Q-Ball features a water-based formula designed to control summer weeds.

MORRISVILLE , N.C. – Nufarm Americas introduced new Q-Ball herbicide to control crabgrass and other summer weed escapes, including clover, dandelion, dollarweed, foxtail, kikuyugrass, signalgrass, speedwell and torpedo grass. Cornerstone Plus Herbicide

Q-Ball’s water-based formula delivers stability and tank mixing compatibility with most surfactants and post-emerge herbicides, such as Escalade 2 and Triplet SF. Additionally, Q-Ball works with low volume ride-on sprayers as it is labeled for application down to 10 gallons per acre. A one-use rate controls a broad spectrum of grassy weeds while providing versatility and application value. Learn more at nufarm.com/usturf/q-ball. 

The new models are powered by engines that the company says are 50 percent quieter than traditional gas mowers.

MILWAUKEE – New Snapper mowers offer new engine technology from Briggs & Stratton, including Quiet Power Technology for what the company says is a 50 percent quieter operating experience than a traditional gas mower.

“Quiet Power Technology means the ‘go-getter’ can mow their grass at extended times of the day without disturbing neighbors,” said Christin Wam, marketing manager for turf and consumer residential products at Briggs & Stratton. “We are excited to deliver engine technology that allows our customers to focus more on their home’s curb appeal and less on mower maintenance or be concerned with sound.”

New 21-inch Snapper mowers have the following features: a three-in-one multi-mode deck for mulching, bagging or side discharge of lawn clippings; a single lever that achieves seven height-of-cut adjustments for the ideal cut; and a large bagger capable of capturing 2.4 cubic feet (1.9 bushels) to tackle more with less interruption.

The 21-inch Gas Variable Speed Rear Wheel Drive Self-Propelled Lawn Mower with Briggs & Stratton 850 Professional Series Engine featuring InStart and Quiet Power Technology combines professional-grade, durable components like a cast iron cylinder sleeve and dual sealing air filter for a 60 percent longer engine life. The powerful engine is backed by a limited warranty. Additional benefits include:

Snapper’s new mowers are backed by a three-year limited lifetime warranty. Available at Walmart, the 725 EXi Engine Series mowers are now available and the 850 Professional Series mowers will be available late summer 2019. For more information, visit Snapper's website. 

In his newly created role, Demerath will oversee the company’s four sales groups.

SHAWNEE, Kan. – The employee-owners of PBI-Gordon announced last week that Tim Demerath has joined the company as vice president of sales for the company’s Pest Management Business Unit.

In his newly created role at PBI-Gordon, Demerath will oversee the company’s four sales groups to maximize opportunities and grow market share.

Demerath brings more than 15 years of sales experience to his role at PBI-Gordon. He was most recently sales manager for the Western Iowa district of Bayer CropScience, where he led a team of 10 field representatives and posted significant market share increases. Prior to that, he held other sales, marketing and commercial operations positions at Bayer. 

“We are excited Tim Demerath is joining the PBI-Gordon team,” said Neil Cleveland, vice president and general manager of the PBI-Gordon Pest Management Business Unit. “Tim brings deep industry knowledge and a proven track record of sales success. He’ll be an integral part of our leadership team as we expand our product profile and earn market share growth into the future.”

Originally from Nebraska, Demerath holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from The University of Nebraska-Lincoln – where he also played on the school’s 2001 Rose Bowl football team and earned Big 12 academic honors.

Demerath and his family will be relocating to the Kansas City area in summer 2019.

Changing the way you look at your website’s content can position you as a leader among your competition.

At Lawn & Landscape’s 2019 Top 100 Executive Summit, Marcus Sheridan said that 70 percent of the clients you meet with have already decided if they’re going to buy your service.

Sheridan, a full-time professional speaker and also the co-owner of IMPACT and River Pools and Spas, encouraged attendees to consider a different approach to marketing their services. Simply put, the work in closing sales and building relationships starts on your website. If you think like a consumer, you’ll realize buyers care about five key things:

“Your site content should be 80 percent aligned with those big five,” he says. These topics move buying decisions no matter what the industry is.

If your site content doesn’t answer those questions for the buyer, you’re missing out on potential sales. Here's a few tips from Sheridan to make your website a channel for landing more sales. With these in mind, he was able to make River Pools and Spas the most trafficked pool installation website in the world.

Address the competition. This might seem counter-intuitive but providing your site visitors with a clear depiction of your competitors will position you as an expert in the field. Sheridan created an article detailing his biggest pool installation competitors and instead of looking at it like free publicity for the competition, the page views showed he was getting his audience’s attention.

The elephant in the room. It could mean addressing problems or potential negatives of the services your company offers. For the green industry, this could mean not shying away from the negative press surrounding chemical use in lawn care.

Know what people are searching for. If you have an idea of how your potential clients are searching for services online, you can cater your web content towards those searches. Sheridan says searches have shifted towards more “me” specific queries. For example, your audience is starting their search with “should I,” “can I,” or “do I need” phrases.

Become the most trusted voice in your market. “If they ask, you’d better answer,” he says. If not, the potential customer will go somewhere else to get the information.

You need more content. Sheridan shared a statistic that showed people that read 30 or more pages of a website will buy the service 80 percent of the time. 30 pages may seem like a lot, but Sheridan also suggested having a role in your business strictly for content creation.

A Turf Fuel product, Kraken is designed for turf surfaces that require a high level of consistency and firmness

SANTA FE SPRINGS, Calif., – Target Specialty Products recently launched Turf Fuel's  The Kraken. The Kraken is a wetting agent designed for turf surfaces that require a high level of consistency and firmness.

“Through exhaustive university trials and close consultation with our network of industry experts, we have learned that professionals at the highest-level demand control over their soil hydration. Kraken combines multiple components to provide ultimate control of hydration and firmness” says Mark Jull, head of Turf Fuel Products’ Division, at Target Specialty Products. The research has been conducted by Dr. Doug Karcher at the University of Arkansas. “Kraken is completely unique in the market because of its ability to hold water consistently deep in the profile, while keeping the soil near the surface dry,” adds Jim Turner, Turf FuelSpecialty Product Development Manager.

The Kraken can be used at any time during the season, however, many turf professionals strategically use Kraken in conjunction with Turf Fuel Cleanse, Abyss and Vanquish depending on season and soil conditions to achieve the best results. 

Amitraz 12.5% Ec For additional information on Turf Fuel please visit Turffuel.com. For additional information on Target Specialty Products, please visit Target-specialty.com.