Alaska Ag....bad blood

It's been blogged about here many times, the extent and reach of the bad blood that exists within the Alaska Ag community.  A person would need some spread sheet skills, just to keep track of the factions, alliances, feuds, and players themselves. Between the familial ties, business connections, and equally the small state of our state, animosity would (and does) run like wildfire, in a state where strong opinions and independence are handmaids against everyone else. Since the geography and weather tends to separate folks into like minded groups, they generally are not forthcoming about their activities....unless you join and pay dues of course.

This, of course, is where the Division of Ag has let down everyone. And I do mean everyone. Where they should be a unifying voice of Ag, our new director is playing politics. Where they should be establishing excitement and participation and encouraging future agriculture in all aspects, the new director is showing his partisanship to anyone who asks questions. But that's what you get when the system gets to pick their own. The only vision at the Div. of Ag is surviving the coming budget cuts and rubbing shoulders with the movers and shakers-both in Alaska ag and in Juneau. And who is not represented? The folks who are plainly evident to anyone who sees the larger picture, but invisible to the state.  The small producer and consumer.

Sadly enough, it is the small producer and consumer, who ends up paying for these disputes.  They aren't members of any advocacy group, or co-op, or anything of the sort. They're working, and working hard, to provide what they can for themselves, and the community. It might be a half a hog, or a side of beef, or maybe a couple dozen extra eggs a week. Or perhaps they are choosing to spend their shrinking food budget dollars on "Alaska Grown" as a show of support, and commitment. Whatever the case, they have no idea how fractured and splintered and partisan Alaska Ag is at heart, and how much bad blood exists between the various groups and alliances.

In less than 20 days, Mt McKinley Meat & Sausage will become a kill floor only. The take away is this: Next year, you will haul your carcass to a place like Mike's Meats in Eagle River, which has a custom exempt cut and wrap permit. How many others might there be? One would have to ask the state, but most of the Valley meat shops do game animals only, in season. If you relied upon the services of MMM&S for your retail sales, you are now forced to find an alternative, whether affordable, convenient, or even within driving distance.

Bad blood has lots of unintended consequences, and MMM&S is just one example of how wrong it can go, and has gone.