2026 RMRTA Conference & Trade Show
Schedule at a Glance
Education Session Tracks: Turfgrass Management, Irrigation, Golf, Synthetic, Professional Development, Pest Control, Equipment/Mechanics, Aquatics
Tuesday • December 8, 2026
7:00–8:00 AM
Registration & Breakfast
8:00 AM–3:00 PM
Pesticide Applicator Prep Workshop (Room-Elderberry)
Lisa Blecker (CSU)
Offsite Full-Day Workshops
- Sprayer Training: Basics & Advanced Spray Technology – Brian Nash & Dave Annis (Rain Dance National Golf Course) Equipment/Mechanics
- Irrigation Management A to Z: Including Things You've Been Afraid to Ask – Brad Jakubowski (DBC Irrigation) Irrigation
8:00–11:00 AM
- Turf & Weedy Grass Identification (Room Snowberry)– Dr. Alison O'Connor & Max Nikkari
- Hands-On Sprayer & Spreader Calibration (Room Goldenglow)– Weston Floyd
11:00 AM–12:00 PM
Lunch (Provided)
12:00–3:00 PM
- Selection, Planting, Maintenance & Common Issues of Woody Plants (Room Snowberry)– Dr. Alison O'Connor & Eric Hammond
- Interpreting Labels & Turfgrass Math (Room Goldenglow)– Weston Floyd
Wednesday • December 9, 2026
7:00–8:00 AM
Registration & Breakfast
7:30–9:00 AM
Opening Remarks
Keynote Session (Room-Snowberry/Goldenglow)
Jeff McManus
"It's Not About the Paycheck"
9:00 AM–5:00 PM
Industry Trade Show (Front Range Ballroom)
9:10–10:10 AM
- Amanda Folck — Can Cold-Tolerant Hybrid Bermudagrasses Adapt to the Northern Transition Zone? (Room Lake Loveland AB) Turfgrass Management
- Adam Russell — How Stuff Works: Developing Turfgrass (Room Carter Lake AB) Turfgrass Management
- Abby McNeal, CSFM, CPRP — Creating, Implementing & Sustaining Maintenance Standards (Room Aspen Daisy) Turfgrass Management
- Chase Straw, Ph.D. — Technologies for Golf Course Management (Room Elderberry) Golf
- C.J. Coy — Relationships Matter (Room Goldenglow) Professional Development
- Matt Anderson, CSFM — Trends in Turfgrass (Room Snowberry) Turfgrass Management
10:20–11:20 AM
- Alpha Jones, CSFM — The 8 Stolons of Leadership (Room Lake Loveland AB) Professional Development
- Spencer Schneider — Sprinkler Install Basics (Room Carter Lake AB) Irrigation
- Drew Miller, Ed.D. & Leah Withrow — Sports Field Management: That's a Thing? (Room Aspen Daisy) Professional Development
- Travis Shaddox, Ph.D. — Critical Thinking in an Age of Misinformation (Room Elderberry) Professional Development
- Rick Phelps, ASGCA — All Things Bunkers (Room Goldenglow) Golf
- Alan Hopkins — Vegetation Management Programs (Room Snowberry) Pest Control
11:30 AM–12:30 PM
Lunch on the Trade Show Floor (Front Range Ballroom)
12:30–1:30 PM
Trade Show Experience
1:40–2:40 PM
- Christian Baldwin, Ph.D. — Driving Turf Performance (Room Lake Loveland AB) Turfgrass Management
- Kayla Kipp, CTEM — Reely Hands-On (Room Carter Lake AB) Equipment/Mechanics
- Adam Thoms, Ph.D. — Turfgrass Math (Room Aspen Daisy) Turfgrass Management
- John Lloyd, Ph.D. — Feeding Soil Microbes (Room Elderberry) Turfgrass Management
- Manuel Chavarria, Ph.D. — Managing Irrigation with Poor-Quality Water (Room Goldenglow) Irrigation
- Jeff McManus — Growing Whiners into Winners (Room Snowberry) Professional Development
2:50–3:50 PM
- Joe Staab — Synthetic Turf Maintenance (Room Lake Loveland AB) Synthetic
- Sarah Martin, CSFM — Drought: Do I Need a Plan? (Room Carter Lake AB) Irrigation
- Zach Bauer, CGCS — Uncomfortable on Purpose (Room Aspen Daisy) Golf
- Eric Miltner, Ph.D. — Nutrition Beyond the Obvious (Room Elderberry) Turfgrass Management
- Bart Eller — Improving Turf Immune Function & Traffic Tolerance (Room Goldenglow) Turfgrass Management
- Logann Grasteit, John Adkins & Josh Brumley — Innovative Hiring Strategies (Room Snowberry) Professional Development
3:50–4:00 PM
Coffee Break (Front Range Ballroom)
4:00–5:00 PM
- Judd Fitzgerald — Coming Soon! (Room Lake Loveland AB)
- Adam Russell — Weird Science: Making Turfgrass (Room Carter Lake AB) Turfgrass Management
- Adam Thoms, Ph.D. — Biostimulants: What Do We Know? (Room Aspen Daisy) Golf
- Joe Staab — End of Turf Life Cycle Assessment (Room Elderberry) Synthetic
- Drew Miller, Ed.D. & Leah Withrow — Where Is the Future of Sports Field Management? (Room Goldenglow) Professional Development
- Weston Floyd — Irrigation Efficiency & Water Audits (Room Snowberry) Irrigation
Thursday • December 10, 2026
7:00–8:00 AM
Registration & Breakfast
8:00 AM–12:30 PM
Industry Trade Show (Front Range Ballroom)
8:00 AM–12:00 PM
Pesticide Applicator Core Credits (Room Lake Loveland AB)
Lisa Blecker
8:00–9:00 AM
- Matt Anderson, CSFM — Beyond the 1/3 Rule (Room Carter Lake AB) Turfgrass Management
- Manuel Jordan — Spanish Course: Soil Management Principles (Room Aspen Daisy) Turfgrass Management
- Chase Straw, Ph.D. — Data-Driven Golf Course Water Management (Room Elderberry) Golf
- C.J. Coy — How Big Is Your Faith? (Room Goldenglow) Professional Development
- Manuel Chavarria, Ph.D. — Take Control: Weed Management in Turfgrass Systems (Room Snowberry) Pest Control
9:10–10:10 AM
- Abby McNeal, CSFM, CPRP — Environmental Stewardship & Sustainable Maintenance Practices (Room Carter Lake AB) Turfgrass Management
- Brad Jakubowski — Making Sense of Granular Fertilizers (Room Aspen Daisy) Pest Control
- Rick Phelps, ASGCA — Planning for Capital Improvements (Room Elderberry) Golf
- Alpha Jones, CSFM — The 8 Stolons of Leadership: Expanding the Reach (Room Goldenglow) Professional Development
- Commercial Partners Product Speed Dating (Room Snowberry)
10:20–11:20 AM
- Andrew Barber — Understanding Irrigation Pump Systems & Efficiency (Room Carter Lake AB) Irrigation
- Drew Miller, Ed.D. — Growing Leaders: The Power of Mentorship (Room Aspen Daisy) Professional Development
- Travis Shaddox, Ph.D. — Fertilizer Blending 101 (Room Elderberry) Pest Control
- Manuel Jordan — Spanish Course: Practical Carbon Management (Room Goldenglow) Turfgrass Management
- Sarah Martin, CSFM — Best Practices for Drought Irrigation (Room Snowberry) Irrigation
11:30 AM–12:30 PM
- Tim York & Adam Waters — Water Supply, Demand and the Connection Between Them (Room Carter Lake AB) Irrigation
- Amanda Folck — Drought Management in Turfgrass Areas (Room Aspen Daisy) Turfgrass Management
- Zach Bauer, CGCS — Scars and Successes (Room Elderberry) Professional Development
- TBD— Aquatics (Room Goldenglow) Aquatics
- Kayla Kipp, CTEM — It's Electric (Room Snowberry) Equipment/Mechanics
1:00–2:30 PM
🚜 Walker Mowers Factory Tour
Exclusive to Bundle & Save registrants (Limited to 50 attendees).