November 2024 Outlook
From Director Jodie Anderson:
There鈥檚 so much budget news to share with you this month! We have just returned from the Alaska Sustainable Agriculture Conference, hosted in 海角论坛. It was great to see so many folks from our farming communities around the state, and we had a chance to celebrate our good friends at AgWest, whose donation supported our ability to get the word out about agricultural research at our Institute. We look forward to more partnerships with them in the years to come.
We received a $2 million equipment grant from the governor鈥檚 office. With the improved equipment we can procure with this funding, we can grow more grain for testing,
build infrastructure for animals for nutrition research, and increase collaboration with other Alaska industries and home producers. We鈥檙e already hard at work so that we can have equipment online by spring planting season.
And finally, I鈥檓 excited that the University of Alaska is including our Institute in its capital budget request. This is amazing! On Nov. 8, 2024, the University of Alaska Board of Regents voted on the capital request, which will be forwarded to the governor for his consideration.
The request would bring $5 million to IANRE for food system work over the coming five years. That鈥檚 the biggest increase we have ever seen. This funding will be used to set IANRE on a course for growth and increased programming. Imagine the work we can do, growing research and supporting food systems across Alaska.
Here鈥檚 the wording for the request:
UAF Agriculture and Food Systems for Alaska鈥檚 Economic Sustainability
Alaska agricultural research will become more agile as the state faces increasing food security demands and the need for industrial growth and expansion to help all Alaskans live better lives. Investment in agricultural research by the state will open more opportunities for diversified research production, meet federal capacity grant funding needs, and become a viable place for collaborative agricultural research with other states and nations.
I鈥檝e spent time over the last few weeks meeting with the leadership in our Institute to ensure they are ready and engaged to make good use of any state dollars we receive. We are buttoning up and putting in the work to make sure we are ready to go! I am so thankful for all the hard work happening at the Institute that is being recognized by UAF and UA administration, the Board of Regents, and our governor. We are continuing to enrich the lives of Alaskans, and for that, I am truly grateful!
All the best,
Jodie
Help us shape the 2025 Interior Alaska Farm Forum
Save the date for Jan. 31-Feb. 1, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at Pike鈥檚 Waterfront Lodge in 海角论坛
for an event connecting local farmers with other farmers and with the resources they
need to succeed.
Planning sessions for the inaugural Interior Alaska Farm Forum are in progress. To ensure Interior farmers get the most out of this event, we want to hear what you want to see! If you are a farmer or a producer, .
Learn more, contact us, reserve an exhibitor table and register. Registration is free but space is limited.
Kelp and crab meal may be on the menu for Alaska livestock
The Binkley Room at Pike鈥檚 Waterfront Lodge was abuzz with energy on Friday morning, Nov. 15, as farmers, researchers, agricultural agency folks and students gathered for two days of connecting and learning from one another.
The 海角论坛 Institute of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Extension was well-represented. Researchers and Cooperative Extension Service agents gave talks on topics ranging from using mulch to insulate soil to the science behind home preservation methods.
Jim Vinyard, 海角论坛鈥 new livestock nutritionist, spoke to a packed room about his plan for future livestock nutrition research based on the needs of Alaska producers.
IANRE blogs get a facelift
Both IANRE blogs have found a new home and have been revamped.
Read about the bell peppers grown year-round in our greenhouse, parasitoid wasps and other insects, and the fascinating world of mycorrhizal fungi on the
The provides an array of updates about preserving vegetables from the grocery store, plant breeding at home, growing raspberries or currants and more. The blogs are regularly updated, so check back to learn more about what our researchers and Extension agents are up to!
Anchorage webinar series' spooky success
鈥 Molly Johansson
In October, the Anchorage Outreach Center hosted lunch webinars about Alaska flora and fauna that can be seen as a bit scary or creepy.
It was a spooktacular success, and we received much positive feedback. The series even became a prerequisite for a Natural History of Alaska course at the University of Alaska Southeast. The webinars started with carnivorous plants with the legendary Juneau naturalist Bob Armstrong. The following week, well-known bat expert Jesika Reimer joined us. We rounded off the month with Joey Slowik talking about spiders and Alex Wenninger wowing us with insect zombies (parasitoid wasps & entomopathogenic fungi), haunted houses (gall-making insects), undertakers (carrion beetles), costume parties (spooky-themed bug fashion), and confections (candies made from insect products) as a finale.
The webinar series has had more than 235 views, both live and on video, to date.
Huge thanks to Joey and Alex for being outstanding presenters and the Communications Unit for making fantastic marketing materials for us.
Here are some of the reactions we received:
- 鈥淭his was one of my favorite webinars that I've participated in. I thought that the content was clearly presented, and overall very concise.鈥
- 鈥淛ozef was so knowledgeable and passionate. Great show!鈥
- 鈥淭he presenter took lovely pictures 鈥︹
- 鈥淭he presenter made the presentation especially interesting working around the Halloween theme.鈥
- 鈥淎ll the interesting creepy crawlers found in Alaska was beyond my imagination. I will look for these interesting critters when I am out in the landscape of Alaska.鈥
We are Beyond Ready in Anchorage!
鈥 Allison Bruchhaus
The Anchorage Outreach Center welcomed many people of all ages on Saturday, Oct. 25 for the Anchorage 4-H Open House.
It was a fun time filled with STEM activities, 4-H crafts, games, and much more for youth, as well as an information session on all things 4-H. Adults learned about opportunities to volunteer and youth learned about different projects that they can take part in through 4-H.
We are hoping to see membership in 4-H grow in Anchorage.
Weather data is used to help determine crop viability in variety trials
Any new agronomic crop species or variety that might be suitable for production in the Alaska environment is evaluated in replicated variety trials at the Matanuska Experiment Farm and Extension Center (Southcentral) and the 海角论坛 Experiment Farm (Interior).
The studies ask if this potential new crop or variety can be planted as seed early in the spring (early to mid-May) and produce a crop with high yields and high quality at harvest by early to mid-September. These trials are done at both locations to see if the new crop or variety might do well in both the interior and southcentral of Alaska or do better at one location compared to the other.
So, how do we evaluate new crops or varieties? This involves collecting data in the field over the growing season and daily weather data at each location.
Gino Graziano's PhD dissertation defense set for Dec. 3
Gino Graziano, invasive plants instructor, will be giving a public defense of his dissertation as part of the requirements for the Natural Resources and Sustainability doctorate.
The dissertation is titled "Control of Invasive Plants at High Latitudes Using Persistent Herbicides: Understanding persistence to manage pesticide residues while achieving effective control."
It is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 3 at 9:30 a.m. in Room 401 of the Akasofu Building on the 海角论坛 Troth Yeddha' campus.
Four IANRE researchers to present at American Geophysical Union meeting
Four researchers from the Institute of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Extension will be presenting their research posters at the fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union in Washington, D.C., in December. The AGU meeting annually draws more than 25,000 attendees from more than 100 countries.
- Jessie Young-Robertson, research associate professor of forest ecology and co-director of the Forest Soils Laboratory at the 海角论坛 Agriculture and Forestry Experiment Station, will present on "White Spruce (Picea glauca) Physiological Response to Bark Beetle Attack in Alaska鈥檚 Boreal Forest: Hydraulic Failure Occurs Within One Month of Mild to Severe Attack."
- Anushree Badola, an AFES post-doctoral fellow, will present on "Time Series Analysis of Forest Mortality Trends Using Satellite Imagery and Ground-Based Data in Boreal Forests, Interior Alaska."
- Katherine Mahon, an AFES research technician, will present on "Leaf and Needle Spectral Analysis of Interior Alaska's Boreal Tree and Shrub Species: A Comparison with Physiological Measurements Over Time."
- Samuel Dempster, an AFES research technician, will present on "Evaluating Water Pathways Between Ecological, Hydrological, and Meteoric Sources Using Stable Isotopes in Interior Alaska鈥檚 Boreal Forest."
Upcoming events
- The Delta Harvest Wrap-up is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 21, in Delta Junction. For more information, contact Eve Karczmarczyk at eekarczmarczyk@alaska.edu or Phil Kaspari at pnkaspari@alaska.edu.
- Webinar on the physics of snow is scheduled for noon, Wednesday, Dec. 4. Register at
- OneTree Alaska wreath and ornament-making session using tree boughs and other materials on Saturday, Dec. 7 from 1-6 p.m. at the STEAM studio in Lola Tilly. Contact jan.dawe@alaska.edu for more information.
- On Monday, Dec. 9, from noon-1 p.m., Chef Amy Foote from ANTHC will lead a workshop on "Finding Healing in Alaska Native Traditional Foods." The workshop will be in person at the Matanuska Experiment Farm and Extension Center in Palmer and online via Zoom. if you plan to attend either in person or via Zoom.
- Learn the basics of bonsai in a two-day in-person workshop in Anchorage on Dec. 10 and Dec. 12. (This class is sold out).
- The Matanuska Experiment Farm and Extension Center, 1509 Georgeson Road, Palmer, will hold its holiday open house from 4-6 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 13.
- Leif Albertson will lead a free online workshop on "Food Safety During the Holidays" from noon-1 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 18. .
In the News
- Alaska Business magazine wrote a story about the Alaska Lumber Grading Program:
- Reina Hasting's Nov. 17 column in the News-Miner:
- Adrian Kohrt's Nov. 3 column in the News-Miner:
(Note, if you don't subscribe to the News-Miner, you can read Extension columns on the )