As stewards of the outdoors, Toro takes immense pride in helping organizations care for and maintain the green spaces that enhance and strengthen communities — especially those in our own state.
The University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum is a 1,200-acre arboretum in Chaska, Minnesota. With a focus on connecting people and plants, it welcomes nearly 700,000 visitors annually to experience the fruits of its horticultural research, education and beautiful garden spaces.
Managing the expansive grounds and natural woodlands requires a dedicated horticulture team of 60 full- and part-time staff, college students and volunteer groups, as well as a full fleet of Toro equipment.
Recently, Toro expanded that fleet through a donation of a new Toro® Groundsmaster® 4000-D mower, a heavy-duty, wide-area rotary mower favored by horticulture and commercial landscape professionals. The 11-foot cutting width helps to streamline operations, making quick work of the vast acreage while keeping public areas open for visitors to enjoy.
“Toro is incredibly proud to support the Arboretum’s mission of inspiring visitors through horticultural research and education,” says Josh Jans, senior marketing manager for sports fields and grounds at Toro. “Our equipment is engineered specifically to meet the rigorous demands of world-class landscapes like this one.
The new Groundsmaster mower replaces an aging machine, adding to a Toro fleet that includes Workman® utility vehicles, a Vista® passenger vehicle, a Dingo® compact utility vehicle, battery-operated leaf blowers, zero-turn mowers and
snow blowers.
The donation is part of a long-standing partnership between the two Minnesota organizations. In addition to equipment donations, Toro has contributed in-kind and monetary donations as well as thousands of hours of Toro employee volunteer time to the Arboretum.
“We are grateful for Toro’s donation of the Groundsmaster 4000-D. The Arboretum features undulating grassy spaces across its 1,200 acres, nestled between thousands of trees, dozens of display gardens and other unique collections,” said Jared Rubinstein, University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum director of horticulture and collections. “This new mower will replace a decades-old Toro unit as the primary mower for managing the height of the Arboretum’s grass areas.”
For more information on Toro products and initiatives, go to thetorocompany.com.
