UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Peter Landschoot, professor of turfgrass science, retired this fall with emeritus status after serving as the resident turfgrass management specialist for Penn State Extension for 35 years. By all accounts, his work has had an impact both inside and outside the College of Agricultural Sciences.

Landschoot recently was honored by the Keystone Athletic Field Managers Organization, which presented him with the Fowler Founders Award at its annual conference. That award, named in memory of Donald Fowler, a Penn State Extension educator, recognizes individuals for their dedication to making a difference in the sports turf industry of Pennsylvania.

“Throughout his very long and distinguished career, Peter has been a selfless, hard-working and thoughtful faculty member who makes an impact with everything he does,” said Erin Connolly, professor and head of the Department of Plant Science. “Peter had responsibilities in teaching, research and working with the turf industry, and he has done an excellent job with his diverse set of duties. The department is grateful for his hard work and dedication. We will miss his leadership and consistent focus on helping students and stakeholders.”

Connolly called Landschoot “a skilled and highly effective instructor” who taught the following courses: "Case Studies in Turfgrass Management," "Case Studies in Golf Turf Management" and "Turfgrass Management Practices in the United Kingdom and Italy." As a member of Penn State Extension’s Green Industry Team, she noted, he has provided key leadership on all turfgrass extension activities, and he has done an excellent job helping to smooth the merger of the horticulture and agronomy programs. He also oversaw Penn State’s turf research facility.

In addition, Connolly said, he ran an integrated applied research and extension program focused on several aspects of turfgrass management. A recent focus has been nutrient management, and his efforts and collaborations led to implementation of new nutrient management legislation.

“In response to federal and state efforts to curb nutrient loading in the Chesapeake Bay, I devoted a significant portion of my extension work to addressing nutrient management issues in turfgrass systems,” Landschoot said. “I served on the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s Urban/Suburban/Rural Watershed Implementation Plan Committee, which was instrumental in developing a plan to meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s total maximum daily load goals for reduced nitrogen and phosphorus.”

This plan became the foundation for a series of bills and a new turfgrass fertilizer law that was enacted in 2022 (Act 83). During the leadup to passage of the new law, Landschoot participated in hearings on proposed fertilizer legislation with the state Department of Agriculture, the Pennsylvania Fertilizer Advisory Board and various trade organizations.

Landschoot provided summaries and updates on proposed fertilizer legislation and the new fertilizer law to trade organizations and in extension meetings and workshops, and he wrote articles in newsletters on this topic. He also developed and published a manual on turfgrass fertilization for professional applicators that is now used in nutrient management training sessions throughout Pennsylvania.

“Without a doubt, the most satisfying part of my job was working with and responding to the needs of thousands of professional turfgrass managers, industry and government representatives, consultants, and homeowners,” Landschoot said “Over my 35-year career, I tried to respond to every phone call and email. Another satisfying part of my job was advising undergraduates and teaching my capstone case studies course to hundreds of resident and World Campus students.”

Another rewarding experience, he explained, was serving as director of the agronomy graduate program for more than 10 years and as co-director of the agricultural and environmental plant science graduate program for the past four years.

“It was also exciting working with international and national turf research organizations — mostly on environmental issues — including the Scandinavian Turf and Environmental Research Foundation, the Italian Golf Federation, the U.S. National Turfgrass Evaluation Program Policy Committee and the United States Golf Association Research Committee,” Landschoot said. “Serving on these committees and reviewing research proposals was a huge learning process for me. The travel experience was interesting as well.”

Despite being retired, Landschoot continues to be involved in a volunteer capacity in nutrient management issues in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. He currently serves on a panel of experts to review and update turfgrass nutrient management recommendations for the Chesapeake Bay Program's Urban Stormwater Workgroup and assists the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture with an outreach program for “watershed friendly” lawn care practices.