Farmland Forever

PALMER — The Phipps family legacy lives on as farmland forever.

Sarah Phipps and her family donated the 16 acres of farmland that she grew up on to the Alaska Farmland Trust on Thursday, ensuring that the land will be used for farming forever. With the 16-acre Phipps farm, the Alaska Farmland Trust now has over 300 acres protected in perpetuity, all in the greater Palmer area.

“I think it’s pretty exciting. I think it’s great for the community, it’s great for Palmer, especially as a gateway into Palmer. It’s right in the gateway so people hopefully can see and recognize there is value to this preservation,” said Arthur Keyes.

The 16-acre Phipps farm is an original Colony farm. As Sarah spoke to the crowd that had gathered, not only to support local vendors of food and beer but the preservation of the best soils in the state forever, she told them of how she grew up on the farm, running through hay fields with her cousins. Phipps said that their family used potatoes grown on the farm in each of their restaurants, one in Anchorage and another at the old bowling alley in Palmer. Phipps was becoming saddened by the amount of roughshod development going up around the Valley, particularly the disappearing farms.

“Life’s too short to waste. Do your big dreams when you can still do them,” said Phipps.

Phipps’ dream was to see her family’s farm preserved forever. After leaving the state, the Phipps’ old farm and original Colony barn had become dilapidated.Phipps said she hauled dozens of car carcasses and hundreds of tons of trash off of her family’s property and began nearly a two-year process restoring the barn. The barn is one of only two original gothic-style Colony barns left standing. Phipps worked hard to remove the black mold and repair the collapsed roof and refurbished it into a shining symbol of the beauty of farm life. The event was lively despite the rain showers, with local food vendors and music before Phipps and Alaska Farmland Trust Director Amy Pettit put the sign out front that dedicates the 16 acres as Farmland Forever.

“People want when they connect with farmland trust, they want local food they want local beer and they want to be on a property that’s going to be there forever,” said Pettit.

The soils on the Phipps farm are among the richest in the state. Pettit said there are no Class 1 soils in the state of Alaska, but all of the Class 2 soils are found in and around Palmer, making for some of the most productive soils in the country. Pettit said that Alaska Farmland Trust plans to secure another 160 acres of farmland over the next year. Not only do the farmland trust events allow for the preservation of farmland into the future, but the cultivation of new farmers. The FFA sold cupcakes to help fundraise for their trip to the national convention in Indianapolis. FFA state Treasurer Alexa Regoord from Anchorage said that 700,000 students participate in FFA nationally, and 70,000 get to go to the national convention.

“We come out and we work with local farmers because it’s supporting things like our food security. In Alaska you know at any time we’re shipping in about 95 to 98 percent of our food and so we’re coming and working with farmers who export things like peonies,” said Regoord.

“FFA is raising up the next generation of agriculturalists so it helps some of our kids who enjoy floraculture it helps them find a career they might want to pursue as an adult.”

Regoord works with horses in Anchorage, a job she loves that she was able to procure through her connections with FFA. Local homeschool student Callista Whitlatch also sold cupcakes. Whitlatch had been on the Phipps farm just the day prior pulling weeds in the garden. Whitlatch is the President of the local Midnight Suns chapter of FFA, and broke the state record for employability skills last year.

“Buying locally, having farms here locally will help the economy,” said Whitlatch.

After growing up on the original Colony plot of land with the original Colony barn, the Phipps family was able to secure their farm for future generations.