Ag plant at top of borough’s project list

PALMER — Of the borough’s projects out for competitive grants through the federal stimulus package, the Agricultural Processing and Product Development Plant is first priority.

Built in Palmer, the plant would provide the infrastructure needed to package locally grown crops for distribution across the Railbelt. The plant will serve Alaska Grown vegetables fresher to Alaskans, be a boon to Valley farmers and enhance food security throughout the state, said Assistant Borough Manager Elizabeth Gray.

The plant will have a line for cleaning, pealing, steaming, freezing and packaging locally grown vegetables for distribution. It will initially focus on distributing fresh, frozen or par-cooked vegetables to school districts across the state, according to the borough’s website. As it expands, products from the plant will go to other public institutions, like the prisons and military bases, and eventually enter the retail market.

Additionally, the plant will have bottling and blanching facilities designed for the processing and packaging of two products deemed to have the most market viability: the Alaska Fresh Fry and Matanuska Red.

Working with the University of Alaska Fairbanks, nutritionists have determined Valley potatoes are perfectly suited for the Fresh Fry. A blanched version of the french fry, Fresh Fries have half the fat, are never frozen and have no preservatives, said Gray.

The new plant will have a production line to blanch the potatoes with steam and package them into refrigerated bags for shipping. The fries would then be baked or fried before consumption.

Matanuska Red is a juice made from rhubarb that’s similar to cranberry juice. It is tart and mixes well with other juices, but with more nutritional benefits compared to cranberry juice, said Gray. Additionally, rhubarb is easier to farm and yields more juice, she said.

This increased ability to process and package local food increases food security, said Gray. If the food supply from the Lower 48 is ever interrupted for whatever reason, Alaska would be more self-sufficient with a full operational processing plant.

In addition to the processing facilities, the plant will also host a shared-use kitchen where local entrepreneurs can develop, refine and package their home-made recipes in a sanitation-code approved setting. The hope is local cooks will then sell those products to tourist shops, markets and perhaps even nationwide, said Gray.

The plant will be built next to and modeled similarly to the Nutrition Services Facility on Cope Industrial Way. Preparing the lunches for the entire Mat-Su Borough School District, the Nutrition Services Facility is working at capacity, said Gray. The new plant will be an expansion for commercial uses.

All that stands in the way now is funding.

“All the groundwork has been laid,” said Gray. “We received a feasibility grant for $447,000 and have completed the study. We know what components to put in the center. We know what types of freezers and vats and bottling machines we need.”

In an effort to get the now estimated $15 million in construction costs, the borough is asking every agency that will listen. The state has committed $250,000 and is said to be considering more funding. The feasibility study was funded largely by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the borough has submitted a grant to them for the remainder.

In addition to the “shovel-ready” status of the project, the borough estimates the plant will create 70 jobs during the construction phase and retain 20 long-term positions.

“The building will be right next to Job Corps, and we hope to partner with them,” said Gray.

Contact Todd L. Disher at todd.disher@frontiersman.com or 352-2252.