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| Broccoli grows in raised beds inside a high tunnel operated by Kodiak Village Farms in Port Lions. Robbie Vennel will present information about the project during the Alaska Sustainable Agriculture Conference. Casey Matney photo |
The 15th annual conference will feature about 60 speakers on a wide range of agricultural topics, including recent research, food businesses, Rhodiola rosea production, rural farming, business planning and livestock management.
Conference coordinator Casey Matney, a Cooperative Extension agent from Soldotna, said the conference is for “anyone who is already involved in agriculture and anyone who is interested in it.”
The conference will begin with updates from agricultural agencies, followed by concurrent sessions. Research topics include cover crops in peonies, vegetable variety trials, the nutritional value of locally grown produce and parasite management in livestock.
Individuals who are not able to attend the conference in person may participate in a three-hour webinar Feb. 20 with several presentations about sustainable agriculture in rural and off-road Alaska.
Several longer trainings take place during the conference. An all-day workshop on Friday, Feb. 21, is for farmers and businesses that would like to develop value-added food processing or a food business. The training requires online coursework to be completed prior to the training and a separate registration fee. Trainings on mental health first aid and produce safety will be offered on Saturday, Feb. 22. The produce training is geared to commercial fruit and vegetable growers, farmers market venders and all others interested in learning about it. Both of these workshops are free but registration is requested beforehand.
A full day of presentations Feb. 21 will focus on rhodiola production. They will feature growers from Colorado and Alaska, representatives from Alberta and Alaska rhodiola cooperatives, and researchers. Palmer Extension agent Steve Brown, who coordinated the sessions, said the rhodiola focus was due to tremendous interest shown at the last conference. Rhodiola is a high-value herb whose roots are used for medicinal purposes.
The University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service hosts the conference, which is sponsored by Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education. Registration and other conference information is located at http://bit.ly/AKsareconf.
The registration fee to attend Feb. 20-21 is $100 and $50 for students. Those who plan to only attend Saturday workshops should register for the appropriate workshop, but do not need to pay. An RSVP is requested for the rural webinar. For more information, contact Matney at camatney@alaska.edu or 907-262-5824.
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