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Bobcat Introduces TL623 Telehandler
Jessica Schwartz
It’s World Soil Day! Here’s The Dirt
World Soil Day (WSD), a program of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, is held on December 5 every year (since 2014) in order to focus attention on the importance of healthy soil and to advocate for the sustainable management of soil resources. Over 95% of our food originates from soil and water, which is vital for nutrient absorption by plants and binds our ecosystems together. However, in the face of climate change and human activity, our soils are being degraded, putting excessive pressure on our water resources. Erosion disrupts the natural balance, reducing water infiltration and availability for all forms of life. Consider these facts: 33% of soils are degraded. It can take up to 1 000 years to produce just 2-3 cm of soil. Soils supply 15 of the 18 naturally occurring chemical elements essential to plants. There are more living organisms in a tablespoon of soil than people on Earth. Up to half of our household waste could be composted to nurture our soil. While geared toward agriculture, many of the key messages of Word Soil Day 2023 will resonant with landscapers. Some of the key messages include: Soil and water are interconnected resources that need integrated management. Improper soil and water management practices affect soil erosion, soil biodiversity, soil fertility, and water quality and quantity. Soil and water conservation contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation. Soil erosion and compaction disrupt the capacity of soil to store, drain and filter water, and exacerbates the ...
Turf June 2022 Issue
Editor’s Letter: June 2022 Issue Not A Drop To Drink I could fill this Editor’s Letter with scary statistics about water shortages and drought, but unless you’re living under a rock within that xeriscape you designed, it’s not news to you. In many areas, we are in crisis with a precious resource not only essential to life, but essential to the landscape trade. “Using clean, filtered drinking water to water landscapes will become a thing of the past,” writes Doug Pushard, founder of HarvestH20 in his article, “Water Harvesting & Reuse.” Though that may seem unlikely, or at least years away, in states blessed with adequate rainfall, landscapers in California are already facing harsh water realities. While smart controllers, drip irrigation, and appropriate plant selection should come into play in any irrigated landscape, firms like CK Landscape in San Francisco are leading the way with fertigation, groundwater use, and graywater systems as standard practices in their stunning designs. It likely won’t be long until many others in arid areas are following suit—by choice or by necessity. Of course, too much water comes with its own set of landscape problems. Storms with deluges of rain over a short time can mean drainage problems. And stormwater runoff is increasingly being scrutinized for its pollutants. I recently spoke with a friend in a neighborhood where his rain garden is a property requirement and subject to municipal inspections and fines. And yet I remember a time fairly recently when few people had even heard ...
Cat Trial 12: The Ultimate Assist
“Cat Trial 12: No Hands” highlights the teamwork, agility and precision that goes into success for teams and job sites. Cat Trial 12 shows how autonomy is coming to other industries. The latest video features a semi-autonomous version of the Cat® 299D3 Compact Track Loader(CTL). With its vertical lift design, this CTL delivers extended reach and lift height for quick and easy truck loading. Its standard, suspended undercarriage system provides superior traction, flotation, stability, and speed. These features work in a wide range of applications and underfoot conditions. A semi-autonomous version of the machine was also available for preview to the public and press at Cat Trial 12. Caterpillar has decades of experience with autonomy – specifically in the mining sector. A 2020 acquisition helped advance the experience in large mining equipment and start on a path that features new, nimble, miniaturized technology. So, while not commercially available yet, the semi-autonomous 299D3 points to the potential Cat Command for Construction has to enhance job sites in the future. Also featured in Cat Trial 12: No Hands is former Major League Soccer player DaMarcus Beasley. Beasley played for the Chicago Fire and Houston Dynamo in addition to teams in The Netherlands, England, Scotland, Germany, and Mexico. He is the only American man to play in four FIFA World Cups. He made 126 appearances during his 16-year international career before retiring in 2019. And he wasn’t just a fantastic player, Beasley is an ambassador for the “beautiful game.” The course featured obstacles made ...
Ken Catalano Named VP of Landscape & Nursery Sales at Florida Coast Equipment
Florida Coast Equipment announces the addition of Ken Catalano, Vice President of Commercial Landscape and Nursery. Ken will work closely with Florida Coast Equipment’s existing and new customers across the nursery and landscape industries. Florida Coast Equipment and BIG ORANGE RENTAL is a family-owned & operated full-service Kubota Dealership that now serves 10 locations across the state. “Florida’s environmental horticulture industry annually generates over $30 billion in total sales annually,” said Todd Bachman, President and CEO of Florida Coast Equipment and BigOrange Rental. “Ken Catalano brings the right experience, relationships, focus, commitment and energy required to ensure we, Florida Coast Equipment and Kubota, are positioned to serve the commercial landscape and nursery industries for years to come.” Ken brings nearly 20 years of landscape experience to Florida Coast Equipment, having previously served as director of operations for the last 10 years at BrightView Landscape Services in South Florida. Founded in 1985, Florida Coast Equipment has grown from a single dealership with two employees to Florida’s largest Kubota dealer and one of the top dealerships in the country. For more than 30 years, they have served large agricultural growers, builders and contractors of all sizes, nurseries, commercial landscapers, local and state governments, golf courses, HOAs, equestrian facilities, and estate homeowners in Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River, Okeechobee, Brevard, Seminole, Lee, Collier, Hillsborough and Pasco Counties. Florida Coast Equipment rents, leases, sells, repairs, services and provides parts for Kubota utility vehicles, zero-turn, walk-behind, and stand-on mowers, tractors, ...
SiteOne Launches Marketing Toolkit For Landscape Business Owners
Landscape business owners have a new time-saving benefit from SiteOne® Landscape Supply with SiteOne’s Marketing Toolkit. The turnkey online program gives customers the ability to quickly create, customize, and print marketing assets to promote their businesses in their communities. The Marketing Toolkit is exclusively for Partners Program members. “We know our customers are busy running their businesses and it can be challenging to find time to spread the word about their services,” said Allison Flynn, senior director of Integrated Marketing at SiteOne. The online portal is stocked with pre-designed professional templates. These templates include: business cards; door hangers; flyers; truck magnets; and yard signs. Each can be customized with a unique logo, business name, and contact information. Users simply edit the template of their choice and make any desired changes. Materials can be professionally printed and shipped directly, or downloaded for free to be printed in-house. Members can get started by logging into the online portal and creating a username and password. Contact a local SiteOne branch to become a Partners Program member and gain access to the Marketing Toolkit. As a Partners Program member, users earn points with every qualified purchase. To learn more about a recent software integration by SiteOne click here.
Turf Magazine Wins Two Top Editorial Awards
Turf magazine received two first-place editorial awards at the Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association (TOCA) Annual Meeting last week in Kansas City, MO. Turf took home Top Writing honors in two categories. “H-2B: An Employer Perspective” by Mari Medrano, human resources director for CoCal Landscape in Denver, CO, won first place for Editorial/Opinion Piece. “Defending the American Lawn” by Dennis Patton, horticulture agent with Johnson County Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, won first place for Environmental Stewardship Article. “We’re thrilled to win these prestigious awards from TOCA, and for such important issues facing the industry, like hiring and sustainability,” said Christine Menapace, editorial director of Turf magazine. “It’s our job to keep our audience of lawn care and landscape professionals apprised of the latest news and trends in the industry, and being recognized by TOCA for our efforts is a great honor. I’d also like to thank the article authors for partnering with Turf.” The TOCA Communications Awards are designed to acknowledge the wealth of outstanding communications generated by the Green industry, recognizing outstanding writing, design, photography, videography, and interactive efforts in Publishing and Marketing Communications. Turf magazine is produced by Group C Media.
STIHL Launches “Made In America” Campaign
STIHL Leads New Campaign With The Message “Made in America. Three Words Not Everyone Can Say.” STIHL Inc., is tapping into American’s sense of patriotism and unity in a new national multi-media advertising campaign to inspire consumers to purchase products Made in America. The campaign reinforces the company’s continued support of and investment in American manufacturing. It also reinforces an often-overlooked fact that a majority of STIHL products sold in the U.S. are actually made in America from U.S. and foreign materials. More than 75 models of STIHL equipment are currently made in America of U.S. and foreign materials at the Virginia Beach, VA facility with plans in place for additional category expansion. Products made at the facility include chain saws, trimmers, edgers, brush cutters, pole pruners, backpack and handheld blowers, sprayers, shredder/vacuums, and more. The STIHL Inc. facility also produces battery equipment. “Many of our customers may not be aware that several models from our ever-growing battery-powered line are manufactured in our U.S. facility,” said Ken Waldron, STIHL Inc. national marketing manager. And there are plans to expand “Battery Power. Made by STIHL.” manufacturing later this year. Since its inception in 1974, the STIHL Inc. Virginia Beach campus has grown from a single 20,000-square-foot rented warehouse to over one million square feet, spanning more than 150 acres. The Virginia Beach plant also manufactures many of the components and accessories used by other STIHL facilities around the world. In addition to supporting the U.S. market, STIHL Inc. exports its products ...
Experts Predict Bad Year For Browntail Moth Infestations
The browntail moth has recently made a strong resurgence across the Northeast, according to sources at Arborjet | Ecologel. Experts predict this will be a bad year for the invasive insect, “possibly the worst it’s been in over 100 years.” The browntail moth was accidentally introduced into Somerville, MA from Europe in the late 1800’s. By the 20th century, the insect had spread to all of the New England states, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. The Maine Forestry Department says that browntail moth populations are again building in Maine and in areas along the coastal northeast. The larval stage (caterpillar) of this insect feeds on the foliage of hardwood trees and shrubs including: oak, shadbush, apple, cherry, beach plum, and rugosa rose. This causes reduction of growth and occasional mortality of trees and shrubs. While feeding damage causes concern, the browntail moth’s primary impact on people results from contact with poisonous hairs produced by the caterpillars. Microscopic, toxic hairs break off the caterpillars and can be airborne or settle on surfaces. Sensitive individuals who encounter the hairs may develop a skin rash similar to poison ivy and/or have trouble breathing. “Timely treatment is even more important with the browntail moth than most other leaf-feeding insects because of the risk to humans posed by contact with their hairs,” says Rob Gorden, director of Urban Forestry and Business Development for Arborjet. “Treatments can be done in the spring when caterpillar larvae become active, as leaf expansion occurs, beginning in May into early ...
