DeVilbiss appointment at Ag Division bodes well for Valley

Frontiersman editorial board

We at the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman would like to extend our congratulations to Larry DeVilbiss. DeVilbiss, a longtime carrot farmer from Palmer, was appointed director of Alaska's Division of Agriculture earlier this month. He assumed his new position Feb. 1 and will be working out of the division's Palmer office.

DeVilbiss has been an active part of Alaska's farming community since 1956, and we think his many years of firsthand experience make him an intelligent choice to lead the division.

Aside from his years of experience in raising vegetables, DeVilbiss also brings personal knowledge of the beef and dairy industries.

He has also been an active part of the Mat-Su community, serving on the school board, Matanuska Electric Association board and the Mat-Su Borough Assembly.

Working with the Board of Agriculture and Conservation, it will be part of DeVilbiss's duties to set statewide agriculture policy and develop a business plan for the future of agriculture in the state.

A key part of that plan, according to DeVilbiss, is to see more Alaskan-grown food processed locally. We hope the newly appointed director stays the course in seeing this plan to fruition.

Alaska has a need for creating more sustainable industry other than retail and tourism-based businesses.

While we agree that tourism is a major industry for our borough and state and retail businesses provide a substantial sales-tax base for our cities, they shouldn't be relied on as a basis to a healthy economy.

The cities and the Mat-Su Borough need to work through economic developers in enticing more manufacturing businesses to our area, and an agricultural-processing business is a natural fit for us.

Processing our state's resources and commodities within our own boundaries not only brings greater employment opportunities to help bolster our economy, but assists in keeping retail prices competitive with those in the Lower 48, further nourishing our economic future.

Again, our congratulations go out to Mr. DeVilbiss on his appointment as the state's Division of Agriculture director.

We wish him great success in bringing the state's, and Mat-Su's, agricultural accomplishments to a national audience. But, more importantly, we send our support of his vision of seeing more Alaskan-grown food processed at the local level.