Recent Event

Highlights from the Maryland Turfgrass Conference

Happy New Year! If you are still setting goals (and we all should be) for 2025, how about attending the 50th anniversary Maryland Turfgrass Conference on December 9, 2025. You read that right, for 50 years MTC has been uniting green industry professionals to achieve one goal – educate and support the professionalism of the Green Industries in Maryland. So, what is next with the joyous hustle and bustle of the holidays behind us and license recertification behind everyone that attended the MTC conference on December 10, 2024, at Turf Valley? Let’s take a moment to reflect on the conference and the importance of what we have accomplished. Networking. Above and beyond everything else, the enjoyment and satisfaction that comes from saying hello and shaking hands with a peer, previous co-worker, teacher, supplier, mentor, competitor or friend is priceless.

Nearly 400 industry peers gathered at the MTC conference at Turf Valley to socialize, educate and energize (the catered lunch was nothing short of spectacular as well!). If you are reading this and missed the conference, it is a must-do in 2025.

There is not another local organization that has earned the support of the industry like MTC. If you are not one of the nearly 1,400 lawncare, landscape, golf, sports, sod, supplier and educator MTC members who have made the commitment to support their careers while advancing the green industry, you are challenged with making it a goal for 2025 to support MTC. If you attended and missed seeing someone you hoped you would, contact them and make sure they are a part of something special on December 9, 2025.

More time to mingle, visit sponsors and enjoy fellowship was the motivation to reorganize the meeting structure this year. The more time we can spend together in the great room before breaking out into targeted education, the more unified our organization becomes. Richard Reinhardt of Percy Public Affairs, the lobbyist that MTC annual dues and conference admission supports, kicked off the conference with an overview of the victories we earned during the 2024 legislative session and the challenges that lie ahead in 2025. Brandon Sands, MTC President led a brief meeting to elect officers and board members for the next year.

Education breakout sessions included specific tracks for Lawn & Landscape, Golf and Sports Turf. While the sessions are targeted at the audience, attendees are free to attend any session they are interested in. We are grateful to all the attendees, sponsors and educators that contributed to the success of the conference and look forward to doing it again, bigger and better on December 9, 2025. If you any suggestions or comments to share about the conference, please visit us at https://www.mdturfcouncil.org/Contact We would love to hear from you.

Mark your calendars now to make sure you attend the 50th Anniversary Conference on December 9, 2025. I look forward to seeing you there.

Brian Haga

MTC Vice President