Last Tuesday, July 9th, we held our annual Purdue Turf and Landscape Field Day. The weather could not have been more ideal for a July day in Indiana. The morning started out with 23 dozen donuts, and gallons of coffee, at 9:00 am. After opening remarks, the groups broke up into the various tracks, which included the landscape, lawn, and golf groups. The field day included 443 attendees, 38 vendors, four sponsors, and over 20 volunteers in attendance for a great day of hands-on education.
The morning landscape program included:
- John Bonkowski speaking about boxwood blight in the landscape.
- Lindsey Purcell teaching tree risk assessment.
- Cliff Sadof discussing the most prolific pests this year, including treatment options.
- Kyle Daniel demonstrating a research trial that examined weed control using phenological cues to time preemergence herbicides.
- Fred Whitford leading a discussion on what happens after a car accident for your company.
- Joe Becovitz giving an update on what the Office of the Indiana State Chemist is seeing thus far in 2019.
After a great lunch, which included 575 pork chops, 720 bottles of water, 720 cans of lemonade, and 375 pre-scooped ice cream cups, the landscape group travelled a mile down the road to Horticulture Park on the far west side of campus. John, Lindsey, Cliff, Rosie, and Kyle led a walk-about at Hort Park where various insects, disease, and abiotic disorders were discussed on many different species. The attendees enjoyed the opportunity to learn real world problems in a hands-on environment.
Be sure to mark your calendars for next year’s field day on July 14th, 2020!
