North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Mark & Helen Angermayer" <hangermayer@isp.com>]

I think Tom hit it.  Food is too cheap.  Isn't it strange we spend more on
housing or transportation than food?  I suspect most hobbyists who
garden/grow fruit like it for it's own sake.

Mark

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Thomas Olenio" <>
To: "'North American Fruit Explorers'" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Sunday, July 01, 2007 10:38 AM
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] NNGA membership declines


> Hi,
>
> Hi,
>
> Well...  I bet people are just getting further away from the land, farming
> and gardening all the time, due to changes in society and demands of time
> and work.
>
> There is little time being made for things they can buy for pennies, nor
> little knowledge that better varieties exist outside the supermarket, that
> do not meet the demands of market farming.
>
> Let's face it...  The most delicious fruit/nut in the world will never be
> tasted by the masses unless; it can be picked green, ships well, stores
> well, has perfect eye appeal, and can be grown with little
cost/maintenance.
>
>
> Your average "Joe consumer" has no knowledge of these considerations, or
> that they can produce better fruits/nuts themselves.
>
> This shift does not diminish the importance of NAFEX and similar groups;
it
> simply makes them more important.  Much like the crop gene banks; the
masses
> never think about them, but they are critical to biodiversity and
improving
> crops.
>
> Later,
> Tom
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
> [mailto:nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Michael Nave
> Sent: Sunday, July 01, 2007 11:19 AM
> To: North American Fruit Explorers
> Subject: Re: [NAFEX] NNGA membership declines
>
> I've been an NNGA member for about 16 years. My
> impression is that the older folks are dying off, and
> more importantly, not being replaced by younger folks.
> Interest in nut trees definitely seems to be in a
> decline in the US right now. Membership in the
> American Chestnut Foundation has increased but I think
> many of the ACF members are not active nut growers
> anyway. They like the romance of the story of the
> American chestnut and the attempts to bring it back.
>
> It's not that there are other ways to meet kindred
> souls. There simply aren't that many kindred souls to
> meet. Oddly, there are probably more chestnut and
> pecan growers now than there have been in many years,
> but many of them really aren't interested in nut trees
> as a discussion topic. They are simply interested in
> growing nut trees as a way to make money. Many newer
> chestnut growers in the west for example just plant
> orchards of Colossal chestnuts as a way to make an
> easy buck. They actually know nothing about chestnuts
> and have no interest in discussing chestnuts unless
> the discussion involves a way to make more money. They
> have no love of nut trees at all.
>
> Mike
>
>
>
> --- Donna &/or Kieran <holycow@cookeville.com> wrote:
>
> > I guess you can tell business is slow for me today.
> > I finally joined NNGA
> > last year and finally got our address problem
> > corrected so got my long
> > awaited and long anticipated first NUTSHELL.  What a
> > disappointment, very
> > thin reading.  Then I read that their membership has
> > declined to only 600,
> > only about 1/4 of what it has been in the past.
> > Anyone know why?  I assume
> > it's the old guys dying off.  Could it be that the
> > internet and things like
> > Gardenweb as another way to meet kindred souls have
> > added to the decline?
> > I do find that the antique rose group contains
> > knowlegeable people, but
> > other forums tend to involve a lot of very naive
> > beginners.
> >     I am concerned because I had assumed that I'd be
> > able to track down some
> > old friend of Cecil Farris who would have his hazels
> > in their backyard.  ( I
> > do hear that Corvallis has his stuff)  Also I want
> > to find the info on Fox
> > and Davis shagbarks, which was compatible with
> > mockernut, which with pignut,
> > so I'd know which one I have and try the other one
> > again.( I do try to keep
> > decent notes on what I do and decent labels, but
> > failed on these)   Lucky
> > says I didn't get them from him and they're not on
> > his list of what Ted
> > Danieki has, so I have no idea who I ordered them
> > from some 9-10 years ago.
> > I know there is a big overlap of membership between
> > the 2 organizations, so
> > maybe you all know something about what has been
> > happening with them.
> > Donna
> >
> >
>
>
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________
> ________
> Boardwalk for $500? In 2007? Ha! Play Monopoly Here and Now (it's updated
> for today's economy) at Yahoo! Games.
> http://get.games.yahoo.com/proddesc?gamekey=monopolyherenow
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