Virginia Tech Turf Team
Director’s Corner
Shawn D. Askew, Ph.D.
BUILDING Relationships
“Do
Virginia Tech 435 Old Glade Road Blacksburg, VA 24061 (540) 231-5807 askew@vt.edu
Jeffrey F. Derr, Ph.D.
Tom Tracy, Ph.D. VTC Executive Director
you reach across the political aisle?” is often asked when I discuss the VTC’s work with legislators and regulatory agencies. It is the wrong question because it assumes we are on a particular side of the divide that exists between our two major political parties. A right question is to ask how we are progressing in our fight for our members’ rights. Answering that question emphasizes building alliances with Republicans, Democrats, Independents and even environmental activists in our never ending push for you, the turfgrass professional. Education is a critical part of our alliance building. Too often persons (and please remember that achieving our goals always comes down to building relationships with individuals) have wrong perceptions about our industry. For instance, I recently communicated with the leader of an environmental group regarding an anti-lawn item that appeared in one of their publications. Because everyone loves trees, I used the following analogy: All plants, such as turfgrass, are living entities and have strengths and weaknesses. For instance, oak trees are fantastic in the proper location, but a Virginia business or homeowner who desires to plant one on an earthen dam needs to be advised of federal and state restrictions which forbid trees on those structures. We have a very mature white oak in our front yard. It was planted years ago by my now deceased father-in-law. That tree is properly maintained. About once every two years we hire a certified arborist to assess its health and remove branches deemed hazardous. Taking that action prolongs the tree’s life and keeps huge branches from falling onto our house or our neighbor’s BMW. Within hours I received a very positive response from that leader. I look forward to many years of working with her. Our task of building alliances and educating decision makers is only possible because of you! Thank you for obtaining and keeping the right fertilizer and pesticide certifications. Thank you for following sound agronomic principles! And thank you for being members of the Virginia Turfgrass Council. We exist because of you. Here is one last thought. Make plans to attend our January 30th Legislative Day. This event, sponsored by Virginia Green and Pennington Seed is a great time to connect with members of the General Assembly. We make appointments, have discussions, and distribute bags of grass seed. One legislative aide recently told me the seed she received two years ago nicely covered a bare spot in her yard.
Tom Tracy, Ph.D. VTC Executive Director
8 | VIRGINIA TURFGRASS JOURNAL January/February 2020 www.vaturf.org
Virginia Tech Hampton Roads Agricultural Research Station 1444 Diamond Springs Rd. Virginia Beach, VA 23455 (757) 363-3912 jderr@vt.edu
Mike Goatley Jr., Ph.D.
Virginia Tech 420 Smyth Hall Blacksburg, VA 24061 (540) 231-2951 goatley@vt.edu
David McCall, Ph.D.
Virginia Tech 435 Old Glade Road Blacksburg, VA 24061 (540) 231-9598 dsmccall@vt.edu
Dan Sandor, Ph.D.
Virginia Tech 411 Price Hall Blacksburg, VA 24061 (540) 231-9775 dsandor@vt.edu
WITH SUPPORT FROM: Thomas P. Kuhar, Ph.D.
Virginia Tech Dept. of Entomology 216 Price Hall 170 Drillfield Drive Blacksburg, VA 24061 (540) 231-6129 tkuhar@vt.edu
