The flagship event helps foster collaboration and connection between UConn research and members of the business community
John Inguagiato, associate professor of turfgrass pathology in the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, speaks with attendees of the 2024 Turfgrass Field Day. (Jason Sheldon/UConn Photo)
Every two years, something special happens at UConn's Plant Science Research and Education Facilities. A mile or so down the road from UConn's main campus, hundreds of industry professionals join researchers and Extension educators for the biennial Turfgrass Field Day. At the unique event, faculty from the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture and UConn Extension share their latest projects with members of the business community who can directly benefit from this work.
"We are thrilled to continue to host the turfgrass community at campus as we have for over a decade," says Indrajeet Chaubey, dean of UConn's College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources. "UConn is committed to supporting the turfgrass industry with the resources, skilled workforce, and innovative research they need to grow and succeed in the state. We're also grateful for their collaboration so we ensure our work aligns with their needs – it is the land-grant mission in action."
Attendees include golf course superintendents, lawn care and landscape professionals, R&D collaborators, sports field managers, municipal grounds managers, commercial industry distributors. The event has been held at UConn every other year since 2008. It returned to an in-person format in 2022 after going virtual in 2020 due to the pandemic. This year, 265 attendees joined the event.
The research conducted by UConn's turfgrass faculty is designed to address real-world problems turfgrass professionals face daily, as well as find solutions to make turfgrass more sustainable by reducing the amount of water, fertilizer, and pesticides managers need to use.
"It's a really exciting extension and outreach activity where we get to directly share our research with stakeholders. They leave the day with practical information that helps them in their jobs," says John Inguagiato, associate professor of turfgrass science. Inguagiato works closely with members of the turfgrass industry throughout the year and helps prepare students for specialized jobs after graduation.
In addition to research talks, there are numerous self-guided research stations and many exhibitor booths featuring local turfgrass businesses at the event.
Beyond discussions of the latest innovations, Turfgrass Field Day provides a networking event that supports lasting connections between researchers and those working in all corners of the industry.
"For us it's really a fun day. A show-and-tell with the turfgrass industry of all the research we're working on at our facility. The day is designed to allow for interactions between turfgrass faculty and stakeholders, so they leave with information they can use, and we hear more about the challenges and issues important to them," Inguagiato says.
