Five-Day Turfgrass Ecology and Management Short Course
This “new” turfgrass management continuing education program is designed to provide basic and practical information to new professional turfgrass managers, as well as to provide experienced turf managers the opportunity to review and update their knowledge. Thirteen Texas A&M University faculty will draw upon their expertise to address turfgrass industry issues, problems and opportunities as they present a well-balanced program of 36 contact hours of instruction. Participants will be awarded Continuing Education Units, appropriate to the course content, upon completion. As State Turfgrass Extension Specialist, I will be directing the course which will be held January 23-27, 2006. It is sponsored by Texas Cooperative Extension and Texas A&M University. This program is intended for individuals caring for turfgrasses in a broad range of management systems (sports turf, lawn care, golf turf, parks and municipal lawns/recreation areas and sod production). Topics include:
· Turfgrass Growth & Development
· Turfgrass Identification
· Soil Physical, Chemical & Biology Properties
· Modifying Soils
· Grass Adaptation, Selection & Use
· Seed, Sod & Sprig Establishment
· Water Management & Water Quality
· Mowing Management
· Common Calculations
· Nutrient Management
· Cultivation, Topdressing & Thatch
· Winter Overseeding
· Pesticide Laws, Regulations and Safety
· Integrated Pest Management
· Turfgrass Weed, Disease and Insect Identification and Control
· Environmental Issues
· Industry Issues
· Turf Stress Management
· Practical Problem Solving
General Information
The fee for the course is $595 and includes the following: Turfgrasses: Their Management and Use in the Southern Zone as the text, a short course notebook of reference materials, CEU Certificate, four lunches and refreshments. On-site check-in begins Monday, January 23, at 8:15 a.m. in room 108 of the Donald L. Houston Center, 200 Discovery Drive, College Station TX 77843. Classes begin at 9:00 a.m. Monday and will end at 12:00 noon on Friday, January 27th.
Early registration is encouraged, as enrollment is limited. Pre-registration is required. The Registration deadline is January 6, 2006. The course website (http://cecoe.tamu.edu/turfgrass/index.htm) provides course information, course topics, on-line registration, speaker bios, lodging information, and a downloadable program brochure.