New turf tech, tour of Razorback athletics on tap for Aug. 6 Turfgrass Field Day
The field day is offered every other year, so this year’s agenda is densely packed with four field tours that interweave with each other. Two are dedicated to lawncare, one is for sports turf in general and one is focused on golf turf.
By Mary Hightower
U of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
July 14, 2025
Fast facts
- Field day features tour groups on general sports turf, lawncare and golf
- Registration is $100 until Aug. 1, $150 afterward
- Register online
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(Newsrooms: With file art of past field day)
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — A “smart” golf ball, sprayers with real-time sensors and a tour of Razorback athletics are all on the agenda for the 2025 Turfgrass Field Day set for Aug. 6 in Fayetteville.
“This is a DO-NOT-MISS event because attendees will have the opportunity to see the latest research and technology, earn pesticide recertification, and enjoy food and fellowship with other members of the Arkansas turfgrass industry,” said Wendell Hutchens, assistant professor-turfgrass science for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “It will be an awesome event!”
The field day is offered every other year, so this year’s agenda is densely packed with four field tours that interweave with each other. Two are dedicated to lawncare, one is for sports turf in general and one is focused on golf turf.
The field day will be held at the Horticulture Field Lab, 1005 Meade Ave., in Fayetteville.
The event opens at 7 a.m. with registration and runs through lunch. Registration is $100 until Aug. 1, then $150 afterward. There is a $20 per person discount for any group registering three or more. Registration is online.
The concurrent trade show opens at 7 a.m.
The schedule:
- 7-9 a.m. — Registration
- 7-9 a.m. — Trade show
- 8:40 a.m. — Opening comments
- 9-11:30 a.m. — Field tours
The field tours:
Golf tour
- Bermudagrass and zoysiagrass cultivars in 2025 — Mike Richardson, professor, turfgrass management and physiology.
- Putting green disease trials — Hutchens.
- Application technology and sprayer calibration — Jason Davis, extension spray technologist, Division of Agriculture.
- Sprayer of the future? A real-time sensing and site-specific spray technology — Sam Kreinberg, UA graduate assistant; Davis.
- GS3 technology and how you can use it on your course — Will Green, UA graduate assistant. GS3, developed by the U.S. Golf Association, is a Bluetooth-enabled, golf ball-sized sphere with sensors that can measure turf firmness and rolling metrics.
- Influence of wetting agents and adjuvants on disease control — Jessy Anders, UA turf program technician, Kennedy Ellis, UA research technologist.
- Effects of shade on warm-season grasses — Richardson.
Lawncare group 1
- Bermudagrass and zoysiagrass cultivars in 2025 — Richardson.
- Perennial ryegrass removal in bermudagrass and weed identification — Hannah Wright-Smith, extension weed specialist for the Division of Agriculture; David Nistler, horticulture weed management program associate; Brayden Dennis, UA graduate assistant.
- Planting date and planting method effects on establishment of tall grass prairie mixture — Sarah Paschal, UA graduate research assistant.
- The importance of proper cultural practices for stress management — Mike Battaglia, UA graduate assistant; Ellis.
- Cool-season retail variety trial — Richardson, Wright-Smith, Hutchens.
- Sprayer of the future? A real-time sensing and site-specific spray technology —Kreinberg, Davis.
Lawncare group 2
- Bermudagrass and zoysiagrass cultivars in 2025 — Richardson.
- Perennial ryegrass removal in bermudagrass and weed identification — Wright-Smith, Nistler, Dennis.
- The importance of proper cultural practices for stress management — Battaglia, Ellis.
- Planting date and planting method effects on establishment of tall grass prairie mixture — Paschal.
- Cool-season retail variety trial — Richardson, Wright-Smith, Hutchens.
- Sprayer of the future? A real-time sensing and site-specific spray technology —Kreinberg, Davis.
- Zoysiagrass disease issues — Sharandeep Chahal, UA graduate assistant; Hutchens.
Sports turf
- Bermudagrass and zoysiagrass cultivars in 2025 — Richardson.
- Perennial ryegrass removal in bermudagrass and weed identification —Wright-Smith, Nistler, Dennis.
- Tour of Razorback Athletics — Douglas Bradley, UA director of sports turf operations.
11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. — Lunch
The field day also has a webpage.
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu/. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on three campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture is an equal opportunity institution. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate or need materials in another format, please contact hewright@uada.edu or whutchens@uada.edu soon as possible. Dial 711 for Arkansas Relay.
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Media contact: Mary Hightower
mhightower@uada.edu