The much anticipated senior thesis written by Charles Caster, a recent SNRAS graduate, has been published. Visit the SNRAS publications page to view the report, or download the PDF file here.
Throughout the summer and fall of 2010 Caster surveyed and interviewed farmers in the Tanana Valley to determine their vegetable and fruit production. People were very cooperative and Caster said he enjoyed getting to know local farm families and even helping them harvest crops. "I ate a lot of carrots," he said.
Then he compiled the survey results and wrote the thesis, titled "Assessing Food Security in Fairbanks, Alaska." It has interesting facts such as the average age of a Fairbanks farmer is 57 and the average number of years they have been selling crops is eight. The average farm size is 2.91 acres and the selling season averages 15 weeks for farms and 18 for community supported agriculture businesses.
Caster graduated from UAF in May and plans to attend graduate school and become a teacher.
He expressed appreciation to all the farmers who participated and his faculty committee.
All SNRAS students majoring in natural resources management complete a thesis, with a diverse array of topics pertaining to forestry, agriculture, recreation and resources management.
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