Another very trying weekend for turf professionals across the British Isles with the return of the snowy conditions.

Stories abounded in the media once again of games being postponed, or courses closed - alongside stories of teams of volunteers helping the professionals get pitches cleared and lines exposed in order to get fixtures played.

Weather conditions like these are one of the few times when you find the wider, mainstream media concentrating on stories regarding the turf professional sector. The other times are inevitably when things go wrong. When a sluggish wicket is produced, or a muddy pitch effects the outcome of a game, or greens are too slow or too fast prompting player or fan criticism - these are the times when the media tends to focus on the profession.

Which is why it was so refreshing last week, before all the snow returned, to read a major article in a major newspaper, concentrating on just what incredible talent the UK groundsmanship industry is producing.

Writing the in The Independent last week, Robert Kidd produced a fascinating article, which concentrated on the proliferation of British turf professionals who are currently making quite a splash both in Europe and further afield.

The piece begins by focusing on Northern Irishman, Jonathan Calderwood who is currently plying his trade at Paris Saint-Germain - finding himself headhunted there on the advice of former Liverpool manager Gérard Houllier.

Kidd writes, "As head grounds manager, Ballymena native Calderwood is responsible for PSG’s pitches being among the world’s best. When the club’s new training complex is complete, he will lead a staff of 55 groundsmen overseeing 32 pitches, including the Parc des Princes.

"The reputation that brought PSG calling was earned in 12 award-winning years as Aston Villa’s groundsman. Since his arrival, PSG have complemented their domestic dominance by winning Ligue 1’s best pitch for four consecutive seasons."

The article then goes on to concentrate on some of the many other turf experts with British connections who are currently "cutting it abroad". These include:

• Tony Stones, ex of Wembley, who is currently in charge of Stade de France;
• Paul Burgess who famously left Arsenal for Real Madrid;
• the Anglo-Spanish Dan Gonzalez, who moved from Bournemouth's Vitality Stadium to become head groundsman at Atletico Madrid’s new ground;
• Azerbaijan-based Phil Sharples who is currently setting up the country's first formal qualifications to train a new generation of local groundsmen.
• Dean Gilasbey, from Llanelli in Wales, who has overseen the past two Champions League and Europa League final pitches and also works with Fifa to train aspiring groundsmen in countries including Iran
• and Richard Hayden, an Irish grass consultant who now advises on World Cup final pitches.

It truly makes for impressive reading and should rightly make the UK turfcare industry proud for producing such world-renowned and desired talent.

Also good to see in the article, is the IOG getting a mention with CEO Geoff Webb saying that it's the willingness of UK and Irish groundsmen to embrace advances in technology being one reason why “the rest of the world plays catch up”.

If you haven't already, do make sure you give the article a full read. It really brings home the level of highly skilled professionals which are coming up through the UK and Ireland turf professional ranks.

The last word goes to Jonathan Calderwood, summing up the turf professional's experience. Commenting on the old adage that a footballer is only as good as their last game, he says "I've always said, 'you're only as good as your last pitch'."

It has been reported that cricket at Warwickshire CCC could be played on partially artificial surfaces as early as the 2019 season if testing progresses well.

ESPN say the club have already laid a hybrid pitch - containing strands of plastic - on the edge of their square and hope to play some age-group or second XI cricket on it in the coming season to gain a further understanding of its characteristics. It's reported that if those tests go well, they could lay another such pitch somewhere near the middle of the square before the end of the year.

The report on ESPN says the cost of such surfaces is currently between 7,000 to 10,000 - many times cheaper than a drop-in option - and it is hoped they have a lifespan of up to 10 years. Neither Worcestershire or Warwickshire is belived by ESPN to have been given any extra funding from the ECB for the trials.

The report goes on to say Warwickshire will require dispensation from the ECB to use such a surface at county level. "Groundsmen, who see their every surface rated and reported, may also require confirmation they will face no sanctions if the tests result in an unsatisfactory surface," writes George Dobell.

Warwickshire groundsman, Gary Barwell, is quoted as saying, "Building on the excellent work of Tim Packwood, the Worcestershire groundsman, it looks as if the surfaces last longer and come back quicker."

"We need to progress in a methodical way and, in an ideal world, you might to like to test the pitches over two or three years.

"But if there are no restrictions and everyone agrees on the element of risk, it is possible we could have a trial game this year, put in another pitch nearer the centre of the square and play a [first-class, List A or T20] game on one in 2019."

One hundred years ago last week, on March 14th 1918, Deere & Company entered the tractor business.

Their success story started with the Waterloo Boy in the Midwest of the United States. Today John Deere is the world’s leading manufacturer of agricultural tractors, and the company produces ‘intelligent’ tractors in 12 factories worldwide.

The $2.25 million acquisition of the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Company in Iowa in 1918 marked John Deere’s entry into the tractor business. This was a much debated and controversial investment at the time, as many critics did not believe in the future of tractors and continued to rely on the use of traditional horse power. Nobody expected that the tractor business would develop into the key foundation of the company’s growth.

The 27hp Waterloo Boy Model N (12hp at the drawbar), manufactured from 1917 to 1924, was the first tractor built and marketed by John Deere. The first John Deere branded, fully green and yellow production tractor was the Model D, built from 1923 to 1953. This became the longest production run of any farm tractor, helping to establish the company’s tractor success.

John Deere’s all-time bestseller was the Model B, with 300,000 sold from 1935 to 1953, while the 4020 became the most widely sold single model tractor, with a total of 175,000 produced from 1963 to 1971. John Deere became the tractor sales leader worldwide for the first time in 1963.

In 1956 John Deere bought the tractor manufacturer Heinrich Lanz, AG in Mannheim, Germany. With this acquisition the company expanded its manufacturing business into Europe for the first time. Lanz also had a long history in the tractor industry, introducing the popular Lanz Bulldog model in 1921.

In subsequent years John Deere continued to strengthen its position in the tractor business. After being the first company to offer power steering on tractors in 1954, another major milestone was the introduction of the ROPS (Roll-Over Protective Structure) as a safety feature in 1966, which set the standard for the entire industry. Initially available as an option in the early 1970s, the Sound-Gard body was the first dust-free, temperature controlled operator station, while the PowerShift transmission first introduced in 1964 provided John Deere tractors with better, more comfortable gear shifting and higher field productivity.

Today, the tractor is no longer just for pulling implements – instead, agricultural tractors, machines and implements can be effectively connected. For example, tractor implement automation enables a baler to ‘talk’ to the tractor for automatic adjustment of functions such as forward speed, depending on the workload.

Mobile data transfer allows farmers to collect data from drilling to harvesting and send it automatically to the farm office. Field documentation displays data from the entire production chain and increases transparency for consumers. Farmers and contractors can use this data to make agronomic decisions on fertiliser and chemical applications, for example.

The story of John Deere’s 100 years of success and innovation, from the Waterloo Boy to today’s ‘intelligent’ tractor, is being celebrated at the company’s worldwide tractor factories. Employees, their families and other guests have been invited to look behind the scenes of John Deere tractor production, and the Mannheim factory is holding a tractor parade through the city.

The John Deere Forum in Mannheim is featuring a display of vintage and classic tractors that have strongly influenced the company’s history, including an original Waterloo Boy, while the Forum’s shop is offering a variety of fan merchandise, such as a special edition 9RX tractor model, caps, shirts and mugs. Tractors ordered by customers this year will also carry a 100 years anniversary badge, and in addition dealers will have a range of special offers at favourable prices.

The 100 Years of John Deere Tractors anniversary activities can be followed on www.deere.com, Facebook and YouTube. More on the company’s tractor history can also be found here and at https://johndeerejournal.com/category/history/.

Following a £700,000 investment in brand new synthetic pitch facilities for their training ground Ben Connell, Grounds Manager at Ipswich Town Football Club, is determined to maximise its working lifespan.

Ben Connell (right) with Adrian Brown from Tomlinson’s Groundcare

Within the spend was an amount to cover synthetic maintenance machinery that fulfilled the care instructions provided by the installers. Meeting that remit, and so far keeping the pitches in a first-rate condition, is a Redexim Verti-Comb and Verti-Top 1800 from Charterhouse Turf Machinery.

The training centre, covering 7½ hectares of natural and synthetic pitches, has a hectic schedule hosting teams from Under 6’s, right through to first-team training. “When our previous carpet had come to the end of its working life, I was determined to be best equipped to look after the new one” explains Ben who heads-up a team of 9 groundstaff.

“By purchasing our own maintenance equipment, we’re not having to rely on contractors - meaning we can conduct operations as and when we need to, not when the time or budget allowed. We had a look at a number of options but settled on the Redexim Verti-Comb and Verti-Top machines - we’re familiar with Redexim products, having had a Verti-Drain for a number of years. We know the machines are well built and good at what they do, and they’re always backed up with brilliant support and service.” The kit was delivered in September 2016 and installed by Curtis Allen of Charterhouse and Adrian Brown of local dealer Tomlinsons.

Ben is in a fortunate position of being able to restrict the usage of the synthetic pitches to 25 hours of play per week. This falls in line with the installers recommendations to use the Verti-Comb after every 10 hours of play, equating to roughly two passes a week. This helps to maintain the distribution of the rubber crumb. The Verti-Top is then utilised approximately every 10 weeks to keep the surface free from debris and contamination, alleviating any compaction and keeping the surface free-draining. This maintenance regime is keeping the fibres upright and the crumb decompacted and is key to helping it look and play well.

Final word from Ben, “The installation we have is top spec so it was important we chose the right kit to protect that investment. We’re all pleased with the results and continuing with this regular planned maintenance should see us safely through any health & safety assessments and the FIFA Pro testing when the time comes.”

Stuart Taylor International have become the latest Dealer for the Mean Green Electric Commercial Mowers.

Ian Conroy, sales Manger of Stuart Taylors and Stuart Rose, sales manager of Overton (UK) Limited

Ian Conroy, sales manager of Stuart Taylors commented, “We feel that electric battery operated machinery is the future and has a great many benefits to bring to the market.

"We feel that the time is right, and we have been very pleased with the level of interest within our customer base”.

New customer Padeswood and Buckley Golf Club in Flintshire North Wales has chosen Toro for the first time as it makes a concerted effort to reduce machinery downtime.

Head greenkeeper Stuart Mason sits on the club’s new Toro Greensmaster TriFlex 3420-H with Reesink Turfcare’s Nigel Lovatt on his left, and Major Owen’s Glyn Hughes

Having spent, last year alone, £20,000 on maintenance and lease equipment due to breakdowns, Padeswood and Buckley say they have brought in Toro to eliminate these expenses and ensure the smooth running of the course.

Stuart Mason, who recently took over as head greenkeeper, said, “I’ve used Toro in the past and it lives up to its reputation for reliability and longevity.”

The new fleet replaces and upgrades the club’s main line machinery. Joining a new Greensmaster TriFlex 3420-H are three more machines including a Reelmaster 3575-D fairway mower. Stuart says of this machine, “The 3575-D is good because the three wheels are quicker on the turn and kinder on turf than four-wheel machines. One of the main issues we want to avoid is mowers being out on the course when golfers are, and the speed of this mower will help enormously with that."

Stuart also says he is looking forward to fewer trips to the shed to refill the sprayer thanks to the Workman HDX utility vehicle complete with a Multi Pro sprayer. He explains: “Before we had a 200 litre tank, now we have almost four times that capacity with the 757 litre tank of the Multi Pro. This will make a big difference to our overall spraying routine. Another great thing about the HDX is its versatility - we don’t just operate it as a sprayer but a topdresser and truck too.”

Glyn Hughes of Major Owen advised Stuart on which machines would be the best to help eliminate downtime and ensure the smooth running of the course. Stuart says: “Glyn really helped with our decision, he was at the club so often that he was basically on the payroll! I’ve known him for a long time and it’s great to be working with Major Owen again as we can always trust them to deliver great service.”

With a new Toro fleet, and Major Owen to rely on, Stuart is nothing but positive about the club’s future: “We demonstrated a variety of machines on the market and Toro came out on top for quality and high performance, so I’m confident we’ll be able to rely on the new fleet."

The 17 hectares of grounds for rugby, tennis and cricket at Kings Bruton School have come through the winter of 2017 disease-free and stronger than ever before.

Grounds Manager, Adie Davis, and his team of 6 groundstaff are kept busy looking after the facilities and have praised Headland Amenity.

“I have been familiar with Headland products for a long time and have enjoyed success with their programmes here at the school for a number of years. On our cricket outfields & rugby pitches we’ve been using Multigreen 28-0-0 which delivers results for the full 5-6 months it promises it will.”

Applied in April and then again in September for strength through the autumn/winter, this is complemented on the fine turf areas by C-Complex in various formulations: 4-3-4 used during renovation work; 7-0-7 through the cricket playing season and 5-2-10 as a spring-starter.

On the cricket squares, Adie has found success with the combination of Multigreen Mini and Headland’s 20/20/30 non-pesticidal tank mix. “We apply the Multigreen Mini in early autumn to take us through the winter and then once a month between October and March we supplement this with a spray of the 20/20/30 enhanced plant health mix.” Headland’s 20-20-30 mix combines Seamac ProTurf Fe and Liquid Turf Hardener plant protectants and Turfite elicitor that work together to strengthen the plant against disease. The combination of products applied at Kings Bruton delivers enhanced root development, disease resistance and strong colour. “This programme has kept all disease, including Fusarium and Dollar Spot, at bay – which I know groundsmen at other schools are suffering from.”

As the school heads towards its 500-year anniversary celebrations in 2019, Adie is delighted with the success achieved with their current nutritional regime. “I’ve worked closely with Headland’s Alex Hawkes, who is very knowledgeable, for a number of years and it’s thanks to him that we now have a combination of products that are really working. We get a lot of comments from staff, parents and local clubs that they’ve never seen turf quite like ours, our cricket areas in particular, which makes all the hard work worthwhile.”

Ransomes Jacobsen has announced several changes to sales territories in the north of England and Wales to, they say, "streamline and strengthen" its UK dealer network.

Ransomes Jacobsen, which distributes Ransomes and Jacobsen turf-care equipment, E-Z-GO golf cars, and Cushman utility vehicles in the UK, operates as part of Textron Specialized Vehicles Inc.

Following a review of regional coverage, three existing dealers: F.R. Sharrock Ltd., Rickerby Ltd., and Burdens Group Ltd. will take on additional territories as part of their current dealer agreements.

GGM Groundcare and Platt Harris Groundcare have had their Ransomes Jacobsen dealer agreements terminated and will no longer represent products from the TSV portfolio.

Sharrocks. Rickerby and Burdens are experienced with the full range of Ransomes Jacobsen products and the manufacturer said in a statement they are geographically well-placed to offer "an excellent customer experience for sales and after-sales support, spare parts and service".

F.R. Sharrock Ltd, which has depots near Manchester and Stoke, has extended its current areas in the North West & Midlands to now include the areas of Lancashire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and Derbyshire with additional responsibility for Harrogate and Doncaster.

Rickerby Ltd., which has depots at Carlisle and Hexham, has been awarded an extension to its territory to cover an area from Dumfries and Galloway down to the Lancaster district of Lancashire and North Yorkshire.

The Burdens Group Ltd. which has depots at North Kyme and Sutterton, will cover the East of England from Yorkshire in the north down to the A14 through Northamptonshire.

Commenting on the changes to the dealer network, international sales manager at Textron Specialized Vehicles Inc., John Quinton, said, “I would like to thank our partners for their continued hard work and dedication to the Ransomes Jacobsen product range. Our dealers are very knowledgeable about the machinery, and have an excellent track record of first-class customer service and support. We are delighted with the way the dealer network is set-up, and look forward to supporting our dealers and customers moving forward.”

In addition to these changes, John Osman Groundcare will now focus on the Textron Golf family of products for North Wales, including Jacobsen turf-care equipment, E-Z-GO golf cars and Cushman utility vehicles. The Ransomes franchise for this area has been awarded to F.R. Sharrock Ltd.

Scamblers, the dealership based in Bourne, Cambridgeshire, has invested over £70,000 to open a small, specialist hire fleet to fill a gap which they see in the market for East Anglia.

Ed Scambler said, "Over the last couple of years more and more people have enquired about hire. So we at Scamblers have decided to open a hire department offering a range of specialist machines for the hire to university’s, schools, local authorities, contractors and golf clubs.

"We believe the most exciting piece of machinery is the Chafer Grub Control System. We believe the system to be the first of its kind and think it's set to take market by storm."