Annual tour shows off ‘generational farming’

PALMER — More than 50 people took part in the eighth annual Mat-Su Farm Bureau Farm Tour Thursday. The tour was comprised entirely of fellow Alaskans observing how local farms operate in the Valley.

For $65, the group rode on a tour bus that picked up people from Anchorage and the Valley and stopped at five different farms. The list rotates every year. This year, Vanderweele Farm, Moonstone Farm, UAF Experiment Farm, Sunderland Ranch and Bushes Bunches Produce Stand were designated for the tour.

It was an all day excursion with a lunch break at the UAF Experiment Farm. Each year, the tour has a different theme. This year’s theme was: “generational farming.” Nestled in the foothills of Lazy Mountain, the Sunderland Ranch was the last stop of the tour. The Sunderlands are a third-generation family of farmers.

“We’re still a farm in progress,” said Sunderland Ranch tour guide and full-time ranch hand Larry Delinksk.

The ranch has cows, horses and elk in within its pastures. The 100-acre ranch produces meat from its livestock, hay, barley and grass feed, and also provides tours and lessons year round. They even have an effective hydroponic system to grow protein packed barley. They also are a bed and breakfast. The first generation of Sunderlands homesteaded the Lazy Mountain wilderness in 1982, starting from the ground up. The original barn burned down in 1996 and from the ashes, the second generation, Sloan Sunderland and his wife, Katie, took the mantle and started over.

Two of the three third generation Sunderland children were also guides during the tour. Talan, 9, and Azalia, 11, have been immersed in the lifestyle since birth.

“They’ve all expressed interest in different areas,” said Katie Sunderland. “They have cultivated their own love for it. They are not just kids, they’re valuable assets to our ranch. It’s a thing we all do together.”

The Sunderlands and Delinksk have started a series of berries and grapes with plans to one day launch their own vineyard and winery. Once they establish that, they also plan to rebuild their stage and host local bands to play up on the rustic mountaintop.

According to Margaret Adsit, head coordinator and tour guide for the Mat-Su Farm Tours, the Valley’s produce has a “ton of variety” with about 36 different crops available, “besides carrots and potatoes.”

Palmer was founded by farmers and they have had to make the best of Alaska’s extreme conditions to flourish. Adsit said that agriculture is has historically been the epicenter for communities.

“Alaskan farmers are so incredibly innovative,” Adsit said. “The ‘Alaskan way’ is to figure it out and make it work.”

One visitor asked, “Can you believe how many different things these folks do?” Adsit sees the future of Valley farming as “incredibly bright.”

“The more you strengthen other state’s companies, the more you weaken our core economy,” Adsit said.

She said that agriculture has historically been the epicenter for civilizations.

“Take a tour. Go visit farms. Buy local. Engage with what you eat,” Adsit said.