Its Time To Think About Ice Melt

Believe it or not, it’s time to think about ice melt needs for 2016/2017!

ATS is busy procuring ice melt products for your needs this winter. One of the toughest jobs we encounter with procurement is predicting winter weather in the September and October planning stages.

What methods can you use to long-term forecast? Who do you believe in for long-term future forecasts for that matter?! There are a few options. You can pick someone, who is giving predictions, and go with your gut or you could also use “THE LAW OF AVERAGES,” in my opinion. We believe the best way to forecast is to ASSUME a normal winter, so that is what we’ve done initially in making commitments to our suppliers.

With all the uncertainty surrounding ice melt products, the decision of purchasing may seem daunting. However, the most important pieces of advice I can give you are to plan and not procrastinate. Not planning at all and waiting until the last minute of the first big snow event to purchase can cause a large amount of stress, but so can waiting too long in the time between snow events. It is often the between times that we find customers do not plan for and procrastinate the most. The amount of product you have stored will dwindle with each event and all it takes is one big storm to deplete all your remaining products. I would suggest having a comfortable amount of inventory in your barn after every snow event, so you are prepared, and “fickle” Mother Nature doesn’t catch you off guard.

Call your ATS Rep before the first event and between events. They can easily answer questions or have discussions about products, pricing and your best guess requirements. We want to make sure we supply your needs.

Take a look at our exclusive ice melt products, 5 Below and 20 Below. Also, if you need some help with moving snow, check out the LT Rich Snowrator ZX4. You can push, spread, and pretreat spray, all with one machine.

We would be happy to arrange a demo without the snow for the time being. If you attend the GIE Expo in Louisville, KY, LT Rich will have a machine for you to demo as well. These machine are in high demand, so don’t wait!

Have a productive fall. It’s a great time to prep your turf and ornamentals for winter. It was a brutal summer in most of our geographies and we need the recovery time Mother Nature provides with fall weather.

To see our variety of ice melters, rock salt, and bulk salt, take a look at our Ice Melt Catalog.

Thank you for your business!

Dave Winter
Vice President Turf and Ornamental