I recently attended the Amenity Forum’s Annual Conference at the Kettering Conference Centre - the theme for which this year was Change, Challenge & Opportunity.

The day was hosted by Peter Corbett their newly appointed executive officer, who took over the role from Professor John Moverley who retired after 13 years at the helm.

This year’s conference had a plethora of guest speakers who gave a wide range of presentations on the challenges facing our amenity industry.

First up was Anna Morgan of DEFRA who gave an update on where we are with the UK National Action Plan (NAP). She said that it had been delayed again due to the changing pressures of government but hopefully should be completed sometime next year.

The NAP aims to increase uptake of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and sustainable crop protection. This is in line with Defra’s 25 Year Environment Plan, the Welsh Minister’s Natural Resources Policy, The Environment Strategy for Scotland, and the goals of the Environment Strategy for Northern Ireland to protect and enhance the environment for future generations. The NAP will be delivered in support of Government targets across the UK on biodiversity and carbon net zero.

Essentially the industry must embrace all the opportunities of implementing a thorough IPM set of strategies to control weeds pest and diseases with the aim to reduce the number of chemical products used to control these pests. 

The high-level aim of the NAP is to minimise the risks and impacts of pesticides to human health and the environment, while ensuring pests and pesticide resistance are managed effectively.

The next speaker was Adrian Dixon from HSE Chemicals Regulation Division (CRD). The CRD is responsible for the regulation of biocides, pesticides, detergents, chemicals covered by REACH, and for compliance with the Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) Regulation. 

Adrian was able to update us on new regulations and protocols regarding the sustainable use of pesticides. He also mentioned the three-year extension on some approved chemicals such as Glyphosate enabling further use until 2025. We then had a question-and-answer session using the Amenity forums new interactive live question app that allowed delegates to post questions during the conference which proved to be well received. 

Conference speakers were then split into specific grouped categories to give presentations:

Relationship between customers supplier and provider  

The first session began with a presentation by John Draper, chairman of the Lawn Care Association (UKLCA) who gave an insight into work of the association and the issues they face in keeping their customers informed and satisfied. 

Then Alan Able from Complete Weed Control spoke again on the expectations of their customers and the significant innovations and developments the company had implemented over many years to improve the efficiency and choice of modes in controlling weeds in an ever-changing environment. He gave particular mention to the savings that can be made by good planning, timing and choosing effective equipment to deliver precise applications of chemical products. 

An informative talk followed on the work of JSD Rail in achieving the control of weeds and vegetation on our railways by Tony Saunders. The sheer scale of the operation is certainly very challenging with over 21,000 miles of track to manage as well as 30,000 hectares of adjacent land, 9000 level crossings and 40,000 bridges and tunnels and well over 5 million neighbours to be mindful of when carrying out maintenance operations.

Effectively they carry out two treatments a year that involve the use of non-selective, selective and residual herbicides in managing weeds on the railways.

Next up was Dr Andy Owen from ICL who gave a thought-provoking talk on the future use of fertilisers. He talked of the cost and sustainability and the impacts of producing these products.   

We also need to look at the way we apply these fertilisers and how often we apply them as they all have an impact on costs. He also said that coated slow-release granular fertilisers have shown to be more efficient in reducing leaching, giving longer lasting results and are generally easier and cheaper to apply.

Research

Up next, Christian Spring from the STRI, spoke about the components of an effective IPM strategy.

Barnaby Wilder from Forestry Commission then updated us on the current diseases and pests affecting our trees and finally Dr Dan Jones from Advanced Invasives spoke about three different invasive species blighting our countryside and the recent research and developments in how to treat these invasive weeds.

Innovation  

The final presentations of the day fell to Dr Colin Mumford from ENVU and Geoff Fenn from Origin Amenity Solutions who gave a talk on the future of biological control agents and relative new market developments and solutions for the amenity turf industry. 

Conclusion

All in all, it was an informative day with over 100 delegates attending the event. As always these events allow plenty of networking during breaks and there was a chance to catch up with some of the Amenity Forum’s key sponsors who were also on hand and exhibiting at the conference. These included ICL, Pro Green, Lantra, BASIS reg, Greentech, Nomix Enviro, Hozelock, JSD rail, Headland  Vale Engineering, Kersten Complete Weed Control , Origin formally Rigby Taylor. NSTS, City Guilds, Cooper Peglar and Weedfree.    

George Browns Ltd has opened a new depot.

Located in Witney, West Oxfordshire, Kubota (UK) Ltd say this new site creates a wider spread of dealership locations across its sales area, that better meets the needs of its customers.

Essentially a depot relocation, the opening of the Witney branch has seen George Browns’ groundcare-only Haddenham depot close its doors to enable the development of this latest full-line tractor dealership in West Oxfordshire.

“Geographically, our new depot in West Oxfordshire puts George Browns and Kubota within easier reach for many more customers,” explains Steve Brown, managing director of George Browns. “This is another strategic move for our long-term business partnership with Kubota, to grow the groundcare and agricultural machinery aspects of the business.”

The company says the new site offers easy access for customers and more usable space for the workshops - both internally and externally. Longer term, the plan is to employ a total of 12 staff at the depot, and the business say they are keen to encourage an uptake of apprentices across the business, for parts and service roles.

“It’s great to be part of the local economy, by bringing business and job creation into the area,” says George Browns’ group sales manager for agriculture, James Gibbins. “And as a full-line depot, Witney will be providing sales, service, parts and support for the Kubota tractor and implement ranges, in addition to Kubota groundcare equipment.”

Henry Bredin, general manager of Kubota (UK)’s tractor business unit, says he fully supports the relocation.

“We’re delighted that George Browns continues to develop its partnership with Kubota,” said Henry. “This new depot is a tactical move that actively supports a wider customer base in both agricultural and groundcare sectors, across the Browns’ area,”

George Browns’ Witney location complements existing depots in Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire and Essex, with the Chesham and Buckingham branches now supporting those existing groundcare customers who used the former Haddenham site.

The Hurlingham Club in Fulham, London, has turned to a pond and lake aeration specialist for three new machines to tackle water quality problems in its two-acre lake. 

Tom Clarke, right, of The Hurlingham Club and Simon Powell of Reesink

There were three specific issues to solve: algae, water smells and noise disturbance as Tom Clarke, deputy grounds manager at the club for 11 years who manages a team of 28, explains: “The water quality was gradually deteriorating because the existing aerating units were getting old - some were upwards of 15 years old. We had algae beginning to form, there was sitting water near one of the bridges due to a lack of water circulation causing a smell and one of the units which was near the sunbathing area was beginning to create a noise disturbance.”

To help the club say they turned to Otterbine, as Simon Powell from their UK distributor Reesink Turfcare explains: “This project was a very thorough installation with a wide range of Otterbine solutions. We specified the 3hp C2 Sub-Triton aspirator to deal with the bad smell at one of the bridges caused by the slit layer gassing off methane; the 5HP Sunburst aerating fountain to provide well-needed aeration to keep the algae at bay and to complete the line-up the Air Flow 3 underwater diffuser to provide a silent solution for keeping the water clean and clear near the sunbathing area. This provided a complete renovation of the water body.” 

Solving these issues and improving the water quality of the lake has had a wider impact on the club’s grounds, as Tom explains: “We want to create the best quality water we can for the grounds and the lake is the source of our irrigation water. We’ve got over 286 sprinklers and approximately two kilometres of dripline going round, so the improvements made to the water quality doesn’t just benefit those in the immediate vicinity of the lake but the whole 42 acres of the estate.”

And Tom confirms it’s not just the club’s members who are pleased with the new aerators: “We have a lot of ornamental ducks using the lake. There are natural ones that come in and we also add ducks you wouldn’t see anywhere else. We’ve got a couple of black swans and different fowl and they really appreciate a better environment.” 

Looking to the club’s future, Tom says: “We’re taking up a masterplan plan now. The club is putting a vote out to members to see how it can reinvest to make its services better. The grounds department is well supported by the Hurlingham club. The grounds are the icon of the club, so we do whatever we can to improve standards and keep things looking as good as they can. I’d like to add a second fountain in the lake, maybe even a third. It would look great and just set off the whole lake.”

Now in its 76th year, Europe’s largest sports amenities and landscaping trade exhibition, SALTEX, will be held at Birmingham’s NEC over two days on 2-3 November. 

With over 400 brands showcasing products in three halls, across two days, at one location, SALTEX is a must-attend event for everybody operating in, or supplying to, the groundscare sector.

At SALTEX you can: 

• Listen and learn from industry thought leaders
• See over 400 brands all in one place
• Stay up to date with the latest product innovations
• Further your career with free advice and guidance
• Connect with industry suppliers and partners
• Get expert advice on your specific turf challenges
• Network with national and international peers
• Celebrate achievements at the GMA Industry Awards

What’s On?

In addition to learning about new products, services, and suppliers to the industry from home and abroad, SALTEX also has an extensive programme of events and learning opportunities.

Learning LIVE

The Learning LIVE schedule this year has been extended to over 30 sessions, with additional papers attacking the key issues for the grounds care industry of pay, career development, recruitment and retention, how to negotiate in the workplace and how to find out about the millions of pounds of grant funding available from sports clubs. But what’s at the heart of Learning LIVE and this year’s show is sustainability and the environment. 

Those managing and maintaining sports turf and green spaces are already having to deal with the impact of climate change and industry suppliers are doing their best to innovate and help grounds people minimise the impact of droughts and floods. The session on reducing the impact of future water restrictions on golf and sports turf, for example, with Owen Turpin from the Environment Agency, Tony Hanson from Environmental Solutions International and Robin Price from Anglian Water discussing the water charter and how to deal with it will provide valuable practical advice. 

There’s something for most sports surfaces from some of the best in the business. For rugby, Catherine Hall (Premiership Rugby), Dr David James (Labosport) and Dan Prest (GMA) talk about raising Premiership Rugby pitch standards. For cricket, Gary Barwell (Edgbaston Stadium), Karl McDermott (Lord's) and Steve Birks (Nottinghamshire CCC) discuss how new cricket formats impact on the modern-day grounds manager. Tennis is covered off by Neil Stubley (Wimbledon) who presents the All England Tennis and Croquet Club’s court expansion project.

But all top-level surfaces start somewhere – at grassroots level – and Rob Sullivan presents the Football Foundation's strategic ambitions to improve grass pitch quality and Chris Smith tackles the funding process to improve pitches. Perhaps there’s a role for hybrid pitches in the community – Dr Richard Earl (TGMS) reveals data findings from the Sport England hybrid pitch pilot for community use in London’s Regents Park.

The full seminar line up is available online at saltex.org.uk, but whether it’s elite sports grounds attendees are interested in or a strategy for grassroots football, Learning LIVE has it covered and provides the opportunity to build knowledge and stay ahead of the game.

Eco Village 

The whole concept of the Eco Village is to showcase sustainable and environmentally-friendly practices in grounds care and consider what is a sustainable piece of machinery – what’s the impact on the environment and how does it help achieve neutrality? The Eco Village features a programme of daily demonstrations of cutting-edge sustainable technology, offering visitors an opportunity of seeing several products in action. Plus, industry experts will offer advice on green technology and how it could benefit current working practices.

GMA Industry Awards

The GMA Industry Awards hosted by the BBC’s Mark Clemmit, are back for the 12th year. It’s so important to celebrate the achievements of individuals and teams operating in grounds management and is key to positive workforce development. With 18 awards and an evening to celebrate everyone nominated, it’s a ringing endorsement to the good work and talented people in the industry. Tickets to the event can be purchased at saltex.org.uk

So, whether working in educational establishments, community facilities, on private estates, or in sports clubs at grassroot, amateur, or professional level, if you’re passionate about keeping green spaces and playing surfaces safe, accessible, and sustainable, and you’re keen to stay ahead of the game in the grounds care industry, then SALTEX is the show for you. Register for your free ticket here: 

“In 2021, there was a buzz and real enthusiasm for business: deals were being struck, demos were being organised, there were lots of new launches across the halls and I expect more of the same in 2022.” Geoff Webb, CEO for GMA, SALTEX organisers.

So don’t miss out, REGISTER NOW for #SALTEX2022 #AheadofTheGame

www.saltex.org.uk

REWILD THING

ESSENTIAL MAINTENANCE IS KEY

ROLE OF THE CONSULTANT

RENOVATION TIME

RECRUITMENT WOES

A COG IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE

BOWLS IN DECLINE

BONE-HARD PITCHES!

TIME TO RECRUIT

HOT & BOTHERED

FAKE NEWS

PARKS MUST BE A STATUTORY SERVICE

WORKING PRESSURES INCREASING

CURRENT STATE OF PARKS SERVICES

HOT STUFF

GET CONNECTED

A GROWING NATIONAL REPUTATION

NEW BEGINNINGS

SUMMER SPORTING SEASON STARTS

CALCULATING THE VALUE

IRRIGATION IS VITAL

WEEDS FLOURISHING

TREE PLANTING INNOVATIONS

END OF SEASON RENOVATIONS TIME

PARK AND RIDE

IT'S NOT THE LENGTH THAT MATTERS . . .

NO EXCUSES FOR POOR FACILITY MANAGEMENT

SPRING INTO ACTION

SUN SHINES ON BTME

BRIGHT START

INDUSTRY INITIATIVE LAUNCHED

TESTING TIME

TIME TO PAY UP

DON'T PANIC!

ALL APSE-PECTS DISCUSSED

WINTER WARMING

THE BANE OF BUNKERS

POOR PERFORMANCE? BLAME THE PITCH!

PREPARING FOR 2022's GROWING SEASON

THREE AREAS OF CONTENTION

AREAS OF CONCERN

View all of 2021's blogs here

View all of 2020's blogs here

View all of 2019's blogs here

View all of 2018's blogs here

SWITCHED ON FOR HARD WORK
Putting trimmers through their paces

MACHINERY HIGHLIGHTS
At this year's show

MY SALTEX
Daniel Lewis​, Manchester City Football Club

AWASH WITH LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
Two months till showtime

LOOKING BACK, LOOKING FORWARD
Priorities for the amenity sector

THE DECLINE OF ‘PARKITECTURE’
A symptom of the state of parks in 2022

DEVELOPERS SHIRKING GREEN SPACE RESPONSIBILITIES
Lack of financial commitment

TIME TO COME TOGETHER
For the good of the industry

THE DEATH OF GRASS ROOTS CRICKET
Gathering apace?

ROUTES INTO THE INDUSTRY MUST BE ENSURED
Q&A with David Fisher, Lantra’s head of industry partnerships

STRONG VIEWS ON CRICKET PITCH PERFORMANCE MARKING
A bone of contention

A PREMIUM PRODUCT
Delivered at Naas Golf Club

THE GREEN REVOLUTION
And Esker Hills

MAKING A CHANGE
Laytown and Bettystown Golf Links

A DAY AT THE RACES
Naas Race Course

WORKING TOGETHER AS ONE VOICE
How the industry needs to proceed

OVER 175 YEARS OF EDUCATION
Wesley College

ELECTRIC EXCITEMENT
Dennis's Ian Howard talks electrification

THE HOME OF CORK GAA
Páirc Uí Chaoimh

LONG POLE BATTERY HEDGE TRIMMERS TESTED
STIHL HLA 66 and HLA 86

OVER 800 YEARS OF HISTORY
Johnstown Castle and Gardens

A CLUB GONE WILD
Kilkenny Golf Club

A GOLF COURSE IN THE GARDEN OF IRELAND
Woodenbridge GC

80 YEARS YOUNG
Charleville Golf Club

AN UPLIFTING EXPERIENCE
Bunclody Golf & Fishing Club

GETTING BACK TOGETHER
Albeit gradually . .

GO WEST
Inishturk GAA pitch – one of the most westerly sportspitches in Europe

WORKING ON A TIGHT BUDGET
Nenagh Golf Club

ON A MISSION
Wrekin Golf Club aiming to enrich wildlife and fauna

WILD AND WONDERFUL
Design By Nature

LEARNING HOW TO SURVIVE
Abbey Par 3

TACKLING OBESITY
Vital that schools can provide sport

A LIFETIME OF LEARNING
Vital for turf professionals

CELEBRATING 125 YEARS
Tullamore Golf Club

UNIVERSITY CHALLENGES
At Trinity College Dublin

BLENDING THE OLD WITH THE NEW
Bray Golf Club

A WELL POLISHED COURSE!
Ierne Social And Sports Club

IDENTIFYING THE TRUE VALUES
Of grounds maintenance

THE INDUSTRY WILL CHANGE & ADAPT
But it will survive

WIRRAL GOLF COURSES SAVED
Renewed hope and optimism for the future

GREEN SPACE CONTRIBUTION TO WELLBEING IS UNDERVALUED
Parks invisible on national agenda

A SHINING LIGHT IN IRELAND'S SUNNY SOUTHEAST
Wexford Golf Club

GREEN SPACES DO NOT LOOK AFTER THEMSELVES!
Keith Kent says we must invest in people

WE SHOULD TELL THE WORLD ABOUT THE UK INDUSTRY
Right time for all sides to come together

SOIL LIFE IS PRECIOUS
Good-quality soil can help save the planet

MORE THAN JUST CUTTING GRASS
Encouraging the next generation

A BUZZ FROM DOING THE JOB
Wide experience of the turf grass industry

PAYING THEIR WAY
Low wages is the bane of the industry

AMENITY MANAGEMENT IMPACTS US ALL
Professor John Moverley

CARING FOR PARKS OF ALL TYPES
Mary Worrall

TOP FIVE FRUSTRATIONS FOR CRICKET GROUNDSMEN
What causes you the most frustration in your role?

PROFESSIONALS AT THE CUTTING EDGE
Vic Demain and Phil Sharples

BOWLS CLUBS IN PERIL
A sad decline

A VERY SPECIAL INDUSTRY
Loz looks back

SNEAK PEAK AT A ROBOTIC "GAME CHANGER"
Commercial model capable of covering 50,000 m2 teased

HALESOWEN PICK A BIG ROBOT UP FRONT
Invest in mowers

COMPRESSED AERATION
The new way

PARKS MATTER MORE THAN EVER
Recent sector developments

ON TEST
STIHL blowers

THREE CORE VALUES TO SHAPE OUR INDUSTRY
Real concerns for the future

ENGLAND'S GREEN SPACE GAP
A split along racial lines

ON TEST
EGO STX3800 strimmer with RTX2300 Rotocut head

A SECTOR FACING IMPORTANT TIMES
Review of the National Action Plan

PARKS MATTER
The role of public parks in the recovery: a discussion paper

A UNIQUE SPORTING VENUE
Wormsley private estate

A BTME OUTDOORS?
A good bet for the industry

PARKS NEED APPROPRIATE POLITICAL REPRESENTATION
Q&A with Philippa Reece, Parks and Foreshore Manager at Adur and Worthing Council

CRICKET LOAM
What does it mean?

A HERCULEAN EFFORT TO GET PARKS BACK TO NORMAL
Q&A with Chris Worman, Rugby Borough Council’s parks and ground manager

ON TEST
STIHL battery products

TURFGRASS STRESS MANAGEMENT
Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and antioxidants during biotic and abiotic stress in turfgrass plants

AUTUMN DISEASE MANAGEMENT
The coming months are going to prove very difficult

THE ABUSE OF PARKS . .
Is the abuse of society

WHY PARKS MATTER?
A statement from the Parks Management Forum to the Prime Minister

THE 21st CENTURY PARKS MANAGER
Innovative, creative and entrepreneurial

EAT, SLEEP, CUT, REPEAT!
Cricket under covid

TIME FOR A SINGLE SHOW?
Debate brought back into focus

A CHALLENGING TWO MONTHS
Running golf design projects from home

PRESSURE SITUATION
Cementing the reputation

A CLUB TO BE PROUD OF
10 years at the helm of Olton GC

GAME CHANGERS IN TURFCARE
The day the Lord's outfield reconstruction proved its worth

THE ESSENCE OF ESSENTIAL
Finding a sensible way forward on defining "essential maintenance"

THAT WAS THE YEAR THAT WAS
2001

HOW TO LOOK AFTER A GOLF COURSE WITH NO GOLFERS
Fundamental to the survival of almost all courses, if not of the game itself

RAIN STOPPED PLAY WOULD BE WELCOME
. . along with ‘lunch is being taken early’

PHYSICAL CONTROL OF TURFGRASS PESTS
An urgent problem

A DIVERSE & ENTERTAINING WEEK
Successful BTME 2020

INTEGRATED PEST CONTROL
Opportunity to embrace new methods

ENVILLE ON THE UP
Major investments taking place

GREEN FLAG AWARDS 2019
A great success

U.S PROFESSIONAL EQUIPMENT SHOW EXCELS
Buoyant GIE+EXPO

LEGACY OF THE SOLHEIM CUP
At Gleneagles

A DAY OUT WITH THE LADIES
Behind the scenes at the Solheim Cup

COVENTRY UNIVERSITY'S EDIBLE GARDEN SUCCESS
2006 - present

HAIL THE GRASS MASTERS!
Boorish media comments about pitch quality are wide of the mark

CONTRACTOR SEES MULTI-DISCIPLINE SUCCESS
360 Ground Care serving professional facilities

BUSY TIMES
Judging the Green Flag Awards

TAKING AN INTEGRATED APPROACH
What does it all mean in managing turf surfaces?

UNDER PRESSURE
Dry weather conditions continue to keep turf managers focused on moisture management

EDDIE SEAWARD
Death of Wimbledon’s influential grounds manager

MAJOR NEW IRRIGATION PROJECT
At Top 100 classic Berkhamsted Golf Club

NEW HORIZONS FOR THE HATTERS
Investment paying off at Kenilworth Road

ELIZABETHAN RESTORATION
At Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens

WHAT IS BIOPHILIA?
The vital impact of parks and green spaces on health and well-being

WORM CONTROL
Without carbendazim

THE TRUE COST OF PETROL
Battery-powered outdoor power tools are now turning the heads of professionals

SANDS OF TIME
Sand-based pitches are now the norm in professional sports

WHY DO WE DO THE RIGHT THING?
We must maintain industry standards

CHASING GRASS PERFECTION?
11 things you need to know . . .

MAINTAINING STANDARDS
Q&A with BASIS ceo, Stephen Jacobs

STRI RESEARCH DAY 2018
Hosted at research trial grounds in Bingley

THE MECHANIC
Leicester City FC invest in new role

LORD'S 'GRASS-GUVNOR' TO RETIRE
Mick Hunt bows out after 49 years

HOLLOW CORING & DEEP SCARIFICATION
Is it really necessary?

It was my privilege last week to attend what I believe is the largest outdoor power equipment trade show in the world, Equip Expo.

I was in Kentucky from Monday till Friday, with the TurfPro contingent which comprised of owner of the title Duncan Murray-Clarke and the winners of the OPEI's competition that ran through our pages to visit the show - Danny Lewis, landscape contracts manager at Manchester City FC and professional dealer Pete McArthur of Strathbogie Forest & Garden.

These guys were invited to join a panel discussion at the event, comparing and contrasting their roles in the UK with a couple of U.S contemporaries. It was a fascinating session with Danny and Pete both speaking brilliantly. What certainly appeared to come out of it, is that perhaps we in the UK are a year or two ahead when it comes to the uptake of battery and robotic products.

Show time

The event proper got underway on Wednesday, with Tuesday seeing the opening welcome celebration of the show, held at Slugger Field, home of the Louisville Bats baseball team.

The gathering of professional end users, dealers, manufacturers and groundscare specialists from across the U.S and around the world was celebrated with fireworks, hot dogs and the odd tipple - in anticipation of the main show kicking off.

Wednesday however saw the vast inside and outside showground open its doors to the huge numbers who've travelled here to Kentucky to experience this ever-more impressive show.

Seriously impressive

As is traditional, the show was open first to a dealer-only audience for several hours on Wednesday morning. Between 9am and noon dealers were free to walk the exhibition halls, speaking openly to exhibitors, without the ears of you end-user customers potentially overhearing what might be sensitive, or at least private, conversations.

These first hours brought it back to me, what the sheer scale of this endeavour is - and this is before the outside demo area even opened its doors at noon. I believe the show was completely sold out this year, for the first time ever. This was clear as there was no wasted space anywhere. No strategically placed tables and chairs in empty stand space; no wide areas of nothing - it was full to bursting.

And then once you've just about become used to the level on which the show is operating, they open the doors to the outside demo area - and the footprint goes stratospheric!

They have even managed to make the demo ground better than when I last visited in 2019. It's larger, has sculpted walkways now making navigating easier and they've included a utility vehicle demo track. Our guys who were visiting the show for the first time were blown away by just how good it truly is. Although the level of dust kicked up from all the cutting, driving and digging place on day two was something to behold!

And I won't mention the prototype mower that caught on fire late Wednesday afternoon, leading to an evacuation and the demo area closing early! All was dealt with though and was back up and running as normal on Thursday morning.

What was seen?

In this Weekly Briefing today, we have a few short films that hopefully convey a flavour of what was going on at the show. 

In terms of products on display there were zero-turns galore - many of which I suspect we won't ever see on our shores. STIHL for example launched a whole range of the mowers.

Whilst of course there were many examples of electrification of machinery options - or indeed automation - the impression our group came away with, was that petrol (or gasoline as they say over there), still has a very firm place in the U.S outdoor power equipment sector.

I spoke to the OPEI's President Kris Kiser about this and he told me that gasoline still has a significant role to play in the future of the industry - despite the moves in California to ban the sale of gas-powered kit.

Leaving thoughts

Upon leaving, I spoke to our contingent what their opinions were regarding the most interesting and exciting development for the industry that they saw during their time at the show?

The guys appeared to be in agreement that it was what Kress are doing with their Cybersystem, allowing a battery to fully recharge from empty to full capacity in 8 minutes. As the company's Todd Zimmerman said in his presentation, this offers professional end-users a genuine "reason for change" to move for the first time to a battery-powered machine from traditional fuel. He said in developing their range, the company wanted to compete with petrol products, not with other cordless machines.

The phrase is overused, but in this case it does seems to apply - what Kress showed in Louisville, and recently introduced to UK dealers, is a game changer.

In fact you can see below the bold, bold statement the company chose to put front and centre on their stand -

Equip truly is a special show and one that I'm sure many more UK turf professionals would find great benefit in visiting - assuming of course, that budget and time were available.

Joe Conrad of Mean Green Mowers, introduces a new compact zero-turn model that will be finding its way to UK shores early next year -via Overton (UK) Limited.

Duncan Murray-Clarke caught up with Sara Hey of Bob Clements International ahead of the 'Across The Pond' panel discussion, to consider how the industry on both sides of the Atlantic is adjusting to new power sources.

The panel discussion that featured Man City's Danny Lewis and dealer Pete McArthur of Strathbogie Forest & Garden will be featured in full in our sister title Service Dealer's upcoming Equip Expo Digital Special Report.