Nenana-Tokchaket agriculture project has its first crops planted

The state’s new Nenana-Tokchaket agriculture project near Nenana, south of Fairbanks, saw its first-phase land leases bid off last year and there is already land being cleared by lessees and limited planting of crops, although those are experimental to see what grows.

Tarn Coffey, a Nenana resident who now hold several parcels in the project, has planted hardy, northern varieties of corn, for animal feed, as well as vegetables like peppers and even melons.

Coffey started the plants in his garden in Nenana and has now moved them to the site west of Nenana and halfway along a 10-mile access road through the project.

A second lessee is to begin clearing this year, state officials say.

Coffey bid on and won three tracts in the Oct. 19, 2022 land sale and then acquired two more parcels later when the state offered tracts not bid on in direct sales. That gave Coffee five tracts totaling 225 acres.

Twenty seven parcels of different sizes were offered in the October sale and all but three drew bids. Eighteen parcels drew multiple bids, and seven got more than 10 bids each, an indicator of high interest.

The 15 high-bidders for the land included 12 who listed an Alaska address. Most of those live in the Nenana and Fairbanks areas. Four of the five largest parcels went to Alaska bidders.

Three who won tracts decided not to proceed but all others have had their farm development plans approved by the state, state officials said. Parcels won by those dropping out will be offered in the next sale, which is scheduled in 2024.

Coffee complimented the state Division of Agriculture on the way the land sale was managed and the plan for gradually developing the project. “They decided to go slow and offer tracts of different sizes,” for different types of development.

Larger tracts would be suitable for grain crops and livestock grazing, and smaller parcels for vegetables, for example, which will allow people to experiment to learn what works best.

The sealed-bid sale worked to the state’s advantage, Coffee said, because a bidder typically adds a bit in hopes of winning the tract against the competition.

Eric Johnson, manager of the project for the Division of Agriculture, said some parcels in strategic locations were kept out of the sale to be held as sites for future infrastructure, for support businesses or community facilities.

A Fairbanks-based Alaska Native nonprofit also bid on, and won, two parcels, which will be used for education and experimentation with plants.

Soils in the project area are good for growing and the area is lower in altitude than in Delta, where there are working farms and livestock growing. The lower altitude means the growing season will be longer.

In a related development the state has dropped its plan to extend the road further west to the Kantisna River in deference to objections by the Nenana tribe, which has concerns over opening access so quickly to areas important for subsistence.

The access road was built by Doyon Ltd. to support oil and gas exploration and was given to the city of Nenana after that was completed. The state has classified about 100,000 acres for agriculture in the area, which will be leased and developed in phases.

People have talked for years about agriculture near Nenana but the state land in the Tokchaket area lacked access because there was no bridge across the Nenana River, which is east of the project area. When Doyon built the road for its exploration the drill rig and other equipment were barged across the river.

A state capital appropriation and federal tribal infrastructure funds raised by the Nenana Native Association, the local tribe, eventually allowed the bridge to be built.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy has high hopes for the project. “The Nenana-Totchaket Agricultural Project brings to Alaska the hope of additional food security from its own soil,” the governor said in a statement.

“This project is unique, as it will be planned using science to optimize sustainable production of food, fiber, and fuel, while keeping Alaska’s land and water healthy and our soils productive. The project will continue to grow for generations and become a vital key to our agricultural industry and the state’s economy,“ the governor said.