History of the International Fruit Tree Association

The International Fruit Tree Association (IFTA) has played a leading role in the advancement of the fruit industry. For over a half century, members of this organization created innovative new orchard planting and management techniques which continue to revolutionize the fruit industry. 

The early members of IFTA (originally the Dwarf Fruit Tree Association) were an ambitious collection of growers, university researchers, and nurserymen. Each brought their own approach to growing quality fruit, yet they all recognized that sharing knowledge would be a benefit to the industry at large. IFTA members experimented with ideas garnered from growers across the U.S. and eventually from fruit growing regions around the world. From the annual meetings and tours, IFTA members left willing to try new planting styles, fruit varieties, rootstocks, and pest management tools. Of course, these experiments always involved risk, but the ideas that proved successful would dramatically change the industry. 

Today IFTA remains at the forefront of the industry, committed to research, education, and firsthand demonstration. As past members of IFTA age, retire, and become less involved, much of the organizational history is lost. The goal of this proposal is to outline an approach for documenting, preserving, and promoting the history of IFTA and its significance to the fruit industry and agriculture generally.