Rossi receives ‘Excellence in IPM’ award

Frank RossiAt our April 25 department seminar, Don Rutz, director of the New York State Integrated Pest Management Program, and Jennifer Grant, assistant director, will present associate professor and turf specialist Frank Rossi with an Excellence in IPM award.

Says Grant, “Frank is not afraid to challenge the status quo by asking questions such as ’does a golf course putting green need to be green?’ or ‘does grass need any nutrients applied other than nitrogen?’”

One example of Rossi’s IPM work has been the “Reduced risk golf course management project” at Bethpage State Park, which is still going strong after 10 years of testing new practices and products under real world conditions. Bethpage serves as a model for golf courses throughout the Northeast. A publication that grew out of the project, “Reducing Chemical Use on Golf Course Turf: Redefining IPM,” is being used to train staff at other golf courses.

Also cited as an effective method of outreach is Rossi’s weekly ShortCUTT newsletter and podcast.

Letters of support from the turf industry call Rossi “an advocate for alternative approaches to pest management and plant health” and someone who provides “a solid footing for practitioners to be confident in using an IPM approach.”

Visit the NYSIPM Program website for more information about the award.

Visit the Cornell Turfgrass Program website to see more resources Rossi has contributed to.

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