Mississippi Turfgrass - Winter 2024

WINTER 2024

The Mississippi Turfgrass Association Magazine

A Contrarian’s Guide to

AUTONOMOUS TURFGRASS ROBOTIC TECHNOLOGY Highlights from 2023 Deep South Turf Expo PLUS

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D ATA F RO M F A L L 2023

WINTER 2024

CONTENTS • The Mississippi Turfgrass Association Magazine

RECENT EVENTS

8 MTA Annual Meeting 10 Deep South Turf Expo

8

COVER STORY

12 A Contrarian’s Guide to Autonomous Turfgrass Robotic Technology

DEPARTMENTS

5 Index of Advertisers 6 From the MTA President 9 News from MTA 11 Calendar of Events

10

On the Cover: The Tiny Mobile Robots Field Painter

Find this issue, Podcasts, Events and More:

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12 4 • MISSISSIPPI TURFGRASS • WINTER 2024

INDEX OF ADVERTISERS Agra Turf, Inc............................................5 www.agrainc.com

Bayou Bend Turfgrass.............................17 www.bayoubendturfgrass.com

Green Grass, No Weeds.

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Chattahoochee Turf Products.................18 www.chattahoocheeturfproducts.com

Earthscape Supply....................................7 www.earthscapesupply.com

Greene County Fertilizer Co......................5 www.greenecountyfert.com

Harrell’s LLC...........................................20 www.harrells.com

Jerry Pate Turf & Irrigation.....................19

Healthy turf starts with Greene County Fert.

Learn more: GreeneCountyFert.com BUY/SHIP DIRECT

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

Regal Chemical Company....Inside Front Cover www.regalchem.com

Riebeling Farms, Inc.................................5 riebelingfarmsinc@gmail.com

Smith Seed Services...............................18

Riebeling Farms, Inc. CitraBlue St Augustine • Palmetto St Augustine Empire Zoysia • Centipede Sod • Delivery Available

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Sod Solutions..........................................13 www.sodsolutions.com

Sur-Line Turf, Inc....................................17 www.surlineturf.com

The Turf Zone............................................3 www.theturfzone.com

Weed Man...............................................15 www.weedmanfranchise.com

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Butch Pugh PO Box 9168 Searcy, AR 72145

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THE MISSISSIPPI TURFGRASS ASSOCIATION MAGAZINE • 5

FROM THE MTA PRESIDENT

DON’T BLINK!

Mississippi Turfgrass Association Box 9555 MS State, MS 39762 Office: (662) 325-0517 Fax: (662) 325-2705 www.msturfassociation.org Published by: Leading Edge Communications, LLC 206 Bridge Street Franklin, TN 37064 Office: (615) 790-3718 Fax: (615) 794-4524 info@leadingedgecommunications.com MISSISSIPPI TURFGRASS EDITOR Dr. Jay McCurdy MTA OFFICERS

J

ust like that another growing season has come and gone. This seems to be more and more common while balancing work in this industry (especially with the weather we’ve had the past two seasons) and a growing family.

I look forward to serving as your Mississippi Turfgrass Association President this year. Thank you to former President Will Arnett for your efforts this past year and for your help with hosting the MTA road show at Lion Hills. And special thanks to Mrs. Linda and Dr. Wayne Wells. Speaking of Dr. Wells, congratulations on receiving the Bud Thigpen Distinguished Service Award!

It was great to see you at the Deep South Turf Expo this past October. It is wonderful to gather together as these organizations help to build and support the turfgrass industry to further our knowledge and research. In the upcoming year, I hope each of you are able to take some of the information we received and use it to benefit you in what you do in your daily work.

Growing up in the turfgrass industry, I always enjoyed going to these events with my father. With that being said, I feel that attendance was great at our events this year, and hopefully we can keep this trend alive! I hope you all enjoy the “off season” this year and take time with your families.

See you in June for The Yard Dawg if not before!

Levi Jumper 2024 MTA President

PRESIDENT Levi Jumper Tupelo National Golf Club (662) 213-6804 VICE-PRESIDENT / PRESIDENT ELECT Scott Hampton Laurel Country Club (601) 467-2718 SECRETARY-TREASURER Dr. Barry Stewart Mississippi State University Office: (662) 325-2725 IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT Will Arnett EMCC – Lion Hills (662) 418-1939 ADMINISTRATIVE SECRETARY Linda Wells Mississippi State University Box 9555 MS State. MS 39762 Office: (662) 325-0517 Cell: (662) 769-7558 lmw218@pss.msstate.edu DIRECTORS Chance Meredith / Sod Winstead Turf Farms (901) 430-5620 Zak Holloway / Golf Old Waverly Golf Club (662) 386-8042 Josh Smith / Grounds / Lawn Maintenance (601) 441-8029

Mississippi Turfgrass is the Mississippi Turfgrass Association magazine. Subscriptions are complimentary to MTA members. The statements and opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the association, its staff, its board of directors, Mississippi Turfgrass, or its editors. Likewise, the appearance of advertisers, or their identification as MTA members, does not constitute an endorsement of the products or services featured in any issue of Mississippi Turfgrass.

Copyright © 2024 by the Mississippi Turfgrass Association. Mississippi Turfgrass is published quarterly.

Subscriptions are complimentary to members of MTA. Presorted standard postage is paid at Jefferson City, MO. Printed in the U.S.A. Reprints and Submissions: MTA allows reprinting of material published here. Permission requests should be directed to MTA. We are not responsible for unsolicited freelance manuscripts and photographs. Contact the managing editor for contribution information. Advertising: For display and classified advertising rates and insertions, please contact Leading Edge Communications, LLC, 206 Bridge Street, Suite 200, Franklin, TN 37064, (615) 790-3718, Fax (615) 794-4524.

6 • MISSISSIPPI TURFGRASS • WINTER 2024

Evan Berry / Central Mississippi Braves (228) 304-1234 Toby Thornton / South SiteOne Landscape Supply (601) 507-4254 Seth King / Industry Ben Nelson Golf and Outdoor (601) 672-4796 EX-OFFICIO Dr. Jay McCurdy / Faculty Advisor Mississippi State University (662) 325-2331

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RECENT EVENT

MTA ANNUAL MEETING OCTOBER 18, 2023 Biloxi, MS

President Will Arnett presenting the Bud Thigpen Distinguished Service Award to Dr. Wayne Wells.

The

MTA Annual Meeting was held again in Biloxi in conjunction with the Deep South Turf Expo. MTA President Will Arnett opened the meeting and welcomed everyone. A slide show of events and meetings held in 2023 was shown before beginning the business meeting.

Scholarships were awarded to Daniel Martin, student at East Mississippi Community College, and George Brooks and Macy Sansing, students at Mississippi State University.

The MTA Outstanding Turf Professional recipient is Mr. Elvin Ulmer, Director of Parks & Recreation for the City of Laurel, Mississippi. Elvin is also Director of the Facilities Maintenance Department and the Cemetery Department. He is certified in Sports Field Management and Environmental Facility Management. The City of Laurel has named their softball field complex in his honor—City of Laurel Elvin Ulmer Eightplex.

The 2023 Bud Thigpen Distinguished Service Award recipient is Dr. Wayne Wells. Dr. Wells is and has been a great advocate for the turfgrass industry in Mississippi. Wayne has served the Mississippi Turf Industry as its first full time dedicated to Turfgrass Extension Specialist from 2000 to his retirement in 2013. Dr. Wells is active in his church serving as usher and board member. He is also a board member of the Friends of Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge.

Every Wednesday morning you will find him helping with Habitat for Humanity. Since his retirement, he has served the Mississippi Turfgrass Association as a valued volunteer support person for our association especially as “right-hand” man for our Executive Secretary, Ms. Linda Wells. •

8 • MISSISSIPPI TURFGRASS • WINTER 2024

President Will Arnett presenting the Outstanding Turf Professional Award to Elvin Ulmer

Will Arnett receives President’s Plaque from incoming President, Levi Jumper

NEWS FROM MTA

2023 – 2024

BOARD OF DIRECTORS MTA OFFICERS

Flanked by advisors Dr. Barry Stewart (left) and Dr. Jay McCurdy (right) Mississippi State University scholarship recipient is Macy Sansing

PRESIDENT Levi Jumper Tupelo National Golf Club 183 Cottonwood Cove Pontotoc, MS 38863 (662) 213-6804 jumperlevi@gmail.com

VICE-PRESIDENT / PRESIDENT ELECT Scott Hampton Laurel Country Club Petal, MS 39465 (601) 467-2718 scotthampton@ymail.com

SECRETARY-TREASURER Dr. Barry Stewart Mississippi State University Box 9555 MS State, MS 39762 Office: (662) 325-2725 Cell: (662) 312-9335 bastewar@pss.msstate.edu

ADMINISTRATIVE SECRETARY Linda Wells Mississippi State University Box 9555 MS State. MS 39762 Office: (662) 325-0517 Cell: (662) 769-7558 lmw218@pss.msstate.edu

DIRECTORS

Mississippi State University scholarship recipient George Brooks with advisor, Dr. Barry Stewart

Pictured with his advisor, Will Arnett, is Daniel Martin, East Mississippi Community College

Chance Meredith / Sod Winstead Turf Farms 22860 TN Hwy 196 Arlington, TN 38002 (901) 430-5620 chance@winsteadturffarms.com

Zak Holloway / Golf Old Waverly Golf Club 1 Magnolia Drive West Point, MS 39773 (662) 386-8042 zak@oldwaverly.com

Josh Smith / Grounds / Lawn Maintenance City of Columbia Parks & Rec 201 Second Street Columbia, MS 39429 (601) 441-8029 jsmith@cityofcolumbiams.com

Evan Berry / Central Mississippi Braves 252 Reservoir Way Brandon, MS 39047 (228) 304-1234 evan.berry@msbraves.com

Toby Thornton / South SiteOne Landscape Supply 3301 Joy Lane Ocean Springs, MS 39564 (601) 507-4254 tthornton@siteone.com

Seth King / Industry Ben Nelson Golf and Outdoor 243 Industrial Drive, North Madison, MS 39130 (601) 672-4796 sking@bennelson.com

EX-OFFICIO Dr. Jay McCurdy / Faculty Advisor Mississippi State University Box 9555 Mississippi State, MS 39762 (662) 325-2331 (731) 514-1514 JMcCurdy@pss.msstate.edu

THE MISSISSIPPI TURFGRASS ASSOCIATION MAGAZINE • 9

RECENT EVENT

HIGHL IGHTS FROM THE

DE E P S O UT H T URF EXPO Once again, turf professionals from across the south gathered at the DEEP SOUTH TURF EXPO in Biloxi to learn, fellowship and celebrate another successful year. As always, we are grateful to our sponsors, vendors, speakers, attendees and all who make this event a great success!

TA I L G AT E Tailgate Sponsors

Tailgate Crowd

D S T E SO F T B A L L G A M E

ED U C ATIO N

The DSTE Softball Game was reprised this year and enjoyed by all. Thank you to Mark Langner & Professional Turf Services for sponsoring this event!

10 • MISSISSIPPI TURFGRASS • WINTER 2024

TR A D E S H O W

2024

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

JANUARY 31 GCSAA Hospitality Night Phoenix, AZ

APRIL 24 Refuge Lawn Short Course Northwest Community College Senatobia, MS

SEPTEMBER 19 MSU Turfgrass Field Day Starkville, MS

OCTOBER 14 – 17 Deep South Turf Expo Biloxi, MS

THE MISSISSIPPI TURFGRASS ASSOCIATION MAGAZINE • 11

COVER STORY

A Contrarian’s Guide to

AUTONOMOUS TURFGRASS ROBOTIC TECHNOLOGY

By J. Scott McElroy, Ph.D. 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. R obotic 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 NexMow M1 drop and mow unit.

12 • MISSISSIPPI TURFGRASS • WINTER 2024

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?

COVER STORY • Continued

The Tiny Mobile Robots Field Painter

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

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 – semiautonomous 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 PositioningThe 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.

14 • MISSISSIPPI TURFGRASS • WINTER 2024

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COVER STORY • Continued

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 Global Positioning System (GPS). 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/all-robot-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.

Where Should the Contrarian Begin?

The Echo Robotics TM-2050 unit.

16 • MISSISSIPPI TURFGRASS • WINTER 2024

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. 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,

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COVER STORY • Continued

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

The Husqvarna 535 AWD hill climber.

Agronomic Solutions for Turfgrass Management

ROGER MYER S PRESIDE NT

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.

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18 • MISSISSIPPI TURFGRASS • WINTER 2024

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 semiautonomous 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. •

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