Toro gives state-of-the-art turfgrass equipment and scholarships to Penn State

Toro gives state-of-the-art turfgrass equipment and scholarships to Penn State

University Park, Pa. -- The Toro Co., a leading manufacturer of turf maintenance equipment, has given Penn State's Center for Turfgrass Science several gifts having a combined value of nearly $150,000.

The company's gift-in-kind of state-of-the-art equipment for the University's turfgrass programs, valued at more than $128,000, will be used to train all turf students in modern irrigation technology, equipment operation and turfgrass maintenance. The highly specialized, professional-grade Toro equipment includes a Multipro 5700-D sprayer, two Greensmaster Flex 21 flexible-head walking mowers with attachments, an array of allied irrigation eqiupment, a satellite computer controller and a central computer utilizing GPS technology for research plots.

Toro also contributed $20,000 for turfgrass student scholarships and to send students to the Sports Turf Managers Association annual conference and the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America golf industry show. The superintendents show is the largest of its kind worldwide.

Headquartered in Bloomington, Minn., the Toro Co. is a worldwide provider of outdoor beautification products, support services and integrated solutions, with sales of $1.8 billion in 2005. Since 1914, the company's brands have served a customer base that includes golf course superintendents, groundskeepers, sports field managers, landscape and irrigation contractors, fruit and vegetable growers, and homeowners.

The University's turfgrass science program, initiated in 1929, is among the oldest in the nation, and has made Penn State a world leader in the development and management of improved turfgrass varieties and other products.