At the 2006 Turfgrass Field Day, held in early August at the Sandhills Research Station in Jackson Springs, N.C., the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences honored six companies whose contributions have made a difference in the research station's turfgrass program.

Dean Johnny C. Wynne kicked off the annual field day by recognizing the companies' representatives and delivering special thanks on behalf of the College.

• Jacobsen Golf & Turf has provided to the research station a number of different types of turf maintenance equipment, with four machines currently on loan.
• When it became necessary to renovate the turf plot irrigation at the research station, two companies, Tri-State Pump and Rain Bird Corp., donated all equipment needed to complete the renovations.
• Revels Tractor currently is lending the research station a sprayer to be used for applying pesticides to turfgrass research plots.
• For the last two years, the company Harrell's has donated all fertilizer necessary to maintain the turf plots at the research station.
• Smith Turf and Irrigation currently is lending the research station a utility vehicle used for multiple maintenance tasks associated with the turfgrass program.

The field day featured presentations by College turfgrass faculty on a range of subjects from weed management to turf fertilization. Other highlights included a putting contest and a barbeque lunch sponsored by Bayer Environmental Science.

"We're extremely grateful for the generous support of these companies," Wynne said. "Without them, our turfgrass program at the Sandhills Research Station wouldn't be nearly as strong as it is today. This is an excellent example of the value of partnerships between industry and the university."

- Suzanne Stanard