Researchers and producers to meet for Harvest Wrap-up

The annual Delta Harvest Wrap-up will take place by Zoom from 6-8:30 p.m. March 11.

The gathering provides an opportunity for agricultural producers to hear about current research and talk about the past season and research needs. Participants must register for the Wrap-up to receive a registration link. Register here.

This year's topics include cereal crops and cover crops, malting barley and wheat breeding selections, understanding pure live seed requirements, the cleavers weed, wild buckwheat challenges and program updates from the USDA Farm Service agency.

The UAF Cooperative Extension Service hosts the event. For more information, contact Phil Kaspari at pnkaspari@alaska.edu or 907-895-4215.

   

 

Glenn Juday on KUAC's Northern Soundings tonight

Northern Soundings program on KUAC FM will feature Emeritus Professor Glenn Juday tonight at 7.

The forest ecologist will talk with host Robert Hannon about his forestry research and the early indications of climate change. Juday retired from UAF in 2014, but he continues his research.

The promo from KUAC says, "Some scientists are content to collect data and publish papers. That isn’t UAF professor emeritus Glenn Patrick Juday. His early forestry research suggested big climatic changes were underway, and his sense of social justice spurred him to share his knowledge with policymakers and the public. Tune in to Northern Soundings tonight at 7 on KUAC FM, KUAC online and KUAC TV 9.6.

The program includes conversations with writers, artists, scientists, historians, and the people who live in the North.

If you missed it, the conversation was drawn from a Down Memory Lane event recording.

Juday and UAF graduate students make forest
measurements.

 

 

 

Long-range plan developed for Experiment Farm

The U.S. Department of Agriculture developed a federal experiment station in Fairbanks in 1906,  years before the territory founded a university there. 

Since its beginnings, the Fairbanks Experiment Farm's primary mission has been to develop reliable, research-based information for farmers and gardeners. Its agricultural and forestry research and educational outreach continue. A long-range plan for the farm, which includes the Georgeson Botanical Garden, has been developed and posted on the Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station website. 

The plan includes an introduction from the chancellor and describes the farm’s history and its current research and outreach. It outlines the farm’s challenges, opportunities and possibilities for its future, which include increased collaborations for research, teaching and outreach, including farmer education programs. The plan also describes long-range objectives and recommended short-, mid- and long-term actions. 

The project took more than a year to complete and was developed by a committee led by Katie DiCristina, the manager of the Georgeson Botanical Garden. Other members were Alan Tonne, Mingchu Zhang, Heidi Rader, Glenna Gannon and Debbie Carter from the Institute of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Extension (IANRE) and Karl Petterson and Jennifer Campbell from UAF Facilities Services. Milan Shipka, the acting director of IANRE, provided guidance.

This is a companion to the long-range plan for the Matanuska Experiment Farm and Extension Center, also on the AFES website. Milan Shipka said, "It is my hope that these plans will be used to guide changes and developments at both facilities for the coming decade or so." 

Bob Van Veldhuizen harvests wheat at the farm.

2020 Vegetable Variety Trial Success Story

This blog post was originally published on December 21, 2020, there is still time to give your thoughts on the survey below. Also, check out one of our success stories recently posted here on Variety Trials. In addition here are some reports from past trials. You can also view a few videos on the 2020 Squash Variety Trials and the 2020 Bean Variety Trials on our YouTube page. 

 

Finding vegetable variety trials that grow well in Alaska has been a goal of experiment stations from their earliest days. With Alaska's changing climate, different varieties may do well now that haven't before. New varieties are also introduced and need to be tested.

 

Glenna Gannon, who coordinates the variety trials at the UAF Fairbanks and Matanuska experiment farms, wants to know what varieties or vegetables you would like to have tested during the 2021 season. Each variety is tested for plant vigor, bolting sensitivity, uniformity, pest and disease resistance and taste.

 

If you have suggestions, please fill out this survey from the Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station. Contact Glenna Gannon at gmgannon@alaska.edu if you have questions.