But if they don't continue to be involved and be outspoken, when they get to the back shelf Extension may not be there. Decades of change Smith has seen huge changes in the fruit industry in the last three decades. Orchard spacing shrunk from 16'x24' in the 1970s to 13'x20', to 10'x14' and to 7'x13' today. Significant reduction in farm numbers and increase in farm size. Orchards of older apple varieties such as Early Mac's, Miltons, Puritan, Lodi and Baldwin have been removed and newer varieties have been planted such as Mutsu, Fuji, Law Rome, Empire, Jonagold, Gala and Gingergold.
Computers are now as common as are beepers, cell phones and fax machines.
Packing houses now have electronic sizing, color sorting and must label fruit and use PLUs. Waxed apples have become mandatory if packers want to sell to large chains as did the demand for better fruit quality. Profit margins have shrunk as have the number of brokers and buyers. Trickle irrigation and some fertigation has been put in and dramatically improved fruit size and quality. The arrival of pickers of various nationalities to help Jamaican pickers has challenged many growers especially if learning another foreign language was necessary.