Alaska Ag: The bell tolls for thee

Not making any news recently, the demise of agriculture in Alaska continues its slide into obscurity.

Once an incentive to a small number of struggling farmers from the midwest, (circa 1935, the Matanuska Valley Colony project) the impetus for agriculture in the state is on life support 80 years later.  

In fact, it is flat lined. 

The state of the State's finances, ignorance at the legislative level, and the apathy of the residents have seen to that.  Oh, there are many passionate people, attempting to resuscitate agriculture, indeed there are. From the pedigreed and degree'd experts on the Alaska Food Policy Council, to select bureaucrats in state government, to the wary home gardener who sees the storm clouds-worry persists and pervades the farmlands, garden plots, and greenhouses across this land.  At the core, they all recognize one unavoidable fact: Alaska cannot feed itself.  It never has, and any serious disruption in that steady stream of containers from southern ports will spell doom on an epic scale. 

Generally, they are split into distinct factions:  Ag related businesses both small and large, the modern foodie type who is all about local and small carbon footprints, and the determined hobby gardener attempting to put at least something on their family plates.

The hobby gardener, of which there are thousands in all areas of the state, are the unsung heroes of Alaska agriculture. They'll try to grow anything at least once-and many will make repeated attempts to produce vegetables or fruits that are considered unsuitable for our gardening zone, or personal favorites from "back home in the Lower 48". Why? Because they want to, and they can, and no one told them they can't. Thus, surprising foods have been grown here, albeit in minuscule quantities. Citrus, egg plant, melons of all kinds, even a few sweet potatoes in specialized settings such as hydroponics/aquaponics.  They are forever pushing the envelope of what can be done, what can be grown, and what determination and attention and customized growing conditions prove possible. They experiment, they learn new methods, and they persevere even when presented with repeated failures. Would that our ignorant parade of legislators had done the same, even for one decade, in Juneau. 

The locavore and modern foodie movement, which is all about eating local, has had an impact on local agriculture to a small degree. Their demands, whether through CSAs, farm stands, or local restaurants, pressure the local farmers to produce a wider assortment, over a longer period of harvest than previously thought possible. The USDA has a high tunnel program which is helping these local entrepreneurs to satisfy this demand.  Those monies will dry up as the federal government reduces funding...but it is important to note that the State has no equivalent program to encourage actual food production in Alaska. 

And finally there is the loosely defined "agriculture business".  It covers everything from the amazing farm in Bethel (which produces a prodigious amount of fresh vegetables for the entire region every year) to the niche market grower who is providing mirco greens (for example) for one or two restaurants. There are still hay and grain farmers, slugging it out against poor weather, a lack of transportation from farm to market, and those who rely upon their crops:  Those handful of hardy folks trying to produce cattle, dairy animals for the hobby gardener, hogs for market and so forth. It also includes every person who must rely upon the service of Mt. McKinley Meat in Palmer to process their own home-raised livestock. 

It used to be said that farming in Alaska was tilting at windmills in vain. These days, there are no more windmills and most are left to either decamp for better climates down south, or simply, quietly, give up the fight. In fact, it's a bitter truth that ag is maligned, laughed at, and considered inconsequential by most...particularly in Juneau (which is ironic, since it was Juneau that handled-or manhandled, if you prefer- the two spectacular debacles known as "Delta" and "Point MacKenzie.")

Both of these projects were originally conceived with good intentions, but completely bungled by bureaucrats and red tape and stupidity.  It all boils down to a state that does not, and never has, shown confidence in agriculture-forgetting their own role in the large scale failures of the past. Ag does not even warrant its own department within state government. Instead, it limps along as a step child to the Dept of Environmental Conservation.....and will soon lose both the plant materials center (where ongoing research into crops takes place) and Mt. McKinley Meats. When those close their doors for good, it will be time to start digging a very large hole-because the State of Alaska gives no thought to what happens next.