NTA Donates $50,000 Toward Turf Research

The Northwest Turfgrass Association will be donating $50,327 to worthy turfgrass research and education programs in 2019 as it continues to be a leading benefactor for the golf industry in the Northwest. Over the past five years, the NTA has donated almost a quarter of a million dollars to various programs.

There will be three separate research studies at Oregon State University that the NTA will continue to fund, totaling $31,160. All three studies pertain to Microdochium Patch, a consistent disease problem for turfgrass managers in the Northwest.

The NTA also will be supporting a $10,000 study by Dr. Paul Koch at the University of Wisconsin on snow mold control in higher elevations in the Northwest.

Included in the financial support being distributed by the NTA is $1,700 to both the Inland Empire GCSA and the Western Washington GCSA to help finance the development of a Best Management Practices guidelines for superintendents in the Northwest. 

In all for 2019, six different entities in the Northwest will be supported through the grants, which were decided by the NTA Board of Directors after recommendations from the Research Committee.

The grants from the NTA are made possible through the numerous and generous contributions from clubs and individuals throughout the Northwest.

For 2019, after extensive consideration and recommendations from the NTA Research Committee, the Board of Directors awarded the following research and education grants:

Comparing iron sulfate versus chelated iron for the suppression of Microdochium Patch on annual bluegrass putting greens in the absence and presence of phosphorous acid -- Oregon State University, $11,141.00

Effects of winter nitrogen, phosphate and potassium rates on Microdochium Patch – Oregon State University, $10,020.00

Quantifying the long-term effects of alternative Microdochium Patch management techniques on sand-based annual bluegrass putting green performance over multiple seasons – Oregon State University, $9,999.00

Snow mold control in higher elevations in the Northwest – University of Wisconsin, $10,000.00

Turfgrass field lab construction –  Walla Walla Community College, $3,267.00

Northwest BMP funding – Inland Empire GCSA, $1,700.00

Northwest BMP funding –  Western Washington GCSA, $1,700.00

Bill Griffith Turfgrass Management Scholarship, Walla Walla Community College, $2,500.00

For more information on how to apply for grants for 2020, or to contribute directly to the NTA, contact Paul Ramsdell, executive director of the NTA, at mpsparks90@aol.com or 253-219-8360.

Also, registration is open for the 2019 annual conference of the NTA, to be held Oct. 27-29 at the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort on the southern Oregon coast. More information on the conference is available by visiting the NTA web site at www.nwturfgrass.net.