Well, the uncertainly is finally out the way - if only for another five years!

Last week the EU Commission's Appeal Committee got around to renewing the licence for glyphosate for the next five years. Which according to a report in the Guardian, "falls far short of the 15-year licence the commission had originally sought."

The proposal received 18 votes in favour and nine against, with one abstention, bringing to an end months of deadlock.

The Commission says the new five-year licence will be ready before the current one expires on 15 December. After the 5 year period, a new EU renewal application will be required once again.

However, the BBC reported France plans to ban the use of glyphosate within three years. 

The product has proved controversial over the years with one UN study calling it "probably carcinogenic" - however other scientists have always claimed it is safe to use.

In the UK The Amenity Forum issued a statement welcoming the news of the renewal.

Professor John Moverley, Independent Chairman of the Amenity Forum, said, "It is an important active ingredient used in the amenity sector and has been proved to be safe to use following extensive analysis and review. The Forum always advocates an integrated approach to weed control utilising all methods available, cultural, biological, mechanical and chemical.

"However glyphosate remains in many situations the most cost effective and efficient method ensuring safe, healthy and sustainable amenity spaces and sports surfaces fit for purpose and keeping Britain moving."

Also issuing a statement expressing their delight at the ruling were chemical company Rigby Taylor. Their Chemicals Product Manager, Peter Corbett, said, “The loss of this important active would have cost local authorities many hundreds of millions of pounds to replace with alternative means of vegetation control.

“The industry now needs to take on board the importance of using this active ingredient correctly and in a sustainable manner.

“Rigby Taylor is working on a product stewardship package for glyphosate, which will include all the elements of best practice. The package will include advice and recommendations for managers, operators and other end users on how to use it correctly. There is also a need to educate the general public on its safety profile."

At least for now turf professionals can continue to use this most useful of products in their arsenal.

If like Rigby Taylor suggest efforts continue to educate professionals and public alike in its safe usage - and indeed science continues to investigate and ratify its safety - hopefully in five years time when it comes round to renewal again, we wont have to go through this prolonged period of uncertainty.

Iseki UK & Ireland has launched, representing a major investment and commitment by the Japanese manufacturer in these key markets.

Iseki UK Ltd is a company formed with investment from Iseki for the sole purpose of distributing their range of products and growing market share and sales in the UK & Ireland markets.

For many years, the Iseki product line has been distributed in the UK and Ireland by Ransomes Jacobsen operating out of their facilities in Ipswich Suffolk. Iseki said in a statement that they would like to sincerely thank Ransomes Jacobsen for all their hard work and dedication over this period and they look forward to building on this foundation.

The new company will also be based in the Ipswich area and joining in the new year as Managing Director will be ex-President of Jacobsen, David Withers.

David is well known in the industry having served for many years at Ransomes and Jacobsen and more recently working as a business consultant in the golf industry.

“I started working with Iseki when the product line came to Jacobsen in 1996 and have always enjoyed being involved with such an exciting and reliable product line. When Iseki outlined their strategic vision of getting closer to the customers by investing in their own distribution in the UK it made sense to me” said David. "I am really looking forward to joining Iseki UK in the New Year to head up this exciting new venture.”

SF325 cut and collect out front mower

Kazuya Tani the European Managing Director of Isekli said, “This is an exciting time for Iseki. We will be investing more in marketing and promotions of the brand and want to see a wider acceptance of our products through expanding our markets served and getting more share from existing customers. The commitment of Iseki to the UK market will be significant and we trust that the market will react positively to this approach."

An official statement said more information will be issued over coming weeks and that "no changes are anticipated" to the current dealer network.

Blackpool’s Stanley Park, has been voted by the public as the UK’s Best Park at the annual Fields in Trust Awards 2017.

Stanley Park receives their award

Designed by landscape architect Thomas Mawson in the 1920s, the park which boasts an Italian marble fountain, boating lake, bandstand, Medici lions, Italian gardens and Art Deco styled café, has scooped the headline award at the annual Fields in Trust Awards 2017.

Each year the Fields in Trust Awards showcases some of the UK’s best open spaces and shines a light on the efforts and achievements of the people whose tireless dedication ensures that these vital outdoor spaces can be enjoyed by the public. Now in their sixth year, the Awards are organised by The Fields in Trust Charity, which counts His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge as its President and protects the UK’s vital open spaces, from sports pitches to children’s playgrounds, bicycle trails and country parks, safeguarding them for future generations.

For the third year running, the UK's Best Park Award, voted for by the public celebrates the nation's favourite park. This year the public nominated 360 parks in total from across the UK with over 15,000 votes cast.

Stanley Park, Blackpool beat off stiff competition from three other finalists shortlisted, which included Craigavon City Park in County Armagh, Roath Park in Cardiff and Rouken Glen Park in East Renfrewshire. The award was presented by Fields in Trust Trustee Graeme Le Saux, at a celebratory dinner on Wednesday night at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London, hosted by TV sports broadcaster Jacqui Oatley.

Stanley Park, Blackpool

Commenting on the UK’s Best Park Award 2017, Helen Griffiths, Chief Executive of Fields in Trust said, “On behalf of everyone here at Fields in Trust, I would like to congratulate Stanley Park. The UK’s Best Park Award is open to any green space regardless of whether or not it is protected in perpetuity with Fields in Trust. The people of Blackpool have sent a clear message that they love their local park and I hope that Blackpool Council will recognise this by working with us to safeguard Stanley Park as a place for community sport, play and recreation forever.”

Parks and Green Spaces Minister Marcus Jones said, “Many congratulations to Stanley Park on being voted the UK’s Best Park 2017 in the Fields in Trust Awards. The public support shown for this park and all the finalists highlights just how much the residents of Blackpool and local communities more widely care about their treasured green spaces. Through the new Parks Action Group we have a great opportunity to ensure our parks remain places to be proud of for generations to come.”

Commenting on this year’s Awards, Helen Griffiths, Chief Executive of Fields in Trust added, “These awards give us the opportunity to shine a light on some of the UK’s most beautiful green spaces up and down the country. Despite their undeniable contribution to the happiness and health of our communities’ parks and outdoor spaces are often undervalued. This annual event not only gives the public the opportunity to champion their favourite park, but allows us to showcase some of the people and organisations that work tirelessly to ensure the upkeep and community enjoyment of these wonderful spaces.”

All of the winners can be found here

The Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG), has again been accredited to the Matrix Standard.

This is a nationally recognised quality standard for organisations to assess their advice and support services which ultimately support individuals in their choice of career, learning, work and life goals.

The IOG say their vision for ‘quality surfaces through excellence in grounds management’ ensures that IOG training and education courses include the latest technologies and practices that are being used at professional levels of groundsmanship - thus enabling the IOG to pass on this knowledge to sports facilities and clubs which have minimal budgets.

In turn, this means the IOG is helping ensure that best practice can be achieved at all levels, helping to ensure that playing surfaces are in as good condition as possible to maximise use, increase participation, support player safety and boost financial return.

Impressed with the IOG’s commitment, Matrix highlighted a number of comments on the accreditation:

• The IOG demonstrates that it remains impartial when providing advice and guidance about equipment and training pathways;
• Learners identified that they can gain accurate advice about qualifications and choices with ease;
• The IOG’s website, social media and e-shots are being effectively monitored and analysed for continuous improvement, examples having been implemented for the benefit of promotion and learner support.

Commenting, the IOG’s head of member services, Dan Prest, says: "The IOG is delighted to have retained the quality mark of the Matrix Standard, which reinforces the excellent levels of service we provide to ensure we ‘serve our members through the seasons’.”

Kubota UK has invested £1.2 million to enhance operational performance and continue to set the highest health and safety standards at its UK headquarters in Thame.

The investment includes expanding its office and meeting room space by renovating a previous storage building into state-of-the-art office facilities. The Thame site has also had groundworks resurfacing completed to enhance traffic flow around the site, as well as refurbishment works carried out to its Training Academy and Research & Development (R&D) centre.

The improvements also include a new cantilever racking system that will help streamline its inventory, offer more space to hold stock and help maintain its ‘first in, first out’ (FIFO) supply method. In turn, the company says customers will experience an even better service, ensuring they receive the required machinery parts exactly when they need them and in the best condition.

Supply Chain Manager at Kubota UK, Solly Wilson, said, “The investment into our operations at Thame is a great example of our commitment to future proofing our business, ensuring the right infrastructure is in place and that we are always operating efficiently and safely. By doing so, we can maintain the highest levels of service that we provide our customers.

“The new office and meeting spaces for example give us the opportunity to continue to grow and evolve as a business. In the last 12 months, staff numbers at Thame have increased, highlighting the need for additional capacity.

“The new cantilever racking system also means we are far better equipped to allocate, monitor and transport products more effectively. FIFO is a widely-known supply chain method where stock is rotated quickly so that no item sits in the warehouse for too long. If this process isn’t maintained to the highest standard, stock can spend significant periods of time on the shelf, taking up valuable space and potentially becoming obsolete, causing cost issues. It’s simple in theory, but each product has its own unique characteristics that will affect the overall operation depending on how well it’s dealt with.

“With this in mind, it’s vital that we’re able to operate at maximum capacity, not only from an operations point of view, but also from customers, who need their orders delivered in a timely fashion and in first class condition.”

The very first SALTEX Innovation Award celebrated the best in brand new grounds care technology when the show took place at the NEC last month.

The Award attracted 24 entries in total spanning a wide variety of products, services and equipment from various exhibitors from across the globe.

Fleet Line Markers’ MAQA line marking machine won joint first place in the SALTEX innovation award

The entries were judged by an independent panel of industry experts who based their decisions on a number of factors including what the entry offers the industry and how it makes life easier for the person using it.

The standard was incredibly high, resulting in a tie for first place.

Backed by unanimous support by all judges, during the first day of the exhibition, Rigby Taylor's Intelligent One autonomous robotic line marker and Fleet Line Markers’ MAQA line marking machine were announced as joint winners of the SALTEX Innovation Award 2017.

Rigby Taylor’s Intelligent One robotic line maker also won joint first place

The Intelligent One (iO) is said to be the world’s first fully autonomous robotic line marker. It can mark out a standard sized football pitch in 35 minutes, using just 3.3 litres of ready to use Impact XP paint. The iO eliminates the task of stringing out for the first markings and operates hands-free. Once the pitch template has been entered into the supplied tablet, the iO is placed at the corner of the pitch and will mark out all the outside and inside straight lines, the 'D', centre circle, corner angles and penalty spot without any direct operator involvement.

The MAQA line marking machine uses GNSS technology to reduce the time it takes to mark by 75 per cent. Initial marking that might have taken two men up to four hours can now be completed by one person in 20 minutes.

The standard of all Innovation Award entries were of such high calibre that the judges chose to award second and third place awards as well.

Second place went to Oregon’s Gator Speedload, which judges said was a quick and simple device which negated the need to dismantle the head each time to re-load/wrap new strimmer cord.

Third place went to the Etesia Hydro 80 MKHP4 E-Connect, due to its ability to set up multiple users and record data – allowing organisations or clubs to monitor the amount of use and user’s ability.

Toro’s latest UK launch, the GreensPro 1260, will be headlining the Reesink Turfcare stand at BTME 2018.

It will also be the first year that Reesink will have two stands. Joining the Reesink stand in Hall M is stand C32 dedicated entirely to TYM tractors to accommodate the range as it expands and where the new T393 will be on show.

Reesink Turfcare’s marketing manager Holly, said, “There’s lots to be excited about this year. The show provides the perfect place to bring the latest launches from Toro to the UK market and showcasing the latest technology always generates a talking point.

"It’s great to have representation from all brands at the show and it’s right that TYM has its own stand to accommodate the range as it expands. We look forward to welcoming everyone to both our stands to see the line-up and share invaluable advice from our specialist machinery team.”

Toro’s latest launch is the new GreensPro 1260 which takes all the features of the previous GreensPro models and adds a hydraulic drive system to eliminate leaks and prevent potential contamination of the grass, plus overlapping heads for a consistent roll. 

On the TYM stand will be the latest addition to the compact tractor range, the T393. It has been brought to the UK by Reesink Turfcare to bridge the gap between the compact utility range and the mid-duty range in the TYM line up. 

Golf equipment company PING is also involved in golf course ownership at Gainsborough Golf Club, which is just a short drive from its European headquarters in Lincolnshire.

As part of a three-year plan that will see the club’s entire course maintenance equipment fleet updated to John Deere, Gainsborough recently took delivery of several new machines from area sales manager Steve Blanchard of local dealer F G Adamson & Son at Langworth, Lincolnshire.

Gainsborough Golf Club course manager Greg Skinner (left) with area sales manager Steve Blanchard of local dealer F G Adamson & Son

“PING prides itself on the quality of its products and service,” says Gainsborough’s course manager Greg Skinner. “John Deere and F G Adamson & Son are built on the same ethos, so we are delighted to be working together.”

Greg and his greenkeeping team are responsible for two courses, the 123-year old Thonock Park and Karsten Lakes, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2017. “We needed to renew our ageing equipment fleet to improve the overall presentation of both courses and bring them up to the standard golfers expect from a PING-owned property,” says Greg. “Presentation and quality are very important to our members and for attracting more visitors to all of the club’s activities.

“F G Adamson & Son showed exceptional understanding of our requirements and their knowledge provided a huge amount of in-depth information that guided us through the machinery selection process. In addition, they provided several demonstration machines for us to test, which proved crucial in our final choices.”

Gainsborough’s general manager Ben Hatch adds: “Overall, the package is a huge investment and F G Adamson & Son showed us how quickly they could get parts from John Deere’s UK premises at Langar, Nottingham, its distribution centre in Germany and even the USA, if required. This level of after sales service and support gave us great confidence we were making the right decision.”

The latest additions to the fleet include a 9009A rough mower, 7700A 4WD fairway mower, two 2500E hybrid electric mowers for use on the greens and tees, two HPX Gator utility vehicles and a 1200A bunker rake. These have joined machines from the deal’s first phase in 2016, including a 7400A semi-rough mower and a 1600T wide area rotary mower, plus additional hybrid greens and tees mowers, Gators, bunker rakes and two rotary walk-behind mowers for use on the amenity grass areas.

“The club has ISO 14001 environmental accreditation and we want to be as green as we can,” says Greg. “The 2500E mowers are not just quiet, there is also less chance of hydraulic leaks. They produce a nice stripe and on the greens their offset cylinders eliminate the triplex ring effect on the clear-up lap, which minimises compaction.

“These go out most days and they run at lower revs, which we estimate saves us approximately 1250 litres of fuel a year. In addition, the brush tender conditioners are kinder on the grass, resulting in less disease. If we can cut out even one fungicide application a year, that’s a saving of £2000."

Syngenta Greencast say a new disease forecasting tool on their turf management website now gives a clear picture of disease pressure across the UK - and a forecast of where the risk of infection is set to occur, enabling more informed actions.

Live Maps combine accurate weather forecast information along with disease prediction models, to foresee and track risks for up to five days before they occur.

Encompassing Google maps, users zoom in to their own area for a close up of detailed local information. The maps cover all key turf diseases, along with forecast changes in soil temperatures and a new feature for Grass Growing Potential.

Daniel Lightfoot, Syngenta UK Turf Business Manager, enthuses that one of the great advances of Live Maps for greenkeepers is the ability to visibly track conditions and risks progressing across the country - and giving time to assess action plans.

“Targeting preventative disease programmes during periods of infection risk, but before symptoms break out consistently maintains better playing surface conditions,” he advocated.

Daniel pointed out that STRI research had shown fungicide programmes based on proactive forecasting maintained better conditions using fewer applications over the course of the season, compared to routine application or treatment at the first signs of disease.

“Timing is the absolute key,” he advised. “Live Maps is a new way to better pinpoint the optimum application timing.” He believed that turf managers are going to have to get ever better at prevention in the future, to mitigate the impending loss of iprodione and to meet the increasingly stringent demands of today’s players.

“Whilst products such as Instrata Elite have excellent curative activity on early disease stages with in the leaf, the results are consistently better and longer lasting if it can be applied before symptoms have broken out on the surface,” he added.

Danial believes the new Grass Growing Potential maps will be especially useful for aiding Primo Maxx application interval timing - enabling turf managers to focus on periods of peak growth and potentially ease off when conditions are less favourable.

“If you use Grass Growing Potential in conjunction with soil temperature, it could be highly beneficial for timing renovation or over seeding activities to get seedlings off to the best possible start,” he said. “It also has a role for predicting turf recovery and implications for the disease management programme.”

The Live Maps are available now free for all registered GreenCast subscribers, under the ‘Weather’ tab in the navigation bar.