At long last, a bright light appears for Alaska Ag

The current (and past) activities of MMM&S, the BAC in it's role with the ARLF, and the Division of Agriculture, have spelled nothing but trouble for years. Between bureaucratic bungling, feuds and favors, little has propelled Alaska Ag forward into the forefront, except the continued negative press their mishandling has generated. And deservedly so...because these are the stewards tasked with "managing" the resource...even if they have all seemingly forgotten our state's constitutional mandate. You remember, the part about "all Alaskans"?

For the CBC of Alaska Ag, you are part of their exclusive group via land, marriage, or crop, and the rest of Alaska agriculture does not exist. This would include every hobbyist, homesteader, home owner with a garden plot and a few head of livestock, and so on. Many thousands of Alaskans truly are "agriculture", whether they realize it or not. Most would not include the locavore, the "local when I can find it" consumer, but a person with wider vision would accept and welcome their inclusion because every single person who consumes "Alaska grown" plays a role in ag's success or failure. 

For some, this situation does nothing but strengthen their determination, their resolve, and their commitment to Alaskan agriculture.  To persevere in the face of such opposition takes a certain chutzpah, and an appreciable amount of courage......but adversity can be overcome...as this recent FB post proves:

Proudly announcing the formation of Alaska's Gold Standard Meat Co-op!  This group endeavor will provide to the small producer, a state of the art processing facility to meet the growing demand for locally sourced proteins. Competitive pricing, with attention to detail that you, and your customers, demand. This USDA kill, cut and wrap facility will be Southcentral located with flexible hours. Come find us on Facebook, and join our community.....together, we can all grow Alaska ag! Ask to join up at Alaska's Gold Standard Meat Co-op on Facebook.

Authored by Alex Davis, of AD Farms.

Direct Facebook link here;  https://www.facebook.com/groups/674776696032906/