The last few years we have attended the Horticulture Industry Show. It is a joint venture between colleges, universities and foundations in Oklahoma and Arkansas that gives anyone who grows fruit, vegetables, Christmas trees and flowers, either for pleasure or commercially, access to a wealth of information on many topics. The meeting rotates between Fort Smith, AR and Tulsa, OK. This year it will be held at Tulsa Community College.
This year the featured speaker is from Seed Savers Exchange: http://www.seedsavers.org/
We have been members of SSE for several years and order a lot of our seeds from them. They are dedicated preserving and sharing heirloom seeds. Why should we care about saving these heirloom seeds? As stated on the SSE web site:
"The genetic diversity of the world's food crops is eroding at an unprecedented and accelerating rate. The vegetables and fruits currently being lost are the result of thousands of years of adaptation and selection in diverse ecological niches around the world. Each variety is genetically unique and has developed resistance to the diseases and pests with which it evolved. Plant breeders use the old varieties to breed resistance into modern crops that are constantly being attacked by rapidly evolving diseases and pests. Without these infusions of genetic diversity, food production is at risk from epidemics and infestations."
We have come to depend on a handful of commercial varieties of fruits and vegetables that are promoted by the large seed companies. A study conducted in 1983 by the Rural Advancement Foundation compared USDA listings of seed varieties sold by commercial U.S. seed houses in 1903 with those in the U.S. National Seed Storage Laboratory in 1983. It found that 93% of the varieties studied had gone extinct. That percentage is certainly higher today!
I would encourage you to attend the HIS meeting this year. Even if you only have a small flower bed or grow a few tomatoes in your back yard, there is something for everyone at the HIS show.
No comments:
Post a Comment