Food security at heart of classes on ag basics

With spring at least on the calendar and local green thumbs looking ahead to Alaska’s short growing season, opportunities abound to learn more about how to maximize agricultural resources.

The Cooperative Extension Service, a branch of the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ ag program at the Matanuska Experiment Farm near Palmer, is planning a series of classes and workshops designed to assist all farming and gardening skill and interest levels.

Two classes are offered this week, including Chicken 101 Lunch and Learn. A free event, it takes place either in person or via Zoom on March 18 from noon to 1 p.m. Interested people can register for either option online at https://bit.ly/MatSuChicken101.

Raising chickens in the backyard is a fun hobby and a great way to improve food security in Alaska. This class will teach everything needed to get started with your own flock. It will cover breed selection, egg incubation, nutrition, coop design, disease management, and cold-weather tips.

A two-hour Seed Starting and Soil Blocking Workshop will also be conducted on March 18 from 6 to 8 p.m. The in-person class will be held at the Matanuska Experiment Farm, 1509 S. Georgeson Drive, near Palmer. Participants in this hands-on workshop will learn how to best start seeds for the Mat-Su climate using soil blocking. Proper seed selection, planting schedules, and care for soil blocker trays will be discussed.

Soil amendment recommendations will be provided so participants can confidently start seeds at home.

The workshop will be repeated on March 25, also from 6 to 8 p.m., at Alaska Pacific University’s Spring Creek Farm campus near Palmer.

People interested in either workshop can register online at https://bit.ly/PalmerSeedStarting. Space is limited.

Classes will continue in April. Ruminant 101 will lead off on April 1, from noon to 1 p.m. An overview of the fundamentals of raising livestock for meat, milk, packing, fiber, or companionship, will be presented by Jim Vinyard, UAF research assistand professor of livestock nutrition.

The class will cover the basic requirements for facilities, nutrition, reproduction, and health and welfare of species like sheep, goats, llamas, alpacas, reindeer and other small ruminants. Participation is offered in-person and also online, via Zoom. It will be held at the Matanuska Experiment Farm, 1509 S. Georgeson Drive.

Register for both online and in-person attendance using the online form, or visit https://bit.ly/Ruminant101.

A fully virtual event, a Backyard Pollinators class will be presented jointly by the Valley Garden Club and Cooperative Extension Service staff on April 7, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.

The nesting habits of native bees and how to recognize them and other pollinators will be covered in the class. Ways to attract pollinators will also be explored, as will how to be a good pollinator steward in your own garden by planting for pollinators and managing invasive plants.

The class is free. Interested people can register via an online form at https://bit.ly/PollinatorTalk.

Next up, on April 14, is the start of a series of hour-long lunch seminars presented by UAF’s Institute of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Extension that will explore Circumpolar Connections: A Dialogue on Arctic Food.

Running from noon to 1 p.m., the informal presentations will focus on engaging people in a conversation about the issues. Talks will run around 30 minutes, with plenty of time for questions and conversations afterward.

During these seminars, researchers will present ideas to inspire interdisciplinary collaboration and build relationships around Alaska’s food systems. While the seminars will focus on agriculture in the sub-Arctic and Arctic, the broader aim is to create a space for connection and dialogue, ultimately strengthening research across disciplines to support the circumpolar food system.

Registration is via an online form at https://bit.ly/CircumpolarConnections.

For more information about this series, contact Laura Weingartner by phone at 907-474-6009, or by email at lgweingartner@alaska.edu.

All classes are supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Disability-related accommodation requests can be made for any of these classes, but need to be made at least five business days in advance. Contact Alda Norris at amnorris2@alaska.edu or 907-474-7120 for more information. Norris also handles language access services, such as interpretation or translation of vital information, which will be provided free of charge to individuals with limited English proficiency upon advance request.

— Compiled by Mark Kelsey