News
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20 March 2008
Varied programme for TGA members’ meeting
Coventry-based forklift manufacturer Moffett hosted the Turfgrass Growers Association’s Spring members’ meeting recently.
The event was held at the Draycote Hotel near Rugby and attended by more than forty TGA members and affiliates.
As well as enjoying the superb hospitality, guests heard presentations on a diverse range of subjects, with Moffett’s Director John Bailey first to take the floor, providing an update on the company’s latest product developments. The focus then turned to turf, as Mike Butler from Compo Professional spoke about plant nutrition and the use of slow-release fertilisers. The final guest speaker of the day was Andrew Kneeshaw from the Farm Energy Centre who stimulated a lively debate with his talk on ‘Understanding your carbon footprint’.
After lunch, the Moffett team led guests into the hotel grounds for a demonstration of its range of truck-mounted forklifts.
Commenting after the meeting, TGA Chief Executive Tim Mudge said: “We had a fantastic turnout of members to the event to enjoy another varied programme of talks on industry and business-related subjects and we extend our thanks to Moffett for their support and hospitality. These events provide a platform and meeting place for members which enables them to get the latest news and meet industry colleagues, suppliers and customers”
John Bailey of Moffett added; “We were delighted to take the opportunity to host this event, as it gave us the chance to meet our existing and potential customers. In addition to this it was an excellent forum for all things related to turf production.”
7 January 2008
TGA members gather for association update
Members of the Turfgrass Growers Association and representatives from its affiliated companies gathered at Thornhaugh near Peterborough recently to receive an update on the association’s activities and to discuss issues affecting turf production.
In addition to presentations made by TGA council members on topics including the revised Water Bill, withdrawal of key chemicals by the EU and the association’s ongoing soil project, a presentation on the use of plant growth retardants by Dr. Ruth Mann from the STRI stimulated lively debate. She was followed by Paul Hayden from Tack Training who led a fascinating discussion on effective negotiating, including tips on strengthening your position using intelligent questioning and gave some startling facts about the impact of concessions on profit.
In the afternoon session, Chris Hartfield from the NFU took to the floor to deliver a presentation about working in cooperation with the TGA, his role as Horticultural Adviser and the involvement of turf in his team’s remit.
TGA Chief Executive commented after the meeting: “I’m pleased that so many of our members and affiliates attended. The TGA is involved in a number of important industry matters and we like to ensure our members are kept informed every step of the way. Because we are working more closely with other industry bodies, we thought it would be useful for our speaker programme to reflect that.”
7 December 2007
TGA keeps growing
The TGA is pleased to welcome Sovereign Turf as a new member.
Sovereign Turf Limited is a family owned and run business which has grown turf for gardens and specialist applications at its site near Woodbridge since 1988. Managing Director David Waring commented: “Sovereign Turf Limited has always recognised and supported the need for a strong association that clearly represents the needs of turf growers. With the work that appears now to be starting and a renewed effort in making itself relevant to the marketplace, the TGA once again appears to have the basis for a credible voice in our industry. We are pleased to rejoin the TGA and support it once again in its future plans.
The TGA’s Chief Executive Tim Mudge commented: “The TGA has had a very productive year, which is reflected by our growing membership. We have many important issues on the agenda for 2008 and the input of all members is invaluable.”
19 September 2007
TGA welcomes new members
Following on from the success of its turf show in June, the Turfgrass Growers Association has welcomed three new members.
Quicklawn, a family business situated in the North East of England, began cultivated turf production in 1993 and currently grows 240 acres.
Don Valley Limited produces 100 acres of turf at its nurseries in Inverurie in Aberdeenshire. The father and son team established the business in 2001 and began producing cultivated turf in 2002.
Lindum Turf rejoined the association this summer after a period of absence. Managing Director Stephen Fell, who was a founder member of the association, says the new administration’s proactive approach to addressing hosepipe bans and other important issues motivated them to do so.
The association’s Chief Executive Tim Mudge commented: “After a very productive year we’re delighted that the association continues to expand and we’d welcome further applications for membership from other professional growers.”
In order to become members, a grower must demonstrate that its turf meets the TGA’s stringent criteria, producing turf which adheres to its Quality Standards for Cultivated Turf, first published in 1996. Each applicant’s turf nursery is inspected by an independent assessor who makes recommendation of acceptance of a membership application to the TGA council.
12 July 2007
Turf show success
The TGA staged its biennial turf show on Wednesday 27th June. It was hosted by County Turf at one of its turf farms in North Lincolnshire and was a resounding success. The well laid out and compact site enabled harvesting and forklift demonstrations to be carried out in the centre of the show for everyone to see. Exhibitors’ stands were arranged in a horseshoe around the central arena and a diverse range of companies also displayed stands and products in the marquee. Mowing demonstrations took place in an adjacent field after a lunchtime shower which interrupted an otherwise dry day.
Despite travel problems and road closures due to local flooding, the turnout for the event was superb. In addition to the many UK visitors, the TGA was pleased to welcome guests from as far away as the Czech Republic, Sicily and Scandinavia to the show. It was also delighted to welcome Kirk Hunter, Executive Director of Turfgrass Producers International to the UK. He spent a few days with member growers and the TGA council before exhibiting at the show, taking valuable information on UK turf production back to share with his colleagues in the States.
That evening, more than 140 guests attended the turf show dinner in the impressive new banqueting suite at the Forest Pines Golf & Country Club Hotel. The event was sponsored by Barenbrug UK who welcomed guests with a tropical ‘Bar Mix’ cocktail before they were seated for a superb four course meal.
Before dinner was served, the TGA’s new Chairman Robert Adcock thanked host Andy Fraser for the work he and his team at County Turf had put into preparing the site and the TGA turf show committee for putting the whole event together. He also thanked the many exhibitor companies for their support and extended the association’s gratitude to British Seed Houses, Moffett, Trebro, Leijenaar, Trilo, Fieldens, Turfmech and The Landscaper magazine for their generous sponsorship of the show and to Barenbrug who added great style to the evenings proceedings as dinner sponsors.
The show raised more than £10,000 for the TGA’s research and development fund which is a fantastic achievement. Details of how this will be spent will be available to members and affiliates in due course.
23 March 2007
TGA Turf Show set to be bigger than ever
WHAT - TGA Turf Show
WHERE – County Turf, Cleatham Hall Farm, Nr Kirton Lindsey, North Lincs, DN21 4JS.
WHEN – Wednesday 27 June
WHO SHOULD GO? – Turf growers, landscape gardeners and contractors, groundsmen and greenkeepers, managers of parks and gardens, managers of stadia, sportsgrounds and golf courses, landscape architects, project managers and surveyors, professional gardeners, consultants and advisors.
As summer draws nearer, preparations are taking place in earnest for an important event in the industry calendar - the TGA Turf Show.
The biennial event is being hosted by Andy Fraser at County Turf on Wednesday 27 June at Cleatham Hall Farm, near Kirton Lindsey in North Lincolnshire, and will include a wide range of activities, events and demonstrations for everyone involved in the growing, buying, selling, laying and after-care of turf for amenity, sports and landscaping.
Andy commented: “My staff and I are very proud to be hosting the show and we’re looking forward to welcoming visitors, exhibitors and sponsors to our turf farm. We’ve got our fingers crossed for fine weather and a great turnout.
The event will be a real showcase for the wealth of expertise and superb products that combine to make TGA cultivated turf the best available.
We guarantee visitors an interesting and informative day out. As well as visiting the exhibitors’ stands to get up to date on new products and services, they can enjoy refreshments, attend a turfgrass species identification workshop run by independent turf consultant and agronomist Robert Laycock and watch the latest innovations in plant and machinery being ‘tried and tested’ on the demonstration plots.”
The turf show has received generous sponsorship from British Seed Houses, Moffett, Trebro UK, Fieldens, Trilo UK, Leijenaar Products BV and Turfmech Machinery, whilst Barenbrug UK has sponsored the gala dinner at Forest Pines Golf & Country Club.
Entry to the show is free and thanks to Pitchcare, registering is easy. Simply log on to www.pitchcare.com and click on the ‘TGA Turf Show’ banner to the side of the homepage. By registering online, entry to the show is quicker and the TGA can also keep you up to date with all the latest news and information.
For more information go to the Turf Show page.
8 February 2007
New Chairman for the TGA
Robert Adcock of Somergreen Turf took over the Chairmanship of the Turfgrass Growers Association (TGA) when members gathered in Bath for its Annual General Meeting recently.
He farms 90 acres of cultivated lawn turf on the foothills of the picturesque Quantock Hills in Somerset and also undertakes soft landscaping works and garden maintenance in the South West of England. Robert has been a TGA member since its inception in 1997 and has taken an active role on the Council for most of that time.
“Following on from Stephen Edwards’ productive time as Chairman and the progress the association has made since Tim Mudge became Chief Executive, I hope to help the TGA go from strength to strength,” he commented.
“During my term as Chairman, I’ll be encouraging greater interaction between growers and taking steps to attract new members and affiliates. The PVGA’s administrative expertise coupled with the strengths and business experience of the TGA council has already proved invaluable in raising our profile and ensuring that we’re consulted on issues that affect turf producers. I’ll be supporting our Chief Executive in lobbying water companies and policy makers to ensure that our members receive the best possible service from their association. I’m looking forward to welcoming visitors to our turf show in June when we will have the opportunity to showcase the best in UK turf production to our customers and industry partners.”
18 December 2006
TGA members get Olympic update
Turf growers from across the UK gathered at the Processors & Growers Research Organisation’s headquarters in November to receive an update on the TGA’s activities during 2006.
Mark Glover from Bellenden Public Affairs and organiser of the ‘Greening the Games’ campaign around the 2012 Olympics, gave the group an update on its progress, saying the association is edging close to achieving its aim of getting its quality standards specified on all Olympic landscaping contracts. He said that Chief Executive Tim Mudge is making a valuable contribution to the steering committee and that the campaign is leading the way in its approach to ensuring that best practice, British suppliers and environmentally friendly products feature heavily in the construction and maintenance of the Olympic venues.
20 October 2006
TGA meets with Thames Water to discuss drought order implications
Representatives from the Turfgrass Growers’ Association (TGA) have met with officials from Thames Water to discuss the implications of drought on the turf industry and to press for a 28 day exemption from any hosepipe ban for newly laid turf.
6 November 2006
Preparations underway for 2007 turf show
Preparations are already well underway for the 2007 TGA turf show.
The biennial one-day event will be hosted by Andy Fraser at County Turf on Wednesday 27th June and will include a wide range of activities, events and demonstrations for everyone involved in the growing, buying, selling, laying and after-care of turf for amenity, sports and landscaping.
22 September 2006
TGA representing turf industry on 2012 ‘Greening the Games’ committee
The Turfgrass Growers’ Association (TGA) is one of three Associations representing the horticulture industry on the 2012 Olympics ‘Greening the Games’ committee.
Working alongside the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA), the British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI) and other industry partners, it has pledged its support for the campaign which aims to showcase and achieve a lasting legacy for UK horticulture.
15 September 2006
TGA responds to Environment Minister’s comments on climate change
The Turfgrass Growers’ Association (TGA) is to write to the Environment Minister, Ian Pearson, drawing attention to the way consumers have benefited from its members’ proactive attitude towards climate change, following a speech made during his visit to The Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew on Monday.
24 May 2006
Turf growers offer top tips for establishing lawns during water ban
Ten tips for the gardener working with turf
The TGA now has a new administration office. For full details please click here to vist the contact page.
18 April 2006
Turf growers take positive steps to address water shortage
Ten tips for the professional landscaper working with turf
11 April 2006
Turf growers take positive steps to address water shortage
Members of the Turfgrass Growers Association (TGA) have united to address the drought problems which are likely to affect them and their customers.
The association has formed a steering group to call for an exemption from any hosepipe ban for newly-laid turf and to look at practical steps it can take to protect growers and reassure end-users.
