Midwest Turf Clinic and Annual Meeting

Ben McGargill, CGCS host

DRESS: Professional Meeting Attire
No Denim, No Hats

The Midwest will hold its Annual Meeting on December 4, 2024 at Medinah Country Club. Included in the meeting will be the election of officers and directors. All voting members of the Midwest are invited to attend.

Cost: $90 Regular and Class E Members
$45 All Others

AGENDA:
7:30 am - Arrival, Registration & Continental Breakfast
8:15 am - Welcome, Invocation, Tribute
MAGCS Annual Meeting Meeting
Year in Review, Mike Paciga, President

9:00 am - Autonomous Robotic Mowing
Dr. Scott McElroy, Auburn University
10:15 am - Tree Risk Management from Heavily Irrigated Environments
Steve Lane, Great Lakes Urban Forestry
11:00 am - Autonomous Robotic Mowing…continued
Dr. Scott McElroy, Auburn University

12:00 pm - Lunch

1:00 pm - Cybersecurity – Safeguarding Your Course and Operation
Nick Demchenko, Pique Technologies, Vice President
1:30 pm - Biostimulants – Why the EPA is looking at them and you should too. 
Ed Thomas, The Fertilizer Institute, Vice President Government Affairs
2:30 pm - Annual Bluegrass Weevil – It’s a Problem Now. ID and Control.
Dr. John Schepis, University of Illinois – Annual Bluegrass Weevil Update
3:15 pm - Gavel Pass and Address

3:30 pm - Conclusion

Speaker Profiles:
Scott McElroy, Ph.D., is a professor of turfgrass and weed science at Auburn University.  He earned his bachelors and master's degrees at Auburn University and his Ph.D. at North Carolina State University.  McElroy’s research focuses on both chemical and non-chemical means of weed management in turfgrass, as well as methyl bromide alternatives, and poa annua control with fertilizers and herbicides in bermudagrass, bentgrass, and perennial ryegrass.  His university appointment includes 25% teaching and 75% research.  McElroy’s excellence in the turfgrass industry has been well-documented through the many awards he has received, including the Director’s Research Award for the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station at Auburn University, the Outstanding Instructor in the Department of Agronomy and Soils, Auburn University, the GCSAA Watson Fellowship Award, and the Outstanding Young Weed Scientist from the Southern Weed Science Society, and Early Career Weed Scientist from the Weed Science Society of America.  He has served in many leadership positions with the Alabama GCSA, the Weed Science Society of America and the Crop Science Society.  He is a leading expert in the realm of autonomous mowing.

Steve Lane, Great Lakes Urban Forestry. With over 15 years in the tree care industry, Steve has been instrumental in building Great Lakes Urban Forestry Management, bringing his unique technology and arboricultural knowledge to our team. He plays a role as our innovator, always bringing new technological solutions and best practices to our company and our clients. He is an accomplished public speaker, having spoken on the global stage at the International Society of Arboriculture Annual Conference and the ESRI User’s Conference. Steve also teaches advanced training courses for the Illinois Arborist Association. 

Nick Demchenko, Pique Technologies. Nick is the Vice President for Pique Technologies a company that specializes in innovative technology solutions that guide infrastructure design and manage IT Services. He focuses on cybersecurity and rapid response operations and building partnerships within the industry.

Ed Thomas is the Vice President of Government Affairs at The Fertilizer Institute. Before joining TFI, Ed was employed as an engineer at the Virginia Department of Health, Department of Drinking Water. Before that, he spent 10 years as the Director of Regulatory Affairs with the Washington, D.C., office of the National Rural Water Association. Ed also spent five years at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water and began his career as an environmental consultant. Ed graduated in 1993 from Virginia Tech with a B.S. in biology and went on to earn his M.S. in environmental engineering from Johns Hopkins in 1996.

Dr. John Schepis is the newest Extension Specialist at the University of Illinois and assists with the Pesticide Safety Education Program. He provides educational subject manner on pesticide safety with a focus on insect and insect management. He contributes insect identification support to university and state agencies, including the U. of I. Plant Clinic. He holds B.S. in Biology from The Catholic University of America and a Ph.D. in Entomology from Virginia Tech.