 Special thank you to Chris Kanan of Ope Its Mow Time for having us on the show! This was a great discussion about the challenges facing turfgrass and the role TWCA is playing in identifying and promoting drought tolerant turfgrass. TWCA's Executive Director, Jack Karlin talks about the role of independent third-party evaluation in protecting greenspaces and what homeowners can do to make every drop count!
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2023 saw TWCA award the second round of Turfgrass Water Conservation Awards through the Crop Science Society of America (CSSA). Each year TWCA contributes one thousand seven hundred dollars supporting turfgrass water conservation focused research projects. Awards range from one to five hundred dollars. TWCA sponsors both oral and poster submission awards. One winner also receives the Turfgrass Water Conservation Advocacy grant. The TWCA Grant supports participation in Congressional Visits Day through the Tri-Societies. 2023's TWCA grant is Michael Rabe of Michigan State University. Congratulations to 2023's winners! Oral
 Five developing professionals received the first Turfgrass Water Conservation Award (TWCA) at the 2022 ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting held in Baltimore MD. A new component of the C-5 Turfgrass student competitions, the TWCA encourages young scientists to focus on water conservation to enhance the livability and sustainability of the managed environment. The 2022 winners are noted in the tables below. Expanding the advocacy and communications skills of the next generation of scientists is central to our commitment to stewardship of community. Recipients of the TWCA are encouraged to participate in Congressional Visits Day. TWCA sponsors a Future Leaders in Science award to offset the cost of participation.
 Turfgrass Water Conservation Alliance (TWCA) is excited to announce the panelist for the Changing Climates, Changing Communities discussion at the Green Municipalities Field Day event. The roundtable takes place from 1pm-2pm Eastern and is the central component of the virtual event. Addressing the climate challenges facing communities and the green industry are representatives from government, industry and academia each presenting a unique approach and viewpoint.
TWCA is excited to announce a return to live events! Friday August 12th at Guelph Turfgrass Institute, the Green Municipalities Field Day is the first live event for TWCA since 2019 and is the first international field day event for TWCA. Originally scheduled for August 2020, this long anticipated event includes live and virtual components to facilitate easier access and greater inclusivity and accessibility. Accessibility was a key consideration in the creation of this event. Which is why, when the processing platform TWCA uses, couldn’t process in CAD TWCA created special categories for Canadian attendees and sponsors. These categories are priced in USD and reflect a 25% discount to offset any exchange fees and, hopefully, eliminate the hidden “Canadian tax” that affects so many of our members. For US and other international attendees, field day remains affordable, at $25 USD for Hybrid (in person) and $15 (USD) for Virtual attendance.  Preparation to construct the ROS at University of Guelph Over the course of twelve years and in cooperation with some of the brightest minds in turf science today Turfgrass Water Conservation Alliance (TWCA) has developed the protocols and technologies for turf evaluation that are now standard industry wide. The key for TWCA, in the quest to define drought tolerance in turfgrass, is open and clear channels for communication.
Turfgrass Water Conservation Alliance (TWCA) created the Irrigation Calculator (based on this calculator from Pennington) to help end-users predict the runtimes of their irrigation systems. Simple. TWCA collaborated with a network of public and private researchers including Oregon State University, University of Washington, University of Arkansas, and NexGen Plant Science Center, on a series of multi-year inquiries to answer some basic questions about site specific conditions. The Irrigation Calculator is simple. Click the greenness of your grass (fun fact: during development we called this the "lush level"). Know the irrigation rate and weekly frequency. Remember where you live. It's true, there are some curveballs in there; not everyone knows if they have TWCA Qualified turfgrasses, but generally, pretty spoon and June. The calculator itself is an example of interdisciplinary cooperation on a public/private partnership resulting in an immediately useful tool.
Turfgrass Water Conservation Alliance (TWCA) relies on our cooperators to conduct trialing. We recognize that our work is only a small part of what you do on your farm and that tracking the details of the study is not something you want to worry about. We also know you want to talk about all the cool and interesting work you spend your time on and we certainly hope TWCA is on the list of things you want to discuss. To make it easier to express the scope and scale of the TWCA trialing we have created this list of talking points about the trial(s) TWCA is currently running.
Cultivar Plant Factor (CPF) proves an effective tool in defining and quantifying the term “drought tolerance” with relation to turfgrass evaluation. CPF methodology encourages performance-based selection relative to a known standard over broad geographic range. CPF also moderates the impacts of over and under performance years. Correctly applied CPF methodology offers a powerful tool to water providers seeking to drive sustainable outdoor water conservation solutions.
Preparations for a successful trialing year are well underway at Turfgrass Water Conservation Alliance (TWCA). With the completion of the first TWCA Cooperators call in and the final check off for TWCA cameras both finalized in February the pressure is on to get equipment shipped. As the first program to require objective data TWCA is the industry leader in standardizing research equipment and practices. TWCA calibrates and inspects a fleet of standardized equipment to ensure accurate trialing results meaningfully compared across locations. TWCA Standardization efforts also include the cooperator calls happening three times per year to discuss management issues and update the research team on progress and challenges. Other supplements include standard TWCA Talking points specifically for cooperator trials, FAQ handouts addressing specific cooperator questions from prior trials, and Growing Great Grass, the TWCA cooperator manual. TWCA also issues a set of standard research lights; this half dozen lights ensure cooperators have access to 1.5 full arrays of fresh bulbs with the same anticipated lighting profile. The point of all this standardization is simply to remove confounding factors from any trialing results, giving the clearest view of drought tolerance in turf.  TWCA Calibrates and inspects the fleet of cameras annually Predictable Trialing Predictability and reliability are essential for long term reliability. In an industry where development is, sometimes, years in realization, TWCA is providing a schedule for trialing. Released today, the trialing schedule is an important tool for Seed Producers and trialing cooperators alike.  TWCA Trialing includes both fixed (blue) and by-request (green) trialing windows
The site improvements include features requested by TWCA members. Improvements like, simplifying Qualified Cultivars page and making it easier to find specific members. Enhancing the simple interface for users looking for drought tolerant turfgrasses to reduce the water demand of their landscape by 30%, is a consistent, current, and easy to use locator on the site tgwca.org. Clear icons make it easier than ever for end users to find the product they need, while putting the same map on multiple pages means it is never more than a click away! An especially informational feature, the new TWCA Timeline puts a long scroll format timeline front and center. Not only does this highlight the incredible contribution of TWCA to sustainable landscapes but it also shows the dedication of the turf breeders and TWCA members to the consistent improvement of turfgrass. Finally, rounding out the public nip/tuck, is cleaning up the menu bars and pages. By consolidating the Growing Green and Irrigation Calculator under the Home page the menu eliminates clutter and makes it easier for users to navigate to what they need.
Behind the scenes, for members, in the Members Only portion of the website, TWCA has added an area for scheduling webinars and distance learning opportunities, a downloadable version of the MWERLO calculator, and some new member benefits. All together this update helps improve the usability of the site.  SLC Public Utilities Water Conservationist, Stephanie Duer is reporting a 50% reduction in water use at the Concord Lifting Station in the months following the landscape conversion for SLC Turf Trade. The location was selected for conversion as a demonstration canvas for landscape practices suggested by the Center for Water Efficiency (CWEL). This conversion incorporates a number of different landscaping practices to maximize water efficiency. Common landscape tactics for increasing water efficiency include hydrozoning, or grouping plants according to their water need, turf area reduction, and optimizing irrigation design and hardwater for water efficiency.
 Turfgrass Water Conservation Alliance (TWCA) created the Data Evaluation and Statistical Analyst (DESA) position. Filling this position for the inaugural role is Tyler Carr, graduate student at University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
“This position is the confluence of TWCA’s efforts to provide, sound scientific trialing to the turf community while elevating the next generation of scientists,” says Jack Karlin, Program Administrator of TWCA. Natural Transition Despite this being the inaugural position, Carr, is no stranger to TWCA. His prior experience with TWCA came at University of Arkansas with Dr. Doug Karcher, Chair of The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) Department of Horticulture and Crop Science (formerly of University of Arkansas) conducting lysimeter testing on turfgrasses determining the impact of soil texture on volumetric water demand. This work served as a keystone in developing TWCA’s innovative Water Calculator (turfgrasswaterconservationalliance.org). Tyler’s nomination to this position came from Dr. Karcher. “I knew I wanted to pass this responsibility to someone who was qualified, experienced, and capable,” says Karcher. “Tyler is exactly the right guy for this.”
 As the fire season rages through the West (and around the world) it is time to pay more attention to the ecological benefits of our managed environment and the role turfgrass can play in these systems. Check out this great article in the Oregonian!
Fire smart landscaping doesn’t have to look like the desert
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Program AdministratorJack Karlin is the Program Administrator for TWCA. His interest is in using policy and the built environment to create livable and sustainable communities. Archives
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