Turfgrass Science
Division (C-5)

Crop Science Society of America

Vol. 4 No. 3 October, 2000

Update on C-5 Activities

Greetings from Lawrence, Kansas! After the blistering summer we had here in Kansas, the cooler weather feels especially nice. I'm sure many of my colleagues in the mid-western and plain states would agree with me on that.

The cool weather is also a reminder that we're just a few short weeks from the ASA/CSSA/SSSA meetings in Minneapolis. I hope you're planning to attend these meetings. Not only is it a great time to get caught up on the latest research, but it's also a time to get to renew friendships with colleagues.

Besides our C-5 sessions, this year's meetings have a couple of very important plenary sessions that I hope you'll attend. The one on Monday afternoon (consult your meeting program for exact time and location) has to do with the issue of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and the public controversy that has arisen from them.

This is an important issue for all fields of agronomy-not just food crops. In fact, a very well known turfgrass seed producer, Tee-2-Green, and Pure Seed Testing, Canby, Oregon, was the victim of "eco-terrorism" by a group steadfastly against the development of transgenic varieties. As scientists, these extreme reactions seem preposterous. However, it's important for us to realize the strong reaction that certain factions of the public have to GMOs. With Crystal Fricker's permission, I have included a correspondence from the Anarchist Golfing Association to give you some context of the kind of groups who are so opposed to GMOs.

The point is that the Monday afternoon (November 6) plenary session is important for all of us. Please plan to attend this session regarding GMOs during the agronomy meetings. Here the script of the letter to which I was referring:

Fore! Greetings from the grass seed region of the world.

Last night, the Anarchist Golfing Association (AGA) held its first ever Nocturnal golfing tournament at Pure Seed Testing (PST) research facilities. In just under 16 strokes, the AGA notched up a few birdies and a hole-in-one as we tore up large areas of PST's profit-driven experiments with biodiversity.

Pure Seed Testing is a grass breeder and developer of genetically engineered (GE) grasses with U$DA permits for Creeping Bentgrass resistant to the toxic herbicide glufosinate (Permit #97-087-02R).

These GE grasses are grown (according to company information) for golf courses, putting greens, croquet and athletic fields. The biotech industry usually hides behind the racist aura of "feeding the Third World," but as you can see, it is quite obvious that these crops are grown for profit and the pleasure of the rich and have no social value (i.e. better, weed-free putting greens for your local corporate exec).

Grass, like industrial culture, is invasive and permeates every aspect of our lives. While the golf trade journals claim that "golf courses provide suitable habitat for wildlife", we see them as a destroyer of all things wild.

Just last week, a German researcher released a study that showed that transgenic traits can flow between species--in this case bacteria in the gut of pollinating bees and GE canola. This study wears down the industry propaganda that GE is safe and that these experimental releases of mutated organisms have no harmful ecological impact.

In a 1997 Environmental (Economic?) Assessment prepared for PST, there are arrogant and ignorant statements made that their use of simple five-foot pollen barriers (of cereal rye) would somehow prevent the cross-pollination of trans-genic traits from their GE trials into the environment. In light of the German experiments and the multitude of cases of genetic pollution worldwide, we find it hard to believe that the pollen in these experiments and others will not jump simplistic rye barriers. Once again, the convenient blinders of the researchers, corporations, the biotech industry and capitalism rear their ugly heads.

The final tally for the night? Two research greenhouses had hundreds of experimental grass pots/flats overturned, stomped and ripped up. Seven research plots of non-native, invasive grass species were pulled up, ID tags/flags were scattered, hundreds of stakes were pulled or rearranged and insightful messages were left behind. PST's sign was modified to read "GE Seed Testing" as greenhouses cheered us on with slogans like "PST-Growing GE Grass for the Rich" and "Nature Bites Back". Golf balls with circle A's (international anarchist symbol) and the letters AGA embossed on them were scattered on the site along with cute AGA golf figurines in trashed greenhouses and experimental grass plots.

If there is any doubt in anyone's mind, let us make it clear: The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) + Animal Plant Health and Inspection Service (APHIS) = the biotechnology and industrial ag industries + ecological destruction.

For laughs and outrage, please see the attached "environmental" assessment.

Golf season is upon us...This is a call to FARMS!

For Wild Nature,

The Anarchist Golfing Association (AGA)

As you can see from the tone of the letter, science apparently has no place in the minds of this group. Please plan to be at the GMO plenary session in Minneapolis.

As we head into the Minneapolis meetings, I am in the process of drafting the C-5 Business Meeting agenda. I'd like to include it in this newsletter for your review. Please contact me ( jnus@usga.org, 785-832-2300) if you have additional items that you would like to include in the agenda. Please also inform me if you have modifications that you would like to the following agenda. Please make send your comments, additions, modifications, etc., regarding the business meeting agenda to me by October 18.

After I've collected all the input, I'll create the final meeting agenda and distribute it to you via this e-mail newsletter before the Minneapolis meetings.

1. Special Symposia Committee - Rob Golembiewski or Gwen Stahnke
2. Extension Committee - John Stier
3. Evening Program Committee - Frank Rossi
4. Education Committee - Al Turgeon
5. Contemporary Issues Committee - Bryan Unruh
6. C-5 Web Site Committee - Tom Fermanian
7. Premier Web Site Committee - Bob Shearman
8. Information Directory Sub-committee - Keith Karnok
9. Nominating Committee - Leah Brilman