Organic Lawn & Turf Day is January 11 in Massachusetts!

Cost: $95 NOFA members and AOLCPs; $105 non-members
The NOFA/Mass Organic Land Care Program is pleased to present this one-day intensive workshop on organic turf management.

The 2012 Organic Lawn and Turf Day begins with an overview of the cultural practices for establishing a successful organic turf system, and then moves into a more in-depth look at technical specifics of fertilization and product inputs. We will close out the day with a discussion of the direction of the organic lawn care market, and a Q&A with a panel of Accredited Organic Land Care Professionals currently offering lawn care services.
Speakers 

Chip Osborne is an AOLCP, the President of Osborne Organics and Chairman of the Marblehead, MA Recreation and Parks Department. Chip is one of the country’s leading experts on organic turf grass management. His current projects include consulting with the National Parks Service to pilot organic turf systems in 9 different parks. He serves on the Advisory Committee for the NOFA Organic Land Care Program and on as a board member for the non-profit organization, Beyond Pesticides.


Mary Owen is the Turf Program Coordinator for the UMASS Lawn and Turf Extension as well as a Turf Extension Specialist. She is a regular lecturer for the Green School, a founding member of the New England Sports Turf Managers Association, and an educational leader in both the Massachusetts Association of Lawn Care Professionals and the New England Regional Turfgrass Foundation.

Fred Newcombe is an AOLCP and the President of PJC Ecological, an organic landscaping company- turned natural fertilizer supplier, where he oversees product research and development as well as providing consulting services and lectures on the topic of ecological land care. He is also a former Vice President of the NOFA/Mass Board of Directors.

Who Should Attend?

Municipal, Campus, and Grounds staff - Parks & Recreation personnel - Public Works staff - Elected officials - Landscaping company owners and employees

CEUs: 4 AOLCP Credits

Bernadette Giblin Looks Forward to the Annual Gathering

A special guest blog entry from Bernadette Giblin, NOFA-AOLCP & Founder, Safeground Landcare one of our Annual Gathering speakers!

I’m looking forward to the NOFA OLC 2012’s Annual Gathering entitled "Success with the Organic Land Care Market"

Rockaway, Queens, after Hurricane Sandy.

Like you, right about now I’m doing a professional year in review. The annual gathering always gives me some much needed inspiration which I’m typically running low on by now. Getting to hear all the gains made in the movement, the latest new strategies as well as reminders on the tried and true best practices is always reinvigorating. Aside from learning what colleagues are up to we all get to share our lessons learned from another growing season here on Planet Earth. Who would have thought there’d be a drought on Earth day and a Super Storm on the eve of Halloween capable of flooding NYC subways and leaving areas looking like a war zone?
In addition to Super Storms, there’s the ever changing nature of the growing season. Weather once typical in Maryland is now occurring in Massachusetts. There’s no better time to be a NOFA AOLCP. There’s no better time to gain the skill, knowledge and understanding to deal with the environmental changes that affect our ability to care for the land with integrity and professionalism.

I had the pleasure of working collaboratively with the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC) as the grant writer and consultant on The Toxics Use Reduction Institute (TURI) @ UMASS Lowell’s regional grant funded project. Creating Safeground: Transitioning 5 Parks in Western Massachusetts to a 100% Pesticide & Synthetic Free Organic Land Care Strategy

Here is a preview of the presentation on the five organic demonstrations in Western Massachusetts

The new vital stakeholders in your community

Effective outreach & marketing to build capacity

Kicking the synthetics

Create lasting health and safety in your local environment

Fear vs. Fun

Come to connect with old friends and network with new ones.

Get inspired and get ready for a successful 2013 organic land care season! 

Hope to see you December 5th in Sturbridge!