Alaska 2019 WSARE PDP

View the project final report

Commodities

Practices

• Animal Production: animal protection and health, feed/forage, grazing management, meat processing, meat product quality/safety, preventive practices, watering systems
• Crop Production: application rate management, cover crops, fertigation, fertilizers, food processing, food processing facilities/community kitchens, food product quality/safety, greenhouses, high tunnels or hoop houses, irrigation, low tunnels, no-till, nutrient cycling, nutrient management, organic fertilizers, postharvest treatment, row covers (for season extension), season extension, varieties and cultivars, water management, water storage, winter storage
• Education and Training: decision support system, display, extension, farmer to farmer, focus group, networking, on-farm/ranch research, technical assistance, workshop, youth education
• Energy: biofuel feedstocks, energy conservation/efficiency
• Farm Business Management: agricultural finance, agritourism, budgets/cost and returns, business planning, community-supported agriculture, cooperatives, farm-to-restaurant, farmers' markets/farm stands, financial management, labor/employment, marketing management, risk management, value added, whole farm planning
• Natural Resources/Environment: biodiversity, drift/runoff buffers, soil stabilization, wildlife
• Pest Management: biofumigation, biological control, chemical control, cultivation, cultural control, disease vectors, field monitoring/scouting, integrated pest management, mulches - general, mulching - plastic, physical control, prevention, row covers (for pests), sanitation, traps
• Production Systems: dryland farming, holistic management, hydroponics, integrated crop and livestock systems, organic agriculture
• Soil Management: composting, green manures, organic matter, soil analysis, soil chemistry, soil microbiology, soil physics, soil quality/health
• Sustainable Communities: community development, employment opportunities, food hubs, local and regional food systems, new business opportunities, partnerships, public policy, quality of life, social networks, sustainability measures, urban agriculture

Alaska farms are diverse and spread widely across the state. Alaska is one-fifth the size of the contiguous United States (365 million acres) and is home to roughly 800 farm operations. Fifteen million acres of soil have been designated as suitable for farming, but only about one million acres are currently farmed. While not all acreages are yet being utilized for farming, there is great potential for agriculture growth within the state, and residents are eager for knowledge. Currently, there are only seven cooperative extension service agents with full or partial agriculture/horticulture appointments to reach all of the communities across the state. In order to be effective, extension agents rely on partnership, collaboration, and cooperation with other agencies and agricultural groups to disperse information across Alaska.

This project provided an educational farm convention and workshops/webinars/newsletter to support agricultural professionals and farmers within the state as well as have our WSARE state coordinator attend the annual WSARE PDP meetings. The primary deliverables for this project were: 1) hosting the Alaska Farm Convention and Trade Show, 2) providing workshops focused on sustainable agriculture, 3) providing webinars/newsletter focused on sustainable agriculture, and 4) hosting and providing access online to conference/workshop presentations and recorded webinars

Desired objectives of the Alaska SARE PDP included: 1) Increase the knowledge of agricultural professionals about sustainable agriculture practices and achievable goals that they can adapt and implement in Alaska, 2) Increase the emphasis on sustainable agriculture practices that agricultural professionals incorporate into educational programs and publications, 3) Facilitate the transmission of knowledge of sustainable agriculture principles from agricultural professionals to agricultural producers, and 4) Promote the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices by agricultural producers and assist them in developing the skills necessary to make these practices successful. These objectives were achieved through the offering of the Annual Alaska Farm Convention and Trade Show. Newsletters and webinars were offered throughout the span of the award period.