President’s Message
EDUCATION IS KEY I
would like to share a little of my history. I spent twenty years in the Air Force as an airplane mechanic. So how does that correlate to the turf industry? Some of my primary responsibilities were to perform the pre-flight and post-flight inspections and the maintenance that ensured the aircraft was prepared to fly. I knew how every system on the plane worked, how those systems worked in conjunction with each other and what had to be done to keep the plane flying. So, I put those skills into my second career in the turf industry. These are some the important attributes that are essential to both industries. First, education is vital. But to whom? Those who work in the industry for sure, but it is also important to be able to share this learned knowledge to other people. Who needs this knowledge? Consider the homeowner, school athletic director, greens committee, coach, politician and even the soccer mom… this list goes on. Second, performing the task correctly is essential. I’ll focus only on the example of applying fertilizer or pesticide correctly. Misapplications can have many side effects, including damage to the plant you are trying to protect; harm to humans, animals or plants outside the target area; and wasted materials when applying more than needed to be effective. Use your imagination to add to this list. All these lead to increase in cost or also could lead to the applicator’s loss of a job. Third, no task skipped. An example is the importance of making an informed decision. A simple task like taking a soil sample to know what the turf needs. Walking the turf to scout for pests. Aerating to reduce compaction. Remember, plants are alive and just like your child, they are totally dependent on you for their survival.
6 | VIRGINIA TURFGRASS JOURNAL March/April 2020 www.vaturf.org
Mike Skelton VTC President
Fourth, mistakes are not an option. Nothing is worse than applying the wrong chemical or at the wrong time on the turf. There is no hiding of your work. Fifth, they can’t pull over and fix a mistake. This I see in some of the decisions we all make every day. An irrigation timing mistake could cost a scheduled major event. Not closing a fairway to carts on a wet day that could lead to closing a fairway for repairs. The wrong product applied can’t be undone. So, where did I primarily obtain educational programs without going back to school? The VTC. I have personally attended almost every education opportunity they offered. This has been events like the Annual Conference, VT Short Course, VT Field days and I also took advantage of updating pesticide certification license and obtaining the new required fertilizer certification through them. As important as these are, I have also gained invaluable insights to this industry between sessions while meeting other people in hallway or lunch table. Now to let you know where I am going with all this. The one thing I understand is the importance of Education. So, I see the VTC’s primary role is to first focus on education, second on education, third on education and if we have time and resources, put it toward education. I have looked back over the years and everything the VTC has been involved with has been toward the education of all sectors of the industry, users, decision makers and in the end, the soccer mom.
Mike Skelton
2020 VTC President
