Bryan Scoresby

While extraction industries command the most attention in Alaska, a less noticeable, but equally important, industry is on the rise here – agriculture.

For longtime Mat-Su resident Bryan Scoresby, the state’s director of the Division of Agriculture, that’s news that all Alaskans can sink their teeth into.

“We’ve seen a huge growth in the number of farms in Alaska,” he said. “From 2017 to 2022, we were first in the nation in percentage growth.”

To be sure, challenges remain in the ag sector, and barriers to entry are plentiful. The availability of affordable farmland is high on that list. Still, Scoresby says, opportunities are bigger today than years ago.

“Most farmers don’t want a handout,” he said. “They want a market and less regulations that keep things clear.”

Scoresby, who was appointed to his current position two years ago by Gov. Mike Dunleavy, speaks from a wealth of both professional and personal experience. He grew up in a farm family in Idaho before going on to a career with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

It was that work that brought him to Alaska 33 years ago. But his tenure as head of the USDA’s Farm Service Agency office in Palmer was cut short by a nationwide staff reduction.

Two decades in the mortgage and finance business followed that until 2017, when he was appointed by President Trump to lead the USDA’s Farm Service Agency in Alaska, until the administration changed in 2021.

“It was a dream come true to be appointed by the president and work again in agriculture,” Scoresby said.

Now, on the threshold of his third year in state government, he remains motivated by the opportunity to stay involved in agriculture.

“I love this job,” Scoresby said. “It’s great to be able to work with farmers and promote agriculture every day.”

Doing it in a place he has grown to love, surrounded by family, is a bonus. Scoresby and his wife raised five kids here. Three still live here with their own families, providing 11 Alaska-grown grandchildren to add to the Scoresby legacy.

“This is a beautiful place to be,” he said. “Being a younger state with a younger economy, there’s opportunity here that’s not available elsewhere.”

So what does someone with a passion for agriculture do when he’s not at work?

“I like to farm,” Scoresby said. “We’ve got a little hobby farm at home that keeps us busy.”

That includes cutting hay on a 30-acre parcel and raising pigs and dairy calves. When the farm work is done, Scoresby said he likes to hunt, fish, and enjoy the Alaska outdoors.

But the possibilities inherent in Alaska agriculture remain the focus of his life, including growing the industry and raising awareness about food security and the importance of being able to keep your pantry full.

“This is a great place to live, raise a family, and grow a garden. We need more animals here. We need to grow our own food. That’s my promotion, that’s my hope,” he said. “Everybody loves agriculture, and we all hope to participate in it three times a day. When you eat lunch, thank a farmer. Thank him twice if it’s an Alaska farmer.”