The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America’s (GCSAA) Edwin Budding Award is given annually to an individual in the turf equipment industry whose actions have gone above and beyond the norm to help shape the turf equipment management industry into what it is today. Edwin Beard Budding was one of those individuals who helped define the turf maintenance industry. 

Though the award is normally given to GCSAA members, nominations are also accepted from members of qualified greenkeeping organisations such as our own Association of Turfgrass Professionals Ireland (ATPI). Nominations have to be in by 30 August, 2023. This closing date is interesting as it was on the following day, 31 August 1830 that Edwin Budding was granted a British patent for his newly designed lawn mower.

Edwin Budding came from Stroud in England. He worked in different iron foundries as a pattern-maker and had a unique talent for solving engineering problems. His idea of a lawn mower came from watching a machine in a textile mill that trimmed the irregular surface of woollen cloths to a smooth finish. Up to this time scythes were used to cut grass, which was a long and tedious method. 

Budding’s new invention was used to cut grass at sports grounds and large gardens. By 1831 his mowers were widely available and a year later, due to huge demand, his mowers were commercially produced by the agricultural machinery manufacturing firm Ransomes of Ipswich. It may come as a surprise to many but Edwin Budding also invented the adjustable spanner.

Edwin Budding’s design has shaped grass maintenance as we know it today. Sadly, in 1846, he died from a stroke at the age of only 50. Like so many before him, he didn’t live to see the full impact of his invention.

So what is all this to do with Service Dealer and its connection with Edwin Budding? On 22 April 2015, the then editor of Service Dealer, Chris Biddle, donated a plaque to Stroud District Council to honour the lawn mower inventor. The Blue Plaque had been specially commissioned to mark the 25th Anniversary of Service Dealer magazine. The commemorative plaque was put on the wall of Stroud Brewery, which stands on the site of the original Phoenix Iron Mills, where Budding worked and invented his mower. It was unveiled, on behalf of the British Garden Machinery Industry by David Withers, who was then president of Ransomes Jacobsen. David Withers was based in the USA and flew over specially to unveil the plaque.

At the time Chris Biddle commented “We should never forget the debt of gratitude the industry should have for the extraordinary engineering skill of Edwin Budding. His original machine when viewed today is remarkably similar to present day mowers.”

True enough, if you place Budding’s original mower beside a modern day pedestrian cylinder mower you will not see a lot of differences, except, perhaps, one of them has an engine.

Organisers say an unprecedented number of exhibitors have already booked in for this year’s National Ploughing Championships, which will take place in Ratheniska, Co Laois on September 19th, 20th & 21st.   

There has been an immense trade interest in exhibiting at this year’s ‘Ploughing’ as 300,000 visitors are expected to attend Europe’s largest outdoor event, it is widely viewed as the gig of the year. 

National Ploughing Association (NPA) Managing Director Anna May McHugh said, “It is wonderful to see all of the returning exhibitors and to welcome the large volume of new exhibitors showcasing their products and services in dynamic and progressive ways. We continue to make a determined effort to improve exhibitor and visitor experience alike, and again this year will be no exception with 37 kilometres of metal roadway, security, lighting, waste removal services, infrastructure and general facilities available on site.

"The NPA’s core mission is to create a pleasant, friendly and vibrant place for people, to meet & do business and this is always our priority.” 

The online exhibitor-booking portal is now open following a large volume of enquiries and requests from all over the country and significant international interest - for all details see www.npa.ie

Husqvarna Group has announced an investment of 2.5M Euros in Angsa Robotics, a Munich-based startup that they describe as "disrupting automated waste collection in green spaces".

The investment by Husqvarna Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of Husqvarna Group, aims to accelerate the development and commercialisation of Angsa's robotics platform.

Angsa Robotics say they are developing an autonomous solution, providing a cost-efficient, ecologically friendly and AI-adaptive robot for waste collection in green spaces. With its ability to navigate autonomously, detect obstacles and collect litter, Angsa boast their technology offers another opportunity within green space management.

Mark Johnson, head of Husqvarna Ventures said the company sees significant potential in Angsa's solution. "By investing at an early stage," he said, "Husqvarna can contribute to the development of Angsa's innovative technology and collaborate around potential future product offerings. This investment aligns perfectly with our strategy to explore new complementary robotics applications and address the evolving needs of commercial green space management."

Lukas Wiesmeier, CEO and co-founder of Angsa Robotics, added, "We are thrilled to have Husqvarna Ventures as our strategic investor. Their deep understanding of the robotics market, combined with their extensive global network, will provide invaluable support in scaling our development and accelerating our go-to-market strategy. We look forward to collaborating with Husqvarna Group to bring our cutting-edge robotics platform to customers worldwide."

Service Dealer are delighted to announce that EGO and Husqvarna will be joining us at the Conference & Awards, as Gold Sponsors.

A new venue has been announced for this year, with the Crowne Plaza at Stratford-Upon-Avon taking on hosting duties - with the date to mark up in your diaries being 30th November 2023. 

Service Dealer owner Duncan Murray-Clarke  said, "It is great news that EGO have chosen to join us this year at our event dedicated to supporting the UK's independent dealer network. EGO have become a major player in the UK over the last few years and we are delighted that they are joining us. We look forward to enjoying a fantastic day and evening with them."

Steve Roskell, marketing director, added, "We are delighted to be sponsoring an award at such an important industry event.

"We can’t wait to join together with our dealer network in celebrating their hard work and achievements."

Duncan Murray-Clarke added, "Having Husqvarna's support at the new home of our Conference and Awards this year is also fabulous news and we look forward to enjoying another valuable event with them."

Stephen Irvine Husqvarna UK Dealer Sales Manager added, “Husqvarna UK are very pleased to be Sponsoring the Dealer Conference and Awards again this year.

"The conference and awards are an investment into our industry and we are delighted to be part of this event”.

Look out for an announcement of the theme for this year's Conference & Awards in the upcoming issue of Service Dealer magazine.

Visitor registration for SALTEX 2023 is now open - and show organisers have announced a chance to win a one-night stay at the Moxy Birmingham NEC on the first night of the show.

The theme for the show this year is ‘boost your game’ with Sarah Cunningham, director of commercial and events at the GMA saying, “At this year’s show, attendees will be supported in boosting their knowledge, career, skills, sales, surface, and network - all of which will result in an industry that is better connected, holds more expertise, and continues to be at the forefront of turfcare around the world.”

GMA CEO, Geoff Webb added, "All income generated by the show is ploughed back into the industry securing its future for generations to come. 

“By attending SALTEX, visitors are supporting the vital year-round work that enables the GMA to invest in important resources for the sector, as well as developing closer and more collaborative relationships with sports bodies that can help create inward investment back into the sector. Registering for your free ticket doesn’t just benefit you, it benefits the industry too.”

The first 1,000 people to register as visitors for this year's show will be entered into a free prize draw, offering a chance to win a one-night stay at the Moxy Birmingham NEC on the first night of the show (T&Cs here).

SALTEX takes place at Birmingham NEC on 1-2 November 2023.

The family-owned company Pöttinger has decided to cancel participation at the SIMA 2024 in Paris.

SIMA, the largest French trade fair for agriculture, will take place in November 2024.

Gregor Dietachmayr (above), speaker of the executive board, commented on the decision, saying, "We will focus our resources more specifically into communicating directly with our clients. We will emphasise activities that address our end customers and their needs. We want to support them in the best possible way."

The company say they believe that direct contact enables them to convey its product portfolio and digital solutions for grassland and arable farming products even better. Activities will continue to include local and national events alike. However, they say focus will be placed on flexible product training and presentations tailored to customer needs.

Pöttinger say they are sticking to the trade fairs though and will continue to participate in international events.

"As a globally active company, we would like the international trade fair organisations to coordinate their schedules better for the benefit of the exhibiting companies and visitors," explained Gregor Dietachmayr. "With the bulging trade fair calendar, the attractiveness of individual events can certainly be increased again."

Bobcat has announced a strategic investment in Agtonomy, a Silicon Valley-based, ag tech software company.

Bobcat CEO, Scott Park with Agtonomy CEO, Tim Bucher

   
The manufacturer says their equity investment is part of a broader strategic partnership with Agtonomy - that Service Dealer reported on earlier this year - to create new ways to enhance Bobcat equipment for increased productivity and performance.   

Scott Park, CEO and vice chairman of Doosan Bobcat, Inc said, "By leveraging the software solutions developed by Agtonomy, we can continue to focus on productivity gains from Bobcat equipment and advance alternative energy and autonomous innovation in farming and related industries. We are always looking to bring the best solutions to our customers. And, given our ongoing partnership, we are excited to pioneer new advances together to empower farmers to accomplish more.”  

Tim Bucher, CEO and co-founder of Agtonomy added, “By joining forces, we can rapidly accelerate our impact on the farming community. With our shared commitment to innovation, we are poised to deliver solutions that address the many challenges facing agriculture today.”

The new Kress RTKn robot mowers extend unmanned mowing to larger areas. They efficiently operate in parallel lines and autonomously move from an area to another, as if they were driven by humans. No need for boundary wires, nor on-site antennas.

There are many applications that will benefit from Kress RTKn mowers, including residential properties with extensive lawns. The RTKn is perfect for all larger properties, sports fields, golf courses, public parks - you name them. Unmanned mowing is the ideal solution for countless applications, providing quiet, emission-free turf management, with an operating cost that is a fraction of manned mowing.

Other robotic mowers that make use of RTK require the installation of at least one station antenna for each lawn, which needs to be powered and placed in open areas with an open sky. Kress RTKn delivers centimeter accuracy with no station antenna on site.

RTKn is different to others, as it gives positional accuracy to the power of network. To ensure centimeter-level accuracy, Kress’ expanding proprietary network of reference GNSS receivers continuously delivers RTK correction data to each mower via the mobile phone network.

The global navigation satellite system (GNSS) provides geo-spatial positioning with 2 to 5 meters accuracy, then real-time kinematic correction is applied to achieve centimeter-level accuracy. And even if there’s poor satellite signal, due to signals being blocked by buildings and trees, inertial navigation and odometry take over to precisely route the mower until it reaches an open sky area and satellite navigation is restored.

More benefits of RTKn include:

• Quick setup: Once a Kress dealer has mapped the areas and installed the charging station, you’re done − no on-site antennas installation needed.
• Zero emissions: No polluting exhaust fumes, no emission of greenhouse gasses.
• Quiet operation: Hotels can get their lawns manicured when customers are asleep, offices while people work and even educational institutions while people learn.
• Efficiency: The mower works in parallel lines, mowing large lawns as quickly as an experienced landscaper.
• Operational savings: No labour cost, negligible impact on your energy bill and minimal maintenance expense compared to combustion-engine mowers.

Visit https://www.kress.com/en-gb/ for more.

The new 60V* Recycler models offer all of the legendary performance and durability you expect from Toro, without having to deal with petrol. Best of all, the 60 volt battery is compatible with several other products in Toro's Flex-Force battery-powered line-up.

 
Toro, the brother brand to Hayter®, has been a worldwide provider of innovative solutions for the turf and lawn maintenance sector for over 100 years and has developed the Flex-Force Power System™ technology in conjunction with both our European and US design and engineering teams. 

Designed specifically for UK and European gardens, the 36cm (14”) push, 43cm (17”) push and 43cm (17”) self-propelled are ideal for compact lawns approximately the size of half a tennis court (up to 300m2). 

 
Homeowners who are looking for ultimate convenience with the best in technology should be directed toward Toro’s Recycler range due to these key features;

EARTH FRIENDLY, GARDEN FRIENDLY

Spend less time emptying the grass box with Toro's Recycler Cutting System. This unique design chops clippings into a fine nutrient-rich mulch, efficiently nourish the soil, feeding roots for a healthy, lush garden.

FREE UP MORE SPACE IN YOUR SHED/GARAGE WITH SMARTSTOW®  

Save up to 70%* floor space by storing the mower upright – with easy grass box storage.

POWER AT THE TOUCH OF A BUTTON

Easy push-button start gets you mowing fast. Personalise the mower speed to your desired pace with the variable speed control (model 21844 only).

SMART POWER

Intelligent RunSmart™ Software maximises run time and performance by automatically adjusting the speed of the motor to match the conditions and optimise runtime. Engage MAX mode for tougher mowing conditions.

What’s better is that Toro’s 60V Flex-Force line up is just going to continue to grow as more and more homeowners make the switch from petrol to battery in the coming seasons. 

 
Other products in the 60V Flex-Force line up include, 48cm Super Recycler lawnmower, 52cm Recycler Steel Deck lawnmower, 55cm Recycler lawnmower (now with new Vortex Technology), Leaf Blower, Grass String Trimmer, Hedge Trimmer, Chainsaw, Pole Saw and Power Clear Snow Blower

For more information on Toro, please visit www.toro.com/en-gb or to become a dealer of Toro U.K. Limited, please email our sales team today.

*Space savings are in relation to the space consumed by a Toro 36 and 43 cm Walk Power Mower stored with the handle in the standard operating position.