Off to a Great Start!

I hope your 2019 is off to a great start. For those of us in PA, we have experienced a roller-coaster of winter weather, but before long we will be uplifted by the energy and burst of spring. Personally, I’m excited for the coming year and opportunity to lead the Pennsylvania Turfgrass Council. The PTC is off to a great start in 2019 thanks to very successful Eastern, Northeastern and Western PA Turfgrass Conferences. Thank you to the PTC staff, volunteers and educators who have dedicated their time and expertise to ensure quality education seminars and active trade show floors.”

Secondly, thank you for being a member of the PTC. If you are not a member, I ask that you consider joining. Membership dues help sustain research, education and representation through Penn State’s Turfgrass Project – activities that are crucial to the success of the turf industry. Furthermore, the PTC distributes annual scholarships to Penn State turf students that help cultivate tomorrow’s leaders.

As a field staff representative for GCSAA, I have a front-row seat for proposed legislation and associated legal proceedings taking place all over the country surrounding pesticide and fertilizer use. It’s a hot topic. For most of us, we have used these products at some point in our careers and likely have some comfort level with their applications according to label directions. However, as opposing activism increases, please handle conversations surrounding these matters with grace and understanding. These conversations are emotionally charged for varying reasons and we will not earn any sympathy as an industry by acting aggressively in defense.

Rather, please stand up for your area of the turfgrass industry by talking about some positives – the recreational benefits, the oxygen-producing benefits, livingfilter benefits, erosion and nutrient-control benefits, and ecosystem benefits. The list goes on. If you need resources, please reach out.

As a member of the turf industry, I encourage and challenge all of us to be involved in reducing our environmental impact by adopting and employing Best Management Practices and Integrated Pest Management. Likewise, we can all do more in educating the broader public about how we use these strategies to protect the land we manage. Personally, I am involved in the turf industry because I love the game of golf. And it would really stink to lose golf because we didn’t do enough to stand up for the positives that golf and other turf applications bring to our communities at large.

As the Pennsylvania Turfgrass Council strives to serve members by representing the turfgrass industry in a positive light, I offer to you the same opportunity as our member to engage in shouldering this burden.

Yours truly,

Chase Rogan, PTC President

Chase Rogan, PTC President