Hello again from Alabama!
Canadian golf course superintendents visit FarmLinks

Golf Course Superintendents fled the chilly regions of Canada and came to FarmLinks earlier this month. The majority of these superintendents were from Ontario, where the Ministry of the Environment has been “making waves” with the passage of Bill 64. This bill essentially bans the use of all cosmetic pesticides in homeowner and consumer areas. At the present time, golf courses, forestry, and agriculture are exempt to this ban, but there is a great deal of anxiety over what the future may hold for pest solutions in this province and Canada as a whole. The Canadian Golf Course Superintendents Association has developed a grass-roots effort to educate the public on this subject. More info can be found on their Web site here.

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Horticulture professionals come to FarmLinks
Greetings from Alabama! Last week, Agrium sponsored the annual “Horticollege Week” here at FarmLinks. This was a great opportunity for me, being a former golf course superintendent, to learn more about the ornamental industry. I was impressed with the educational content of the program and the professionalism of the attendees. Dr. Charles Gilliam of Auburn University was a guest speaker and spoke about pre-emergent weed programs. Dr. Gilliam spoke at length about BASF’s new products Tower® herbicide and FreeHand®1.75G herbicide and how these chemistries should be used in any successful weed management program for ornamental production sites or in the landscape.

FarmLinks turns High-Tech
The “Experience at FarmLinks” has officially moved into our new “digs” at the Education Pavilion. I’ve attached some photos of the exterior of the complex and interior Education Pavilion.

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Gentleman, Start Your Engines!
Greetings once again from FarmLinks! Things have been busy this fall here at FarmLinks. As the summer winds down to a close, golf course superintendents have found the time to come to FarmLinks for some much needed relief from the rigors of a busy golf season.

FarmLinks guests experience the thrill of “Amp Energy 500� at Talladega
One of the highlights this fall has been last week’s Talladega Fall Race. FarmLinks invited over seventy five people from all over the country to NASCAR’s biggest spectacle in racing! The “Amp Energy 500″ saw more than 28 different leaders during the course of the race, with two major crashes ruining the day for several drivers. Eventually the crowd of 170,000 people saw Tony Stewart emerge as the winner. This was my first trip to a NASCAR event and I am still in awe of the enthusiasm these fans show in support of their favorite drivers.

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The Experience at FarmLinks continues to grow!

Progress on the Educational Pavilion and Offices.

Not only is progress being made on the new Educational Pavilion and Office Complex, but FarmLinks is also breaking ground on the new “Villas at FarmLinks”. FarmLinks is building these villas to position FarmLinks as a “stay and play” golf destination.

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The “Experience at FarmLinks” continues to captivate Superintendents from across the country!
Two of the most frequent reasons golf course superintendents come to Alabama to experience FarmLinks are to learn new and innovative turf maintenance techniques and share ideas among industry professionals.

Superintendents realize the true value in bringing cutting-edge technology and turf maintenance programs back to their facilities after visiting FarmLinks. The last few weeks have seen an assortment of golf course superintendents from Texas to North Carolina and everywhere in between! I think that fairy ring is the most common disease superintendents are currently facing on greens; however, pythium volutum is the issue that brings about the most concern with a majority of turf outbreaks concentrated in the Carolinas.

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