Alaska's farm family of the year

The Oberg-Kenley family of Palmer has been selected the 2009 Farm Family of the Year by the Alaska agriculture community. The family will be honored at the fair board of directors’ reception on opening day of the Alaska State Fair in Palmer on Aug. 27.

June and Clyde Oberg began selling milk to Matanuska Maid from their Fishhook Dairy farm in 1954. On 160 acres they raised their own hay and wet silage, milking an average of thirty-five cows a day until 1973. Daughter Carol (Oberg) Kenley and her five brothers and sisters all grew up with an appreciation for farm work, home gardening, and family values. They all helped to make the farm successful, from milking cows and driving tractors to weeding the garden.

Carol and her seven children rejuvenated farming on the Oberg-Kenley acreage in the mid 1980s. When Carol’s daughter Amy was thirteen she began selling vegetable baskets to nine customers with a weekly delivery route – similar to the community supported agriculture operations of today. Amy carried on this tradition for six years and then younger sister Rachel took over until 2008. Over the years the Kenley vegetable baskets were serving up to thirty families with fresh, delicious produce from the family greenhouse and garden.

In 2008 Carol and Rachel transitioned to farmers market sales, attending the South Anchorage Farmers' Market on Wednesdays and the Palmer Friday Fling. They are known for their wide variety of unique vegetables and their beautiful basket displays.

The family has demonstrated their commitment and passion to agriculture for generations. June and Clyde have had five grandchildren selected as Alaska State FFA president. Carol launched the Winners Circle livestock 4-H Club in 1983. For years Clyde held popular tractor demonstrations at the fair; his cream separating and ice cream making demonstrations were also a big hit.

Carol points out that they have never considered themselves farmers in the traditional sense. “We just have a garden that is out of control,” she states. Carol plans to continue with their farmers' market presence; she is expanding her greenhouse production even though youngest daughter Rachel is off to Utah State to study agriculture communications this fall.

The Farm Family of the Year award, sponsored by the Matanuska Valley Federal Credit Union, was established by the fair in 2000 to honor an Alaska farming family and show appreciation for all the hard-working Alaskans committed to agriculture.

Nominations are accepted annually, and a committee chaired by the Division of Agriculture selects the winning family based on production of quality Alaska Grown products, community and agricultural organization involvement, and overall image. SNRAS Dean Carol Lewis serves on the committee.

“The Oberg-Kenley Family continues their fifty-five-year tradition and remains actively involved in the promotion, education, and outreach of agriculture in Alaska. Whether it be the humorous recount of days gone by, the trials and tribulations of the early years, or just a casual gardening conversation, the passion and commitment of this family is undeniable,” said Franci Havemeister, director of the Division of Agriculture.

Previous Farm Family winners include the Huppert Family (2000), the VanderWeele Family (2001), Havemeister Farms (2002), Rempel Family Farm (2003), P & M Gardens (2004), Calypso Farm & Ecology Center (2005), Wrigley Farms (2006), Insanity Acres (2007), and the Brad Lewis Family (2008).