Hay is harvested at Hollembaek Farms near Delta Junction in 2014. Edwin Remsberg photo |
More than 75 presentations will cover a wide range of agricultural topics, including livestock and rhodiola production, climate, vegetable variety trials, cut-flower production, honey bees, soil health, seaweed farming, integrated pest management, product distribution and marketing. Several agricultural agencies will also provide program updates.
The UAF Cooperative Extension Service hosts the annual conference in different locations in Alaska. The goal is to bring producers, researchers, agencies and others together to share information and to improve the agricultural industry. The conference will take place at the BP Energy Center at 1014 Energy Court, but some sessions will meet at the SpringHill Suites University Lake Hotel at 4050 University Lake Drive.
An all-day pre-conference workshop on Nov. 4 will focus on Alaska produce safety training to comply with new federal rules. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation will offer the training.
Mel Sikes, coordinator of the Fairbanks Soil and Water Conservation District, will lead an all-day post-conference workshop Nov. 8 on the Alaska Agriculture in the Classroom program and resources.
The conference is sponsored by the Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program. Participants may register by the day or for the entire conference. If individuals register by Oct. 28, the conference and workshop fee is $125 or the daily fee is $50. Fees increase after that date.
More information is available at http://bit.ly/AKsareconf or from conference coordinator Casey Matney, an agriculture and horticulture Extension agent in Soldotna. He can be reached at camatney@alaska.edu or 907-262-5824.
Presentations will come from many agricultural agencies, organizations and producers. More than 20 SNRE faculty and staff will present at the conference.
SNRE presenters and their presentations are:
• Fred Schlutt: Cooperative Extension Service Status and Update
• Jodie Anderson, Matanuska Experiment Farm and Extension Center Update
• Darren Snyder, Insights from the National SARE Our Farms Our Future Conference
• Meriam Karlsson, Growing Under Lights
• Julie Riley, Season Extension with Dormant and Late Seedlings: Spinach and Cilantro; Cilantro Variety Trials Using Wide-Row Techniques
• Heidi Rader, Variety Trials: Grow and Tell App
• Pat Holloway, Taking a Closer Look at Alaska Cut Flower Production
• Sarah Lewis, Wild Kitchen Walks in Juneau; Getting Acquainted with Cottage Foods and the Possibilities
• Milan Shipka, Feed Needs for Alaska Livestock
• Lisa Lunn, Parasite Levels in Alaska Livestock
• Art Nash and Mingchu Zhang, Get the Heat Out: Using Wood for Biochar
• George Aguiar, Reindeer Husbandry
• Art Nash: Growing Well, Off Grid: Considerations for Water Transfer, Heat and Light When You Can't Plug Into a 120 Outlet
• Gino Graziano, Invasive Plants in the Field: New Resources for Insect, Plant Disease Recognition Apps/Pest Portal
• Phil Kaspari, Do You Need to Be a Certified Applicator?
• Heidi Rader and Casey Matney, Agriculture in Remote and Rural Alaska Communities
• Steve Brown, Alaska Rhodiola Growers and Research
• Kevin Fochs, Update on FFA in Alaska
• Lee Hecimovich, Darren Snyder and Cassandra Rankin, Youth Programming Updates from Mat-Su, Southeast and Soldotna
ON THE WEB: http://bit.ly/AKsareconf