August days are beautiful at the Matanuska Experiment Farm. (Photo by Norman Harris)
“We invite the public to come see your farm,” said Judson Scott, farm manager. In the past the farm hosted an agriculture day event annually but it has been six years since the last one was held. “It’s the resurrection of ag day,” Scott said. “We are celebrating agriculture in Alaska and the 75th anniversary of the Matanuska Colony.”
The day is planned to be both educational and fun for friends and neighbors in the Matanuska Valley and beyond. There will be hay wagon rides, pony rides, a small farmers’ market and a GPS scavenger hunt. A musical performance will be given by the Air Force band, Alaskan Express.
Animals will be on display and milking demonstrations will be given. Games include animal calling, a cabbage toss, a cake walk, potato sack races, tug of war, three-legged races, and vegetable bobbing. Prizes will be awarded.
Informational booths will feature displays on the Matanuska Colony, Natural Resources Conservation Service, potato varieties, steam tractor engine, and water quality. Vendors will be selling food and displaying their wares. A demonstration of precision agriculture will be given, along with tours of the UAF School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences research labs.
The celebration will be held at the Matanuska Experiment Farm, 1509 South Trunk Road, Palmer, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. A farm fun run (3.7K or 6K) will conclude the day’s activities at 6:30 p.m. Co-sponsors with SNRAS/AFES are the UAF Cooperative Extension Service and the Alaska Division of Agriculture.
For more information, contact Judson Scott at 907-746-9481 or Phyllis Craig at 907-746-9495.
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