Point MacKenzie inmates have green thumbs

Oct. 6, 2006

By MARY AMES

Frontiersman

POINT MACKENZIE - Inch by inch, row by row, the inmates made their gardens grow. And this year they harvested more than 1 million pounds of hay, vegetables and meat.

In spite of the cool rainy weather that hampered gardeners throughout the Mat-Su Valley, the harvest at Point MacKenzie Correctional Farm surpassed previous years' output, according to a press release from the Department of Corrections.

On Oct. 1, inmates harvested 1,064,007 pounds, including 320,000 pounds of potatoes and 400,000 pounds of hay. And then there were the vegetables.

&#8220We start the plants from seed and transplant them from the greenhouse,” said Joe Schmidt, superintendent at the farm. &#8220We have 20 acres of garden, and we harvested 1,160 pounds of peas - but we lost a whole bunch more.”

Some of the early starts got spindly reaching for the lights in the greenhouse, Schmidt said, so inmates had to transplant the tender little starters by hand. The end result of their labors included 14,707 pounds of cauliflower and 8,100 pounds of broccoli.

Totals also included 114,751 pounds of cabbage, 46,000 pounds of yellow and green squash, 23,000 pounds of Brussels sprouts and 14,000 pounds of turnip greens. Point MacKenzie harvested herbs, too with a single pound each of thyme, sage and rosemary.

&#8220We did good,” Schmidt said.

For carnivores, inmates at Point MacKenzie processed 12,762 pounds of beef, 5,586 pounds of pork, 6,775 pounds of turkey and 12,177 pounds of chicken. But those numbers aren't the whole story for the year.

&#8220Our turkey operation is seasonal, so we still have approximately 6,000 pounds of consumable turkey meat yet to harvest, and our chicken, beef and swine production will increase by year's end as well,” Schmidt said.

The produce from the farm feeds inmates at state correctional facilities in Anchorage, Palmer, Eagle River, Seward and Fairbanks.

Point MacKenzie sends some produce to the Food Bank of Alaska, too.

Marc Antrim, DOC commissioner, said the numbers were impressive, but there was more to it.

&#8220The correctional farm provides meaningful employment for inmates,” Antrim said. &#8220And the results of that labor result in a cost saving to the state, while at the same time, nutritious meals are provided to inmates at other facilities.”

DOC also tries to buy Alaska-grown produce when it's available at a competitive price, he said.

The correctional farm has about 60 acres under cultivation, Schmidt said, and although it wasn't needed much this year, there is an irrigation system.

&#8220Prisoners can rise or fall to any level you set for them,” he said.

&#8220The cost of managing is far lower because of how prisoners are managed here.”

Contact Mary Ames at

352-2284 or mary.ames@

frontiersman.com