January 2025 Outlook
Sparktacular fireworks and the aurora borealis paint the sky over the University of Alaska Fairbanks Troth Yeddha' Campus on Dec. 31, 2024, as seen from the Fairbanks Experiment Farm.
Note from Jodie:
Our Institute is starting out this new year with a bang. I first want to offer a shout-out
to Lacey Higham and Carl Deloof, who spent many hours this holiday break making things
a little brighter at Georgeson Botanical Garden and the west end of the Troth Yeddha鈥
Campus by creating a holiday lights display in the garden complete with plowed paths
for visitors. Nearly 3,350 folks visited GBG to view the lights. The garden was a
huge hit on New Year鈥檚 Eve alone when hundreds of visitors came to watch as the northern
lights and fireworks brightened the sky over the holiday lights display.
Lacey鈥檚 initiative is a shining example of the direction we鈥檙e all headed in this year. We are working to streamline our processes to better meet the needs of Alaskans. In Juneau, we鈥檙e developing health and wellness outreach. In Sitka, we鈥檙e supporting the community in learning to process wild and local foods. Through Tribes Extension we鈥檙e increasing culturally relevant program offerings and getting those programs into more communities. And in Anchorage, we鈥檙e bringing in experts on everything from mushrooms to slugs and delivering that programming across the state.
As the light returns and our minds move toward the planning of our gardens, we are proud to continue to support all Alaskans with relevant, research-based information.
Be well,
Jodie
Jodie Anderson to discuss Alaska food system in online talk
Have you ever thought about the role of agricultural production in the food system
of
Alaska? Don't worry 鈥 most people have not, even Alaska residents!
Join Jodie Anderson, director of the 日韩无码 Institute of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Extension, as she discusses "Circumpolar Food Systems: Alaska Isn't Out Standing Alone in our Field" in an online talk hosted
by Canada's Trent University Frost Centre for Canadian Studies and Indigenous Studies. We will spend some time learning about the past, present, and future of the food system in Alaska and how the 日韩无码' Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Stations play a major part. There will be opportunities for questions and answers. The talk will be recorded and posted on the Trent University website once the recording meets accessibility requirements. Those who have registered for the talk will get an email with the link.
The talk, part of The North at Trent Lecture Series, will begin at 7 p.m. EST (3 p.m. Alaska time) on Thursday, Jan. 23. Register online:
New wheels at the farm
The Fairbanks Experiment Farm recently purchased a much-needed tractor, a 2011 Case Maxxum 140.
This tractor came from an Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities surplus disposal auction. In its former life, it was used in Tazlina to mow roadsides along the Glenn Highway. Starting this spring, it will till the soil and chop up weeds and crop residue on the Fairbanks Experiment Farm and 日韩无码鈥檚 farm in Delta Junction.
With a 140-horsepower engine, it鈥檚 an upgrade from the two ancient 80-horsepower tractors the farm has been using, which are too small for the tillage tools the farm owns. The new tractor will be faster and do a better job than the old tractors, resulting in less overall work, fewer weeds and healthier crops.
Forum brings together farmers, producers and market gardeners
The inaugural Interior Alaska Farm Forum will be held from Jan. 31 to Feb. 1, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at Pike鈥檚 Waterfront Lodge in Fairbanks.
This free two-day event will offer a mix of formal presentations and time for sharing ideas and knowledge. The forum is designed to connect local farmers with other farmers and with the resources they need to succeed. It鈥檚 also an opportunity for people thinking about becoming farmers to learn more.
Registration is full, and any new registrations received will be added to the waitlist. All participants, including those on the waitlist, will be sent a virtual invitation to live-streamed presentations. Learn more and register online.
Cows on a Fairbanks farm munch discarded leaves from beets and cabbage.
Tables for exhibitors and vendors are available at $100 for nonprofit groups and $150 for for-profit businesses. These funds will be used to give local farmers free soil sample analysis from the Fairbanks Soil and Water Conservation District. If you're interested in a table, please email Mel Sikes at mel.fswcd@gmail.com.
NextGen program awards another $268,000 in scholarships
The USDA NextGen Program has awarded 24 additional scholarships worth a total of $268,000 to undergraduate and graduate students at the 日韩无码. This latest round brings the total number of scholarships awarded for the 2024 academic year to 55, for a total of $525,000.
Two geodesic-style greenhouses are seen in the community of Nikolski in the Aleutian chain.
Growing food and community in geodesic domes: Why gardening in the Aleutians can be great
Marisa McKasson
In Nikolski, a small village on the western end of Umnak Island in the Aleutian Chain, greenhouses are both successful places to grow food and a fun aspect of community life.
Growing food in the Aleutians does present some real challenges. Strong and persistent winds can batter the sturdiest of structures. The summers are short and often foggy without much sun. High shipping costs and delays can make acquiring gardening supplies difficult. But none of these stop production in Nikolski.
Lighting upgrades turn 日韩无码 greenhouse pink
Laura Weingartner
Keen observers might have noticed that the orange glow from a University of Alaska Fairbanks greenhouse recently shifted to pink.
The color change came with lighting upgrades this summer at the Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station Greenhouse on the West Ridge of the 日韩无码 Troth Yeddha鈥 Campus.
Laura Weingartner
For those with holiday lights hung all year and trees still decorated, perhaps pots of poinsettias, with their red, pink or white bracts, still liven up the house. These bracts (the modified leaves often mistaken for flowers) turn vibrant colors 鈥 traditionally a bright red 鈥 in midwinter, making an excellent example of the importance of photoperiods.
Permafrost Grown at AGU
One of the presentations at the American Geophysical Union in Washington, D.C., in December was on the 鈥溾 by the Permafrost Grown Project team, led by principal investigator Melissa Ward Jones. Glenna Gannon is a co-principal investigator on the Permafrost Grown Project.
Alex Wenninger co-author of article on gall midges
Entomologist Alex Wenninger is a co-author of an article on gall midges titled 鈥溾 from the Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington.
Upcoming events
- Learn about the lighter side of slugs in a free webinar led by Joey Slowik at noon on Wednesday, Jan. 22. .
- Steve Brown will lead an in-person workshop at the Matanuska Experiment Station and Extension Center in Palmer on starting seeds at from noon-1 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 28. .
- A three-day Pesticide Safety Education Program (PSEP) class is scheduled for Jan. 28-30 via webinar. .
- The Anchorage Outreach Office is hosting a free webinar, 鈥淚ndoor Plants 101 for Hydroponic Home Growers鈥 at noon on Wednesday, Jan. 29. .
Glen Holt will lead a series of three statewide webinars in February, hosted by the Anchorage Outreach Center.
- Holt will discuss firewood efficiency on Wednesday, Feb. 5, from noon-1 p.m. .
- On Wednesday, Feb. 12, from noon-1 p.m., Holt will give an overview of safe chainsaw use and tree-cutting basics. .
- On Wednesday, Feb. 19, from noon-1 p.m., the topic will be the basics of chainsaw maintenance. .
- Planning is underway for the 53rd annual Delta Farm Forum, which will be held on Saturday, Feb. 22 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Delta Junior High School small gymnasium. For more information, contact Eve Karczmarczyk at eekarczmarczyk@alaska.edu.
- A 12-week Better Bones and Balance fitness program is scheduled in Juneau from March 3-May 23. For more information, contact Sarah Lewis at sarah.lewis@alaska.edu
In the News
- The editors of Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research chose a paper () written by the Permafrost Grown Project, which includes IANRE researcher Glenna Gannon, for the 2024 Editors' Choice Award.
- Sitka 4-H is featured in this Alaska Beacon story:
- The Frontiersman ran a story on the 4-H鈥檈rs who traveled to Denver for the livestock and horse competition:
- Marla Lowder鈥檚 Jan. 12 column in the News-Miner:
- Adrian Kohrt鈥檚 Dec. 29 column in the News-Miner:
- Leslie Shallcross鈥 Dec. 15 column in the News-Miner:
(Note, if you don't subscribe to the News-Miner, you can read Extension columns on the )