Planting the seeds of food security

The Valley has a unique farming history. It’s part of our past and a growing part of our present and future.

Very little of the food and other goods Alaskans use are produced or grown here. But more of our food could be grown here; we have farmland and farmers and people who need food. It’s the economics of farming that often stand in the way of increasing the amount of food grown in Alaska.

Perhaps your first job was working in your grandparents’ garden or helping on the family farm, but fewer and fewer of us have those histories these days.

We remember participating in Ag Day at local schools where one of the goals is to teach students that the food they help their families shop for at the grocery store began as a seed somewhere on a far away farm. It’s hard to imagine kids not knowing carrots, peas and beans grow from seeds, or that milk, butter, cheese and beef come from cows.

So we’re glad to see the pro-farm bills signed by Gov. Sean Parnell in Palmer on Friday and introduced by our local legislators, Rep. Shelley Hughes and Rep. Bill Stoltze. No question, we are fans of farmers and the food they grow.

Hughes introduced a bill to allow boroughs and cities to put to a vote of the people a break on property taxes levied on farm buildings. She said constituents told her they throw away produce because it didn’t make economic sense to pay taxes on storage facilities.

Rep. Stoltze’s resolution calls for the creation of a state “Food Resource Development Working Group.” A related executive order from the governor creates a sub-cabinet level group that will focus on barriers to agricultural expansion.

Growing more of our own food supply is a smart goal for Alaska as a state. But it is an even better personal goal for each household in the Valley.

Why not pick a sunny spot on your property and began planning next year’s garden? In addition to saving money on produce, gardening is also a great way to spend time together as a family, and frankly, homegrown veggies just taste better.

Plenty of vegetables have Alaska hardy varieties, and if you’re not sure just what to do to get your tomatoes to ripen or whether sweet corn will produce ears here, ask your neighbors. Although our growing season starts later and is colder than many other locations, Alaska has a bumper crop of gardeners who seem to love to share their expertise.

It is a great way to meet neighbors like Mat-Su Master Gardeners Curt and Marge Mueller, who have figured out how to use a solar cell, timer and motor to open the doors on a covered garden bed so the bees can get in.

We think it’s this sort of creative problem solving that makes gardening a nearly perfect Alaskan pastime. Can you dig it?