Enthusiasm for new and alternate crops is manifested by increasing emphasis on farm diversification, by greater industry interest in plant resources, and by continual expansion of food offerings in supermarkets. Recent changes in the l995 Farm Bill have created agricultural legislation decreasing crop subsidies that will encourage increasing diversification in US agriculture and move farmers to become more attuned to market forces. Many persons have contributed to the success of this symposium and volume. I especially acknowledge the expertise of Anna L. Whipkey, who was in charge of all computer operations for both the symposium and this volume and who transformed the edited manuscripts into computer files which were transferred directly to print. This volume's contents include papers from invited speakers as well as from those who presented posters.
Contributions cover a diverse assortment of crops, topics, and views.
The book is divided into three parts. The banquet address by Frieda Caplan describing the origins and development of Frieda's Inc. leads off the Commercialization subsection. Each volume has a detailed index, so that the three-volume set constitutes a veritable encyclopedia of new and underexploited crops. Finally, it is my pleasure to dedicate this work to Frieda Caplan and Julia Morton, two gracious women who have made an enormous impact on the field of new crops. Frieda Caplan, by innovative marketing and promotion, has, without a doubt, done more than any person to make new food crops known to the Amercian consumer.