After 25 years, the Southern Illinois Grounds Maintenance School is changing its name to the Gateway Green Industry Conference.
Now, the educational program has a track for sports turf, golf, landscape, arborist, bedding plants, parks and recreation as well as public facilities. If you work in lawn care, landscaping, nursery, garden center, golf course or any other grounds-related industry, you can get new ideas and research-based information at the Gateway Green Industry Conference.
The conference is set for Feb. 19 and 20 at the Gateway Convention Center in Collinsville. Registration for the two days is $95 and $75 for one day if registration is completed by Feb. 8. Additional fees are required after Feb. 8.
Feb. 19, Paul Cappiello, well-known horticulturalist and author, will speak on "Taming the Native Beast:-How a Little Knowledge Can Go a Long Way -- For Good and Bad." On Wednesday, Chris Beytes, editor of Grower Talks Magazine, will address "Tracking Today's Big Industry Trends."
Breakout sessions and a commercial trade show will provide excellent opportunities to sharpen skills of business owners and employees in the green industry business.
Landscaping professionals will learn about new developments with dogwoods, woody plant diseases, how to specify irrigation for a landscape design, installing hardscapes, long-term implications of ice storm and freeze damage, new perennials for the landscape, aquatic plant management, and new trees for tomorrow's landscapes.
Those who work in the sports turf industry will want to check out classes such as understanding the safety of turf pesticides, turf environmental stresses for better golf course management, identifying and managing large white grubs including June beetles and true white grubs, Diseases on the golf course, infield amendments and using Pearson's Square, and choosing Bermuda grass cultivars for Midwest athletic fields.
This program provides continuing education units to help maintain certification for certified park and recreation professionals, certified landscape technicians, arborists, Illinois Certified Nursery professionals or certified golf course superintendents.
To obtain a copy of the Gateway Green Industry Conference brochure and registration form, contact U of I Extension office at 618/650-7050 or obtain a copy and register at http://www.extension.uiuc.edu/madisonstclair.