30 Years to Now: The TWCA Timeline

TWCA first qualified drought tolerant turfgrasses in 2010, but the roots of the organization extend much deeper. 30 years ago, Kenneth Hignight joined the turf breeding program at Van der Haven Seed and planted the seed that grew into TWCA.

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2022

• The first ever landscape conversion program to feature turf-to-turf conversion rolls out
  • USU CWEL releases end-user videos w/ TWCA
  • TWCA is featured on Fox13 Now
• Green Municipalities Field Day
•  Congressional Visit Day with Tri-Societies
• Advocacy efforts to #keepitreal 
• TWCA Qualifies 8 new bluegrasses
• TWCA Releases CPF methodology

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2021

•  Congressional Visit Day with Tri-Societies
• Create Data Evaluation and Statistical Analysis
• Complete Irrigation Calculator
•  Coordinate Greenscape Alliance
• Launches Tri-Societies Grant
• Initiate Advocacy grant
• Purdue University is first cooperator to earn TWCA Performance Incentive
• Serves on American Seed Trade Association Seed Advocacy Leadership Team
• SEED Ambassador

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2020

• Nothing weird happened
• TWCA Qualified Turf earns NGBS Green Building Points
• Scotts Miracle Gro acquires the turf unit of Columbia Seeds
• Program goes fully remote
• ​Tall Fescue trialing begins

2019

• First trialing program to offer incentives for reliable data collection and submission
• Extend trialing requirements to 3 years
• Initiate partnership talks w/ other turf organizations
• Construct Penn State Berks ROS
• Evaluate Walker water use: 12% reduction in water use
• Conclude Volumetric Water Study

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2018

• Initiate Bluegrass trial
• Conclude Tall Fescue trial
• TWCA participates in Congressional visit day with ACSESS
• ​​Walker Elementary overseeds
• M Richardson leaves Research Review Committee (RRC)
• ​J Stier joins RRC
• RRC ends trialing exception
• ​Add University of Guelph as an active cooperator

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2017

• Co-chair MWELO Technical Standards and Water Budgeting Committee
• Serve on sites and lots work group for NAHB
• ​Walker Elementary overseeds
• Launch Irrigation Calculator program
• Construct ROS at Virginia Tech. Blacksburg
• Construct 2nd ROS at Purdue University
• Karcher, Hignight(s), and Purcell release Turf Analyzer
• ​TWCA Seed Producer membership increases by 150%

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2016

• Construct 2nd ROS at University of Arkansas
• Ryegrass Trial Concludes
• Ashland OR drought ends.  HTHK project begins
• Initiate Tall Fescue Trial​
• Release MWELO Calculator

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2015

• Engage with the CA DWR LSAG
• Become OR Champion for Healthy Turf. Healthy kids.
• TWCA Quarterly becomes a magazine
• ​Identify Walker Elementary for HTHK

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2014

• Add Program Administrator
• Partner w/ Project EverGreen
• Copyright Low Maintenance Protocol
• Initiate Perennial Ryegrass Trial
• ​Conduct first low maintenance trials 

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2013

• Construct Purdue ROS
• Construct University of Arkansas ROS

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2012

• Pennington Seed Company acquires NexGen (now NexGen Plant Science Center)

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2011

• ​Construct ROS at Virginia Tech, VA Beach

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2010

• ​​Turfgrass Water Conservation Alliance (TWCA) incorporates.  Adopts the TWCA drop and seal as the mark of quality turf with exceptional drought tolerance​

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2007

• ​4 direct competitors informally begin the TWCA

2008

• Initiate formal trialing program

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1992

• Turfgrass breeders Kenneth Hignight and Crystal Fricker independently begin selecting for drought tolerance

2002

• D Karcher introduces lightbox technology
• Karcher, Hignight(s), and M Richardson begin collaborating on Digital Image Analysis (DIA)

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