TOCA Talk – Fall 2015

 

Thank you for supporting the industry that supports our innovations. We take great pride in developing and bringing to market innovative solutions for weed, disease and insect control, which play an important role in everyday life.   TOCA Talk is proudly sponsored by BASF. 

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More than a meeting

By Scott Hollister, TOCA Board Chair

During my formative years in the green industry, TOCA meant one thing to me — meetings, most notably the organization’s annual meeting and the two breakfast meetings at the Golf Industry Show and GIE+EXPO. (And now we have a third gathering at the Irrigation Association annual meeting.)

I’m sure many of you view your involvement through the same lens, and with good reason. These events bring together our members unlike any others on the calendar, and they represent much of what TOCA is all about. They offer the professional development, networking and camaraderie that are at the core of our organization, offerings that have resonated among green industry communicators over the past 26 years and have helped us grow our ranks to more than 250 members and counting.

But for many, attendance at those meetings is where their involvement in TOCA ends. I know it’s a description that fit me for many years as I happily attended annual meetings and breakfasts at GIS, but participated little past that. There were still benefits to be had and value to be received, but as I would discover, both had their limits when going to these meetings was the only commitment I was willing to make.

It wasn’t until my involvement in TOCA grew and my contributions increased that I realized just how far past those limits I could go. Starting with my service on committees and continuing through election to the board of directors and, eventually, an officer position, I discovered that the more contributions I made, the more value I received from my membership and the richer my experiences with TOCA became.

So if you’ve ever wondered how you can get more out of your membership in TOCA, I’ll offer two simple words of advice — get involved. Volunteer to serve on one of the committees that advise the organization on everything from membership growth to professional development and the annual communications contest. Offer to help out in the planning of the professional development agenda at an upcoming annual meeting, including next year’s trip to Omaha, Neb., May 3-5, 2016.

And if it makes sense in your particular situation, consider offering your services to TOCA’s board of directors. During our annual meeting in Milwaukee, we added two new board members — Adam Slick with Jacobsen and Fuzz Martin with EPIC Creative — to that body, and we’re always interested in learning about other TOCA members willing to serve in that capacity.

TOCA’s meetings obviously serve as a great foundation for what our group is all about. But I hope you’ll take a moment to consider how you can draw even more out of your time as a member of our organization. As always, I’m happy to answer any questions members might have about investing more in TOCA. Feel free to contact me at shollister@gcsaa.org.

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If It’s Good Enough for the Trustys…Omaha Here We Come!

By Den Gardner, Executive Director

Steve and Suz Trusty, who live near Omaha, once said: “An annual meeting in Omaha for TOCA has a nice ring to it. It’s someplace I know our members would love to see someday.”

Well, Omaha indeed is the site for the 2016 TOCA meeting on May 3-5. The theme is being developed for the meeting by EPIC Creative and our more than 250+ members will be notified at GIE+EXPO of more 2016 plans. But did you know that:

• There are only 40 cities in the U.S. larger than Omaha?
• It’s the 60^th largest metropolitan area in the U.S?
• The Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium was proclaimed the “world’s best zoo” in 2014 by TripAdvisor? With 17,000 animals, 962 species and 130 acres, it’s a must see as the largest zoo in the world according to Touropian.com. In fact, it’s likely the TOCA tour on Wednesday afternoon will be to view the zoo with a horticultural perspective.
• Mega-conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway is headed by Omaha investor Warren Buffett, one of the richest people in the world, according to a decade’s worth of Forbes Magazine rankings, some of which have ranked him as high as No. 1? I think the Trusty’s may be just out of the top 10, according to our sources.
• That our home during our stay will be the Magnolia Hotel, a boutique-style property near the historic Old Market entertainment district, which has everything to satisfy your deepest cravings for dining, dancing, drinking, shopping, etc.? The hotel was named to the National Register of Historic places in 1974.
• The Old Market is Omaha’s most historic, most entertaining neighborhood? The cobblestone streets are home to a diverse mix of shopping, galleries, restaurants, taverns and people-watching.
• Omaha is the home of the Gallup Poll and the College World Series?
• The “Top 40” radio format, pioneered by Todd Storz, scion of Omaha’s Storz Brewing Co., and head of Storz Broadcasting, first started in the U.S. in Omaha at KOWH Radio?
• That Steve Wilbers, who had rave reviews in 2002 and 2003 as our keynote speaker in San Antonio and Charleston on b-b writing, is back with a new book and great new insights into writing copy for our trade audiences and Green Industry clients?

In keeping with its tradition of having a different site for each TOCA meeting, the soon-to-be 27th meeting in Omaha promises more and better professional development, the best awards program in our business, great camaraderie/networking and so much more. We hope you can make it.

Steve Wilbers is Back

While other professional development workshops for the TOCA meeting are being created as we speak, we do know that our keynote presenter will be Steve Wilbers, a writing consultant, columnist, award-winning author, Senior Fellow at the University of Minnesota, and Fulbright Fellow. He has offered training seminars in effective writing to more than 10,000 business, technical, legal, and academic writers and to a wide variety of clients, including Mayo Clinic, Medtronic, 3M, U.S. Bank, Xcel, the Metropolitan Airports Commission, AgCountry Farm Credit Services, Cargill, Ryan Companies, Thomson Reuters, the Metropolitan Council, the Wilder Foundation, Fredrikson & Byron, the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, and the Oregon State Bar Association.

And of course TOCA back in the early 2000s.

Wilbers teaches both written and oral presentation skills. He has also taught in the Carlson School of Management’s M.B.A. Program, the Program in American Studies, and the Program in Creative and Professional Writing. He has written more than 900 columns on effective business writing. His column appears twice a month in the business section of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

He has published two collections of his columns–Writing for Business–(winner of a 1994 Minnesota Book Award) and Writing by Wilbers. His book on stylistic technique–   Keys to Great Writing–has been described as “a writing class in a book” that “breaks down general advice on what to do into practical steps on how to do it.”   His most recent book–Mastering the Craft of Writing: How to Write with Clarity, Emphasis, and Style– is a compilation of his free monthly writing tips.

Dr. Wilbers earned his B.A. at Vanderbilt University and his M.A. and Ph.D. at the University of Iowa. For more information about Steve, please go to: www.wilbers.com.

The 2016 agenda will be more complete by the TOCA breakfast at GIE+EXPO in late October. Watch the TOCA web site: www.toca.org, for more information in the meantime.

See you in Omaha in 2016!

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TOCA Part of a Global Industry

By Steve Castle

Communications Executive for the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA)

 Watching the U.S. PGA Championship unfold on the frankly gorgeous shores of Lake Michigan, I found it was impossible for my mind not to drift. Partly this was because I’d placed a bet on the immensely likeable Jason Day to triumph at both the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay and The Open Championship at St Andrews, only to see him narrowly miss out. Naturally, I had forgotten to do this for the final major of the year with inevitable consequences. C’est la vie.

But my main reason for daydreaming was to think back to the TOCA annual meeting 2015, held just a short jog (or stumble in my case) from that very same body of brilliant blue water. It’s remarkable that several months have passed already, and we here at the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA) are now fully gearing up for BTME 2016, our annual turf management exhibition, which for the second time will feature a TOCA communications conference.

This truly is a global industry. I was recently fortunate enough to travel to South Africa for a two-week break, and on returning to the UK immediately headed north to St Andrews for a very wet and windswept Open Championship. For many years, courtesy of the R&A, BIGGA have taken 50 members to each tournament to join the home greenkeeping team in preparing the course, helping out during inclement weather and raking the bunkers for the professionals. In the BIGGA marquee nestled close to the famous 17th ‘Road Hole’, who should be the first characters to walk in but four South African greenkeepers looking for advice on establishing an official association?

After surprising them with my newfound knowledge of their country, and embarrassing myself with some outrageously off-key pronunciations of some of the locations I’d visited, we had an extremely positive discussion about supporting them in their future endeavors. It’s this type of global collaboration that TOCA is all about, and I’m already excited (if a little nervous!) about presenting during the TOCA’s Green Industry Communications event at BTME in January.

The immediate ambition is to attract my colleagues from across the turf media industry in the UK. This should cement the steps we have already taken in growing TOCA internationally, and ensure 2016 is a big year for spreading the word. In the meantime, does anyone have any cast-iron tips for next year’s golf majors?

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Getting the Scoop on TOCA Gardner Award Winners 

(Editor’s Note: The Professional Development Team continues its series on 2015 Gardner Award winners.)

First up: Lacy Ravencraft (Ewing Irrigation Products) recently spoke with Jon Kiger, Director of Media and Membership Sales at TurfNet, about his 2015 Gardner Award.

(L-R:) Jon and David Kiger on location at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil

Could you please briefly describe your winning project?

The winning project was “TurfNet on the Global Stage: Preparing and Maintaining Pitches for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.” The two-part video series interviewed a director of the company that built nine of the twelve soccer pitches (fields) used during the World Cup. It also interviewed the primary pitch care manager of the World Cup facility in Sao Paulo. The videos helped turf managers around the world understand the challenges of constructing the pitches in Brazil and the procedures to maintain them for this event on the global stage.

 

(L-R:) Jon Kiger with Roberto Gomide of World Sports Solutions International – subject of one of the Gardner Award-winning videos.

 

What were your key objectives and strategies in approaching this work? What influenced your approach? 

Honestly the series came about quite by accident. My son and I were staying in Sao Paulo during the FIFA World Cup, and took a long taxi ride to visit TurfNet member Rick Holanda at Santa Pazienza Golf Club about an hour out of town. When we arrived, we asked Rick for our best solution for getting back into the city and he mentioned that Roberto and Luis were visiting his course later that afternoon, and they could probably give us a lift. I had our TurfNet video gear with me since we were filming Rick, so when I learned that they were involved with the design, construction and maintenance of the 2014 World Cup facilities I naturally arranged to interview them about the process while we were all together. The goal of the interviews was to give professional turf managers an overview of the pitch design and maintenance for this world class event. 

 

(L-R:) Jon Kiger with TurfNet Member Rick Holanda at Santapazienza Golf Club outside of Sao Paulo, Brazil 

What was your favorite part of the project? 

By the time we filmed the interviews, I had been to three World Cup matches in the cities of Brasilia, Curitiba, and Rio. I was heading back home the next day, but my son David was staying with his cousins in Sao Paulo (my mother was born in Brazil) and attending another match in the stadium in Sao Paulo. Since the interviews were about the Sao Paulo pitch, I had him take still photos and video footage, which we incorporated into the series. He has been along for many TurfNet TV shoots, but this is the first one that he actually gathered the material that was used in the production. To be able to incorporate the once in a lifetime experience of attending World Cup matches into content for TurfNet was very special.

Please give us a few examples of what you think stood out in your winning entry. 

The timely nature of the videos stood out. We filmed this at the beginning of the World Cup, and had both videos completed and on TurfNet.com before the World Cup ended. Domestic videos are relatively easy to capture and produce. Being in a remote location and producing content about an event watched by millions around the world was particularly satisfying. Most of our content on TurfNet is golf-related. The fact that we could create an award-winning production on the topic of sports turf demonstrates the depth of our understanding of all aspects of turf maintenance. It also shows our commitment to covering turf issues wherever and whenever they happen.

Parting thoughts… 

This is a great example of always being on the lookout for interesting stories. We were at a golf course for a totally different purpose, yet when the opportunity to film about the World Cup pitches came about, we pounced on it. As mentioned above, my mother was born in Brazil and through that my sons and I are also Brazilian citizens. The whole trip included attending World Cup matches, visiting with relatives and seeing many sights around Brazil. To be able to share some of those experiences within the industry I serve was a real treat.

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Editor’s Note: Next, we asked Jose Milan, Director of Green Business Operations for Bayer, a few questions about Bayer and Global Prairie’s Marketing Communications Gardner Award for Photography, Video and Multimedia for “The Historic Restoration of Pinehurst No. 2 (abridged).” 

Could you please tell us about your winning project?

In 2011, Pinehurst Resort began a restoration project to restore the No. 2 course to its original intended design from 1948. Part of that process involved fostering the growth of indigenous native grasses, growing fewer acres of turf under intensive management, and practicing sustainable pest management techniques. Bayer helped make this possible through a collaboration with NCSU and Pinehurst. Together, we combined efforts to help Pinehurst Resort understand the diversity of native plant species and to plan an ecological approach to managing the newly reintroduced plant life.

The story itself is about revivalism and ecology, but also sustainability. We debuted the project during the 2014 U.S. Open and Women’s Open Championships. That year, the championships were hosted back to back. It was the first time in history that both tournaments were played in the same year on the same course.

How did you come up with the idea for the historic restoration? Superintendents are challenged on a daily basis to manage turf in a way that reduces playing time, protects natural resources and lowers operating costs—all without sacrificing playability. For Pinehurst No. 2, the goal was not only to reclaim its historical care, but also to develop innovative and sustainable solutions to meet today’s challenges. It was an effort that we were more than thrilled to support.

What do you think led to your success with this project? The bulk of our success stemmed from really great alignment of objectives for Bayer, NCSU and Pinehurst. Bayer and NCSU were in a strong position to be able to provide the strategic counsel that Pinehurst was searching for on agronomic, plant health and plant biodiversity issues.

It was also a fitting time for the industry, with an increased focus on sustainable solutions, plant health and fostering the growth of native species. The Pinehurst project was as much about nostalgia and restoring a legendary golf course as it was about education and partnering with fantastic experts like those at NCSU.

How did you measure your results? It was important to us to ensure the industry understood why this was such a special opportunity. To that end, we wanted to carefully monitor the ways the message resonated with superintendents, so we used a variety of platforms – traditional and trade media, social media, television as well as microsites and other print and digital means.

Bayer and Global Prairie collaborated to develop a robust video featuring the newly redesigned golf course as well as a series of news releases, press materials for both national and trade media coverage and social media around the restoration’s success.

Our key metrics included coverage in high-profile trade media publications, TV coverage of various restoration videos, and engagement among our social followers. As opposed to impressions alone, our main focus was on retweets, mentions and participation in Twitter contests throughout both Opens. The goal was to encourage continuous interactions and to engage our followers throughout the championships.

We also looked at earned media promotion through a Pinehurst-dedicated microsite, where we measured the number of unique visitors, the percentage of visitors who started watching the video as well as the top sources for web traffic.

To help bolster visibility even further, we also implemented a paid media campaign to promote the program through advertorials and placements in U.S. Open e-newsletters by targeted industry publications, like Superintendent magazine.

Any further thoughts about working on it? Bayer is fully dedicated to university academics and research as well as the support of higher education. We were honored to work with NCSU on this important and highly meaningful project and grateful for the opportunity to help support Pinehurst through a memorable and historical restoration.

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TOCA intern ‘showed a strong work ethic and great attitude from day one’ 

By Melanie Krawczyk

(Editor’s Note: This summer, Melanie Krawczyk of Illinois State University in Bloomington, IL, was TOCA’s intern. She speaks of her experiences working on Total Landscape Care magazine. The internship is funded through the TOCA Foundation with a grant from Bayer.)

The daunting task of finding a summer internship is one that haunts college students until, well, looking for an actual job. As a current senior at Illinois State University, I study agriculture communication. I have loved plants, agriculture and the green industry for as long as I can remember. I also love to talk and learn from others, so naturally this major was a great fit. When my department sent out an e-mail regarding an internship from TOCA for a landscape magazine, I knew I had to apply. With previous internships in both landscaping and blog writing, TOCA must have seen that I was a great fit.

Randall-Reilly, the company that publishes Total Landscape Care magazine, is located in Alabama. I live in Illinois. While staying in Alabama for the summer would have been a great experience, it was just not logistically feasible. Working from home became the best option for us. And thankfully, the people at Randall-Reilly were able to make that happen.

Every day I would wake up and get to work by 8 a.m. and find press releases to edit into shorter stories, article ideas to develop and words of encouragement from my extraordinary editor and mentor, David Rountree. I had some fun tasks too, including attending webinars about weeds in Texas.

Writing for a magazine was all new for me. I have run social media pages and blogs, but actual writing wasn’t in my current repertoire of experiences. But, when you’re a hard working lady like me, nothing can stop you. I read articles published on the site and did some research. From my first short, my writing got better as my confidence grew.

I was extremely surprised by the amount of respect I received. I interviewed people from the EPA about the Clean Water Rule. I talked to CEOs from large start-ups and leaders from many different national associations. They all talked to me as if I was their equal. If I ever received a press release from a company without a picture (which I learned is called “art” in the journalism world,) I would simply e-mail the communication specialist that sent me the release for a picture to include. They would promptly send me a picture or graphic, usually with an apology. Little intern Melanie got apologies.

People just wanted their news to be heard. While the news industry and how people are receiving their news is changing, consumers of trade magazines, as I discovered, continue to want to be informed on the most recent ideas. From safety features on lawnmowers to invasive species in the home landscape, I covered it all.

My favorite part of the program was easily the week I spent in Tuscaloosa. TOCA was generous enough to fly me down for a week to see the office and meet David. While I did get some writing done while I was there, I also enjoyed seeing the University of Alabama’s campus, as well as eating a lot of comfort food.

I am extremely grateful for this experience. Writing and good communication skills are universal and can be carried to any job I could ever dream of having. With graduation approaching in May, questions like, “What’s next?” are flying at me. While I think grad school is somewhere in the future, I would like some industry experience first. I think I have it boiled down to two things. I would love to work for a communication association or marketing board. I would also like to work with urban audiences to incorporate agricultural and plant knowledge — whether it is with politicians or the public.

I would like to thank Den Gardner from TOCA for noticing something in me and letting me tackle this opportunity — and to Bayer for sponsoring this internship program. I would like to thank Marcia Gruver Doyle from Randall-Reilly for setting me up with my wonderful mentor David Rountree. He was incredibly friendly and intelligent, which was exactly what I needed being somewhat new to writing for publications. His daily phone calls kept me motivated, for which I was really thankful. He was grateful as well, as he noted in this note for me:

“Melanie showed a strong work ethic and great attitude from day one of the internship. She also showed a great deal of talent as a researcher and writer. While we tried to give Melanie some interesting assignments along the way, she was also tasked with a lot of routine yeoman’s work – rewriting news releases and the like. She demonstrated her professionalism by taking those routine items seriously and producing clean copy quickly. I’m extremely grateful for the TOCA internship program, and if Melanie is any indication about the quality of candidates, I’ll look forward to our next opportunity to play host to the association’s intern.”

As quickly as my year has begun, it will surely end. In the months to come, I will be searching high and low for a job that I will love – or at least pay the bills. I wish good luck to TOCA’s next intern. I can already tell it will be a great stepping stone for me, and I know it will be for them as well.

2016 TOCA INTERNSHIP APPLICATION

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TOCA Looking for Intern Host Publication for 2016

The fourth year search for a publication to host the intern for the TOCA Internship Program is underway. The internship program is sponsored by Bayer through the TOCA Foundation.

In the three years of the program, North Coast Media has hosted the intern twice and Randall Reilly (through Total Landscape Care) once – in 2015. The 2015 intern was Melanie Krawczyk of Illinois State Univeristy (see article above).

If your publishing company, or association or company that has needs for a summer intern to write articles for magazines, newsletters, online copy or similar assignments, please fill out the 2016 TOCA INTERNSHIP HOST APPLICATION on the TOCA website. Go to www.toca.org for more information.

The experience, as noted above in the article by Melanie, is educational and informative for both the intern and the host organization. Thanks in advance for your interest in this great program for students.

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Two Nebraska Turf Students blogging for TurfNet this summer
By Jon Kiger, TurfNet

On the left is Jeff Lenihan who blogged for TurfNet about his experiences working for Campey – a supplier of sports turf equipment. On the right is the fourth annual TurfNet Ireland Golf Course intern – Eric Bruening. He blogged for TurfNet during his summer working at Lahinch Golf Club in County Clare, Ireland. It was the fourth summer TurfNet has helped place an intern in Ireland.

TurfNet continued its annual run of student-produced content during summer 2015 by employing two University of Nebraska turf program students as bloggers. Jeff Lenihan was stationed in Macclesfield, Cheshire (England) working for Campey Turf Care Systems. He assisted with demo days and customer visits across Europe, primarily on the sports turf side. Throughout the summer he hosted the Pitch Prep in the UK blog on TurfNet. Jeff wrote over thirty individual blog posts between May and early August.

Of his summer in Europe, Lenihan had this to say, “I had an incredible time in Europe and learned so much by talking with groundsmen and other turf industry professionals in seven different countries. This internship allowed me to see the best of the best in the profession with trips to Manchester United, Arsenal, Wimbledon, and St. Andrews. Richard Campey and everyone at Campey Turfcare Systems made this past summer an amazing experience and I can’t thank them enough.”

For the fourth consecutive year TurfNet helped place a student intern at a golf course in Ireland. Eric Bruening – a rising senior at University of Nebraska – worked at Lahinch Golf Club in County Clare for the summer while blogging for TurfNet. This was TurfNet’s first student blogger to work at a traditional Irish links course. His blog continued through his volunteer experience at the 2015 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits. For the second consecutive year, TurfNet’s Greenkeeping the Next Generation blog was sponsored by TOCA member Jacobsen.

Eric Bruening shared his thoughts on what it meant to spend the summer in Ireland, “The entire experience was better than I could have ever imagined. The entire staff at Lahinch Golf Club went out of their way to accommodate me and TurfNet provided the ideal platform for me to share my experience. Top to bottom, my experience was unforgettable.” Bruening has been hired as an editorial intern (handling social media and other topics) for TurfNet through the end of 2015.

TOCA member Jon Kiger has coordinated TurfNet’s international internship blogging program for the past four years. “It has been a real thrill to see turf students from the U.S. break out of their comfort zones by living and working in a different country. We appreciate their efforts blogging for TurfNet while developing an additional skill that will serve them well in their careers. We believe this is some of the only student-generated content in our industry.”

TurfNet reported updates on their former Irish interns in the following article:

http://www.turfnet.com/news.html/_/blogging-interns-where-are-they-now-r531

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TOCA Seeks New Applications for Hall of Fame
 By Staff

 The TOCA Hall of Fame inducted two pioneers of the organization – Jose Milan and Steve Trusty at its 26^th annual meeting in Milwaukee in May. The previous year, Cindy Code, Pat Jones and Jerry Roche were inducted at the organization’s 25^th annual meeting in New Orleans.

The organization at that time also grandfathered four previous inductees from its

Distinguished Service Award program – Margaret Bell, Den Gardner, Owen Towne and Bob Tracinski – into the Hall of Fame as well.

The TOCA Hall of Fame will now induct members each year into the Hall of Fame. Click on the r a TOCA Hall of Fame 2016 Application to be inducted in May 2016 in Omaha) please go to TOCA’s website. For more information about this program, please contact the TOCA office at 952-758-6340.

 

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Year Four Finds Changes in Plant Health Writer of the Year Program
By Staff

The fourth year of the Plant Health Writer of the Year program, sponsored by Bayer, will find changes to what types of articles qualify for writers to be eligible for selection in this program. Until this year the program criteria required that only articles specific to plant health would be eligible for candidates to enter to qualify for the award.

“We’re expanding the focus of the award to broaden the types of articles eligible,” Den Gardner, executive director, says. “This was at the request of the TOCA board and discussions with representatives from Bayer. We are pleased with the new criteria.”

Previous winners have been:

2013 – Larry Aylward, Moose River Media

2014 – Karl Danneberger, North Coast Media (Golfdom)

2015 – Howard Richman, Golf Course Management (GCSAA)

The award is given annually to an outstanding writer for excellence in plant health issues to the appropriate green industry audience through writing, including New Media, for a publication or publishing company. The winner of this program must be a TOCA member.

These are now the types of writing that are examples of what qualifies for entry in this award program:

• Plant-specific articles related to the health of the plant.
• Water issues and its effect on turf, shrubs, flowers, etc., regarding green spaces.
• Fertilization/nutrient management innovations and its effect on green spaces.
• Pesticide innovations and its effect on green spaces.
• Mowing technologies and how new methods affect plant health.
• Growth regulators and the effect these technologies have on plant health.

For more information about this program, please contact the TOCA office at 952-758-6340 or go to TOCA’s website.

2016-PlantHealthWriter-Application, emailed or postmarked by March 1, 2016.

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TOCA ANNOUNCES THE 2016 ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNICATOR OF THE YEAR PROGRAM

The Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association (TOCA) announces its eighteenth Environmental Communicator of the Year Award program. The award, sponsored by Project EverGreen, is given annually to an active green industry member for outstanding efforts in communicating the benefits of environmental stewardship to a particular audience within the turf and ornamental industry. Winners in the first seventeen years were: Mark Welterlen of Grounds Maintenance Magazine; Bill Love of W.R. Love Golf Architecture; Tim Doppel of Atwood LawnCare, Inc.; Doug Fender, Turf Producers International; Allen James, RISE; Rod Dodson of Audubon International; Jeff Gullikson of Spokane Country Club; Kevin Trotta of IPM; Helen Stone of Southwest Trees & Turf; Allied Golf Associations of Colorado; Drs. Larry Stowell and Wendy Gelernter of PACE Turf, Chris Gray of Marvel Golf Club in Kentucky, Anthony Williams of Stone Mountain Golf Club, Frank S. Rossi, Ph.D. of Cornell University, and Phil Fogarty of Weed Man and Crowley’s Vegetation Management, Brandon Horvath, Ph.D., turfgrass professor at the University of Tennessee

The award is open to anyone in the green industry. Nominees, however, must be a present TOCA member or be nominated by a present TOCA member. (A member can nominate herself/himself).

The award is given annually at the TOCA annual meeting, held this year in Omaha,NE, May 3-5, 2016. A $500 cash stipend is presented to the winner.

TOCA is composed of editors, writers, photographers, publishers, public relations/advertising practitioners and others involved in green industry communications. The association was formed in 1990 to serve members of the green industry.

Applications will be judged and a winner selected by a group of independent, expert judges.

APPLICATIONS MUST BE EMAILED OR POSTMARKED BY MARCH 1, 2016.

WINNER WILL BE NOTIFIED IN MARCH 2016.

For more information, contact Den Gardner at toca@gandgcomm.com or 952-758-6340.

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Applications Open for TOCA College Scholarship
By Staff

 Applications are now available for the TOCA scholarship program for the 2016-2017 school year. The 2015 scholarship of $2,500 was awarded to Jenna Hay of Texas Tech University. She also attended the annual meeting in Milwaukee. TOCA annually awards one, $2,500 scholarship.

“The committee (Cindy Code, Steve Trusty and Felicia Gillham) annually does a great job,” says Den Gardner, executive director. “The caliber of the students each year makes the decision tougher and tougher. We are thrilled to provide this monetary gift to a worthy student each year.”

For more information about this program, please contact the TOCA office at 952-758-6340 or go to TOCA’s website.

2016 TOCA Scholarship Program Application, emailed or postmarked by March 1, 2016

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TOCA Membership Renewal for 2016

Having reached our 2015 membership goals of 250 members, TOCA will be emailing the 2016 Membership Renewal forms soon. The good news is we have been growing for the past five years and for that we say thanks to you. Now, more than ever, we need you to renew all of your members and maybe even increase your individuals within your company or organization. You can help us reach our goal and help TOCA grow.

TOCA membership, compared to other organizations, is a tremendous bargain. It’s only $140 per year for the first member and $90 for the second and subsequent members. Let us thank those companies and organizations who have continued to support us with a high level of membership.

Please note that again this year we have added an optional tax-deductible $15 contribution to membership dues for the TOCA Foundation. If you prefer not to contribute, please notify the TOCA office at 952-758-6340.

If there is more than one TOCA member in your company, one person from the group will receive the membership email. He/she should pass the Membership Application form to the other members in the company who want to renew their membership. Membership Applications can be found online at www.toca.org/membership.   Please return a Membership Application for each renewing member with your payment so we can keep track of each renewal. You may pay dues with a CHECK made payable to the Turf & Ornamental Communicators Association.   Or you can pay ONLINE with a credit card (VISA/MC/AMEX) at www.toca.org.   Click on Membership. Click on Why Join TOCA? At the bottom of this page click on Join and Pay Online. To renew an existing membership, please log in to our members system by clicking on the line indicated. After logging in, you will see all the members from your company –OR- your individual name. You can update your contact information. If you are renewing with others in your company, your Group # will be listed here. And you can Renew Membership for 2016.

Your company can save considerably per person by renewing as a group.   We ask that you contact the TOCA office by December 31, 2015, with any changes to your contact information from last year so we can get the corrections into the online membership directory. All renewals for 2016 are due by the end of this year. We look forward to you renewing your membership. Please don’t hesitate to call the TOCA office with questions about your membership. Send emails to: toca@gandgcomm.com

Den Gardner, Executive Director

Kristy Mach, Associate Director

Kendra Rasmussen, Membership Director

Barb Ulschmid, Event Planner/Assistant Director

P.O. Box 156, 605 Columbus Ave. S.

New Prague, MN 56071

Office: 952-758-6340   Fax: 952-758-5813

Email: toca@gandgcomm.com

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TOCA and Bayer Offer New Member Breakfast Reception at GIE + EXPO Meeting

The Turf & Ornamental Communicators Association (TOCA) is again providing a breakfast reception at the GIE + EXPO in Louisville, KY.

Bayer sponsors the breakfast, with the room provided courtesy of Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI).

For Whom: TOCA Members and Invited Guests

When: Friday, October 23, 2015

Where: Kentucky Exposition Center, Room C105

Time: 7:30 a.m. – 8:15 a.m. – Breakfast

8:15 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. – Bayer Update

We encourage you to bring a prospective member/guest to the breakfast. Whether or not you plan to attend, please RSVP. Any questions, contact Barb Ulschmid at 952-758-6340 or email to toca@gandgcomm.com. Thank you – see you in Louisville!

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 Running (from what?) Reporter

 By Dan Gardner, TOCA Special Running Correspondent 

Last time we visited, I wrote “It’s a good day to get a run in!” I’m going to stick with that theme again. . . being healthy and fit is of utmost importance.   However, I’m going to concentrate this time more specifically: about running on a treadmill or other indoor apparatus or outside.

If you live (like I do) in a cold-weather winter state (MN), a treadmill is a wonderful option.   For those cold months (for those souls not ready to face below zero wind chills and slippery road surfaces), staying indoors for your workout is an excellent choice.

Some things to know: a. If you place your treadmill at a 1 percent grade, scientific research (accomplished by others way over my pay grade) supports the idea that it simulates outdoor running; b. Bio-mechanical patterns do not change when test subjects run on a treadmill vs. running outside; c. When the elements and roads are an issue, it is ALWAYS better to run inside.

Another common sense practice is to have liquids to keep refreshed – even when running inside.   And you know the “right” type of liquids we are talking about here. Running indoors can be somewhat boring, so watch some television (previously recorded or otherwise), catch up with a movie on DVD or Netflix or…, read a book, etc. while doing your workout.

You can be stimulated while doing your health a big favor. I hope these tips will help as colder weather approaches. Now, for those of you who live in warm climates – I hate you (but in a good way). Now, I’m off to Florida to play golf with brother Den.

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Calendar of Events | 2015-2016

October 21-23, 2015 Green Industry & Equipment EXPO (GIE + EXPO) Kentucky Exposition Center Louisville, KY

October 21, 2015 TOCA Board Meeting -1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Kentucky Exposition Center, Room: C110 Louisville, KY

October 23, 2015 TOCA Breakfast, Sponsored by Bayer – 7:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m., Bayer Update – 8:15 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Kentucky Exposition Center, Room: C105 Louisville, KY

November 12, 2015

New Member Lunch at the Irrigation Association Show – Long Beach, CA

Noon – 1:00 PM

December 31, 2015

TOCA Internship Host application deadline

January 18, 2016

TOCA International Half-Day Workshop/Seminar

British Turf Management Exhibition (BTME) at BIGGA

Harrogate, England

9:00 AM – Noon

February 8-11, 2016 Golf Industry Show

February 10, 2016: TOCA Breakfast Reception – 7:00 a.m. to 8:15 a.m.                                                                                                                                     Hilton San Diego Bayfront, Room: Sapphire 410 San Diego, CA

February 29, 2016 TOCA Internship Student application deadline

March 1, 2016 – TOCA Scholarship application deadline – Plant Health Writer of the Year application deadline – TOCA Environmental Communicator of the Year application deadline

March 7, 2016 TOCA Communications Contest entries deadline

April 1, 2016 TOCA International Communications Contest entries deadline

May 3-5, 2016 (Tues-Thurs) 27th annual TOCA Meeting Magnolia Hotels, Omaha, NE