2 Thumbs up for When ‘Honeycrisp’ Apples Goes Hollywood
April 12, 2021 The timing was perfect, considering it was late February. While closing down the first-ever virtual meeting of the International Fruit Tree Association (IFTA), Lisa Jenereaux, Chair of the Board, offered some advice to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences: Two green thumbs up for the producers of her show.
“A virtual conference might seem like less work, but it has taken more time to prepare than an in-person meeting,” Jenereaux told IFTA attendees worldwide from her computer in Nova Scotia. One by one, she then thanked the planning committee of Jeff Cleveringa, Karen Lewis, Bernardita Sallato, and, finally, Greg Lang, the Education Director.
“You guys are amazing. And, Greg,” she added, “I wouldn’t be surprised if you get an Oscar nomination.”
I second that nomination. And not just because I have a soft spot for IFTA, which happened to be my first in-person fruit-grower conference.
That the three-day event could go so well didn’t surprise me. Each of the previous dozen or so industry shows that I have virtually attended since December was, in my eyes, a success. The praise that Jenereaux showered upon her colleagues could just as well apply to all of the planning committees from fruit grower associations that have had to call an audible in the midst of this pandemic. Take a bow one and all. Your work is appreciated.
What stood out about IFTA was its foresight and color, exemplified by virtual tours of four orchards from one side of the continent to the other. Over a five-hour span, attendees discovered the nuances of “Growing Great ‘Honeycrisp’ in Michigan” and then “Growing Great ‘Honeycrisp’ in New York” and then doing likewise in Nova Scotia, and finally in Washington state. Each stop featured two digitally recorded interviews with the respective grower — one shot last summer before harvest and then a follow-up video shot this past winter.
That Lang and the rest of the planning committee could plan such an endeavor so far in advance is truly prescient. “Just like any other IFTA orchard tour,” he said modestly. “Only you could do this one in your slippers.”
Very true. But that wasn’t the only difference. Maybe because this IFTA meeting was taking place for me in the middle of a typically film noir-like winter in the dreary Midwest, or maybe because we’re now into the second year of this pandemic, but could the high-def red of the ‘Honeycrisp’ in those four orchards have been any more brilliant? The mere sight gave you hope for spring and beyond, like the first robin, or the baseball equipment truck leaving for spring training.
Fortunately, you can still catch this flick yourself at IDFTA.org. The great thing about virtual conferences is that many of the organizers, including IFTA, offer registrants archived videos of presentations. Lang even promises a few bonuses from the ‘Honeycrisp’ tour de force.
“We’ll be posting the director’s cuts, with extended information,” he said. “I promise there’s no bloopers; just more really good content from each of these orchards.”
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