Alaska Ag.....That 20/20 Hindsight

Finally functional after a long period without a working computer. Whew!

(Report for previous post: The Board of Game took no action on the proposal to effectively outlaw sheep and goats for the time being-more to come on this subject in the future)

In the course of writing this blog, many people have reached out to share all sorts of information, or rumors, or just to bully this author.  Between the emails and phone calls, texts, lunches, and other interactions, seldom is offered such a damning example of ag malfeance as this:

The above scanned images originate from a three fold brochure provided by a reader quite some time ago.  Very fancy, isn't it?  According to the person who shared this, the cost was approximately $500,000 to MatSu Borough tax payers to see the project end at the brochure.  The Boro did the research, obtained (or leased, not sure) the property, created the brochure....and then funding disappeared. The land chosen ended up being used for what is now the school district commercial kitchen, which is seemingly another complicated, sideways story all on its own.  Crafted in the heady days of high oil prices, and sorely needed to spur agricultural growth, it turned out to be yet another state (Matanuska Susitna Borough in this case) government boondoggle.....just not one costing into the millions. 

It's a shame that this "Economic Development Project" was never completed. Such as facility would be a tremendous asset to the Borough, and its citizenry.  And might have served to set the stage for a serious look at export markets....since the producers all know that one of the major missing links to sustained growth is a processing center like the one described above. In hindsight, the other expensive boondoggles (such as the ferry fiasco) gobbled up excess revenues, and left Ag by the wayside. Again. 

Do you suppose they have a file gathering dust in Palmer, that a more forward thinking, enterprising individual could review?  

(Edited to add a link to the 2008 report on the subject)

Agricultural Processing Center Report-2008