This month's MRFC meeting on April 13 is not to be missed. Besides my always-exciting Treasurer's report, we will hear Noris Ledesma, Curator of Tropical Fruit at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Homestead.
Noris spoke about canistels at the February meeting of the Suncoast Tropical Fruit and Vegetable Society in nearby Nokomis. Due to a scheduling conflict I could not attend, but friends who were there gave it rave reviews. I did hear Noris last summer at the Fairchild Mango Festival, speaking about the mangos of her native country, Colombia. It was an excellent presentation--- dynamic, informative, and passionate.
Noris is featured in a wide-ranging interview in the current issue of Tropical Fruit News. She came to the U. S. when she began working at Fairchild in 2000. Her first project was the Citrus Replacement Program, created to encourage homeowners to grow fruits other than citrus. After funding for this ran out, she worked on other projects at Fairchild before replacing Richard Campbell as Curator of Tropical Fruit when he moved up to Director of Horticulture and Senior Curator of Tropical Fruit.
Already holding a Bachelor's degree in Forestry Engineering and a Master's in Environmental Education, Noris will receive a Doctorate in Agricultural Economics from Humbold University in Berlin this year. The choice to work in agricultural economics arises from her observation that so many commercial growers lose money, especially in mangos. Consequently she sees the economics side of agriculture as the most critical.
There's lots more in the TFN spread. We'll have two copies available at the meeting for those who would like to read the full interview.
I'm really looking forward to hearing Noris speak to our club. If you're not already fired up for our upcoming tree sale, this oughta do it!
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