Dinkel receives Farm Bureau ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’

By ANDREW WELLNER

Frontiersman.com

PALMER — The Mat-Su chapter of the Alaska Farm Bureau handed out awards Wednesday, honoring an agricultural researcher and a local restaurateur.

Don Dinkel took home a Lifetime Achievement Award for his decades of work helping Alaska farmers grow food in adverse conditions.

“It’s my supreme honor to give this award,” said bureau president Don Berberich, who was running the show at Mat-Su Senior Services.

As for the restaurateur, Turkey Red received the Buy Local award for its incorporation of locally grown food into its menu. Berberich said the bureau wanted to recognize Turkey Red’s support of local agriculture.

Some of what Alaskans can do with their farms also was on display at the meeting. The menu for the dinnertime awards ceremony included 95 Alaska Grown foods.

Speaking of Alaska Grown, the Farm Bureau is the organization behind those ubiquitous T-shirts and hooded sweatshirts.

“We’re proposing a budget this year of $130,000. That’s what we’ve raised, mostly through sales of our T-shirts,” Berberich said.

Also at the meeting, Valley high school students in the Future Farmers of America program gave presentation on what they’ve done with grants received through a program to fund young farmers in agricultural start-ups.

“These guys are in the second year of the program,” Berberich said.

Scott Sullivan, who raised bees and sold Busy Bees Honey with his grant, said he learned a lot.

“Putting the bees in the hive is pretty interesting. They go everywhere,” Sullivan said. “Bees are a lot of work.”

He said he sold the honey mostly to people he knew.

“It sold out really fast,” Sullivan said.

He said he ran two hives and is planning a third this year.

Corey Kelly went a little more traditional, growing vegetables and strawberries at his business, Wild Wild Farms.

“It takes a couple of years to make the money,” he said of what he learned. “It’s harder than you think.”

Contact reporter Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.