Central Cove competes at turfgrass invitational

The Central Cove FFA Turfgrass Management Team, consisting of Hunter Keith, Kade Robison, Brody Mellott and Michael Flaugh, accompanied by adviser Heather Van Winkle, recently put their skills to the test on a national stage, competing against teams from 11 states at the Sports Field Management Association’s annual Turfgrass Science Invitational, hosted this year at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas.

The event challenged students to demonstrate both technical knowledge and hands-on proficiency across a wide range of real-world turfgrass management tasks. Throughout the competition, team members rotated through stations that required precision,

problem-solving and industry-level competency. Students completed stenciling exercises, measured field firmness and performed turf repair techniques commonly used on athletic fields and golf courses. They also tackled irrigation troubleshooting, calibration tasks and detailed plant identification.

UNIVERSITY PARK

Annual weed control guide released

Farm managers in the mid-Atlantic region looking for the latest strategies for managing weeds in corn, sorghum, soybeans, small grains and forages can turn to the 2026 edition of the Mid-

Atlantic Weed Control Guide: Essentials for Agronomic Crops, now available for purchase from Penn State Extension.

Featuring updated herbicide recommendations and weed-control tables from the 2025 edition of the Penn State Agronomy Guide, this quick-reference guide highlights essential information for managing problem weeds in major Mid-Atlantic agronomic crops.

The Penn State Mid-Atlantic Weed Control Guide: Essentials for Agronomic Crops, can be found by visiting extension.psu.edu/field-crop-weed-guide. This guide is available in print or as a digital download.

Penn State Extension unveils AI tool

Penn State Extension unveiled its new AI tool at the 2026 Pennsylvania Farm Show.

“Tilva” is aimed at giving farmers around-the-clock access to trusted answers.

Built for time-constrained producers, the system delivers guidance drawn from vast, science-based, Extension resources, expanding educators’ reach while helping users find reliable information quickly about agriculture, food, the environment and other topics.

The tool is completely free and can be accessed by visiting the Penn State Extension home page and clicking on the “Ask Tilva” button.

Beekeeping webinar series offered

Those interested in learning about beekeeping practices and challenges in different parts of the world can attend “Beekeeping Around the World,” a free, six-week webinar series offered by Penn State Extension.

Webinars will take place from noon to 1 p.m. Thursdays from Feb. 12 to March 19. Each week will feature a different location, and presenters will discuss what beekeeping is like there.

Penn State Extension offers this series free of charge, but participants must register by 11:59 a.m. on each webinar date to receive the link to access the live webinar.

Registrants will receive a link to the recorded webinar within 10 business days after the live event. The recording will be accessible for six months from the event date.