MTC Board of Directors Needed

• You have a passion for the Turfgrass Industry!
  
• You want to help make a difference in the future of the industry!
  
• You enjoy connecting with other members of the industry!
  
• Why not make a difference as a member of the MTC Board of Directors
  

• The Board of Directors meet one late afternoon a month, normally at the Maryland Department of Agriculture (Annapolis) or The University of Maryland Turfgrass Research Farm (College Park).
  
• Desire to communicate with other Board members in person or over email.
  
• Need to possess a passion for the Turfgrass Industry and desire to spread Turfgrass education and benefits across the State.
  

• Drop an e-mail or call Vernon Cooper at Execdir@mdturfcouncil.com or 410-745-9643 and express your desires.
  
• At the Annual Meeting during the Mid-Atlantic Turfgrass Expo, last week of Jan, all interested persons will be presented and the two positions filled (you do not have to be present to be elected).
  

Please send all information and / or have any further questions to: Vernon Cooper at Execdir@mdturfcouncil.com or 410-745-9643.

Court strikes down Montgomery County’s ban on lawn pesticides

By Rachel Chason August 3 

Original Article by The Washington Post

A Montgomery Circuit Court judge on Thursday overturned the county’s ban on the use of cosmetic pesticides on lawns, dealing a major setback to environmental advocates who argued that chemicals in the products are unsafe.

Judge Terrence McGann said that the law — the first of its kind for a major locality in the region — would conflict with federal and Maryland state regulations that allow the use of the pesticides. The case was just one example of Maryland counties’ “insatiable appetite to tamper with existing state laws,” McGann said.

Counties have also “tried to hijack a portion of the existing field of law” in areas including tobacco, guns and minimum wage, he said.

The law, passed by a divided County Council in 2015, was to take effect in 2018. It bans pesticides that have been approved by the federal government but contain chemicals that some studies say may cause cancer. The law exempts agricultural land, gardens and golf courses, and does not prohibit the sale of lawn pesticides in the county.

A provision of the bill eliminating the use of herbicides and pesticides on certain county properties, which was not part of the lawsuit filed by a group of homeowners and pesticide companies, took effect in July.

Council member George Leventhal (D-At Large), the bill’s chief sponsor and a candidate for county executive in 2018, said he was “very disappointed” by McGann’s ruling, which he said “sets a worrisome precedent for the ability of local governments to protect their residents on vital issues of health and safety.”

The county has 30 days to appeal McGann’s ruling.

Timothy Maloney, an attorney for the plaintiffs, including Scotts Co., a major manufacturer of lawn-care products, called the ruling a “significant victory for consumer safety.”

If the ban had been upheld, he said, it would have set a legal precedent for the 187 jurisdictions in Maryland to have their own regulatory systems for pesticides.

“There would have been total chaos and confusion in the marketplace,” he said.

McGann said the desire to “avoid confusion from diverse requirements” that could endanger public health is the reason that the state legislature adopted pesticide rules that work with federal Environmental Protection Agency regulations. The Montgomery County ordinance, he said, would disrupt the uniformity established by the legislature.

But environmentalists who support the ban say federal regulations are inadequate — especially now that the EPA under President Trump is rolling back some Obama-era regulations.

“Look at the EPA right now: It is a weak institution,” said Julie Taddeo, an environmental activist and leader of Safe Grow Montgomery who was in court for the ruling. “It’s not doing enough to protect our kids.”

She accused McGann — who frequently makes jokes from the bench and on Thursday quipped that pesticide label-reading was a “cure for insomnia” — of not taking activists’ concerns seriously.

Montgomery County Council President Roger Berliner (D), who also is running for county executive, said he has asked the county attorney to advise the council on whether to appeal the decision and on other possible legal options for reducing residents’ exposure to chemicals.

“With federal safeguards in the areas of public health and environmental protection dwindling, I believe that it is more important than ever for county government to work to protect the health and safety of its residents and our environment,” Berliner said in a statement.

Maloney scoffed at an appeal as “a tremendous waste of taxpayer dollars.” Trump’s election, he said, does not change the “well-established findings and protocols on pesticides” that exist across the United States.

Membership Drive at Camden Yards on St. Patrick's Day!

When March 17, 2017 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM Tickets $0.00 Members $25 Non-Members Directions Camden Yards 333 W Camden St. Baltimore, MD 21201       REGISTRATION TO CLOSE END OF BUSINESS TODAY 3/13/17.  Don't miss out! MASTMA brings you the luck of the Irish next week on St. Patrick’s Day in the heart of Baltimore City.    Check out our speakers: Ryan Bjorn, Maryland SoccerPlex, MASTMA President Ryan will discuss the progress of the newly formed MASTMA, introduce you to the Board of Directors, highlight member benefits, and give you a sneak peek into what MASTMA has to offer its members in 2017. Dr. Joseph Roberts, University of College Park, MASTMA Board Member Dr. Roberts will provide a brief overview of turf microbiology as it pertains to turfgrass health, discuss current industry trends that have a significant impact on altering soil microflora, and gain insight from the audience on future directions for useful turfgrass research projects. Nicole McFadyen, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, MASTMA Secretary Nicole will discuss the challenges with the unique surface at Oriole Park and the factors that contributed to the decision to install a new playing surface in December.  She will provide an on-field equipment demonstration and give us a “behind the scenes” tour of this iconic facility.   This amazing morning closes with lunch, networking, and Q&A session with these esteemed turf industry professionals.  This is your opportunity to learn from the best! Join your MASTMA friends after the event for green beer. You don’t want to miss this unique opportunity at Camden Yards on St. Patrick's Day.  We hope you can join us!    Register Now Cost of admission is FREE to members!  Complete yourmember application online now.  Don’t forget to return to the event page to register. Not ready to join?  No problem!  Come check us out for a nominal $25 event registration fee.

January 30th-February 2nd

-FREE Pesticide and Professional Fertilizer Re-Certification to active MTC members. 

For full program, directions, and more information please go to:

www.Turfconference.org

Preview YouTube video Turkey Bowl 2016

Turkey Bowl 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXhanyQc4Q0&authuser=0

Mid-Atlantic Sports Turf Managers Association Inaugural Meeting

The newly re-formed Mid-Atlantic chapter of the Mid-Atlantic Sports Turf Managers Association (MASTMA) had their first member organizational meeting at M & T Bank Stadium on October 25. About 150 STMA members and prospective members attended the event which included an educational program, information about the re-kindling of the chapter, and a field tour. The educational program included PowerPoint presentations, a panel discussion, and a field tour. The PowerPoint presentations included Baltimore Ravens Head Groundskeeper Don Follett, who spoke about the conversion of the M & T Bank Stadium from a synthetic surface to 419 bermudagrass, Jerrad Minnick from Growing Innovations who spoke about the latest technology in stadium lighting; Dr. Tom Turner who spoke about an overview of the turfgrass research program at the University of Maryland; and a panel discussion including lead groundskeepeers from many of the regional professional stadiums.

The field tour provided an opportunity for attendees to take a look at the overseeded 419 bermudagrass field and the SGL lighting system used to improve the light quality for the turf against the long shadows of this second half of autumn. The on-field portion of the meeting also included a presentation by University of Maryland professor Dr. Kevin Mathias demonstrating uses of a variety of field tools and instruments sports field managers can use to make their job easier and increase their turf management precision.

The event provided a good opportunity for sports turf managers in Maryland, DC, and northern Virginia to connect after what has been a very difficult summer in the Mid-Atlantic region. Steering committee member Jason Kopp captured the mood, “After the event talking with several people about what they liked and found useful they all said they got to meet other managers from the area who they didn't know. This is what the chapter is all about.  Sharing resources, information, and building longstanding friendships.”

“It was a great day of learning, networking, and sharing ideas with other turf managers from the Mid-Atlantic.  The overall attitude and response from the meeting was overwhelmingly positive, and I look forward to continuing to expand this network with MASTMA!” noted Ryan Bjorn, Director of Grounds and Environmental Maintenance at Maryland SoccerPlex.

The groundwork of the chapter rejuvenation has been accomplished over the last several months by a steering committee including sports turf managers at some of the region’s professional complexes and industry suppliers.

Re-starting a chapter that faded out about a decade ago, this first meeting represents a lot of hard work by the steering committee over the last several months. “I’m proud of what this steering committee has accomplished so far.  There is a lot of work left to do but looking at where we are today and how far we have come in a short period of time is remarkable,” noted Mr. Kopp.

Nominations for the MASTMA Executive Board and Officers were accepted and members will be voting on these candidates in the next few weeks. After a new Board of Directors and Officers are installed later this fall, they will take the winter to continue to reach out to prospective members, set up committees, and get organized for 2017. Moving forward, the next chapter event will be March 17, 2017 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards

“It was invigorating to be a part of this process and to see it come together so well.  The number of people that attended was great, but the level of enthusiasm for what we are trying to accomplish was what excited me the most.  I can’t wait to see how we harness the momentum and carry it forward,” said Patrick Coakley, who manages Ripken [Sports Complex] in northeast MD and is on the steering committee.

Hopefully, MASTMA can keep the momentum. As evident from the crowd at M&T, sports turf managers from around the Mid-Atlantic are happy to have an STMA chapter they can call their own!

By Geoff Rinehart

Production Manager/Lawn Care Specialists

American Lawn and Tree Specialists, Inc. is currently growing and we are currently looking for qualified Lawn Care Specialists and Production Managers to contribute to the success of our company. We are expanding and currently have locations in the White Marsh and Westminster areas.

 We are a lawn care and tree/shrub care service company providing our services to both residential and commercial customers. We perform lawn care and landscape programs for our customers servicing all of central Maryland. We have an A+ Rating with the BBB and a 4.7/5 Rating with Homeadvisor.

We are looking for full-time career minded experienced lawn care specialists with a strong knowledge for tree/shrub care.

Job Requirements require the successful candidates must

• be at least 21 years of age
• possess at least a high school diploma have at least 1 year of experience in lawn care (ie. fertilization, weed control, etc.) be able to work Monday-Friday (6:30 am-5:00 pm) and sometimes Weekends be able to perform physical activities, (job includes some strenuous activity) have reliable transportation, possess a valid driver's license and good driving record be able to pass drug screen and DOT physical have good communication and writing skills be able to safely drive company vehicles report to work consistently on a daily basis when scheduled to work be able to work independently have the ability to communicate with customers, verbally and in writing, about our service and their properties and address different concerns customers have with varying conditions.
• be efficient in completing daily tasks.
• able to mix and apply lawn & tree/shrub care products, read material labels and fill charts be able to run leads for prospective customers and follow up have a strong working knowledge of computers and tablets; how to use Microsoft office, and simple data entry

Preferred Applicants will

• Have Maryland Department of Ag. Applicators License and Maryland Fertilizer Applicator License ( Cat. 3C, 3A, etc. ) Possess a strong tree/shrub care knowledge

The successful candidate will be paid a weekly salary and commissions based on Experience and Knowledge.

American Lawn and Tree Specialists strongly believes as a company that we deliver the best service available to our customers. We also value our people that deliver this exceptional service on a daily basis. We do offer our employees' health care options, dental plans and 401K options among others benefits.

If you are interested in being part of a strong and growing company where you can grow and be proud of the work you do then email me today at joe@americanlawnandtree.com Attach an updated resume.

Joe Perry

Owner

American Lawn and Tree Specialists, Inc.

410-751-7751

AmericanLawnandTree.com

Production Manager:

Why work at Blades of Green? Work with an outstanding, fun group of individuals; excellent benefit package and Ownership in the company with our Profit Sharing Plan. At BOG, an industry leader with 27 years in the business. We believe in developing long-term relationships with both our clients and our team members and making the ordinary, extraordinary. Compensation commensurate with experience. We want the best and know what it takes to attract and keep the best. 

About Blades of Green: BOG is a locally owned and operated lawn care and pest control company in the Annapolis, MD area that has been servicing homes and businesses for over a quarter century. Homeowners and businesses throughout Maryland rely on Blades of Green to beautify their lawns and landscapes and protect their homes and businesses from pests. Hard work and excellent client service are the hallmarks of our company and will continue to be the core of the development at Blades of Green. 

Blades of Green is a team of highly trained, hard working individuals who have made a commitment to the highest levels of education and client-focused service. We are the proud recipient of the 2014 Angie's List Super Service Award for the 5th year running. The award honors excellence among service providers who maintain a superior service record. Less than 5% of businesses earn the award. 

About the position: Blades of Green is looking for a management professional who has experience in both sales and production. The successful candidate will have experience managing and motivating staff to achieve company goals and standards. The successful candidate will also have experience in either the Lawn Care or Pest Control field and have a passion for growing with the company and creating a long-term career. At Blades of Green we are looking for individuals with impeccable integrity, drive and someone who is willing to bring fresh, new ideas to the table. We are looking for "A" players, individuals who aren't afraid to dive into a new position, learn all they can and assist our team in being the model in our industry. 

Qualifications: Candidates should have at least 5 years of management experience in a production oriented environment and should be familiar with sales. Ideal candidates will also have experience in either the Lawn Care and/or Landscaping field or Pest Control field. Lastly, candidates should be well versed in all aspects of customer service including responding to escalated service calls and complaints. 

Does this sound like you? Then we would love to receive your application

Angela Osborne

Human Resources Manager | Blades of Green Lawn Care and B.O.G. Pest Control

645 Central Avenue East | Edgewater, MD 21037 | Tel: 410.867.8873

Always Hiring the Best!!!

http://www.bladesofgreen.com/contact/careers