West Michigan Whitecaps Success with Foliar-Pak

Usually, we write seasonal articles specific to turf and ornamental topics relevant to the time of year. Considering we’re now in November, I wanted to write an article a bit different than normal, yet relevant to this time of year. I wanted to shine the spotlight of “thanks” to one of our customers that had a great year and a compelling success story with the Foliar-Pak product line.

This year the West Michigan Whitecaps and Sports Turf Manager Mitch Hooten received the STMA Field of the Year award for Single-A ballparks. 2019 was Mitch’s third year as the field manager, and the third year using Foliar-Pak products. He’s had great success with his field and Foliar-Pak, so I wanted to acknowledge that and give credit and thanks to a job well done!

The West Michigan Whitecaps are a minor league professional baseball organization playing in the Midwest League-Low A. The field is one comprised of Kentucky Bluegrass. The outfit sees 70 home games per year, as well as various “extracurricular events” throughout the year. Mitch, his assistant Ian Williamson, and the in-season staff of 7, maintain the park through the thick of all those home games and events to a top-notch standard. In fact, this year, a “Field of the Year” standard!

One of the biggest challenges Mitch and the staff face is executing their fertility and cultural practice program around the hectic and full schedule that is the professional baseball calendar. Given this challenge, and windows of application and agronomic response being tight, Mitch believes the Foliar-Pak line has helped to soften the blow of time restraints. He states his favorite part of the program is “the consistency of products and turf response to those products. I know exactly what I’m going to get when I make an application.”

I asked Mitch what his favorite product(s) were in the program, and if he had anything else, he wanted to comment on. His response was the following: “I don’t have one favorite product; I have three. I love Grow-In, Foundation 40, and Armament K. As for anything else to add, I want sports turf managers to be aware how great of a response is achieved from CSi L. It’s not only a golf greens product but does an incredible job of turgidity for sports turf. I’ve applied this product pre-concert flooring and actually had trouble getting the flooring to settle in due to how stiff and turgid the grass had responded.”

It’s been great getting to know and work with Mitch, Ian, and his staff. We certainly appreciate all they do to support us, give us a chance to show what our product line can do professionally, and look forward to what the future holds. While this has been a spotlight on a single customer, and a fun one at that, we certainly realize we have many incredible end users. We would be remiss not to acknowledge and thank all the end-users and distributor reps across the US and overseas. It truly is all of you that drive our success. We wouldn’t be the company we are today without your support. So, from the bottom of my heart, and on behalf of the entire Foliar-Pak team, thank you all for your business and support from the past and moving into the future. Happy Thanksgiving to all!