Alaska Ag.....In crisis

A crisis has been carefully crafted and let loose upon Alaska agriculture.  There is no knowing how this saga will end, but this is truly a "the little guy vs. the big money" fight...and fight it will be.

On the one hand, there is the big money. That would be the Wild Sheep Foundation, whose pockets are very, very deep, and their paid lobbyists and supporters who can work the halls in Juneau at will. 

On the other, the hobbyist, fancier, 4-H family, homesteader, rancher, farmer.  Who will be forced to rely upon their elected representatives for assistance, during what is sure to be a contentious legislative session. 

Do not be fooled, this entire situation was created on purpose, by the Wild Sheep Foundation. The aim was to remove domestic sheep and goats from the clean list (as established by the Board of Game) permanently.  

When MOVI was first brought to light, most Alaskan livestock owners had never heard of it, or what the track record of the WSF in the L48 looked like. Concerned about the risks, testing was proposed and then performed on domestic animals. Testing was also performed on wild sheep, goats, caribou and moose. Bear in mind that the science is not settled, the testing is not settled as to method and type, and that there are 400 strains of this opportunistic beastie known so far. And yep, you guessed it, it can be found in them all. A very small percentage of domestics, however. So then the question becomes: Who infected who, first? 

Common sense has been scarce in the whole WSF fiasco to date, as the WSF and their followers, cannot even seem to see, that tracking, hunting, darting, tagging, and sampling these wild animals, causes them stress. Stress is the main factor in triggering MOVI into the pneumonia that kills them.

But hey, taking hundreds of wild animals every year is perfectly fine, right? >sarcasm< 

Naturally, this is not an emergency to the Golden Boy heading the Division of Ag. While they do have a representative present at the working group meetings, Director Keyes is awaiting a "report" on the issue.  Seriously?  Waiting for a report?  What in the heck is so pressing about marketable crops in January, that he cannot attend a meeting and learn firsthand, the threat facing Alaskan livestock owners? Who knows what his excuse is. And as upset as these producers are, his one public letter does not prove he supports livestock production in full, no matter the threat. Shame on him for taking the "plausible deniability" route, because it was expedient. Pffft!  Whether Keyes is concerned about continued employment or not, it is his responsibility to be on top of this. Period end.

This is a crisis indeed, for our friends, family, and neighbors who own domestic sheep and goats. Since that nasty MOVI seems to be pretty much everywhere, and so are the wild animals, their removal from the clean list spells crisis, loud and clear.

Alaska Ag....a camel named Kehoe

So, those concerned about the future of Alaska's food security should already be aware of the blitzkrieg taking place against Alaska's sheep and goat owners. If you do not, here's the quick and the dirty:

There exists a disease called "m.Ovi" which is basically a pathogen that has devastated wild big horn sheep and mountain goats in the L48. Ongoing research suggests that co-mingling of domestic and wild herds may be the root cause for the presence in the L48 herds (perhaps!), although one should consider this particular pathogen an opportunistic one, that kills animals already stressed by other factors such as habitat loss, pre-existing disease, hunting pressure, drought, and scarcity of natural forage. So, the takeaway is that m.Ovi is generally considered to be the cause of the two species steep decline in the L48, particularly by the wildlife preservation groups, such as the WSF (Wild Sheep Foundation).  A few years back, the Alaska sheep and goat owners were quite surprised by a suggested regulation (submitted by Kevin Kehoe of the WSF) to our own Alaska Dept. of Fish & Game, to remove sheep and goats from the clean list in Alaska. 

See these blog posts for more information:

https://suvalley.blogspot.com/2017/08/alaska-agthe-prop-64-problem.html

and more here:

https://suvalley.blogspot.com/2017/11/alaska-agwill-adf-outlaw-domestic.html

Since that time, a working group was put together (which was supposed to equally be weighted between advocates (WSF, guides, etc) the state agencies, and producers, but ended up being majority WSF) to find solutions to the threat of m.Ovi to our marvelous wild sheep and goats. After a year and half of hard work by the Alaskan livestock owners, agreement was reached in principle for a variety of measures, to prevent contact between domestic and wild populations. 

Yesterday, Mr. Kehoe decided to leave after a fancy presentation. He will take all his proposed regulations/rules direct to the legislature, without any input from the domestic owners. They are the same demands he made at the outset, and the WSF has millions of dollars in the bank to pay for lobbyists and to coerce state acceptance of their demands.

In short, the talks, meetings, concessions and working group itself, were nothing more than a stalling tactic for the benefit of WSF's political plan. Here's the kicker:  Hunting statistics prove that the biggest threat to the wild populations of sheep and goats, are hunters themselves.  Nearly 800 were taken 2017 alone.  

This blog warned that the presence of m.Ovi would be confirmed in the wild herds and it was indeed proven to be present.  

The WSF and Mr. Kehoe are not waiting for more testing, not waiting for solid science, and is not willing to accept accommodations from our beleaguered livestock owners-homesteaders, 4-H, hobbyists, ranchers and farmers, period.   They have no inclination to work with anyone, least of all the state vet's office, the producers, or anyone else except their frightened base. 

And how does this situation pose a threat to Alaska's food security?  

While livestock production here is limited due to a number of factors, they still represent a significant portion of available food. There are more sheep and goats than cattle, and their numbers can be quickly increased should the need arise. There have been domestic sheep and goats here within the state of Alaska for over a century, with no disease die off of the wild populations, as is feared. If they are successful in eliminating domestic sheep and goat herds in Alaska, this will set a precedent to use in other areas. 

Removing these historically beneficial species from Alaskan plates, does not and will never serve, to improve our food security. 

Alaska Ag.....2019 and beyond

Well, here she is, a brand new year. 

What will the coming year bring for Alaskan agriculture?

If the past is our guide, we know what there won't be.

There won't be a land rush to turn muskeg, black spruce, dead birch and thickets of alders into growing food for Alaskans. Because politics and statute take precedence over the state's responsibilities (if any) to provide opportunity to develop a new resource.

There won't be loans for entrepreneurs whose expertise falls outside the confines of row after row of crops whose markets are already established.  There won't be money for processing facilities, creating pathways for the true "farm to market" infrastructure so desperately needed.

There won't be an explosion of greenhouses, or gardens, or raised beds, popping up like a long dormant seed brought to life, across Alaskan back yards and homesteads.

There won't be an abrupt return to small dairies, cattle producers, or flocks of sheep and goats. Having weathered decades of no support from the Division of Agriculture, livestock will continue to limp along, hamstrung by ignorance and incompetence.

There won't be a unified "call to grow food" since one has never taken root, not within the poisoned atmosphere that is the Division. They have salted the ground so thoroughly, that new ventures resolve and if fully committed, will eventually do it sans their nod of approval.

There won't be a handy encyclopedia of Alaska agriculture, because there exist dozens of programs and groups, both federal and state, that comprise the wealth of knowledge garnered over decades of study after study, program after program, experiment after experiment. Alaskans are expected to stumble around long enough to become discouraged, before finding the information they seek on food production. Thanks to entrenched bureaucracy, this will never be corrected.

Yeah, there are a lot of things that won't be.

Given enough time, ag itself might become one of them.

Alaska Ag.....The Food Security Thing

The gnarly issue of feeding the residents of  Alaska is never far from mind.  


It's only taken four generations to nearly sever the ties between food production, and the modern consumer. Prior to that time, most rural homes had gardens, and generations of family who were skilled and experienced at home food preservation.  They had root cellars, kitchen gardens, drying and smoking sheds, ice houses and shelf upon shelf of carefully preserved fruits and vegetables. They held over their own seeds, traded for what they didn't have, and sold or bartered excess with neighbors. There were no grocers, no supermarkets, no rapid transit to whisk the crops away to large centers for processing and distribution. The extensive interstate highway system did not exist, and what was moved around was done so by rail and barge. The birth of mega farms, monoculture production, and conglomerates was decades away from the lifestyle of the previous centuries.

Today, most kids believe food is contained only in brightly colored boxes their parents pull from the freezer and cupboard.  There is a large disconnect between what they are served, and where it comes from. Today's urban child may know what animals are "farm" animals, but have never seen or laid hands upon one. They've never collected eggs, raised poultry or livestock for 4-H, or helped with family gardens.  They've never been in a barn, let alone cleaned one, and never walked fields with bucket in hand, to round up that blasted loose calf. They've never picked an apple, or a berry, or a tomato. For most of them, there is too much outside out there, and it's smelly, disgusting, and scary.

For this, we can thank the urbanization of the workforce in no small part.  From family farms and small towns, to the bustling hordes of large cities, the move was slow, steady, and allowed America to expand its business and economy, into one that most of the developed world envies even today.  There are entire libraries devoted to this flight from farm to city, so there is little need to revisit the details.  But Alaska remains a unique state, with a unique set of circumstances.

We are fortunate indeed, to have regular shipments from the western ports of the US. These shipments are absolutely crucial to feed Alaskan residents and visitors.  Thanks in no small part to the invention of "just in time" ordering, Alaska grocers and retailers enjoy a steady supply of product for their customers. Even in the Bush, orders are regular (if subject to delivery conditions i.e: frozen rivers or break up of same) if costly. Back in the 60s, my own Mother used to sit down with a calendar and plan out meals to the ingredient. Why? Because we only got to town about every four months or so.  Back then, every grocery store had a warehouse with additional inventory-just in case. If not, our trek to the grocery store would cause my Mother to hastily rework the menu calendar, due to empty shelves caused by barges lost at sea. Thankfully, a hand spaded large garden was very successful for the family.

The regular port arrivals of behemoth ships carrying hundreds of shipping containers, is Alaska's literal lifeline. Any serious disruption in the supply chain will have immense consequences, a ripple effect not well thought out by most residents. I have spoken to those in emergency management, who say it plain: Alaska is 9 meals away from anarchy. There are any number of scenarios which might cause that critical chain to snap (earthquake, tsunami, EMP, solar flare, other natural disaster down south, war, to name a few) so you'd think that the Division of Agriculture might be a logical place to find solutions to this risk we all face.

Well, good luck with that. The State of Alaska, if the Division of Agriculture is any indication, could care less about the state's inability to feed itself. They share no information freely about their activities, you must submit a FOIA that they will run before their state attorneys first. Their land offerings, as few as they are, are expensive, restrictive, and seldom successful with food production. They have a lot of payroll tied up in "marketing", which most advertising professionals would see as marginally effective.  Yay, AlaskaGrown!  Yay, Alaska State Fair!  Yay, monster veggies!  Yay local produce in season at grocery stores! Yay! The Alaska Grown Source Book! Yay, yay, yay!  Right? Pffft!  Wrong, oh so wrong.

Still no solution to the insurance problem.
Still no lands for a modern day land rush.
Still no progress in getting Alaskans to feed themselves.
What do they do at the PMC?  Well, who knows for sure. Except that hemp is not happening any time soon, they test grow a lot of stuff, but how are they proving their results? Answer:  They don't. 
A repository for all things relating to Ag in Alaska? Not hardly.

All of which, and a lot more contained on this blog, begs the question:

Does the State of Alaska need a Division of Agriculture at all?

What's that smell?

Amid the cacophony of wails regarding Governor-Elect Dunleavy's request for resignations, and claims of "loyalty oath demand", and other assorted protestations of unfairness, there is an underlying hint of fear and trepidation.  

Mr. Babcock was accurate when he stated that no one person is irreplaceable, when it comes to state employment. Those of us in the private sector know this, and live this, every single day. 

This was followed by much consternation and gasps of fear, over his astute choices thus far, for his administration. I am awaiting to learn who will head the Division of Agriculture, because it surely will not be sycophant Keyes, with all his photo ops with Walker, his maxed out donations to Walker's failed bid for re-election and so on. Given the outstanding excellence of Gov-Elect Dunleavy's picks, I am confident that Corri Fiege will chose someone who is not afraid to clean house, shutter programs with little value, and put someone in place who will move Alaska Ag forward into the 21st century. It is so in a rut, so technologically lagging, so unable to serve the residents, it seriously needs a power wash, top to bottom. 

And let's not forget the BAC (Board of Agricultural Conservation, which oversees the ARLF) and it's staggering partisanship, inability to even provide an agenda, inability to provide meeting minutes, and it's unknown loan parameters. Here too, a complete replacement (or even perhaps, a reqorking of the seats themselves, is sorely overdue. 

So that slightly sour aroma wafting from 1800 E Glenn Highway?  Pretty sure it's the smell of fear and uncertainty, as our highly paid public servants come to realize they may have screwed the pooch one time too many. 

One Small Valley Social inJustice

Fair warning: There will be an individual named here, who does exist here in the Valley. 

First, social injustice.  

This is perpetrated upon all of us by our own government, and perpetuated by a combination of civil restraint and the inability of the governed to effect meaningful, rapid, common sense change.  Most readers will be painfully aware of the consequences of SB91, and their partial "fixes" as attempted by the Legislature in the last session. This feel good legislation, meant to keep habitual offenders from lengthy jail sentences has failed utterly and completely.  Originally proposed to go hand in hand with a massive increase in drug and mental health services (which likely would not have been effective anyway, if you look into the reports of this system in other states) the legislature, in its stupidity, did one without the other.  So, criminals are let loose, given citations at best, and are seldom incarcerated or successfully prosecuted. Even felonies get less than a slap on the wrist (as evidenced by the release of the felon who sexually assaulted a woman in broad daylight, was convicted, and gets off with time served.....in his own home, with an ankle monitor)  and lesser crimes? Most residents already know how futile it is to report pretty much anything. Not enough Troopers for our area, and so on.

This situation will not be rectified for many years to come, and in the meantime, crime has skyrocketed across the Valley. Just as the Troopers are not given enough tools to be effective in stemming this in any significant way, the laws as they exist, do not give the public the means to respond effectively either. 

Just make a noise about an informal community patrol, or making a citizen's arrest, or tracking down a thief on your own, or serve a little payback-and watch the law enforcement community stand shoulder to shoulder and cry out: You may not do that! That's our job. In fact, there are literally hundreds of cases where private citizens have handed the AST a solid, air tight case and absolutely nothing is accepted. Period end. Photos, videos, caught red handed, does not matter-none of it is ever prosecuted and for that, lay some blame at the feet of the DA-who prefers a high conviction rate (as a means to a seat on the bench) and who will plead out anything and everything to get the right magic numbers. So just to be clear: If you have been made a victim of criminal behavior, you have to literally work it through the AST hierarchy, then over to the DAs office. If you are very fortunate, you will get the ADAs to persuade the DA, and they'll get their cases assigned. Which is not the same thing as having a Trooper call you back with a case #, hours or days after you have been victimized by some lowlife who likely has numerous warrants already.

On to the specifics of the topic.....

There is a woman here in the Valley, Brandi Slover.  Not quite sure how old Brandi is, but she is definitely an adult, and according to her own family, has made poor life choices and has a history of drug abuse.  If you drive between, say, the Meadowlakes area and Talkeetna, you stand a pretty good chance of seeing her, live and in person. This is the nutjob that literally darts into traffic moving at highway speeds. She dances and spins along the roadways, has thrown rocks and other debris at passing cars...and is not afraid to be topless, or to literally flash her genitals at traffic. She is completely impulsive and a driver has no idea the woman might very likely, step right into the lane. She has caused dozens and dozens of people brake hard and take evasive action, and one day, she will not beat the odds and that will be the end of Brandi Slover. 

She is well known to the AST, and has been to API numerous times in the past. In their 72 hour hold, she passes the psych eval and is released into the unsuspecting public again...and it all starts over. Her family cannot commit her, she has to commit herself. (Although seeking legal guardianship might be an answer, don't know) The thing is this: Brandi may not be a danger to herself in the clinical sense, but she is a clear and present danger to the community. Period end. And nothing can be done. If family cannot get her committed to API long enough for effective treatment, the courts surely don't act to protect the public either. They know her history, they know she'll be released and so....nothing happens. 

One day, this little facet of social injustice is going to cause a mentally unstable woman to be killed, and the operator (and passengers, if any) of the vehicle that takes her out to be traumatized, thanks to your government. 

However, if it had been a man flashing his genitals at dozens of vehicles on the highway?  Well, you can bet his butt would be in jail. For a very long time. And you know it's true.   And that is also a social injustice. 

All the leaves are brown.....

and the sky is blue........

(apologies to the music fans)


For some reason, the current state of things, has prompted that snippet of song into an ear worm of major proportions. Think this through:

In May this year, we had roughly six weeks of very cool, dark, and cloudy weather.

When did the bees show up in earnest at your place?  If you are like me, they never really did. Had no pollinators whatsoever except for the occasional bumble bee, lost from a local beekeeper. But native bees? None until August.

Had plenty of robins early on, but they took off in early June. Where did they go?

Gardening reports have the season as mixed, at best.  Some were fortunate and had a great year, but many folks, like myself, had a marginally productive year-despite added amendments and care.  Even my raspberry patch, reliable for 5 to 7 gallons of great berries every season-produced only a fraction of normal.

And then there are the trees.  Didn't it seem like things were turning color a little too soon?  But if you take a really close look at those birch trees.....well, I think we have a problem. Maybe a big problem, on the heels of the huge spruce bark beetle kill off of our local spruce. 

Our local birch trees have been subject to attacks by a pest known as "birch leaf miner" for some years now. This is what produced the bare tree tops in a wide swath of the Valley.  In some areas, the entire tops of the trees are dead-including, seemingly, a portion of the main trunk. On my own property, I have some that appear dead for the upper ten feet or so and looking around my travels, I see many birch showing the same effects of "whatever it is". 

And there is something else. The trees are not the bright and cheerful sunny yellow and vibrant orange that a combination of a good frost and dropping sap provides.  Nope, if you check closely, you will see some have leaves that are browning at the *branch*. At the stem where they attach to the limb. In fact. some of the leaves affected appear nearly singed. 

At first I thought it had to be something specific to our several birch species...but nope, the same thing shows on my own well tended lilac shrubs.  The leaves are browning from the stem outwards. There is no other symptom of disease or distress that I can identify. These shrubs are well watered, pruned every two years, and get at least some fertilizer from being planted in the lawn.

All the leaves are brown....and the sky is blue.......

.........??