Celebrate Alaska Agriculture Day

Carol E. Lewis, (pictured at left) dean of UAF School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences and director of the Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, shares her commentary on Alaska Agriculture Day, which is being celebrated Tuesday, May 5, 2009:

One thing we all have in common is food. We need it to survive!

The food we consume affects our health, our quality of life and even our frame of mind. Here in Alaska, where the agriculture industry provides less than 5 percent of our state’s food supply, it would be easy to leave it to Outside forces to send truckloads and barge loads of groceries and call it good. I say, “not so fast.”

As we celebrate Alaska Agriculture Day May 5, I ask you to take a moment and consider the goodness of locally produced food and what goes into its production. Many would say there is no comparison between the taste and quality of food produced in Alaska and that which has traveled thousands of miles to get here.

We have been doing research, providing education and bringing our knowledge about agriculture specific to high latitudes to Alaskans for over 100 years at UAF’s Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station and more recently the School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences. We have experts studying composting, hydroponics so we can produce crops without soils and the use of lighting and alternative energy in controlled environments to extend our short growing season and possibly make crop production a reality year-round. We have developed superior quality strawberries and potatoes, and are working with new varieties of barley and sunflowers. With UAF’s Specialized Neuroscience Research Program, we are investigating the health benefits of Alaska wild blueberries. The agricultural research, education and outreach work at UAF continue to benefit Alaskans in the 21st century just as they did in the 19th century. Our findings have benefited Alaskans in ways they might not know.

From the time Alaska was purchased from Russia in 1867 the topic of agricultural potential was a hotly debated issue. Our rich history began in 1898 in Sitka, when the first agricultural experiment farm opened in Sitka, followed by Kodiak, Kenai, Rampart, Copper Center, Fairbanks, Matanuska and Homer, operated by the Alaska Agricultural Experiment Station. Right from the start, cattle and vegetables, small grains and hay production were focuses at the experiment farms. Amazingly, some of the research conducted back then is still useful today. The two experiment farms still growing today at Matanuska and Fairbanks are strong supporters of the agricultural industry in Alaska.

As the state faces new challenges in agriculture and resource management, AFES and SNRAS bring state-of-the-art research information to the people of Alaska. Research on soil and crop management to sustain agriculture includes breeding and selecting forage and energy crops adapted to high latitudes, reducing pesticide use and determining alternatives for pesticides, and assessing how agricultural practices might impact the production of greenhouse gases at northern latitudes. Research by our Reindeer Research Program at the Fairbanks Experiment Farm and our Nome Research Site emphasizes developing best management practices. In horticulture, we are working on annual flowers, native plants, fruit crops, and woody and herbaceous perennial ornamental production for high latitudes; developing management systems for efficiently cultivating these crops and applying research results on light quality, day length and temperature to the greenhouse production of horticultural crops. At the Georgeson Botanical Garden and the Controlled Environment Agriculture Laboratory at the Fairbanks Experiment Farm we provide research and demonstrations on the production of annual and perennial horticulture plants. Take some time to enjoy a leisurely visit to the Fairbanks Experiment Farm this summer. You’ll be impressed at the variety of research we are doing for our state.

We are reaching out to rural Alaska to assist with crop production and greenhouse experiments. Places that had hardly ever known fresh produce are reaping the benefits. Alaskans all over the state are increasingly interested in buying locally, in the interest of supporting their community and economy, increasing food security and enjoying the freshness of food grown nearby.

As concerns blossom about locally grown crops, shipping costs to get products to Alaska, the economy in general and interest in growing one’s own food, it’s good to know the experts at the School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences and the Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station have “got your back.” We are Alaskans too and we care deeply about the future of our state’s food supply. In fact, we focus on it daily.

Now pass that reindeer sausage and Yukon Gold potatoes around the table. Lift a glass of blueberry juice and let’s toast Alaska Agriculture Day.

Published versions:
"Celebrate Alaska Agriculture Day," Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, April 30, 2009, by Carol E. Lewis
"Great land, great food," Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, May 5, 2009, by Carol E. Lewis