Printer Friendly Version

EDITOR'S BLOG

CHANGEOVER TIME
From winter to summer sports
by TurfPro Editor, Laurence Gale MSC, MBPR

We are now entering an extremely busy time for grassroots clubs - that like all aspects of our profession, comes with its own unique pressures.

We are now entering an extremely busy time for grassroots clubs. We are at that period where we need to start preparing for the changeover from winter sports to summer ones.

Most cricket club groundstaff are now looking at starting their pre-season rolling programme. There is no hard and fast rule of when to start your pre-season rolling, it is purely down to the weather conditions and more importantly the condition of your ground.

No two grounds are the same. Each club has their own unique environments and topography.

As a general rule, it is a good idea to begin rolling work in the weeks leading up to the start of the cricket season. This will allow the pitch to be properly prepared and to develop the desired characteristics for cricket play, such as a smooth and level surface with good bounce and pace.

Pre-season rolling

The rolling work should begin with light rolling to help level the surface and gradually increase in weight and frequency as the season approaches. It is important to monitor the condition of the pitch during this time and adjust the rolling as needed to ensure that the surface is not becoming too compacted, which can lead to poor drainage and decreased performance.

By understanding what your rollers can and cannot achieve is very important. Knowledge of soil compaction, moisture content and soil swell and shrinkage, coupled with the importance of allowing pitches to dry, is all part of good pitch preparation.

The aim of rolling a cricket square is to compact the pitch so that it is harder and more consistent. The harder the pitch, the less deformity will occur on ball impact, resulting in more pace and bounce.

Brian Sandalls, a Sussex cricket groundsman, provides a wealth of information on cricket pitches and has recently published some specific information on Pre Season Rolling.

Wellbeing

Brian’s website also recently produced a podcast that featured a number of turf professionals who candidly spoke about some key issues facing our industry, that I found to be most interesting.

Entitled No 1 Turf Topics- Recruitment and Mental Health Concerns, during the session Brian and his guests spoke about the pressures faced in doing their job and the difficulty in getting the appropriate resources, products, machinery and quite often the right levels of staff to deliver the expectations of their employees and end users. All this can be compounded by low pay and less than ideal working conditions. All too familiar traits that our industry has experienced for many years.

From my own working experiences, these issues have always been a challenge and can only be changed if we have the presence of mind and communication skills to convince others to invest in our ambitions and ideas. This is needed to giving us the time and recourses to deliver their expectations.

As mentioned in the podcast, these outcomes are often made more frustrating by the fact that many of our line managers can sometimes not understand the complexities of the job and how major an influence the weather can be when preparing natural grass playing surfaces.

Lighting rigs to help promote growth

We have also seen in recent years, the dramatic advances in monitoring turf health as well as a plethora of products now available to promote growth and sustainability.

All of these pressures are now affecting the health and wellbeing of turf professionals, with many now leaving our profession. I would say from experience that too many facilities are under-resourced and are only functioning on the goodwill and dedication of their staff - often working long hours and weekends to fulfil these tasks, oftentimes for no additional recognition or payment.

We as an industry need to take stock of these problems and start to change our working environment. Above all there must be a better understanding of our jobs, hopefully leading to better pay and working conditions.

The future of our industry depends on this.

NEWS

ROBOTIC DEMO DATES ANNOUNCED
For line marking technology

In our first WEB ONLY story, company says events are open to any turf professional involved in sports pitch maintenance.

NEW TEAM MEMBERS & NEW THINKING
Investment for 2023

In our next WEB ONLY story, the newly created company say they are establishing a clear direction.

MERLO EXPANDS COVERAGE
Following previous dealer moving focus

With Chandlers FE shifting their focus into other product areas, Merlo has significantly increased a neighbouring dealer's territory.

Merlo UK have announced the appointment of Lister Wilder to represent its products across a significantly increased territory.

L-R: Robin Cooch (national aftersales manager, Merlo UK); Toby Bennet (head of sales, Lister Wilder); Charlie King (managing director, Lister Wilder); Phill Hughes (sales & hire director, Lister Wilder); Shaun Groom (general manager, Merlo UK)

Shaun Groom, general manager at Merlo UK explained, “Following an announcement at the end of 2022 that Chandlers FE Ltd would be moving their focus into other product areas we have been working hard to secure a stable and long-term partner for the Merlo franchise in the area.

We are delighted to be able to announce the further strengthening of our relationship with Lister Wilder with the expansion of their territory for Merlo”.

Effective from the 1st of March 2023 the Merlo Agricultural telescopic handler range, Cingo tracked carriers, TreEmme attachments and forestry tractors will all be represented by Lister Wilder in an area stretching from Bristol in the West to Windsor in the East.

Lister Wilder depots in Bristol, Cirencester and Reading will join the already well established Kent-based Ashford depot. This location has already represented the Merlo franchise for several years in Kent and eastern area of East Sussex.

“We are really excited to be representing Merlo again from our Western & Central branches,” said Phill Hughes, sales & hire director at Lister Wilder, “Merlo and Lister Wilder hold a lot of common values; both being family companies that have been supporting agriculture for many years."

Phill continued, “We are under no illusion as to the responsibility that this announcement brings. These machines are widely accepted as one of the most frequently used and relied upon machines on farm, so good back up is paramount.

“We have welcomed new team members to Lister Wilder to ensure this is the case and are now ready to hit the ground running, allowing us to continue supporting our customers with the best machinery on the market.”

SUPPORT FOR POWER FOR ALL
Demonstrated by manufacturer

Company announce a complete product range that supports the Power for All battery system.

Husqvarna has announced they are launching a complete product range that supports the Power for All battery system.

The manufacturer's Aspire range includes a robotic mower, walk behind mower, grass trimmer, pruner, hedge trimmer and blower.

The Power for All Alliance is described as one of the world's largest cross-brand battery alliances and was co-founded by Husqvarna Group, through its Gardena brand, and Bosch in 2020. The Husqvarna brand joined the Power for All Alliance in 2022, meaning consumers can use the same 18V battery for multiple devices in and around their home and garden, regardless of manufacturer.

Pavel Hajman, acting CEO of Husqvarna Group said, “Electrification is changing society and is essential in the transition to a low-carbon economy. Husqvarna Group is on an electrification journey with great ambitions to enable garden owners to shift from fossil fuel to battery-powered products. Successful collaborations and powerful batteries really make a difference in this progress."

The Husqvarna Group has said that shifting from petrol to battery-powered products is one of their strategic priorities. They say their ambition is to have 67% of the company's motorised products run on electricity by 2026.

NEW ROLES FOR EX-GREENKEEPERS
Two start with amenity company

With pressures and demands on turf professionals, new starters say they are looking forward to finding solutions for them.

Agrovista Amenity has announced the appointment of Stewart Carbray and Sam Sweetzer who will join the company’s team of amenity specialists.

Stewart Carbray

Stewart joins from Bothwell Castle Golf Club where he worked for twenty-three years after initially joining as an apprentice. During this time, he worked his way up to the position of head greenkeeper, and after six years in this position he felt the time was right to embark on a new opportunity.

“I achieved what I set out to do at Bothwell Castle and I saw so many improvements at the course. I wanted to stay within the industry and always had an interest in the other side of the business, so the Agrovista opportunity was just too big to ignore.”

Stewart, who will be covering the areas of west and central Scotland and further down into Dumfries and Galloway borders.

Sam Sweetzer

Sam Sweetzer also comes from a greenkeeping background, and his last role was at The Buckinghamshire Golf Club as deputy course manager.

Sam said, “There is a huge amount of pressure and demand on greenkeepers at the moment and I’m looking forward to finding solutions for them."

Sam will be focusing on the areas of Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire and says he is relishing the opportunity of building relationships with a wide variety of customers.

“I’m really looking forward to getting out on the road and meeting lots of different people, from many different sites and furthering my knowledge on various sports turf surfaces. My background might be in golf, but a lot of my clients will be working in colleges, schools, cricket, rugby and football."

DEALER HELPS POLICE
With rural crime initative

Dealership has teamed up with New Holland to loan the local police Rural Engagement Team a T6.160 tractor.

New Holland Agriculture and local Essex dealership Ernest Doe have teamed up to loan the Essex Police Rural Engagement Team a T6.160 tractor.

The tractor has been wrapped in Essex Police livery and will attend various agricultural shows and events around the region until the end of July. The Rural Engagement Team work tirelessly at these events to raise public awareness to help drive the reduction of crime in rural communities.

The tractor made its debut at the 63rd annual Ernest Doe Show held at Ulting, Essex, on 7th - 9th February. The Rural Engagement team spent time talking with show goers about how they target their resources and operational activity to best effect. They also raised awareness of specific crime prevention tactics that farming and rural communities can take to keep their property, equipment and personal belongings safe.

Chief Inspector Terry Balding, of the Rural Engagement Team, said, “We are very grateful to New Holland Agriculture and Ernest Doe for the use of the T6 tractor, which has drawn a large number of visitors in the events that it has already been on display. We are building up a diary of events for our ‘Marked Police tractor’ throughout the Spring and Summer in Essex and the tractor is becoming a popular attraction alongside our Rural Police. Our officers will make the most of that interest by opening up conversations with them about crime prevention and criminal activity, which we know is under-reported by people in our rural communities. All this helps us to continue building the links with farmers, landowners and rural communities."

David Rapkins, New Holland Business director UK & ROI added, “We know how crime and anti-social behaviour impacts rural life, particularly our farming communities, so it is vitally important that, as an agricultural machinery manufacturer, we support the local constabulary in their efforts to raise awareness of crime prevention tactics and to encourage people to report crime and anti-social behaviour to them.”

The tractor and the team will be attending a number of events this year including:

10 March: Essex Rural Crime Strategy 2023-26 launch, Layer Marney Tower
30 April-1 May: All About Dogs, Hylands Park, Chelmsford
21 May: Essex Young Farmers Show, Boyton Hall, Roxwell
7 June: Essex Police Rural Crime Forum, New Holland Agriculture, Basildon
8th July: Tendering Show, Bromley Road, Manningtree

JOBS

ADVERTISE YOUR JOBS HERE
Amazing success rates!

Advertise your jobs on TurfPro Weekly Briefing

Advertise your recruitment needs on TurfPro Weekly Briefing and reach our targeted audience of recipients every week.

Contact Nikki Harrison for details - 01491 837117