North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Ed & Pat Fackler <rocmdw@aye.net>]

Doreen Howard wrote:

> One thing that I didn't mention in the previous post is that the end of
> Foster Gallagher also means the end of the National Gardening Assoc..  They
> ceased publication of their magazine last year (subscriptions were satisfied
> by Organic Gardening) and became a totally web-oriented service.  Foster
> Gallagher bought them up and allowed their not-for-profit foundation to
> continue its existence.  In exchange, NGA provided all the gardening content
> on the MySeasons website and did much of the hort info work for various
> catalogs, etc.  Now NGA is out of business, too.  This is a double blow in
> that NGA was one of the last print and/or web magazines that covered fruit
> and vegetables extensively.  Kitchen Gardener by Taunton is gone.  And
> Organic Gardening changed their focus about 18 months ago.  They, too, will
> cease publication this month and be replaced by a woman's lifestyle
> organically-oriented magazine.  A smaller, thinner organic gardening
> magazine targeted towards male gardeners is planned and will appear later
> this year.  This magazine will be heavy on landscaping and flowers and light
> on fruit and veggies.
>
> What do you make of this?  Do you think there is a decline in fruit
> interest?

     My response--------

     Yes, during the last few years, technology has become available to the
masses.
Hence, this machine and prior so-called techno gadgetry has put a high
percentage
of our population inside.  Actually when air-conditioning became available, 
this
trend
started and has rapidly accelerated in recent years.

     You wrote------------

> Is the Nafex membership reflecting this?

     My response-----

     Yes, a couple of weeks ago I asked Jill V. about and currently membership
continues
to decline to around 2,300 now.  This trend started some 12 years ago when
membership
was around 3,500.

     You wrote-----------

>  Do you think this is
> the economy or social changes?

     My response------

     Both.  Folks have way too much disposable cash (or the illusion of it via
plastic).  And
socially, the entire society has changed in the last 20 or so years.  When I 
was
a kid, you
simply did not require an appointment to visit your friends/family.  Now it 
is a
common
or societal "correct" practice.
     Also, we are 2 generations from any real "rural" community wherein ag was
the foremost
sustaining activity.  Now, nationwide, "rural" means something totally
unrealistic, almost surreal
in expectations.  Everyone bitches about manure being spread on fields,
pesticides being applied,
neighbors doing what ever.  The key words here are "everyone 
bitching"-------the
rest are kinda
unimportant, as most city folks do a fair amount of bitching as well.

     You wrote--------------

>  And, do you think that maybe it's time to
> publicize Pomona aggressively as a magazine for fruit information?

     My response------

     Some 4-6 years ago, I tried for a couple of years to get Lee Reich, Lon
Rombough, and a local
garden writter, Maggie Oster to write a rah-rah story on the shear educational
benefits of NAFEX
for a pub. like Readers Digest, Midwest Living, Southern Living, etc., etc., 
and
of course, etc.
All said it was a worthwhile project, but for reasons totally not clear to me,
it never happened.
     Also, for the last 5-7 years there has been moderately regular periodic
verbage on the
great benefits of local chapters.  However to my knowledge, Tom Olenio of 
Canada
has established
the only new one.

     You wrote----------------

>
>
> This summer has been a watershed of change for the horticulture industry,
> and I don't think the changes are finished.

     My response---------------

     The changes of which you speak are indeed upon us.  I'm currently eating 
a
virtual apple!!!!


Ed, So. Indiana, heaven and luvin' it



 

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