E N T S • W I N T E R 2023

8

10

F E AT U R E S

8 Upcoming Event

2024 Arkansas Turfgrass Conference

D E PA RT M E N T S

10 Cover Story

A Contrarian’s Guide to Autonomous Turfgrass Robotic Technology

4 Vice President’s Letter 5 Index of Advertisers 5 University of Arkansas Turf Team 6 News from ATA

For turf news & updates, follow T W I T T E R . C O M / T H E T U R F Z O N E Find this issue, Podcasts, Events and More: T H E T U R F Z O N E . C O M

The statements and opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Arkansas Turfgrass Association, its staff, or its board of directors, Arkansas Turfgrass, or its editors. Likewise, the appearance of advertisers, or their identification as Arkansas Turfgrass Association members, does not constitute an endorsement of the products or services featured in this, past or subsequent issues of this quarterly publication. Copyright © 2023 by the Arkansas Turfgrass Association. Arkansas Turfgrass is published quarterly. Subscriptions are complimentary to members of the Arkansas Turfgrass Association. Third-class postage is paid at Jefferson City, MO. Printed in the U.S.A. We are not responsible for unsolicited freelance manuscripts and photographs. Contact the managing editor for contribution information.

Winter 2023 • A R K A N S A S T U R F G R A S S • 3

V I C E P R E S I D E N T ’S L E T T E R

What do you do in Winter?

W

Arkansas Turfgrass Association P.O. Box 1862 • Lowell, AR 72745 Tel: 479-301-5534

Josh Landreth ATA Vice President

hen people find out that you manage turf for a living, what are some of the questions they ask? Some of the ones that I hear often include…

What are your hours like? Do you work on Saturdays? What do you do day to day? For me, the first question is always, “What do you do in the winter?” Well, friend, I make sure all my equipment is in order, I budget, I plan, I schedule marketing for the upcoming season, I deal with taxes, I process renewals. The tasks are still endless, just different.

For turfgrass managers in warm season grass country, winter is supposed to be “off-season.” We all know that there is no such thing! Yes, I look forward to winter. We need a small reprieve from the intense grind of the growing season. But… there is no offseason for a turfgrass manager. However, I am always thankful for the drop in intensity, even if it’s not quite as big as casual observers would assume.

With that drop in intensity, winter affords more time for things like professional development, interaction with colleagues, and educational opportunities. I strongly encourage you to attend the 2024 Arkansas Turfgrass Association conference and experience all of these things in one venue. We have a great conference planned with engaging speakers, extremely relevant topics, pesticide recertification opportunities, hands on workshops available, a lunch and learn, and even a cornhole tournament!

Yep, you heard it right…there will be a Cornhole Tournament on Thursday evening. Many of you have experienced an unofficial cornhole event in years past.

Well, we thought we might as well make it official with a bracket and all! Find a partner and be looking for ways to sign up in the coming weeks!

Registration for the 2024 conference is open! Get registered online. We have ample room for vendors at our trade show (vendor registration is also available online), and we are still looking for some additional sponsors. We are extremely excited about the momentum we gained from the 2023 conference. Everyone seemed to have a great time, and attendance was awesome! We are expecting even better things this coming year.

We want to thank all of our sponsors from 2023 and many that have already committed for 2024! Because of your support, the ATA is now in position to give multiple scholarships next spring. This is so awesome! In addition, we are able to use more funds to give back to the ATA membership! This year, we are planning a “Lunch & Learn” session where your lunch will be provided through the extra resources. You heard it…FREE LUNCH!!! And you might get to LEARN too!

We are so proud of the work that Courtney Landreth has put into helping ATA get back into this position. Thanks to her and our sponsors, things are going great with the ATA. We thank each of you for being a part of the exciting things happening with our organization. We look forward to seeing you in January!

Sincerely, Josh Landreth ATA Vice President

Published by: Leading Edge Communications, LLC 206 Bridge Street, Suite 200 Franklin, TN 37064 Tel: 615-790-3718 Email: info@leadingedge communications.com ATA OFFICERS Richard Covert, President Baptist Health Systems Richard.covert@baptist-health.org Kyle Sanders, Immediate Past President Sanders Ground Essentials 501-315-9395 kylesanders@sandersground.com Courtney Landreth Executive Director ataturfgrass@gmail.com Pat Berger, Director Emeritus University of Arkansas • 479-575-6887 pberger@uark.edu Charlie Bowen, Director Emeritus Arkansas Hydroseed • 501-315-7333 charliebowen@yahoo.com Daniel O’Brien, Educational Chair dpo001@uark.edu Seth Dunlap Arkansas State Plant Board seth.dunlap@agriculture.arkansas.gov 501-225-1598 Daniel Baxley Parks & Recreation Director of Mountain Home dbaxley@cityofmountainhome.com Brandon Bradley Picture Perfect Lawns brandon@pictureperfectlawns.com Mark Brown Nabholz • 501-749-7459 rmbrown2@ualr.edu Rodney Fisher Agra Turf, Inc. • 501-268-7036 agrarod@yahoo.com Josh Landreth, Vice President Ace of Blades • 479-530-7001 aceofblades@cox.net Guy Oyler Jerry Pate Turf & Irrigation goyler@jerrypate.com • 501-317-5980 Rodger Pevehouse Life Member Jay Randolph Sebastian County Park Admin. & Golf Course Superintendent jrandolph@co.sebastian.ar.us Ricky Self Cypress Creek r.self@yahoo.com • 501-605-8000

4 • A R K A N S A S T U R F G R A S S • Winter 2023

continued • COV E R S TO RY

U N I V E R S I TY O F A R KA N S A S T U R F T E A M

INDEX OF A DV E RT I S E R S

Advanced Turf Solutions...................11 www.advancedturf.com

Poinsett Turfgrass Company............15 www.poinsettturfgrass.com

Agra Turf, Inc........................................13 www.agrainc.com

Progressive Turf Equipment Inc.....15 www.progressiveturfequip.com

Dave’s Sale and Service....................... 7 www.turfeagle.com

Smith Seed Services...........................15 www.smithseed.com

Greene County Fertilizer Co............... 7 www.greenecountyfert.com

STEC Equipment..................Back Cover www.stecequipment.com

KWMI / K & W Products, Inc.......... Inside Front Cover www.KWMIequipment.com

The Turf Zone.......................................13 www.theturfzone.com

Modern Turf, Inc.................................... 7 www.modernturf.com

Winstead Turf......................................... 5 www.winsteadturffarms.com

Mike Richardson, Ph.D. Professor 479-575-2860 mricha@uark.edu John Boyd, Ph.D. Visiting Assistant Professor Cooperative Extension Service Little Rock 501-671-2224 Jwb019@uark.edu John H. McCalla Jr. Program Technician III 479-575-5033 jmccall@uark.edu Rhiannon de la Rosa M.S. Student Daniel O’Brien Ph.D. Student

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Winter 2023 • A R K A N S A S T U R F G R A S S • 5

N E W S F RO M A RTA

To serve our members better, your ATA Board and Executive Director are happy to introduce our new website design!

Please visit us at http://arkansasturf.net

The new website features all the essential information for events, contact information, news, past issues of Arkansas Turfgrass and more!

Event registration is streamlined for attendees, exhibitors and sponsors, so we hope you’ll take time to check out the new interface and make plans to join us for all of our exciting conference and event opportunities.

6 • A R K A N S A S T U R F G R A S S • Winter 2023

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Winter 2023 • A R K A N S A S T U R F G R A S S • 7

U P CO M I N G E V E N T

Register Now!

2024 Arkansas Turfgrass Conference Hot Springs Convention Center 134 Convention Blvd, Hot Springs

J A N U A R Y 2 5 – 26, 2024 Don’t miss the Trade Show on January 25th

HOST HOTELS

Workshops and Recertifications are available

EMBASSY SUITE HOTEL 400 Convention Blvd., Hot Springs.

Hotel Reservations (501) 624-9200

Free Lunch & Learn on Thursday for all Attendees

*The Embassy Suites Hotel is connected to the Convention Center.

Request the ATA room block.*

Cornhole Tournament on Thursday evening!

To register on the website

www.arkansasturf.net SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS

THE HOTEL HOT SPRINGS 305 Malvern Ave, Hot Springs Hotel Reservations (877) 623-6697

Please contact ATA Executive Director Courtney Landreth at ataturfgrass@gmail.com or visit the new website (under exhibitor / sponsor tab) for packets & information!

Title Sponsor

Request the ATA room block

Education Sponsors

Lunch & Learn Sponsors

8 • A R K A N S A S T U R F G R A S S • Winter 2023

T H U R S D AY, J A N U A RY 25, 2024 S TA RT

FINISH

DESCRIPTION

7:30 AM

8:30 AM

Trade Show / Breakfast

SPEAKER

TO P I C

8:30 AM

9:00 AM

Welcome to 2023 ATA

Josh Landreth

Welcome / Introduce AR Grown Conference

9:00 AM

9:30 AM

Update from AR Dept. Ag

Seth Dunlap

9:30 AM

10:00 AM

Session 1

Hannah Wright Smith

10:00 AM

11:00 AM

Break / Visit Trade Show

11:00 AM

11:30 AM

Session 2

11:30 AM

12:00 PM

Session 3

12:00 PM

1:30 PM

"Lunch & Learn – Free to Attendees!

Visit Trade Show "

1:30 PM

2:00 PM

2:00 PM 2:30 PM

Recertification Sponsored by GLK Turf Solutions Update on Pesticide Regulations

Briget Rollins

EPA pesticide registration issues involving Endangered Species Act litigation

Session 4

Jason Davis

Pesticide Calibration

2:30 PM

Session 5

Eric DeBoer

Integrated Pest Management

3:30 PM

Break / Visit Trade Show Workshop 2 Sponsored by– Ewing Irrigation

3:30 PM

4:45 PM

Workshop 1

Michael Carlson

Technology, weather tracking – Greenkeeper app

3:30 PM

4:45 PM

Workshop 2

Jeremy Kyle

TBD

SPEAKER

TO P I C

F R I D AY, J A N U A RY 26, 2024 – G O L F S E S S I O N S TA RT

FINISH

DESCRIPTION

Sponsored by Jerry Pate Turf & Irrigation 9:00 AM

9:45 AM

Golf Session 1

Mike Richardson & Will Green

USGA GS3 Golf Ball

10:00 AM

10:45 AM

Golf Session 2

Drew O'Brien

Mechanic's Perspective

11:00 AM

11:45 AM

Golf Session 3

Michael Carlson

Mower-mounted sensors

F R I D AY, J A N U A RY 26, 2024 – LAW N & LA N D S CA P E S E S S I O N S TA RT

FINISH

DESCRIPTION

SPEAKER

TO P I C

Sponsored by Ewing Irrigation 9:00 AM

9:45 AM

Lawncare Session 1

Eric DeBoer

TBD

10:00 AM

10:45 AM

Lawncare Session 2

TBD (Colin Massey)

Nutrient Management

11:00 AM

11:45 AM

Lawncare Session 3

James Diaz

Drainage workshop

F R I D AY, J A N U A RY 26, 2024 – PA R K S & S P O RT S T U R F S E S S I O N S TA RT

FINISH

DESCRIPTION

SPEAKER

TO P I C

9:00 AM

9:45 AM

Sports Turf Session 1

Kyley Dickson

Technology

10:00 AM

10:45 AM

Sports Turf Session 2

Michelle Buchanan

Sports Turf Lessons / NorthArk opportunities

11:00 AM

11:45 AM

Sports Turf Session 3

James Diaz

Combiene with L&L Group

Workshop Sponsor

CornHole Tournament Sponsors

Snack / Break Sponsors

General Sponsors

ARKANSAS TURF SUPPORT Winter 2023 • A R K A N S A S T U R F G R A S S • 9

COV E R S TO RY

A Contrarian’s Guide to

Autonomous Turfgrass Robotic Technology

By J. Scott McElroy, PhD Professor, Department of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences Auburn University

As

a scientist, I hesitate to make predictions such as those a fortune teller might reveal. I wince when I hear people speaking with absolute certainty that this or that will happen in the future. That some team will win, some politician will lose, or that some event will occur is often pure speculation. Absolute predictions are nonsensical, and an affront to probabilistic thinking. To think probabilistically is to think in terms of the percentage of probability that something will occur. This is the foundation of good science.

Having said that, it is highly probable that in the next 10 years autonomous technology will gain a significant portion of the professional and consumer market in the United States. I base this prediction on four pieces of evidence: 1. Robotic technology has already captured a significant portion of the technology in Europe.

2. All major brands that market traditional mowing technology or mowing equipment are developing robotic technology.

3. At one count there were over 40 additional startups and companies developing all manner of robotic technology, including mowers, painters, and sprayers.

4. The labor shortage will be sustained into the foreseeable future and could potentially increase (https:// www.wsj.com/articles/america-still-has-a-workershortage-d0c65166).

But here I am addressing the “Contrarian’s Guide to Turfgrass Robotic Technology.” To the robotic contrarian, any positive arguments I present regarding this technology will likely fall on deaf ears. To the contrarian, only seeing is believing.

Once my prediction has come true, the contrarian will adopt the technology as self-evident. Don’t get me wrong. Skepticism is a good thing. However, a complete understanding and realistic expectation of what robotic technology can do and where the technology is going is necessary to the healthy skeptic. I want to convince the contrarian that instead of waiting for the technology to be tested by fellow industry partners, they should begin testing and evaluating it themselves. With that in mind, I present this article to the contrarian on fundamentals of robotic technology today.

“The Technology is Just Not There Yet.” The Husqvarna 535 AWD hill climber.

10 • A R K A N S A S T U R F G R A S S • Winter 2023

This is the contrarian’s favorite phrase. In frustration I respond, “Where is There?” or even “What is There?”. If the technology has not arrived at the point where it can be adopted, what are its current limitations?

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COV E R S TO RY • continued

The Tiny Mobile Robots Field Painter

The NexMow M1 drop and mow unit.

What irks me so much about this critique is the underlying assumptions about imagined technological characteristics that may not even be possible. The contrarian’s perception of automation is that the technology can be easily set up with little or no planning or understanding of the technology. That it may be deployed for use with little, or no, oversight. The phrase, “The Technology is Just Not There Yet,” is normally rooted in some technological advancement in artificial intelligence, or machine learning, that the contrarian has developed based on their perception of technological development, or maybe even a touch of science fiction.

My response is “The technology is what the technology is.”

2022 might as well have been ten years ago when it comes to robotic and autonomous technology in the United States. 2023 saw an incredible number of major advances. These include allowance for extended range connection to 4G and network RTK systems; daisy chaining of reference station signals for greater lengths; creation of virtual zones that can vary in direction, speed, and height of cut; and mobile deployment across multiple sites. The technology launched in 2023 will be the basis of robotic technology for the next five to ten years.

To the contrarian, if you were talking about 2022, I agree.

The technology was not “there” for the professional user. It was largely restricted to wire boundary units, mowing randomly at a single fixed zone height. But 2023 completely changed the game.

Autonomous vs. Semi-Autonomous Before discussing the technology that now makes robotic automation possible, let me make a rather large distinction in technology – Autonomous vs. Semi-Autonomous Technology. Now and in the future, it will be extremely difficult for any mowers with traditional mowing implements to be fully autonomous simply due to liability. As I have been told (I am not an expert on liability, nor am I a lawyer) liability has been and will continue to restrict deployment of certain technology. Such technology – semi-autonomous technology – will require an operator to be watching it while it is completing its task. It will not work at night and will likely not have a fixed position point for deployment. It will need to be taken to the location by hand for deployment. Fully autonomous technology will likely be small, lightweight equipment weighing approximately less than 300 lbs.

Again, I may be wrong, but making traditional mowing equipment fully autonomous is going to be challenging to say the least.

Robot Positioning – The Leap Forward in 2023 The technology that made 2023 the year of advancement largely dealt with how the robots position themselves in space. And the one acronym you need to know is RTK.

12 • A R K A N S A S T U R F G R A S S • Winter 2023

RTK. RTK stands for Real-Time Kinematic. It is a satellite navigation technique used for enhancing the precision of position data obtained from global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) like GPS (Global Positioning System). RTK is commonly used in applications where high accuracy location information is required, such as surveying, agriculture, construction, and autonomous vehicles. RTK requires a base station in a fixed position that can then communicate to a rover (in our case a mower, painter, or range picker). RTK allows for real time positioning and correction for the rover. RTK signals can stretch from 200 meters to 10 miles depending on the signal type. Husqvarna and Echo Robotics use a fixed position RTK signal that extends 200– 300 meters. (Actually, Echo Robotics now has 4G RTK which extends up to 10 miles.) nRTK. nRTK stands for network real-time kinematics. nRTK is a mesh network system individual companies deploy and then offer other companies for use. For example, NexMow uses nRTK from TopCon (https://global.topcon.com/). Kress (https://www.kress.com/en-us/allrobot-lawn-mowers/) has developed its own nRTK system specifically for its mower technology. Tiny Mobile Robots also uses an nRTK system for positioning.

RTK, whether a dedicated local RTK reference station, or a nRTK system, allows for positioning of technology in space, allowing for removal of wire from the field and the creation of virtual boundary systems.

RTK also allows for directional or systematic work, not random work.

With RTK the efficiency of the equipment increases exponentially and the ability to deploy over a wider area has increased.

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Winter 2023 • A R K A N S A S T U R F G R A S S • 13

COV E R S TO RY • continued

Where Should the Contrarian Begin?

If it is true that robotic technology will be a common form of turfgrass management in the next five to 10 years, one probably needs to start learning about and adapting the technology now.

To be fair, there are some early adopters that have made significant investments in this technology, but the contrarian samples the product before a full commitment. The key to what to utilize first is choosing equipment that solves a problem. Depending on the operation, you already have mowing equipment, so unless you need to make a major purchase, the first goal is to seek out equipment that solves a problem. Here is my list of useful equipment that solves major issues.

Field Painters. Field Painters have been adopted in the United States faster than any other autonomous technology for one big reason – they solve a problem. Painting field lines is a tedious, repetitive task that was begging for automation. Technology from Turf Tank (https://turftank.com/us/) and Tiny Mobile Robots (https://tinymobilerobots.com/field-marking-robot/) have taken athletic field maintenance by storm with painters becoming the fasting growing segment of autonomous turfgrass management.

Range Pickers. Ranges can have a myriad of problems that robots can solve. Large pickers used frequently can compact soil.

They are very abrasive to the turf reducing stand density and quality and can cause damage during high soil moisture conditions. Light weight pickers such as the Echo Robotics Range Picker (https://echorobotics.com/en-us/)can be programmed to pick ranges at all hours of the day. It uses the same positioning technology as Echo Robotics mowers – either a WiFi or 4G signal – which massively extends the range of use of the picker.

Slope Climbers. Mowing slopes is a burdensome task. It can be damaging to the turf and dangerous for the operator. Because of the difficulty, some sloped areas are mowed infrequently reducing the turfgrass stand and leading to debris buildup after mowing. The Husqvarna 535 AWD is a compact, light-weight slope mower that can be deployed to cover up to 0.8 acres. While it is random and has a wire boundary, it is efficient, and virtual zones can be created after it has mapped the wire bounded area.

Drop and Mow. Many contrarians are turned off by the idea of fixed position mowers that are bound to a specific docking station and work zone. They would prefer to be able to deploy mowers to other locations during the evaluation phase. The NexMow M1 (https://nexmow.com/) is a deployable drop and mow system that allows for mapping and deployment at hundreds of areas stored on the NexMow app. Simply choose the location that you have mapped and stored in the app, deploy one or multiple mowers, and return to pick up when the app tells you the job is complete.

Mowing Technology. Or the contrarian could just deploy other mowing technology. Mowers from Husqvarna, Kress, and Echo Robotics are all light weight, fully autonomous mowers that can be deployed to mow fairways, rough and tee areas, sports fields, common areas, or large multi-use complexes. This will allow the contrarian to evaluate the cut quality, evaluate the equipment for its functionality at their location, and determine how best to scale with autonomous technology.

14 • A R K A N S A S T U R F G R A S S • Winter 2023

An example of an RTK beacon – The Echo Robotics Wifi Beacon.

The Echo Robotics TM-2050 unit.

To be fair, the economics do not work out until autonomous technology has been deployed at scale—meaning across a majority of the facility. In the beginning, if you are just evaluating a few pieces of equipment, this will likely add a little to your workload in the first year, as you are adding a new piece of technology without subtracting equipment you are already using. This is part of the process of adopting new technology. The time and money saving on a facility basis are not realized until you are at scale.

Final Thoughts When the iPhone was introduced in 2007 it was an amazing leap in mobile technology. It has changed the way we work, play, and live. The current version of the iPhone is even more amazing – camera technology; the myriad of apps that are available; and how you can do almost anything on the iPhone. I have never heard a single person who bought the original iPhone complain that they should have waited to buy the current iPhone and skipped the 16 years of previous iterations. Sure, the new iPhone is amazing, but so was the original.

I leave the contrarian with this final comparison. The technology released in the US in 2023 will be the dominant technological innovations for the next decade and beyond. There will be upgrades and innovations along the way, but the base technology will remain the same. If you wait for some mythical technological level that may never come, you will miss out on the journey this technology will take us on for years to come.

Disclosure Dr. McElroy is a professor at Auburn University, and also owns Scotsman Turf Robotics, (http://scotsmanturfrobotics.com) which is a distributor of Husqvarna, Echo Robotics, and NexMow. Scotsman does not distribute Kress, Turf Tank, or Tiny Mobile Robots but sees these as valuable additions to a growing autonomous turfgrass technology industry. Dr. McElroy and Scotsman encourage readers to explore all aspects of autonomous and semi-autonomous equipment that will be the future of turfgrass management.

Robotic equipment is currently <1% of the US turf equipment market but is slated to grow substantially over the next five years. •

This article was originally published in Alabama Turf Times, Winter 2024, and is reprinted with permission.

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Winter 2023 • A R K A N S A S T U R F G R A S S • 15