Alaska Dirt

Farmageddon -Regulation Gone Too Far?

2011-10-23T08:02:00.000-08:00

A new documentary is showing at film festivals national that shows in detail one of the greatest challenges facing small farmers today. "Farmageddon" shows families being held at gunpoint and healthy animals confiscated by the USDA and FDA for alleged agricultural crimes. The trailer is well worth a few seconds time.

Buying Small Dairies Out to Boost Profits and Monopolies

2011-10-18T13:02:00.000-08:00

The Consumerist has an excellent article today about Big Dairy's practice of paying small farmers to kill their cows and close their dairies in order to artificially boost milk prices and gain a monopoly. The program sent 500,000 dairy cows to slaughter between 2003 and 2009, increasing profits for agribusiness by $9.5 billion in that period. Between regulations that require milking parlors to be as clean as a restaurant kitchen, rising energy and feed costs, and increasing competition for farmland, it is no surprise to me that these farmers threw in the towel and took this private buyout. Ultimately, the American public will pay as these growing monopolies exercise their increasing strength.

A Picture Worth a Thousand Words: Commercial Bycatch of Halibut Juveniles

2011-09-01T13:58:00.000-08:00

From Tholepin's blog: Commercial bycatch of halibut juveniles.

How to raise an orphan moose....

2011-05-10T08:52:00.001-08:00

The Alaska Dispatch has an interesting article today on raising orphan moose. Evidently the practice has not been too succesful. Use of standard formula for calves resulted in rickets in several moose, resulting in euthanization.

Comments and a Response on Proposed Changes to Alaska Cheese Regulations

2010-06-22T10:16:00.002-08:00

As I referenced below, Alaska DEC is revising its rules on cheesemaking, found here and here.

The following are my comments -- followed by a response from Mr. Fuller:

____________________________________________________

Mr. Fuller:

The following are my comments on the proposed changes to the Alaska cheesemaking regulations. My primary concern is that these regulations will kill a new and promising industry for our state -- essentially making regulations so burdensome that they prevent anyone but large corporations from entering the business.

Some specific comments:

-These costly regulations are not responding to any actual food illness in Alaska. Nationally, there are few cases of foodborne illness during cheese manufacturing as compared with other industries. State and national data supports this:
     o DEC’s own reports show that there were NO cases of foodborne illness from cheese in Alaska from 2004 to 2008.
     o Nationally, from 1998 to 2007, cheese was involved in only 57 outbreaks with 1,436 illnesses – even though millions of pounds was produced and consumed. That’s a 0.000005 per capita rate. Most of these cases were due to contamination by the end user – not manufacturing, further lowering this rate.
[Source: http://cspinet.org/new/pdf/outbreakalertreport09.pdf, Center for Science in the Public Interest. Dec 2009, “Closing the Gaps in Our Food Safety Net.”].
     o Nationally, there have only been 6 outbreaks related to domestic cheese contaminated during the manufacturing process over a forty year period ending in 1991. [“Pathogens in Cheese” E.A. Zottola and L.B. Smith, University of Minnesota, Department of Food Science and Nutrition, St. Paul, MN 55108.
September 1991. FOOD MICROBIOLOGY, September 1991.]

-The USDA retains primacy for food inspection regardless of what DEC’s rules are. Why is the state spending money on this? Let USDA continue to enforce their rules.

-If these rules are to be issued, DEC needs to issue additional standards for small producers with just a few animals. For example, the rules could specify a quantity threshold. I would recommend that individuals producing less than 1500 pounds of cheese per year be exempted, at a minimum, from the testing requirements. This equates to someone producing cheese from about 5 cows. DEC could require that such producers affix a warning label for consumer and could require pasteurization in these cases. HAACP rules similar to commercial kitchens could be required.

-Without changes to these rules, small farm owners and cheese-makers cannot start small. Most producers will have to finance these large capital expenditures upon startup. Unfortunately, most banks won’t loan money in cases where an individual has no experience in the business. This effectively excludes most small farmers, allowing only corporation or the very rich to start a cheese venture in this state. Would someone with a few animals in a remote village ever be able to sell cheese to their community? The state's goal should be to promote local production in the villages, thereby reducing exborbitant food costs, not deter it.

-Why issue permits for one year only? Permits should be good for five years instead of one. Such short permitting timelines deter investment in that it is uncertain from year-to-year what the whims of DEC will be – and what the requirements will be. This equates to higher financial risk.

-Why specify light levels? This is an OSHA issue beyond the purview of DEC. Unless UV lights are used, this won’t affect bacterial concentrations.

-Does the requirement for vats encompass 5 to 10 gallon commercial pans cooked on stovetop? If so, this could be expensive for small producers. Mom and Pop commercial restaurant kitchens, especially in small communities, rarely have steam kettles - so this requirement seems excessive.

-Plastic is used frequently in commercial cheese presses, especially for smaller hand-formed cheeses. Lexan and other plastics are commonly allowed in commercial restaurants where there is significantly more food-borne illness. Why not allow them for cheese?

-Test requirements are excessive, even for mid-sized producers:
     o Eliminate bacterial test requirements completely (bacterial) for pasteurized cheeses. Cheese made from pasteurized milk rarely results in bacterial contamination. Sound science does not justify this!
[Reference: http://drinc.ucdavis.edu/dfoods5_new.htm . Food Safety and Cheese; Institute of Food Science and Technology Position Statement : “In thirteen out of sixteen outbreaks in the cheeses were known to have been prepared using unpasteurized milk.” They go on to say that the remaining three 3
may have involved contamination with raw milk (bypassed systems, etc). “Microbiological tests on finished cheeses have an important place in quality control, but these tests cannot ensure the microbiological safety of the cheese (Desenclos et al. 1996; Rambling, 1996).” “In view of all these considerations
the Institute of Food Science and Technology considers that it is important to draw attention to the real hazards to human health due to pathogenic bacteria in raw milk cheeses, particularly of the soft and semi-soft type, and to encourage the use of pasteurized milk in the production of cheeses.”]
     o Allow records showing pasteurization occured, detailing temperature and time. These are sufficient to ensure proper pasterurization rather than using the phosphatase test:
                 a) Phosphatase testing cannot be done cost-effectively and accurately on a small scale. A small producer cannot do the 31-step Scharer method (requiring a full lab), resulting in errors if they even try. Who certifies the lab method is even accurate? Secondly, an automatic system (e.g. Fluorophos® ALP Test System) is expensive and beyond the means of small producers. Finally, test strips are difficult to procure, often inaccurate -- thereby not protecting food safety -- and still aren’t cost effective.
               b) Phosphatase testing of milk has little use for raw milk cheeses. Testing of cheeses can be inconclusive due to molds (e.g. blue cheese), spices, or other ingredients added into the cheese itself as part of manufacturing.
     o Milkfat and moisture content tests should not be required. These do not indicate bacterial contamination, adulteration, or the safety of the product. This pertains to grading only - something under the purview of the USDA.

-Greatly simplify the recordkeeping requirements. Excessive record-keeping requirements usually result in inaccurate “pencil-whipped” records that are often inaccurate. The proof of sanitation should be a successful inspection of the kitchen by DEC – not a a successful inspection of the records. Records reviews are the tools of a lazy inspector.

_____________________________
Mr. Fuller's response:

Thank you for your comments. The DEC will formally respond to all comments after the comment period ends July 6th.

I would like to address some of your questions now though.

We would prefer to prevent illness rather that respond after the fact. It is too late when people are sick and dead. Today in fact, reporters are asking pointed questions about the DEC's lack of testing of shellfish from non-commercial areas because several people were sickened and one died from eating shellfish that were not regulated or tested. People call us all the time wanting us to do more to ensure safe food. They want to see inspection records. They want to know how they can know if something is safe. They want us to shut down people who are selling food illegally or who seem to be doing a poor job of sanitation. They frequently complain about people selling raw milk. The public gets outraged when people die from cheese like in Canada or Austria (see links) and they don't accept preventable tragedies. A recent poll of Americans showed that 90% want the government to do more to ensure food safety, including increased oversight and inspections.

http://www.foodproductiondaily.com/Quality-Safety/Seventh-Listeria-death
-linked-to-Prolactal-cheese

http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2008/08/29/samomella-que.html

http://bites.ksu.edu/blog/141212/10/03/08/quebec-cheesemakers-complain-about-inspection-want-taxpayers-pay-it

For perspective, there have been seven outbreaks associated with dairy products in the U.S. so far this year. Most outbreaks are associated with raw dairy products, not pasteurized. Dairy products are the highest
risk food that there is. The reason the numbers are "low" is because of the dairy regulation that has evolved over the past 80 years. Our testing program to date has already repeatedly kept contaminated cheeses
off the market in a state with only three cheese producers during the past 2 years. We are pretty sure that we saved lives. We just can't tell you how many.

There was only one commercial cheese producer in AK during 2004-2008, who operated under the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance because we had no other formal regulations. The regs heavily refer to the PMO, as required by Alaska Statute, but are designed to be more user friendly than the 380 page PMO that is difficult to read through.

The USDA does not oversee cheese or dairy production. States do so.
Business people I talk to say that they would not commit to establishing a business until rules are set. As it is now, there are no formal regulations, so if we wanted to, we could operate "on our whim" under only the broader statutory mandate of the PMO. That would not be fair to businesses. It would seem that once requirements are set, then a person can commit to establishing a business.

There is only one accepted set of standards for commercial pasteurization in America and that is the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance. The DEC is mandated by statute to regulate dairy products in accordance
with the PMO.

Every micro dairy in America operates under standards similar to what we have drafted. Artisan cheese makers around the country have come to the realization that their livelihood depends on making a safe product. One bad event and they all will suffer. A goat dairy with seven goats was permitted here. Every person who has approached the DEC to get permitted to make cheese has been able to meet the requirements and been granted a permit.

Operators are not required to do phosphatase tests. The state does them. They would not be done on raw milk cheeses. The tests do not cost the producer anything.

Light levels are consistent with the PMO. Good lighting promotes cleanliness.

The Alaska Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act requires that foods be labeled honestly as described in Federal standards. Cheese must meet certain standards to call themselves cheddar, or whatever. Milkfat and moisture testing determine whether a cheese meets CFR standards for the type it claims to be. We cannot break statutory law by not requiring any milkfat or moisture content testing, which again, cost the producer no money. This again, is not under USDA purview. The standards are written into the Code of Federal Regulations, which Alaskan agencies are required by law to adopt.

Pasteurization vats must have the proper construction to prevent productcontamination, ensure complete pasteurization, and be operated according to the PMO. Of course, they must have accurate thermometers that record the pasteurization process as you mentioned. Vats used for making cheese can be any size.

Record keeping requirements are not intended to be a substitute for inspection. They allow trace back of foods in the event of a recall. Also, if no pasteurization records are kept, the inspector cannot tell if the milk was heated to the right temp and for the right length of time. For an automated clean in place system, if no record of equipment cleaning is kept, the inspector cannot know it ever happened. If hand washing is used, and sanitizing with bleach solution is done, they should test it with a dip stick. If they use hot water as a sanitizer, they should take the temp and record it. These are exactly the types of things that would normally be recorded as part of a HACCP plan.

The reg does not prohibit plastic utensils, although we do require stainless steel for wires and molds to prevent the possibility of rust contamination. It refers to the 3-A standards, which has a section describing allowable plastics. I am still considering possible edits to the section on equipment. That section was written to try and simplify and clarify rules that would otherwise be buried in hundreds of pages of other regulations, but we realize that this sometimes causes more fear than relief. Nobody else has commented specifically on the equipment requirements. If you have more information on materials that are commonly used for specific functions in cheese making, please pass it along.

We understand that businesses need start up capital to meet these requirements, however, we cannot compromise the safety of the product to something below what the rest of the world does. You can see this link for how one guy did it in Massachusetts with a small facility and home designed pasteurizer vat to save some money. He milks six goats.

http://carlislefarmsteadcheese.com/

Thanks,

Jay Fuller, DVM
Assistant State Veterinarian

More Alaska Pork - and not the kind from a pig... Reimbursed Transportation Costs for Alaskan Farmers

2010-06-18T11:49:00.003-08:00

Today, the USDA announced a program to reimburse farmers in Alaska, Hawaii and other remote U.S. territories for transportation costs to ship agricultural commodities into and out of the state. Producers can get up to $8,000 in reimbursement costs annually under the latest farm bill. [I'm guessing that costs were limited so that Dole can't get the whole sum allotted by Congress for shipping pineapple out of HawaiI!]

Admittedly, Alaskan farmers face a tough challenge particularly procuring new equipment and animals. The small tractor I purchase last year included over a thousand dollars in shipping charges - so in this sense, the program makes sense. Flying equipment into a location such as Hooper Bay, mentioned below, is certainly expensive. Anyone in a remote village trying to grow crops there needs significantly more than $8K to ship large equipment to them. One of the biggest things threatening our industry is the closure of the Agrium plant on the Kenai -- our only in-state fertilizer plant. Should fertilizer have to be brought in from Outside, this rule would help blunt that impact.

I'm not aware of any significant Alaskan agricultural exports that this program would benefit. With the national emphasis favoring locally and environmentally sound food, is the USDA really expecting milk producers in MatSu to want to ship bottles to Seattle? Or Delta grown beef to Los Angeles? Furthermore, I'm hoping that the food being grown in Hooper Bay is being eaten locally - not shipped away from the people who need it.

Furthermore, would the Matsu vodka , reindeer sausage, or Delta bison sausage, qualify? It seems that processed foods are what we ship Outside the most - not raw commodities. My reading of the rules says that, unless these are produced by the farmer that grew the potatoes, reindeer, or bison, the answer is No.

It seems to me that a better way to help Alaskan producers -- and the taxpayer -- is to STOP subsidizing the guys in the lot 48! As an example, Alaska dairies are competing with artificially cheap milk from Washington State that is days old. From 1995 to 2009, Alaska received approximately $0.6 million in dairy subsidies; Washington state received $92.5 million; Wisconsin, $988.2 million. The big corporate farms - with thousands of cows and lots of accountants -- know how to work the USDA grant system much better than our Mom and Pop producers up here (who on an individual basis, get very little).

Dropping price supports is what will truly level the playing field for local producers, driving local innovation while taking advantage of local labor and materials. Subsidizing transportation only furthers our dependence on things produced Outside. For example, cheap shipping of fertilizer from Outside coupled with the lack of natural gas pipeline will probably kill the Kenai Agrium plant for good. Local milk will never be cheaper than that produced by huge corporations receiving millions from the government. Furthermore, let's stop paying farmer's not to farm under the Conservation Reserve Program. How is letting Alaskan land sit idle supposed to develop an infrastructure again? While I'm all for helping farmers, subsidies such as these tend to complicate, rather than solve, problems.

_______________________________________________________________________________
Federal rules on the program can be found here.

Daniel Consenstein, from the USDA office in Palmer, sent out an email to registered producers that included the following, as quote below:

(Palmer, Alaska), June 16, 2010 – Danny Consenstein, Executive Director of USDA’s Farm Service Agency in Alaska, announced that Alaskan farmers and ranchers who experience high transportation costs will soon see relief through funding authorized through the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 (Farm Bill).

“Last summer, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack visited Palmer, Bethel and Hooper Bay. He saw first-hand the challenges faced by Alaska producers. This program will help level the playing field for our producers and provide more local food at competitive prices by addressing our high costs of doing business,” said State Executive Director, Danny Consenstein. “USDA is committed to developing new programs like this that fit the needs of Alaska farmers and ranchers. I also want to thank Senator Begich and the congressional delegation for including funding for this program in the FY2010 Appropriations bill.”

“The Obama Administration believes farm programs should provide the stability and predictability agricultural producers need,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “American producers outside the contiguous States often have to take extraordinary measures to transport needed items to their farms and ranches, and then experience substantial costs when they transport their farm output to markets. This program will provide relief to eligible producers who are at a competitive disadvantage.”

Vilsack said recent rising fuel costs have made this competitive disadvantage worse. The payments announced today through the Farm Service Agency (FSA) are intended to offset a portion of the costs of transporting agricultural inputs and products over long distances.

The Reimbursement Transportation Cost Payment Program for Geographically Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers (RTCP) assists farmers and ranchers in Alaska, Hawaii, and areas including the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands and Republic of Palau who paid to transport either an agricultural commodity or an input used to produce an agricultural commodity.

The Agricultural, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010 (2010 Agricultural Appropriations Bill) provided $2.6 million for this Farm Bill program in fiscal year 2010.

Sign-up for RTCP will begin on Aug. 2, 2010, and end on Sept. 10, 2010. Applicants must file their RTCP application for benefits at with their local FSA county office no later than Sept. 10, 2010, and applicants also will have until Nov. 1, 2010, to provide supporting documentation of actual costs of transporting agricultural inputs and commodities in fiscal year 2010 to the FSA county office.

For more information about this program, please visit your FSA county offices. In Palmer, contact Doug Carter, at 761-7772 or doug.carter@ak.usda.gov. In Delta, contact Lloyd Wilhelm, 895-4242 ext. 100, or lloyd.wilhelm@ak.usda.gov, or www.fsa.usda.gov.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice), or (202) 720-6382 (TDD).

New Alaska Cheese Regulations

2010-06-12T08:14:00.000-08:00

Big corporations have a vested interested in adding more government regulations; this allows them to effectively shutter small businesses from competing with them. The latest victim in Alaska is the dairy industry. Cheese regulations published last year effectively stopped anyone but a large corporation from making cheese due to the tremendous requirements imposed. If you have one or two cows and wanted to start out of your kitchen, - or even a dedicated kitchen on your property -- you could not. If you are on well water, you could not. The Alaska Legislature listened to concerned farmers and consumers in the state and requested that the rules be revised. The regulators went back to the regulations and have published revisions again -- that still provide for NO exception for small farms!

The following is an email I received from Representative Wilson that provides all the details about the current revisions and the ongoing comment period:

____________

______________________________________________________

Dear Alaska Farmer,

The Department of Conservation has proposed cheese regulations for the state of Alaska. There is NO exception for small farms despite the Legislative Administrative Review Committee's request. These new regulations will be costly and will discourage small dairy farms. Please take the time to attend one of the public meetings and/or comment on these proposed regulations.

The public comment period is currently open and comments can be faxed to Dr. Jay Fuller 907-929-7335 or email: jay.fuller@alaska.gov until July 6.

There will be three public workshops at the following places, and will be held from 4:30 pm to 7 pm. You may call-in at: Meet Me Line: (800) 315-6338 Pass Code X8213 (15 lines available). The purpose of these workshop are to answer questions that you may have about the proposed regulations. Oral or written public comment will not be taken at these workshops.

1. A public workshop will be held on June 23, 2010 at the Department of Environmental Conservation, 610 University Avenue,

610 University Avenue, Fairbanks, AK 99709

2. A public workshop will be held on June 22, 2010 at the Jarvis Office Center, CES Conference Room, Milepost 1420.5 Alaska

Highway, Delta Junction, Alaska, 99737.

3, A public workshop will be held on June 24, 2010 at the Department of Environmental Conservation, 1700 E. Bogard Road,

Building B, Suite 103, Conference Room, Wasilla, AK 99654.

Your involvement is crucial. I have attached a copy of the regulations for your review. Thank you for taking the time to comment.

Sincerely,

Tammie

Representative Tammie Wilson
District #11
3340 Badger Road
North Pole, AK 99705
(907) 488-0857-Office
(907) 488-4271-Fax

Log Building Workshop

2010-04-27T12:20:00.000-08:00

Interested in building a log home or cabin? UAF is offering a log home building workshop from May 24th until June 5th. Details here: http://snras.blogspot.com/2010/04/learn-to-build-log-home-in-alaska.html

An End to Alaska Meat and Dairy????

2010-04-26T08:23:00.001-08:00

Salon.com has an eye-opening article on the dramatic effects of new USDA testing rules on small meat processors. In short, the costs of the testing will effectively put many local meat processors out of business. Their concern is identical to what is happening with the dairy industry here in Alaska – regulations so complex and costly that small producers cannot afford to continue operation. Personally, I have thrown out my own long-term plans to begin cheese production on my farm because of the costs to meet DEC and USDA requirements. It now appears that our local slaughterhouses could be affected -- ultimately forcing them out of business as meeting USDA requirements becomes more expensive than raising the product itself. The result of all this? A virtual guarantee that Alaska’s food supply will come from factories out of state and not your local farm.

Wind Powered Light

2010-04-07T07:25:00.005-08:00

For those of you off the grid, here's a new way to potentially light your outdoor space - wind powered lights. While solar lights have been around for some time, they do little good for us Alaskans in the winter when there isn't enough sunlight to power them. The Firewinder is a new commercially produced light that uses the wind to power LEDs. Brightness depends on wind speed. Since they are made in the UK, cost seems to be somewhat high - not to mention the shipping - but hopefully some US retailer (or better yet manufacturer) will take note and begin offering them here. Perhaps they could be made here in Alaska!?

For those of you who are more industrious, Instructables has plans for homemade versions located here using spare parts. They also have some cool plans for other homemade wind machines that are worth a look.

25 Cool Gardening Links for Urban Farmers

2010-04-05T12:44:00.002-08:00

This list has some great gardening and backyard farming links. While focused towards urban agriculture, there are a couple interesting websites on poultry and beekeeping worth looking at.

Moving the Alaska Department of Agriculture

2010-03-20T09:14:00.007-08:00

One of the more interesting bills being proposed in the current legislative session is to move the Alaska Department of Agricultural from under the Department of Natural Resources, where it currently resides, to the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development. Sponsored by Representative Ramras, the legislation seems like a practical way to boost agriculture in Alaska. As it stands now, the Department of Agriculture languishes under a large bureaucracy (with departments ranging from Parks to Geological and Geophysical Services). Here, Agriculture is more often an underfunded afterthought. Right now, the department largely lacks vision and is stagnated. By moving it to Commerce, it becomes what it should be -- an integral and necessary part of the economic development of our State. I applaud Rep Ramras for proposing such a simple - but smart move.

For more information on the bill, it's status can be found here. Let's not let this one languish in committee. Contact your Legislative Information Office and let them know how important this one is.

Some random thoughts...

2010-02-27T14:57:00.003-09:00

--Just a reminder... If you bought a woodstove last year and it qualifies as energy efficient, be sure that you claim it on your taxes! The tax credit is sizeable and well-worth claiming. Those people in Fairbanks worried about the nanny-state regulating their dirty wood-burning habits might consider buying a new wood stove to take advantage of this tax break - and avoid a fine. Woodway has some great ones!

-- In the Dulles Airport in Virginia, I saw a magazine devoted solely to Sarah Palin. I cringed that our Quitter that Could Be Chief is being worshipped by the media STILL. I thought she was untreated unfairly while governor - but now am wondering if the media has swung the other way?

-- Check those rose bushes you put away into cold storage. They're getting restless now and might be sprouting. If so, plan to put them in a cool but bright place until Spring. Mine got a little ahead of me this year - and are blooming in the house! I hope they can survive to June inside.

January Hog Butchering

2010-01-23T13:29:00.006-09:00

We butchered two hogs today. The middle of winter is probably not the best of times to kill and clean a carcass outdoors - but it had to be done. Our sow had a litter of pigs this past fall. Normally, we sell the piglets and keep a few for ourselves - but no-one wants piglets in the fall. Instead, we kept the litter together and raised them to sell on the hoof (for people to butcher themselves) or to butcher for our own use. So far, three out of the seven have either gone towards a pig roast or into the freezer. We'll probably sell two or three more, maybe keep a couple to raise through the summer for some grass-fed pork and hams.

Our process for home butchering is quite simple - done mostly outdoors. We shoot the hog, stick it to drain blood (hanging it upside down), scald the hair off, gut it, and then bring it indoors for a final cleaning and quartering.

In the fall, the water trough and wood fire we use for scalding the hair off works quite well. Nonetheless, in winter's -10 to -30F temperatures, we have to watch the temperature carefully. Often, the temperature will drop too low when the carcass goes in, making the hair difficult to remove. Sometimes, the temperature will get too high if I get overzealous adding wood to the fire,, essentially cooking the skin. Scalding hair off is further complicated by the steam coming off the tank making it difficult to see. Once the hog is out of the water, the skin cools quickly, complicating things further.

Admittedly, the cold does make slow work of butchering. Wet gloveless hands and cold knives aren't necessarily the best mix in Interior Alaska in January! Still, we manage to get it done without getting a case of frostbite.

The one blessing of winter butchering is that spoilage due to temperature is really a non-issue (at least until the meat is brought inside). Obviously, we have to be careful of bacterial contamination as it is much more difficult to wipe surfaces down. Furthermore, when we've butchered steers in the winter, we find that the meat to be too fresh -- we can't get the meat to age well, leaving it tough. Fortunately, the fresher pork is, the better it tastes.

For those wanting fresh pork from our animals, we recommend they take the animal to Delta Meat and Sausage for professional butchering and packing. We will, however, guide anyone wanting to butcher for themselves. For many, being able to save the trotters, head meat, organ meat, and even blood (for sausage), is worth doing the work themselves as many consider these to be delicacies. These are often tossed away by the professional shops as they are time-consuming and most people do not want them.

One benefit of butchering in January is that it helps winter wildlife. The ravens and foxes love the trimmings we leave for them. What they don't eat dries out and is then buried in the Spring. Watching them fight over the tidbits is oddly entertaining.

Frozen Seeds

2010-01-22T18:46:00.004-09:00

In October 2008, we began moving from the mobile home on my farm to the new house. This was done long before the house was completed due to some serious problems with the plumbing and septic in the trailer. Living in an unfinished house was preferable to not having running water or even an outhouse. As a result, we didn’t move everything into the house – but left a good deal in the trailer until rooms in the house were completely finished. One thing that I forgot to move right away was my collection of seeds.

In February 2009, the heat finally gave out in the mobile when the fuel tank went empty. Since I had removed everything liquid, I wasn’t all that concerned. What could get damaged? I forgot about this box of seeds. Everything from tomato to lettuce to delphinium were frozen and refrozen repeatedly. While gazing through seed catalogs last week, I suddenly realized my mistake and went looking for the box. These seeds had been frozen through a portion of last winter, thawed out this summer, and then frozen again this winter. In fact, we’ve seen many nights of -50F temperatures.

Many of the seeds in the box were ones that I had saved from my garden – they cannot be replaced. Others were expensive seeds that I had bought from catalogs or online sources– including some vegetable varieties shipped from Europe and some relatively rare varieties that I hadn’t even tried out yet. Naturally, I was irritated at myself for doing this.

Still, I remembered the fact that seed banks routinely freeze seed for storage. A quick Internet search revealed that frozen seeds of all types can indeed stay viable. The caveat is that seeds have to remain dry. I worried that repeated freeze thaw cycles might have caused moisture to condense on the seeds, killing them as they were refrozen.

Planting these seeds when they might not come up seemed like a potential waste of time and resources. On the other hand, throwing out what could be perfectly good seed seemed a waste too. This called for a simple germination test.

I dug through the box and found some seeds that I didn’t particularly like or wouldn’t be planting anyway (why waste the good ones?!). I chose several species – lettuce, okra (why do I have okra seeds? My Virginia-based mother must have given them to me as I wouldn’t have bought them otherwise), and green beans. Several types of seeds would help me determine if some seeds fared better than others or if it was a total loss.

I placed these seeds on a damp paper towel and kept them damp and warm. After a week, I checked them. The seeds sprouted with about a 75% germination rate – probably better than if I had left them in the heated house!

Given the success with these seeds, I plan to plant as normal (although maybe a big more thickly). Given the high germination rate, maybe some more experiments with freezing seeds are in order?

Who would’ve thought that okra – which loves heat – would have survived sub-arctic freezing? Seeds are truly amazing things.

Who Gets Government Assistance for Agricultural?

2010-01-20T16:57:00.005-09:00

Ever wonder who is getting agricultural subsidies in your community? The information is public knowledge, but often difficult to come by - sometimes requiring a freedom of information request.

One non-profit, the Environmental Working Group, has made it a bit easier to see which types of agricultural programs the government is funding and who is getting that money. Their website allows you to search by a zip code, an individual's name, a community, or business. For example, typing in 99737 -- my home here in Delta Junction -- brings up a long list of individuals and businesses. Surprisingly, one Delta Junction farmer has gotten over a million dollars in assistance from 1995 to 2006. Another six have received over a half million dollars in subsidies during this time period. Much of these subsidies are due to the conservation reserve program -- which pays farmers to leave land idle.

According to this website, during that time period, Alaska received about $25.5 million in assistance. If we assume Alaska's agricultural production to be roughly $30 to 35 million per year -- or $300 to $350 million over ten years -- this represents a direct subsidy of about 12 to 13% of total farm receipts. Breaking it down further, you'll find that the Conservation Reserve Program represents about half ($13.7 million) of this assistance.

Ironically and sadly, farmers that actually raise products that people want to buy -- Northern Lights Dairy in Delta, for example -- received very few subsidies.

If we truly want to develop agriculture in Alaska, isn't it time that we subsidize farmers who actually grow crops rather than paying those who choose not to farm?

Winter Musings

2009-10-17T10:30:00.004-08:00

This summer I invested in a new woodstove -- a compact soapstone Hearthstove -- and I love it. It burns cleanly and is quite toasty now that winter has finally arrived. A few sticks of birch and dry spruce mixed together make for a nice evening watching the flames flicker away through the glass. I invested in a smaller model so that I could get maximum efficiency out of burn-box and it seems to be a wood-miser. I'll report once again when we reach -50F to let you know how it does!

Winter has finally arrived here in the Interior. After a long Indian summer and a wet snowfall in September that melted away, we finally have enough snow to insulate the ground (good for septic tanks and hayfields!) and to make the evenings a little brighter. For a while, the dark nights without snow were getting depressing. Now, they seem magical.

Cold nights are finally firming up the icy roads enough that driving is no longer an event like it was a few weeks ago. As a volunteer on our rescue squad, this is a blessing given the number of motor vehicle accidents we were responding to. Halloween weekend was particularly bad. Combined with transporting cases of the flu to Fairbanks (yep... swine flu here in Delta), our poor volunteers (all unpaid), were getting sapped of energy such that I wondered at times if there would be anyone left to respond to calls in town. Unlike other communities, Delta's ambulance squad is all unpaid and all volunteer. We are truly neighbors helping neighbors.

I myself had the flu - probably caught from a patient we transported north on the ambulance. This flu bug is unlike any I've had. I was literally delirious at times due to low oxygen levels in my bloodstream. Three weeks later, I'm still coughing occasionally and have congested sinuses. I'm still tired from it. My advice to everyone -- once the H1N1 flu shots are available in your community -- get them! I wish I had the opportunity to get the shot before transporting the many sick patients we had. This is a nasty bug that will leave you down for weeks -- much worse than any normal flu. Don't believe the rumors about mercury and other such nonsense surrounding the flu shots. Get the shot! Your local ambulance crew will thank you!

Clean Water Violations in Alaska

2009-10-17T09:50:00.004-08:00

Here's an interesting map from the New York Times that shows Clean Water Act violations here in Alaska. If you click through to their online version, you can zoom in to your local community.

For the most part, Alaska has few problems with water quality. Nonetheless, it's interesting to see who is violating the act. While most of us instantly think the largest violators would be mining, the reality is that they are cities and communities -- that's right, each and everyone of us! The presence of small businesses on the list like the Narrows Inn Restaurant and Marina in Ketchikan or Denali Riverside RV park in Denali is also interesting to me.

In some ways, the map and article are at odds. The article discusses serious violations that endanger public health. The map, on the other hand, points out violators that largely follow the Act - and hence are not fined - but may have violated administrative standards (record keeping, training, etc) or briefly or narrowly exceeded effluent limitations (for example, discharging waster with 6 parts per million lead instead of 5 parts per billion).

Many would argue that any violation should result in a fine -- but the costs to local communities to make water discharged "perfect" are high. In communities where basic waste disposal is problematic, can we afford to argue about several parts per billion in pollutants? Or, is this so critical to our children's livelihood that we need to spend the money?

The future is... agriculture?

2009-10-17T09:24:00.004-08:00

Alaska needs a diverse economy-- very few doubt that. Some argue the state is at an economic tipping point. Over the years, many people have suggested -- while others scoffed at -- the idea of agriculture being a significant part of Alaska's future economy. In an age of nanotechnology and nationalization of industries, who needs agricultural jobs? I suggest we all do. This map, courtesy of one of my favorite blogs The Map Scroll shows area of unemployment. The huge swaths of dark color across the map indicate that the nation - and Alaska - are still in for a long recovery. The bright spot, however, is the midwest where agriculture is still ticking along. After all, what industry is more immune to economic downturns that food production? Everyone has to eat. As an example, here in the Interior, our two meat processing plants (Delta and Fairbanks) cannot keep up with production. Delta Meat has a waiting list. Perhaps agriculture as an economic engine should be more seriously considered.

Wind Power Takes Off

2009-10-16T11:46:00.003-08:00

The installation of wind power turbines in Alaska is steadily growing. Last week, a huge Dutch-built turbine was installed here in Delta Junction. I am staring out my window at it now -- and what a beautiful sight it is. According to the Delta Wind, the generator sits on a 120 tower, for a total height of 360 feet with its blades. The first tower installed at the site last year generated 120kw -- this new one generates 900 kw, enough for 600 homes.

A Biological Approach to Pest Control

2009-09-12T08:17:00.004-08:00

Although a little late for this year's gardening and greenhouse season, I just got a catalog in the mail from a company named Rincon Vitova in Ventura, California . Rincon Vitova specializes in organic pest control using beneficial insects that they raise. For years, I've read about the use of ladybugs or praying mantis for pest control -- but had no idea just how far the science of bio-control had advanced.

Rincon Vitova's print catalog is 55 pages long -- and filled with pages and pages of different species used to very narrowly target different pests. They have predators and parasites targeting ants, aphids, beetles, scales, whitefly, and more. The catalog even lists biological control methods for cockroaches and houseflies!

As an example, one interesting sidebar article describes how an Illinois Christmas tree farmer was losing acres of trees to scale. He was spending thousands every year on chemical approaches without much success. Once releasing a predatory beetle (Lindorus lophanthae) into his crops, he managed to salvage trees that would have been lost while saving about $3,000 annually and ceasing using of all chemical treatments. I would say that's an incredible success story!

Alaska greenhouse growers might pay special attention to controls for whitefly and mealybug - two common pests. In addition, the company offers bumblebee nests -- a simple solution to what can sometimes be a perplexing pollination problem in the Spring when native bees haven't emerged and it's still too cold to open the greenhouse up.

First Frost and a Clean Chimney

2009-08-03T19:08:00.003-08:00

Speaking of frost... if you hadn't realized yet, winter is coming! Now is the time to begin getting your woodstove or boiler ready. If you haven't cleaned it already, grab the brushes and start scrubbing. Also, now's a good time to look at whether your wood is dry enough. Keeping your wood under a cover -- either a tarp draped over just the top (to keep rain off, but allow airflow) or under a carport or shed roof is best. This will also help prevent creosote buildup by helping to ensure a clean burn.

Cleaning the chimney is fairly easy provided you can get access. Simply buy the 6 or 8 inch brush and its extension from your local hardware stored. Climb the roof, remove the cap, and scrub away. If you have a woodstove, close the stove completely to prevent any dust from entering the house. Then, clean the creosote out as you would ashes. Not hard... just requires doing.

Your oil boiler needs attention too. If you haven't done it, now's the time to get the tuneup - saving yourself some bucks this winter -- before the boiler mechanics get overwhelmed with service requests.

As a volunteer for the Rescue Squad, I freqently go out with the firefighters as they battle a house fire. It is often due to a dirty chimney. There is nothing more tragic than watching someone's house -- or even their loved ones -- burn up in a fire. So, plan to keep yourself warm and safe this winter by cleaning that chimney now!

The weather....

2009-08-03T18:59:00.003-08:00

Let's see... We had another (not the first) frost last night. The first one of the summer was in June - killing my green beans. The second one, last night, did the late planted squash in. There was literally ice in my garden hose this morning.

On top of it, the Interior recorded its driest July eve with the interior dotted with wildifes. This drought is acutely evidenced by the birch beginning to turn yellow around my place. It's been perfect weather for cutting, drying, and baling hay though. My barn is full barn. The second cutting probably won't be so good though due to the drought -- as the season mutates into one of the worst for actually growing hay. Hopefully, the areas mown last - which are beginning to brown -- will perk back up in the few weeks before the snow flies. [Ideally, they should go into the winter strong -- or else I could suffer winter kill in the hay fields.]

My cantaloupes are thriving in the greenhouse. There is also corn taller than I am. Cucumbers and even eggplant are growing away. [My watermelon experiment was a bust due to choosing the wrong variety. 'Moon and Stars' will NOT grow in Alaska without super special coddling -- heated greenhouse and heated soil. Even my super-gardening-greenthumb friend Toni could not coak a 'Moon and Stars' melon!]

So, all in all, a very typical summer in Interior Alaska. The lesson, if there has to be: Never put all your eggs in one basket. Who would've thought my best crops this year are going to be hay, corn and cantaloupe?! What a year!

Last Minute Gardening - Arugula

2009-07-26T13:54:00.005-08:00

Harvest is underway in most Alaskan garden. For the most part - given that frost is less than a month away for most of us -- it's too late to plant anything else. Nonetheless, you can make use of than empty garden space where you've harvested your first crops.

If you have some extra space now, try planting arugula (aka rocket). It can be harvested early, if need be, and withstands light frosts. For that reason, you can still eke out a small crop of tender greens, particularly if you use a row cover. Sow the seeds fairly thickly as you will likely be harvesting some of it as young plants. Given the price of arugula in the supermarket (quite expensive and usually of poor quality), sowing a few seeds is well worth the investment.

If you've never eaten arugula you are missing out on a real salad treat. Unlike the slightly bitter version grown in the lower 48, Alaskan-grown arugula is particularly good due to our cool temperatures. Nutty and tender with a slight tartness, arugula is the perfect complement to salads - or even in a salad by itself. It can also be used in a pesto - perfect for a late summer meals. I personally favor it over any other green and will eat a salad of it without hesitation. Fresh arugula, oil and vinegar, some cracked black pepper, and a little local Parmesan on top is a super treat!

Woodsmoke, Boilers, Woodstoves, and Forest Fires

2009-07-24T08:50:00.004-08:00

Woodsmoke has been pushing its way throughout the Interior for much of the summer. Fairbanks was recently blanketed with smoke that once again sent the borough air quality meters off the scale. At the same time, discussion is ongoing about how best to control air quality and meet EPA standards. It's increasingly difficult for the government to argue for controls over wood burning when mother nature is the worst offender of all. Still, just because something is "natural" doesn't mean that it's healthy. Water is perfectly benign - but I don't want my lungs filled with it. At the other end of the spectrum, life is not without risk and sometimes it's more important not to freeze to death or stay warm while supporting Exxon (or worse, the Saudis) than worry about small quantities of particulates in the air. But where does the line get drawn??

Personally, I'd prefer to see a way for all that wood that is going up in smoke to be put to use heating people's homes instead. The key is that it has to be burned cleanly.

The sellers of wood boilers generally don't mention the fact that wrapping a fire in water is probably not the most efficient way of burning wood. Most boiler water is kept at 180 degrees F-- well below even the boiling point. Efficient fires burn at around 300 degrees F. When you reduce the temperature of your fire, you lose lots of energy to smoke - sometimes as much as 30%. Quite simply, this loss results in wood boilers sending plumes of dirty smoke filled with particulates into the air. When installed near ground level, this pollution lingers near the ground, particularly where there are inversions such as during a Fairbanks winter.

There are ways to make wood boilers more efficient - but only marginally. New technology, such as "gasification" processes, may or may not alleviate the existing problems with wood boilers. The use of large water tanks for storing hot water will also help by allow the fire to be operated fully open without damping it down (resulting in more smoke). Educating homeowners on proper operation and setup will be key for wood boiler salesman if they want to continue selling them! Nonetheless, for boilers, there seems to be no simple magic bullet.

Woodstoves, in most cases, are a far better option than a wood boiler. Most woodstoves today are rated by the EPA. In fact, there is a tax credit for purchasing an energy efficient clean burning woodstove. Operated properly, a good woodstove should put out little more pollution than an oil boiler. You neighbors might never know that you have one if not for the piles of wood sitting outside. Still, many complain about the mess and constant feeding that a woodstove requires. Woodstoves with smaller fireboxes tend to be most efficient - and require more tending. The danger of chimney fires remains ever present, destroying at least a few houses each year. The elderly and handicapped also have difficulty using woodstoves.

Pellet stoves are a new addition to the woodburning arsenal. Pour a bag in and allow an augur to feed in just the right amount. For many, this has proved to be an ideal solution. Creosote is reduced. Waste wood can be put to good use. The drawbacks are in the availability of pellets and that the fact that the user still has to feed them. In addition, the user has to lug around bags of pellets in the back of their truck -- or subcompact, or transit bus - not always the best solution. Nonetheless, for most, this seems to be the best option for heating a house with wood. Furthermore, development of a new wood pellet plant in Fairbanks is helping to ease the costs of purchasing pellets while developing an entirely new industry. For now, this is probably the best option for most users.

In the long run, I'd love to see a solution that rids us of much of our summer haze while providing the efficiency of oil. Why is oil convenient? It is delivered with no mess. It feeds automatically. It burns cleanly. It is widely available. The downsides - rising cost and future shortfalls.

In my mind, this is a perfect challenge for the University and business community. Find a way to deliver wood heat to users cleanly and efficiently while creating a new infrastructure for Alaska.

Years ago, coal was king for heating. Coal would be delivered to a hopper and fed into a basement. Perhaps some lessons from that era can be applied to our future use of wood?

Imagine a system where a user calls a pellet delivery service. The pellet company brings a truck filled with loose pellets and then pumps or dumps them into a covered hopper. The user then flicks a switch to feed the pellets via augur directly to a wood heater. Imagine also that these pellets have been chemically treated somehow to reduce creosote, allowing him to clean the chimney once a summer at most.

A second industry that could spring up is the delivery of steam derived from woodburning. Downtown Fairbanks would be the perfect place for this. Why burn coal when wood is renewable and clean?

To me, these projects are all possible - but impractical at present due to the lack of infrastructure to support them.

The cutting of wood for heating is generally done by users and a future small entrepeneurs. Areas allowing woodcutting are few. The state would rather see wood go up in forest fires than open the land to woodcutting. Large utilities would never consider using wood waste for energy due to the general lack of availability even though we are surrounded by millions of acres of it.
Certain species - cottonwood or willow - are rarely collected for burning. Black spruce is avoided altogether as it is almost always too small to be worth the bother.

Secondly, the pellet stove business is in its infancy. To my knowledge, vacuum trucks pumping pellets from a truck into a huge bin heating a house are not available. In addition, while smaller bins are available - ones large enough for once a year deliver are not, still requiring the user to intervene periodically. Only recently has a wood pellet manufacturer opened in Fairbanks. Many users would never consider a pellet stove because it still requires intervention.

Third, cutting your own wood is still cheaper than pellets. Users will continue to embrace their woodstoves and wood boilers until a cheaper, more efficient option is available. For many, it is the only way they can afford to heat their homes.

With all the talk about using biomass for energy, it is amazing to me that so many have overlooked the enormous potential that the boreal forest offers. What Alaska needs is a wood energy infrastructure. The State, the University, and private Industry should partner to find ways to develop, encourage and grow this new industry. Most importantly, homegrown energy will put people to work and compete with the oil industry, possibly pushing them to gouge less. Maybe Governor Parnell's first actions should be to set up a wood energy task force to look at this energy? Doing so would permanently allow Alaska energy indepedence from the oil companies while cleaning our air.

The Barley Projects: Boondoggle or Bonanza?

2009-07-18T20:16:00.006-08:00

Inevitably, when discussing agriculture in Alaska, the topic of Delta's barley projects comes up. The discussion usually includes the words "waste of money" "boondoggle" and "pipedream." For those of you unfamiliar with the project, the state of Alaska invested considerable income in establishing barley fields in Delta Junction during the 1970s and 1980s. The idea was that grain would be grown in Delta, shipped by rail to Valdez, and then by shipped overseas to Asia. The project was never brought to fruition -- farmers built farms, Valdez built a terminal -- but no grain ever left the state. As most of you already know, the rail-line from Delta to Valdez was never constructed. [In the past few years, the Alaska Railroad has toyed with the idea of extending the railroad to Delta -- ostensibly to support Fort Greely -- but is only now in the planning stages.] Governor Hammond's dream of broadening Alaska's economic base through large scale agriculture never came true.

An in-depth discussion of the final outcomes of the project - as well as the Point McKenzie dairy project - can be found in a very thorough senior thesis prepared by Darcy Denton Davies at UAF. I could spell out the details here -- but Darcy does a much better job.

Approximately $23 million was spent clearing Delta's lands and preparing them as farmland. Many feel this money was wasted. I disagree. Today, this land is still in production - you only need to look at a satellite view to see this. Barley is still grown by the bushelful. We still have two dairies in the state producing some of the finest milk available. Grass-fed beef, elk, bison and yak are being grown here in Delta. Niche products? Yes. The future of Alaskan Agriculture? Absolutely.

I find it ironic that those who dismiss the value of the barley projects are usually the same people who felt $400 million for the Gravina Island Bridge ("the bridge to nowhere") would have been well spent. The overpass recently constructed in North Pole cost $22 million - a large project by local standards but a drop-in-the-bucket on the national scale. In the grand scheme of state spending, were the barley projects really such a poor investment?

Maybe Governor Hammond's vision was far-fetched, with a vision more grand than practical. Nonetheless, the outcome of the project is this - thousands of acres of agricultural land in production - providing a small but very real measure of diversity to our economy -- and a hedge bet against future increases in shipping costs or international crises. Furthermore, unlike mines that will eventually be played out or oil fields that will run dry, these farms can remain for perpetuity. If the world goes to hell, at least we'll have these fields to help feed us. I'd say that 100 years from now, our ancestors will be thankful to Governor Hammond for his vision.

New Barley and UAF's Change of Focus

2009-07-06T07:22:00.006-08:00

The News-Miner has an interesting article on a promising new variety of hull-less barley developed by UAF. Considering that barley is a staple crop throughout Alaska, the new variety - like last month's new sunflower introduction - should prove extremely valuable to farmers and even home growers. Unlike existing varieties, this one can be eaten by people. Perfect for Beef-Barley soup, the plant can also be made into gluten-free flour.

Buried towards the end of the article, however, is the statement that UAF will no longer employ a plant breeder. Tis means the end of new plant introductions suited to our daylength, growing season, and cold soils. Considering all the important plants introduced by UAF over the years, who is going to take up this role? Plant varieties can take decades to produce - this new barley took 17 years. Will private, for-profit growers want or even be able to assume this role? Considering that patents on open-pollinated plant varieties cannot generally be successfully protected, there is probably no money for a plant breeder in Alaska. For this reason, this is a unique niche that can only be filled by a University breeding program, or, if we're lucky, a really dedicated hobbyist. Given the small cost of this program, eliminating this position is fool-hardy and short-sighted. In short, does this mean that state government finally thrown in the towel on agriculture in Alaska?

The Height of Summer - Palin, Cantaloupe, Blossom Set Spray and Happy Cows

2009-07-04T08:37:00.008-08:00

Summer is in high gear here on my farm, leaving little time for blogging. Between the broken hay mower, full greenhouse, and continued housebuilding I've had little time to pay attention to the Sarah Palin's little drama unfolding as she resigns as Governor. I certainly hope that her resignation is not a pre-emptive blow against a future scandal, as others have suggested. If anything, my guess is she is simply tired of the constant barrage of ethics complaints and wants to cash in on the millions she can make from speaking fees while the fire is still hot. I can hardly blame her. I personally don't believe, with all the negative venom spewed over the last year, she could ever overcome the stereotypes out there and reach for the presidency.

I'm discovering that cantaloupe can indeed be grown in Alaska! A variety called 'Fast-Break' is performing exceptionally well in my greenhouse. Pollination has been an issue - I simply haven't had time to hand pollinate - but hopefully the blossom set spray I've been using will do the trick. Right now, I have a number of marble sized melons forming. I did have a minor issue last week with some of the tiny melons rotting due to all of our rain last week (the greenhouse, which was placed in a low spot, flooded.). The sunshine this week seems to be drying things out nicely though, sending the vines sprawling towards the greenhouse walls. Cross your fingers for me.

Speaking of blossom set spray - if you've never used it before, get some! Otherwise known as bloomset, it is a commercial form of a natural plant hormone - kinetin - that is normally produced by the plant when embryos are fertilized. Kinetin promotes cell division and tells the plant to start fruiting. It is commonly used on tomato plants when fertilization is poor or when there is a chance of the blossoms dropping due to low temperatures.

Tomatos - as well as other Nightshade plants such as eggplant - tend to drop their blooms when the temperature dips below 55F. Melons and other warm season plants have similar difficulties. Two weeks ago, my neighbor scraped ice off his windshield. Beans in my garden froze. Because it was cloudy, the greenhouse wasn't much warmer as I don't heat my greenhouse. You can imagine how happy the tomatos, eggplant, and melons were! With our short growing seasons and cool nights, it is critical for plants to set fruit as quickly as possible - and blossom set spray helps do this. Bloomset helps prevent blossoms from dropping, allowing the plant to set fruit early without proper fertilization. In Fairbanks, I've bought it at Holm Town Nursery. I'm guessing its available in larger nurseries throughout the state.

My cows also got their first taste of corn stalks yesterday. If you've never grown corn before, be sure to remove the small suckers that form at the base of the plant. I did this yesterday - and my milkcows got a tasty treat. The 'Yukon Chief' corn is growing fast in spite of the cool spells we've had - probably due to the fact that they are planted in almost pure composed cow manure. The cows give; the cows take!

Happy Fourth of July to everyone!

Weekend Art

2009-06-27T08:13:00.001-08:00

Moose in Alaska by ~cedricmoulin on deviant ART

Bison or Farming

2009-06-19T07:36:00.003-08:00

Farmers in Delta Junction have for many years been battling the herd of bison that migrate between Fort Greely and the Barley Project. Dave Davenport, of Delta Junction, wrote an interesting letter to the editor in the News Miner concerning purchasing the farms on the barley project, eliminating CRP payments, and turning the farms into an Interior bison preserve of sorts. This letter also appeared in this week's Delta Wind. If anything, the letter shows just how much animosity there is on this issue between segments of the local community.

The concept Dave proposes is certainly interesting - and might help out a small number of struggling farmers, allowing many more hunters to bag a bison. It would also essentially doom another group of farmers. Our state's two major dairies, for example, depend upon Delta barley for feed. Many local producers of other livestock -- goats, hogs, beef cattle, etc -- depend upon this barley as well. This would relegate these individuals to purchasing solely grains produced out of state - at a tremendous cost. In short, they would be out of business too.

Alaska agriculture is really still in its infancy. While the 1970s barley project reached too far, today's agriculture doesn't reach far enough. It takes decades for new plant varieties to be developed. Only this summer, for example, do we have a sunflower variety that can mature fast enough to be used as a grain crop - and this variety still needs further development. Local markets and distribution channels have to be developed that mesh with the local grocery industry. Support of small scale developments -- like peony farming for the flower industry or continued support of farmer's markets - -is what is needed now to give producers a foothold. With local foods being the rage, now is certainly the time for the state to help these fledgling producers. Continued support of agricultural research - to bring new varieties suited to Alaska into producers hands - will also pay dividends.

Many have written off agriculture in Alaska as an illogical, untenable industry that should be closed down. Why grow local when we can ship everything in cheaper? The answer for me is simple - the cost of gas. Shipping costs continue to rise. Last year many threatened to leave Alaska because they couldn't heat their homes. Costs of food rose along with heating costs. This will only continue. What happens when shipping food is too expensive - and local production has been eliminated? Do we all eat bison, moose, and salmon? Or, will we simply have to leave the state?

New Alaskan Sunflower Variety

2009-06-05T08:49:00.003-08:00

The latest issue of Agroborealis is out. One of the most interesting things in the issue is an article on a new variety of sunflower - 'Midnight' - that has been developed for Alaska. This short season variety has been developed as a oil-bearing seed crop suited to out short season and cold soils. Unlike sunflowers grown in the lower 48 which dry in the field, the 'Midnight' variety must be dried further after harvest. To say the least, I'm quite excited about this new introduction and definitely want to get my hands on some seed for next year. Kudos to the folks up at UAF for introducing an important new crop to the state!

Photo credit: A field of Canadian sunflowers.

Bear-Proof Coolers - Finally!

2009-06-01T06:58:00.004-08:00

For those of you fishing or camping this summer in bear country, check this out. Yeti Coolers have been approved for use in national parks as they have been shown to be truly bear proof. They must to be padlocked to resist a bear - which admittedly is a pain in the neck - but better than having your lunch stolen or seeing a bear shot when it becomes a nuisance.

Maybe suburban Anchorage should consider using these given the frequency of backyard bear sightings?

Garden Season is Here

2009-05-30T08:28:00.002-08:00

For those of you wondering why you haven't heard from me much -- it's probably because you're not a gardener. This time of year, Alaskan gardeners are rushing to get plants and seeds in the ground. I've been doing the same. It's been too beautiful to stay inside staring at a computer screen. Today, it's raining, so here I am...

My challenge this year is watermelon and cantaloupe in a greenhouse. I have a couple of cheap greenhouses I bought from Sam's Club that I'll plant them in. [These greenhouses are a great bargan, by the way. For about $180, they are an easily assembled metal frame that is overlain by reinforced plastic with zippered vents and door. I've had two of them for about five years - and they are aging great. Just be sure to take them down in the winter so they don't crack and break up. Unlike permanent greenhouses, these are quickly set up and taken down.) I started the seed about a month ago inside and now I'll heat them up on a bed of compost. The varieties are both short season (less than 90 days) so maybe I'll be bragging about them come Autumn!

I also planted my first perennial bed here at my new place. The standards went in -- rhubarb and delphinium for height, peonies, columbine, lilies, and some old-time roses that are rumored to be hardy. The real test is next Spring to see what returns as this entire property is wind-swept and I often lose snow cover. I'll definitely mulch them this fall just to be sure that some survive.

Happy Gardening!

Weekend Art

2009-05-30T08:22:00.000-08:00

Weekend Art

Anchorage Skyline by ~sacredfeminine on deviant ART

Summertime Siesta Time

2009-05-23T13:50:00.003-08:00

It's time to enjoy the Alaska summer. As a result, I'm taking a short break from my normal posting schedule. Hope everyone gets a good tan this weekend and doesn't get carried away by the state bird (mosquito)!

Bison Problems

2009-05-17T08:38:00.012-08:00

One of my favorite memories is sitting on Twin Lakes on Fort Greely fishing one morning. I had been paying attention to the fish - and not the bison herd that had wandered to the lake to drink. I looked up to find myself surrounded by the animals. Many grunted quietly to their calves as they drank. It was a quiet, beautiful moment as I sat there watching these majestic animals with the glow of the Alaska Range behind them.

Unfortunately, not everyone has the same memories of bison as me. While moose are endeared, bison have image problems in Alaska.

In Delta Junction, management of bison is turning ugly. Farmers on the advisory board - whose crops the animals destroy - want the number of animals significantly reduced while advisory board hunters and naturalists want the numbers significantly increased. One proposal would have put the herd size back to 25 animals -- the same number as were originally brought here in the 1920s. Hunters, on the other hand, want the numbers increased. Anyone who has ever put in for a bison tag will attest as to how difficult the tags are to get.

The bison frequently wander from their designated range. The designated range lies basically south of the Alaska Highway, through southern portions of Fort Greely into the Delta River basin. These animals often decide that wandering north is more fun - right into the Delta agricultural project. They not only eat barley growing there, but tend to trample down the rest, making it unharvestable.

Historically, bison wandered all throughout Delta Junction and Fort Greely. Many Deltans who have grown up here in the 60's and 70's - or who were stationed on Fort Greely - talk about walking outside to the herd munching away in their yard. Even when I arrived here in 2000 -- right during Greely's BRAC realignment -- bison were sometimes seen on the Fort Greely airfield.

Delta has obviously grown quite a bit since then. The agricultural project has expanded. New housing is being built everywhere. Fort Greely now has acres of missile test beds and range complexes. What was once a sleepy town is slowly evolving into a small city. The designated bison range, however, has not moved or grown.

Another bison issue is the reintroduction of Wood Bison into the Nenana Basin. Wood bison are an endangered species. As such, there is significant concern that introducing them would severely hamper development of the natural gas line. A special ruling by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service might ameliorate the situation by classifying Nenana bison as an experimental population, expediting any permitting that would be needed. Still, even with this classification, their introduction would add yet another layer to what is a tedious permitting process for the gas line. Even though the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says they will expedite permitting, as with any bureacracy, the process will take time and coordination, even with the most dedicated of government employees. At a time when energy costs are soaring and people are preparing to fight the city of Fairbanks for ways to heat their homes, development of the gas line is critical.

Ironically, once the gasline is developed, it seems that a wood bison range and the final grass-covered right-of-way would be a perfect marriage. Just as caribou seem to favor the oil pipeline, bison would find plenty of food along the pipeline. A managed bison range in the area would likely reduce clearing costs for the pipeline itself. The biggest threat to the pipeline, once the national wood bison population is recovered, would be bullets from hunting the animals.

Once again, people on both sides of these issues -- in Nenana and Delta -- are exaggerating their cases and distorting the other side. The reality, as with most politics, is somewhere in the middle. Leadership is needed to help build a concensus from both sides and develop a reasonable path forward.

Delta, for example, could use an expanded bison range. Perhaps the Army on Fort Greely needs more grass-covered acreage for winter training?

It seems designating the wood bison in Nenana as an experimental population was the first critical step towards protecting the gas pipeline as well. Alaska Fish and Game, to their credit, pushed the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service strongly for these protections - essentially holding the herd "hostage" until the issue was resolved. Now that this has been established, the Fish and Wildlife Service need to immediately issue a strong, plain-language set of rules and procedures that developers will have to follow when working in the Nenana wood bison range. That way, there will be no surprises later in the permitting process and no "on-the-fly" rule-making by overzealous regulators. Putting clear requirements out from the beginning will answer the many questions and concerns floating throughout the state. Developers need certainty before committing money to projects. Stating wood bison rules upfront will go a long way to providing this certainty - and ensuring a win-win situation for both sides of the issue.

Mapping future Arctic Resources ... and Conflict

2009-05-15T15:19:00.005-08:00

Another small chapter has been written in the coming struggle over the Arctic's riches. The Canada Geological Survey has published a comprehensive geological map of the arctic, consolidating data from a variety of nation's maps, including the U.S. Geological Survey. This map will help to point out both land-based and ocean-based resources ranging from diamonds to oil and natural gas.

This map complements perfectly the recent U.S.G.S map of the Arctic that details future conflict areas -- locations of actual or potentially disputed national ownership.

Increasingly, there seems to be a subtle cold war growing over resources in the Arctic Ocean. For example, Russia's recent actions to plant a flag at the pole (underwater, of course) and to establish floating nuclear power plants firmly signal that nations desire to control Arctic riches. For this reason alone, protecting our Alaskan military bases is critical to protecting U.S. energy and mineral interests. Furthermore, leaders from the Federal Government and Canada should continue to partner with Canada to hammer out agreements for what is already an important and strategic region. Once (or if) the ice melts completely in the Arctic, Alaska will certainly see another boom as nations rush to exploit the Arctic's resources.

Halibut Limits

2009-05-15T09:17:00.003-08:00

Is there anyplace left in the state where you can go on a halibut charter and take more than one fish? A Marine Fisheries Rule is limiting the daily catch limit on charters in Southeast to one halibut. An article in the LA Times asks if its still worth people travel to Alaska to go fishing. My gut instinct is to blame this on commercial fisherman. Having grown up on the East Coast and visiting family often, I never saw Alaskan halibut for sale there until the last few years. It was also not the staple on restaurant menus that it is now. At the same time, while I want to blame commercial fisheries, I also wonder if some of the same issues affecting salmon aren't affecting our halibut too? Floating garbage, bycatch, and warming water might also be having an effect here too.

Weekend Art

2009-05-15T09:07:00.001-08:00

Raven Steals the Sun by *EskimoScrybe on deviant ART

Tea Roses

2009-05-14T06:59:00.004-08:00

In honor of (or in spite of?) the recent Teabag Demonstrations, let's talk tea roses! How about that for a stupid connection?

Every Spring I see hundreds of bare root tea roses in local stores. I usually buy a few and then toss them out in the fall, which always seems like such a waste. Unfortunately, most tea roses are hardy to only the most moderate parts of Alaska (Kodiak and parts of Southeast at best).

This year, I decided to overwinter them. Many friends of mine store them in root cellars with great success. Having just moved onto my property a few years ago, I haven't had time to build a proper root cellar so I had to keep them in the house. I am quite happy to report they made it through the winter.

Fortunately, I have some large windows in the house and some relatively cool, unheated rooms. I was able to keep the roses in the sunshine until finally it was too dim to do them much good. From there, I put them in a cool room and they went dormant. Once Spring came and the sun returned to a reasonable intensity, they went back into the sunroom. They've sprouted new sprouts and are growing nicely, waiting to get outside!

Tea roses do love heat. I've had some sit all summer and do nothing. If you do decide to plant a few of the cheap ones directly, choose the warmest spot you can find. Otherwise, pot them in a large pot and place near a warmed, southerly house wall. Keep them well fed all summer and you should see a few blooms. A greenhouse, naturally, does wonders.

For more detailed information, check with the Alaska Master Gardeners' page on rose culture. They also have a listing of hardy roses that can be overwintered in as far north as Zone 2. Sadly, the list of roses that will survive here in the Interior is a rather short one - but still worth looking at. If you want hardy roses, snatch them up first thing in the Spring as they tend to sell out quickly, especially among the cheaper, bare-root types. For those of us with cold weather still lingering, watch for roses that are sprouted out too far in the warmth of the store. If they are full of leaves already, they'll need to be potted as soon as you get them and kept inside until it warms up.

Recycling the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

2009-05-12T13:06:00.005-08:00

According to Peak Energy, intrepid recyclers from the Scripps Institute are trying to make a stab at eliminating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch - which likely affects our salmon populations when they are at sea. Researchers are planning to map the affected area and recycle as much plastic as they can accumulate during the trip. Kudos to them for beginning to look at - and deal with a growing problem in the Pacific Ocean. Maybe the floating pollock factories - who are also impacting salmon populations - could lend a hand in collecting this garbage? Surely, it would help them with the pollock fishery as well.

Sarah Palin - Libertarian?

2009-05-11T19:41:00.001-08:00

The Teabag Parties across the nation pointed out growing concern over our national deficit. Alaskans participated – with protests in Anchorage and Fairbanks. Weeks later, I found it interesting that many Alaskans were howling about reductions in funding to the Denali Commission, Missile Defense, and other agencies with ties to the Great Land. This dichotomy points to what I – and others – find to be a growing chasm in the Republican Party. Fiscal conservatives, it seems, don’t necessarily hold the same ideals as moral and social conservatives. Naturally, there is some overlap – but there also seems to be increasing division in the two groups.

FiveThirtyEight.Com has an interesting analysis that looks at locations where Teabag parties were most popular. It seems these locations coincide with locations that received heavy support for Ron Paul. These areas of the west are marked by hard-core fiscal conservatives who don’t really care what you do or smoke in your bedroom but want the government out of your wallet. On a per capita basis, Alaska has both a large number of both Teabag and Ron Paul supporters. I’ve always believed Alaska to be strongly Libertarian (possibly Federalist) - and FiveThirtyEight’s analysis seems to support this.

The article – and some of the comments – talks about disgruntled Palinites who were present at the protests. Commenters argue that these Palinites are proof that this was a larger Republican uprising – not Libertarians or Federalists. I disagree. I think these Palinites are springing from the same vein as Ron Paul voters. In my personal experience, many Palinites are essentially moderate libertarians who have been forced into the Republican Party by default. They don’t want the government in their business or their wallets.

I’ve always believed that Alaskans were more of the Live-and-Let-Live vein than the Beat-the-Bible type. Contrary to the narrative created during last year’s election, I’ve always felt that Sarah Palin was a live-and-let-live type of person and have seen nothing to change my mind on that. Sure, she went to an ant-abortion meeting – but what has she really done officially to compromise what is essentially a libertarian agenda? For example, after her election, she granted state employees’ gay partners benefits. This was hardly the sign of a hardcore Bible-beater but rather as someone who respects the courts. Her threat to turn back federal bailout money was one of principle and respect for our Constitution. For the most part, her time as governor has been more pragmatic than dogmatic.

What concerns me is that since the Presidential election the Left has badly and unfairly beaten up the Governor. This treatment was more about winning an important election than truth. Moderate voters who might otherwise like Sarah Palin have believed the crazy rumors that were floated during the media’s hack job on her. Unfortunately, as a result, the Governor has since made a hard turn from the middle – where she was liked by most Alaskans -- increasingly to the hard right – where she has less appeal .

Hopefully, the Governor will look back at her first two years – when her approval ratings were among the highest in the nation. What did she do then to make her so popular? She ruled by consensus, with respect for the law, from the middle. I didn’t always agree with her – but I always believed that she was looking out for our state. Now, with questions about a presidential run in 2012 lingering, she has to prove to Alaska that she is looking out for us. Only then can she escape the image of narrow-minded Bible-beater– which will not appeal to the larger nation– and prove that she is a pragmatist doing what makes sense for everyone. The electorate is tired of hearing about splinter issues like abortion and gay marriage. Instead, we want government that produces results and actually makes our lives better. Her visit to Eagle today shows that Sarah is back on that path. Let’s hope that she stays on it.

Some weekend tidbits....

2009-05-09T17:43:00.005-08:00

--The Republicans are "rebranding". Sarah stayed home. I'm glad she did. If Republicans just stop listening to advertising consultants and pollsters -- and start listening to their voters -- they might win again. Nation (and state) before Party will win elections every time. Paying attention to Eagle in its time of need is the right answer.

--Tundra has its own website if you haven't visited. It is also being syndicated across the nation. Another great Alaskan export!

-- Southcentral's dairy industry is making a comeback. They have more demand than milk. The same is true for Northern Lights here in the Interior-- they need additional suppliers as well. Maybe its time for Palin to look for ways to support developing dairy farmers?

-- Missile Defense has seen its budget reduced in 2010. Funding was cut for a second test bed. Contrary to popular opinion, Obama is NOT eliminating the overall program and Delta Junction remains alive and well. The Denali Commission has also seen its budget cut. It seems Obama's cuts ran both ways - conservative causes (defense) and liberal ones (funding to villages). Even though the President is trying to cut the national deficit, Alaska "teabaggers" were the first to register their disapproval. Which do they want -- government spending or not????? Or, is government spending fine as long as it is in Alaska?

Fish Science...

2009-05-09T17:34:00.002-08:00

If you are interested in fisheries issues, this editorial provides the best summary I've seen to date on the challenges facing Alaska fisheries. I agree -- good science is the key to sustainability.

Weekend Art

2009-05-09T17:15:00.000-08:00

Alaska by ~kylcampb on deviant ART

Big Box Plant Blunders

2009-05-04T18:39:00.002-08:00

This weekend, I went up to Fairbanks and stopped by both the orange box and blue box home improvement stores. I was amazed at the plants they were selling. Out of the dozens of plants, I found only about 10% that were actually hardy to Fairbanks! They had dozens of deciduous azaleas in full bloom -- beautiful but hardy to only about zone 6. They were selling hemlock, blue spruce, periwinkle, and dozens more plants hardy to everywhere but Alaska. Just because they are being sold, doesn't mean they will survive our winters. Out of the plants they sold the only hardy ones to Fairbanks were mugho pine, peony, lilies, potentilla, lilac, and a few others. BUYER BEWARE. Know your climate zone and stick to it!

Russia's Plans for Floating Nuclear Plants in the Arctic

2009-05-03T19:42:00.006-08:00

Russia has taken a step further in its claims of the Arctic. According to the UK Guardian, Russia is planning to construct floating and submerged nuclear power plants in arctic waters to support efforts to tap oil and natural gas reserves. Details HERE.

Between North Korea and Russia, it seems that Alaska is going to be once again at the forefront of international affairs. Once we are done fighting for oil in the mideast (or it runs out), are Alaskan waters -- or even Alaska -- next?

Even if the political issues can be peacefully resolved (which is doubtful - I see another cold war at best), can you imagine a nuclear accident at the North Pole??

Alaska is facing enough problems right now -- dwindling salmon, mega-mines, coastal erosion, and invasive species -- without the threat of nuclear fallout or contaminated waters. Will they be able to engineer something that can survive ice and storm? And will the US tolerate it?

More on Whitespot Disease in Yukon Salmon

2009-05-02T22:00:00.008-08:00

Evidently, there is much more research on white spot disease that I had first realized. The key is to refer to the disease by its scientific name -- Ichthyophonus.

One key sources of information is the Rapids Research Center, located on the Yukon. Their website is a wealth of information on Yukon salmon and, of all the sites, is most authoritative. They have a web page devoted to white spot disease along the Yukon with some excellent data gathered over a number of years. The hope is that Yukon salmon will gradually adjust to the warming waters, becoming genetically acclimated. The website also features references to a number of scientific articles.

The Cook Inlet Keeper also has some information on white spot disease as well as effects of warming water. This is the first report that I've seen that actually has any statistical regression analysis looking at water temperature -- though it is far from authoritative. This presentation is well worth reading.

The Yukon River Drainage Fisheries Association also has a review of the topic. It essentially reports that white spot disease -- like staphylococcus on human skin - is always present, but either more easily spotted as fish move up the Yukon or is exacerbated by warming waters. As the fish become stressed, the white spot disease can manifest itself. Their report falls short of blaming warming waters, but proposes further research

Finally, one of the very best articles out there was by the Fairbanks News-Miner last year. The News Miner looks at the history of the disease in the Yukon River drainage. Many traditional fisheries in the Interior were decimated in as early as the 1980s as salmon began arriving in villages more like mushy catfood than fish. Gradually, the disease moved further to the west and downstream. My guess it has finally arrived in Emmonak and, in my opinion, probably accounts for about half of the problems with the devastating salmon run they saw last year. The News Miner provides a nice summary of the research done and the impacts of the disease on upper Yukon fisheries.

In all of this research, there is still little information about changing water temperatures -- probably because the historic data just isn't available. Whatever the cause of increased Ichthyophonus, it needs to be accounted for in fisheries management in these drainages.

The healthiest fish that make it upriver should be the ones left to reproduce as their descendants will be genetically fit to survive this disease. Sadly, the healthy fish are the ones preferred by fisherman - taken from the water before they can reproduce. I know as I have fished the Clearwater River here in Delta - and throw back the yucky ones just like any fisherman would do!

Perhaps selection of healthy fish over diseased ones has weakened the genetic pool, leaving Yukon Salmon more vulnerable to this disease? More research is certainly needed. Additional hatcheries might also be the solution -- purposefully selecting for the healthiest fish.

Some more gardening links...

2009-05-02T07:05:00.004-08:00

Some useful gardening links:

Garden Snaps! A map of garden centers throughout the state (well, mostly southcentral to be honest - but it's a start). No map online unfortunately (hint hint) but a list of places you can get the map. Kudos to the creators - this is a great idea, especially for side trips during summer travels.

Some excellent history on Alaska's agriculture. UAF SNRAS has several great publications on the topic. I think looking back is especially relevant for gardeners - we keep trying the same plants and methods over and over without first looking to see if someone has already done it. Google books also has Georgeson's original submissions to Congress detailing his experiments and results at the various agricultural stations around 1900-1920.

Northern Exposure Gardening is a new favorite blog. A Canadian site, the author has some interesting archives.

Another fisheries threat.... Green Crab in Southeast

2009-05-01T15:56:00.003-08:00

As if there weren't enough fishing pressures in Southeast. Green crabs are coming... These little varmints first appeared on the West Coast in San Francisco Bay in the 80s and are slowly making their way north. Canada has similar problems with the critters. Green crabs are particularly invasive and hungry - wiping out clams and even other crab species when they show up. Fishermen in Southeast should watch for them... And eat them whenever possible.

I wonder how they taste? Steamed with a little Old Bay Seasoning? Evidently, there is a small but growing fishery for these crabs in Great Britain and France.

History has shown us that the best way to control a species is to make it valuable to men -- then we'll go out of our way to hunt every last one of the little buggers down. Perhaps we should change its name to "Alaska Emerald Crab" and sell them at a premium.

Ethics Backlash?

2009-05-01T12:50:00.003-08:00

It's 2012. A Democrat has been elected governor of Alaska. On his first day, he has an ethics complaint filed against him. It turns out to be frivolous. A week later, a second one is filed. It too is frivolous. This goes on for weeks and weeks - and costs the state tens of thousands of dollars to administer. Finally, the governor is found guilty of one. A photo was taken of him eating a box of Cheerios for breakfast. He was admonished for promoting a breakfast cereal.

Sound familiar? This is what's happening to Sarah Palin at the moment. Although I don't agree with Palin on everything - and vehemently disagree with her on a few things -- I can't help but feel sorry for her as an avalanche of ethics violations are filed against. The accusations are at best trivial and take away from the job of state government. If she were embezzling money or perhaps had stock in an oil company that she was pushing legislation for, I might agree with the people filing these charges. However, to file a charge because she wore a coat with a logo on it is ridiculous. Worse yet, the accuser can hide in the shadows. These accusations can be made without cost or proof.

If the tables were turned and it was a Democratic governor receiving these charges, many on the left would be enraged. A blogger -- As the Fireweed Turns -- is looking to reform our ethics regulations so that frivolous suits can't be filed without the accuser having some accountability. More information here.

Whether you are on the left or the right, everyone should realize that a governor should be allowed to govern. If that person becomes consumed with fending off vengeful attacks, they can't do their job. Unlike Rush Limbaugh wanting Obama to fail, I want Sarah Palin to succeed and lead Alaska into the future. She can't do that if she is swatting at gnats.

Let's talk abouts issues and not Sarah's shoes, her daughter's baby, or the coat she wore to a sled race. We can be petty and vindictive -- or we can work together to solve Alaska's problems. Which would you rather have?

Alaska's First Geothermal Utility

2009-05-01T11:44:00.009-08:00

The News-Miner has an interesting article on what is potentially Alaska's first geothermal utility (aside from Chena Hot Springs). Located near King Salmon, the utility would provide green, geothermal power to dozens of communities. Most of the cost, it seems, is associated with transmission lines.

The comments and discussion on the News Miner are well worth the read too.

Once comment, from AGPABoondoggle , struck me in particular -

"The initial cost estimate for the generation plant and 450 miles of transmission line interconnecting regional villages is $200 million, NEA officials said.
______________________
Which means the true cost will be more like 1/2 billion dollars. The 2000 census listed 1258 people living in the Bristol Bay Borough (includes King Salmon, Naknek, South Naknek). Lets say there are 1000 people outside the Borough that COULD be served. Thats $150,000 per person for the construction cost of this project. Thats a lifetime of diesel fuel"

AGPABoondoggle goes on to question how this might really be a project to support the Pebble Mine, rather than the people of that region.

I am all for green energy - and truly believe it will be our country's lifeline - but we have to smart about it. Is this really a cost-effective use of state money? For the cost, projects that benefit many more people could be built.

On the other hand, some of this money could be used to build aggregate people closer to this geothermal project - forming a single community rather than dozens scattered across the landscape. This would reduce the need for transmission lines and significantly reduce the cost of this project, making it viable and economically more palatable for the rest of the state.

Many will argue that leaving their villages is not an option. However, isn't moving into a community such as King Salmon - and spreading the costs of big projects over thousands instead of dozens -- preferable to being forced into moving to Anchorage or Fairbanks? At some point, village small outposts will either have to find ways to do without their diesel fuel. Since alternative energy often works best on a larger scale, it might be best to start look at village hubs instead of trying to power dozens of villages. Having more residents near these energy projects will also provide a larger pool of employees within commuting distance for industries looking for cheap power. It would also make schools, greenhouses, agriculture, and government more efficient.

Geothermal can work in Alaska - provided that people are close enough to use it. Furthermore, maybe this cheap energy source can fuel industry OTHER than the Pebble Mine. The challenge for these villages, if this power comes, is to figure out what else to do with this power. Agriculture might be one use -- electric tractors, greenhouses, and dairies -reducing what is increasingly another import into the bush (food).

Photo credit:http://www.flickr.com/photos/lydur/2333875782/

Friday Art: Coho

2009-05-01T10:02:00.003-08:00

coho by *finchmsu on deviant ART

Yet another Salmon Threat -- White Spot Disease (AKA Ick)

2009-04-30T18:26:00.013-08:00

Alaska's salmon seem to be in trouble. In the last few weeks, we've read about closures of King salmon fishing down in southcentral and Kodiak even before the run begins. Last year's dismal runs on the Yukon are also still fresh in everyone's memory. While everyone would like to pin this on a single cause, it's likely there are many environmental factors affecting our salmon.

As commercial, subsistence, and sport fisherman fight over who gets what's left of our salmon, I think it's important to continue to ask why our salmon returns are diminishing. Perhaps we should fix the problem so that everyone can have some?

There have been important statewide discussions about pollock and bycatch already. Last week, I discussed the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" which may be reducing salmon survival at sea. A third issue that probably needs more research is Ick.

What is Ick you ask??? Otherwise known as "white spot disease", Ick is a parasitic skin disease that basically rots away the skin and flesh of the fish. It generally occurs either when fish are stressed or water conditions have been altered (salinity, temperature, pollutants, etc). Anyone who has ever kept an aquarium has probably read about it - or seen the fins on their goldfish rot away. While it won't immediately kill the fish, it leaves them weak. More practically, it makes salmon meat inedible -- more suitable for dog food than sushi or jerky. The flesh of diseased salmon are basically rotting, smelly masses that have to be thrown away.

The Los Angeles Time, of all things, published a comprehensive article on the presence of Ick in Yukon River salmon. This article is fairly balanced and well worth the read. The article discusses the effects of the disease on local fisherman, the palatibility of diseased fish (yuck), looks at scientific research on survivability as diseased salmon travel up the Yukon into Canada, and looks for factors that might cause the disease. Evidently, some fishermen were throwing away as much as a third of their fish due to the disease.

According to the researchers (and not the LA Times), water temperature seems to correlate highly with the presence of the disease. As the water gets warmer, the fish get sicker. Scientists are surmising that sick fish die halfway up the Yukon, long before they can ever reproduce.

A search of the Anchorage Daily News for the "white spot disease" brought up one article - a reference to the LA Times, buried deep in the paper. I found no front page articles. Statewide, "white spot disease" in salmon has received little press and only a few references nationally. Several foodie blogs gave coverage.

The one particularly irritating thing is that the Department of Natural Resources has no interest in studying the disease -- claiming that because it is "natural", it's not worth looking into. Naturally, they are ignoring the fact that ick was rarely seen before the 1980s.

Why has this issue received scant attention in Alaska? Why would a major salmon disease never hit the papers?

Unfortunately, it seems that the debate over Global Warming is coloring the desire to study this disease. Since most of our politicians claim there is no Global Climate Change, that would imply that there is no change in water temperature. That would mean that this disease couldn't be the cause of salmon declines. Never mind the fact that water temperatures ARE changing.... and there IS a correlation.

Should politicians and bureaucrats really dismiss a causal factor (warming water) just because climate change is a politically sensitive issue in Alaska? Does the fact that we make tax money off oil change the fact that there is a known disease among our salmon related to warm water? Does it really matter if the cause of warming is man made or natural in regards to whether we research this issue?

It's time that the science is put back into our fisheries research and management. When searching for real solutions, we cannot afford to let our political bias stop us from answering the questions that need to be answered. It's time that our fisheries biologists begin seriously considering "white spot" disease as another possible culprit in the decline of our fisheries Sound science - not politics - is needed in this case. The very future of our fishing industry depends upon it.

Don't tell Ahab...

2009-04-30T18:13:00.004-08:00

An albino killer whale was spotted last month off the Aleutians by a research vessel out of Seattle. COOL! Details here.

A Nuclear Plant Near Fairbanks

2009-04-28T12:30:00.003-08:00

Some dirt from the Ester Republic. John Reeves is making plans to put a nuclear reactor on 4 acres in Ester....

How much to Feed Fairbanks?

2009-04-26T12:31:00.007-08:00

A UAF Anthropology PhD candidate, Ms. Alison Meadow, has put together some interesting and thoughtful research on how much land it would take to feed Fairbanks and the Interior. In her estimation, it would take 30,000 acres of potatoes - or 80,000 acres of varied foodstuffs - to provide enough calories to feed everyone. More details on Alison's presentation over on The Fireweed blog as well as some excellent commentary.

I greatly applaud the tremendous Ms. Meadow has put into this. No one else has asked these questions and they are critical for us to better understand the issues facing Alaskans over the next century. As oil and transportation become more expensive, I personally believe Alaska will have to grow more of its own food.

I wish I had heard Alison's presentation as I find the numbers interesting. Currently, the Interior has just under 20,000 acres in "production" according to National Agricultural Statistics Service. This includes land set aside for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) which produces no crops or hay. According to Allison's numbers, we need four times what we have now. Were her numbers based upon existing production numbers from Alaska agriculture - which is well below what is possible due to the issue of profitability (aka farms as tax write offs) - or upon what could actually be grown on our soils? Much of acreage "in production" is hardly used. This would suggest either an over or underestimate depending upon how she made the calculation. Also, were her numbers focused focused only on CSA production and output in and around Fairbanks - or did she include the tremendous output of barley, hay and dairy/meat products from Delta and Salcha? There is a tremendous difference in the output between the two.

I wonder if she factored economies of scale into it? Admitedly, California can grow 4 times as much on a single acre of land due to the 12 month growing season - but our crops also grow faster due to the sunlight. Because farming in Alaska is not profitable, it is also generally not done intensively. For example, locals in Delta use ancient, inefficient equipment needing servicing often -- to the detriment of their ability to harvest efficiently. Many crops end up wasted as a result. For example, I traveling often through Yuma, Arizona. You only need to see how they plant and harvest lettuce down there to quickly realize how inefficient Alaska operations are.

Finally, I have to ask - if we feed ourselves locally, doesn't that reduce the need for agricultural land elsewhere? Imperial County, California, is essentially an artificially irrigated desert that is precariously close to drought. California and Mexico are already fighting over water from the Colorado River. Cities are fighting farmers for water rights too. Alaska, on the other hand, has plenty of water. What happens when they finally run out of water? Will we even have a choice but to grow locally?

80,00 acres of agricultural land here in the Interior sounds like a lot - but it really isn't when you consider just how big our state is and how much agricultural land currently exists. Even Michael Pollan, in Omnivore's Dilemma, discusses the fact that the future of agriculture is likely to be a hybrid between efficiently grown local resources and items of great value shipped in. After all, most of us are not going to do without chocolate regardless of the cost! Consequently, the calculated 80,000 acres might be closer to 40,000. If you take a drive between Fairbanks and Tok, you quickly realize that we have all the land we need - without harming our wildlife populations or environment.

I love it when scientists take a contrarian view to thoroughly scrutinize and examine popular opinion. It appears Allison has done so here and opened up a wealth of discussion. Let's keep the discussion going.

Our Zone 1 and 2 Friends

2009-04-25T18:42:00.003-08:00

Alaska obviously is not the only location in the world where people deal with Zones 1, 2, and 3 gardening. Canada and Siberia offer similiar climates and challenges - and have many interesting plants. Brought to us by a Canadian Zone 1a gardner, this list of Siberian plants is well worth checking out.

Weekend art

2009-04-25T09:07:00.000-08:00

More weekend artwork.

Paws that Refreshes by =fourrpaws on deviant ART

Another Fisheries Threat

2009-04-23T12:58:00.011-08:00

Alaska's salmon stocks seem to be in peril. Alaska has been at a loss to explain the decrease in salmon - blaming it on everything from bycatch from the pollock industry to low surviveability among young fry. One area worth investigating more thoroughly is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. What is that, you ask? The following map, from a 1988 report linked here shows the extent of floating plastics at that time. Since then, the quantities of plastic have surely expanded.

Pacific ocean currents slow at the horse latitudes -- areas where boats often struggle to find wind and get "stuck" so to speak. At these gyres, plastics that wash into the ocean accumulate. Identified by UAF researchers in 1988, the gyre is an area twice the size of Texas in which plastics accumulate, simply floating seemingly forever on the top of the ocean. Ranging from plastic bottles to small pieces the size of a minnow to tiny particles the size of plankton, the plastics do not break down chemically, but simply disintegrate. These plastics have been linked to the death of waterfowl such as albatross chicks (who are fed plastics instead of food - consequently starving) and to chemical contamination. The mass of the plastic particles has been shown to be five times greater than that of plankton.

So, where do our salmon spend most of their life? The following map from the Alaska Science Forum shows one migration pathway for salmon. Salmon migration paths coincide with the northern reaches of this floating plastic island. In all likelihood, either young salmon are feeding on this plastic in addition to the small critters they normally eat; or, when they are older, their prey are feeding on this plastic. This would ultimately reduce their caloric intake - even if the plastic passes through them -- and the rate of survival. Others have asked the same questions and reached similar conclusions.

Granted, this is an untested hypothesis that requires much more research. To me, it seems like common sense - but it needs some science to support it. I think the University and/or the Marine Fisheries Service need to start sampling the guts of juvenile and adult salmon and their prey.

Unfortunately, in spite of the fact that this has been a known issue for some time, I was able to find no hard research on the subject. There is plenty of supposition from pro-environmental lobbyists - but little hard fact to support this idea. A search on Springerlink and Oxford journals found no articles directly looking at the issue. While there are studies looking at juvenile salmon stomach contents, the studies are old and did not specifically look for foreign debris. Admittedly, there may be more research buried in research journals or library shelves somewhere, but it obviously has not been sufficient to debunk this hypothesis.

So, is there an enterprising Marine Science graduate student that wants to save the Alaska Salmon fishery????? This is a question that needs to be asked, researched, and answered definitively sooner than later. Maybe I'll have to finally sign up for a Doctorate.

20 Years of Free Money - FSA's Conservation Reserve Program

2009-04-22T20:48:00.011-08:00

The Conservation reserve Program is a program setup that pays farmers and ranchers to set their land aside for wildlife and to prevention soil erosion, receiving government payments as compensation. This year, it is celebrating its 20th Anniversary! Alaskans did not miss out on this bonanza of money for not farming. Three communities -- Delta, Kodiak, and Palmer -- have participated to date. Alaska's success stories can be found here. To be eligible, a producer must have farmed on land for a number of years before reverting it to a natural but managed state. Ostensibly, the land is then set aside to protect erodible soils, watersheds, and other habitat.

Only a certain percentage of cultivated land in a given community is eligible at a given time. As a community's total farmed acreage increases, the amount of land set aside for CRP also increases. Perhaps this is why, since I bought my farm, I have been nagged every year by bean counters -- and a couple of farming neighbors -- to complete surveys detailing how many acres I have in cultivation. [I do not receive nor do I want CRP payments, just to be on the record.] If my farm is not recorded, the availability of money for those already receiving CRP payments is put in jeopardy.

Currently, farmers in Delta Junction are receiving government payments to help with clearing wind-rows created by the clearing of land. These farmers will plants grain and hay, helping to enrich our Alaska agricultural heritage. Every year, more land in Delta Junction is cleared for agriculture. I have to ask in light of this expansion and in light of the vastness of our natural environment -- is conversion of farmland to a natural state really that critical to environmental quality in Alaska? If our acreage in Delta were converted back to hay, would the Clearwater River really flow brown? If Kodiak's acreage were used again, would bears starve? Or, is this simply a welfare payment for gentleman farmers at the expense of the taxpayer?

As we look at our federal budget this year, maybe we should consider the $1.8 billion in CRP payments nationwide. Perhaps we should allow these farmers to do nothing on their land for free instead?

The Gopher that Wasn't

2009-04-22T20:06:00.003-08:00

The last episode of "Out of the Wild: The Alaska Experiment" showed the crew killing not gophers - as they kept saying - but rather ground squirrels (aka parka squirrel). Many of my out-of-state readers may wonder if this is in compliance with Alaska hunting and trapping regulations. Provided they had their hunting or trapping license, they were in compliance. There is no closed season - probably because no one up here bothers to hunt ground squirrels.

Now that I've seen the second episode of this season, I'm more convinced than ever that the producers loaded the dice towards drama this year. With three gone already, it seems the Discovery Channel is doing its best to weed people out Survivor style. The location - near Mount McKinley -- isn't exactly the best spot for winter survival as compared to the valleys. Arriving in winter is even more foolish, as far as actual survival goes. Of course, it's hard to say exactly how far these guys are going to hike before they settle down for the winter - which differs from the "hike-to-one-cabin-and-stay" concept of last year. Maybe they're going to hike to Anchorage!

Some POSITIVE Treehugger Stories

2009-04-22T19:50:00.005-08:00

HAPPY EARTHDAY to all. In its honor, some positive Alaska stories over on Treehugger. Who would've thought they'd be praising Sarah Palin?

Alaska - and the Governor - want 50% renewable energy by 2025.

LED Street lights in Anchorage (and soon to be other towns.... Fairbanks, Delta, Haines and other).

Alaskan volcanoes to be surveyed for geothermal

More Alaska Landscaping

2009-04-22T18:31:00.005-08:00

As promised, a few more foolproof landscape plants.

RHUBARB. Yes, rhubarb. Most people think of rhubarb simply as a culinary plant - but it's use in the Alaska landscape is exceptional. It's superhardy and instead of getting broken up, it loves the snow falling off the roof. Its use here is similar to how someone in the South would use Elephant ears -- rhubarbs huge leaves provide the same effect, with the added bonus of a zip of color. Both ornamental and edible rhubarb can serve this purpose, though the ornamental types often provide a little more zip. Ornamental rhubarb plants are, unfortunately, often hard to find. Some ornamental varieties are also less hardy. 'Ace of Hearts' is a great, compact ornamental variety that can be used in smaller spaces. Give regular culinary rhubarb plenty of room though - it can quickly fill a space. I've had plants six foot tall with clumbs growing to five foot wide.

POTENTILLA. This is one of my favorites - though unfortunately not all of the varieties are hardy statewide. This plant grows throughout the tundra. Unfortunately, once you start moving away from native yellow varieties - to the pinks, whites and peaches - the plants varieties get less hardy. Most all will grow in Anchorage, Fairbanks has fewer foolproof varieties. Potentilla can be used as a low landscape shrub to line walkways or as a front-of-the-bed foundation plant. Collected varieties are cheap - just make sure you get them from legal sites (such as where you know the landowner, etc) - and can fill a bed quickly. If you do gather this from the wild, be gentle!

BUNCHBERRY (pictured). Growing up in Virginia, I love dogwood. Unfortunately, it will not grow here. A happy reminder - in the same genus - is bunchberry (Cornus canadensis). Growing naturally in thick woodlands throughout much of the state, bunchberry is a groundcover with tiny white flowers in Spring and red berries in the fall. Widlife naturally like bunchberry due to the berries. While it can sometimes take little time to get established, it is well worth the effort. Plant in a soil enriched with plenty of compost -- simulating the forest floor.

Discovery's Bear Attack

2009-04-22T06:48:00.004-08:00

Discovery's "Beart Attack!" documentary about the three bear attacks last summer in Anchorage is drawing even more opinions and controversy in Anchorage. In addition to yesterday's letter to the editor, Craig Medred has added his to the mix today - which basically dismisses the Discovery Channel's views. What is particularly interesting though are the comments from average folks, many in Anchorage, many who deal with bears in their yards.

From the comments section:
"Hmmmm wrote on 04/21/2009 09:59:06 AM:
We have seen over a dozen bears in and around our yard the past few summers...many of them in the daytime. They don't just sleep all day, and they don't run in fright when they see you either."

From my vantage point here in the country, if I see a individual bear in my yard once, it's interesting. If he visits twice, I'm probably going to fire in the air to scare him - but three times definitely means a dead bear. If I had kids playing outside, I might be a little more decisive than that.

"Let them Cut Wood"

2009-04-21T08:45:00.005-08:00

Mudflat's has a very common sense discussion about Mike Kelly's suggestion that villages cut wood for heating. Many western villages have no trees...

In my mind, this is another reason to move out of these villages - which, as I have said before, leaves me agreeing with Governor Palin. Oil won't last forever. Unless these villages are going to use wind or hydroelectric power for electric heating, there aren't too many other options. The only biomass there is grass - can they grow and bale hay to burn? I'm doubtful of that though it is possible. Passive solar obviously won't work in December. For wind and hydroelectric to work, there need to be economies of scale. Villages of 40-50 people don't provide that. Generally, towns need to be the size of Kotzebue for this to be cost-effective.

Fairbanks Meat Processing Redux

2009-04-21T06:32:00.003-08:00

Tanana Valley Meats is opening again, this time with a renovated facility, new supervision, and a new meatcutter. Details on the News-Miner.

One interesting thing is that they will be processing poultry - which could be a real boon to backyard enthusiasts. Butchering chickens is slow and tedious, though it can be sped up with the right equipment, which most people don't have.

Re-opening this facility is one further step to ensuring that Alaska has dependable sources of local food, directly connecting farmers with excellent products to consumers.

Topsy-Turvey Tomatos on the Cheap - Recycle Plastic Bottles

2009-04-20T08:17:00.002-08:00

The Cheap Vegetable Gardener has a great tip for making your own upside down tomato pots out of 2-liter plastic soda bottles.

Often, vertical space in a greenhouse is wasted. I've planted cherry and berry tomatos in hanging baskets before and they do great, providing the first tomatos of the season and making use of that wasted space. Unfortunately, I never have enough baskets to grow enough of these tasty little gems. This year, I'll have to try again with with pop bottles. Details on how to build a topsy-turvey tomato planter can be found here.

Anchorage Bears

2009-04-20T06:37:00.004-08:00

The Discovery Channel's "Bear Attack!" documentary must have tickled a nerve. Todays ADN has an interesting and to the point editorial about why there are more bears in "Los Anchorage". Some of the comments are equally interesting.

Clover Stew

2009-04-19T18:35:00.003-08:00

Upinak left a comment on my "Clover and Reindeer" link that clued me in on something I had no idea of. Clover, it seems, is used in Native American and Alaskan cooking. So, maybe the people who are spending government money to rip it out of the Alaska landscape can cook us some dinner while they're at it. While I don't disagree that there are some noxious plants that should be controlled, not every non-native plant is bad. Some, such as Trifolium clover species are a blessing.

For example, here's a recipe from the Manataka American Indian Council for Clover Stew:

2 cups clover flowers and leaves
1 onion, chopped
3 Tbsp. butter
2 pints water
3 potatoes, peeled and quartered
Salt and pepper to taste

Clean and dip clover flowers and leaves in cold salted water. Remove and cut into pieces. In a large saucepan, sauté flowers, leaves and onions in butter. When all is softened add water, then potatoes, and season with salt and pepper. Cook gently for 20 minutes. Drain the cooking liquid and save it. Puree potato mixture and dilute with the cooking liquid, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil, the reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes. Can sprinkle with grated cheddar cheese if desired.

I hope I have some clover sprouting this Spring so I can try this. [I might have to fight the milkcow for it though...!]

Landscaping in the Great North

2009-04-19T09:34:00.004-08:00

Now that the snow is beginning to melt and grass is beginning to show, most of us are looking to start sprucing up our yards. First comes the cleanup of the winter's debris, stuff that got scattered outside and covered in snow until we forgot it. Then, we start plotting flowers and plants.

Unlike the lower 48, our choices for shrubbery are limited. There are very relatively few landscaping plants that will survive the -50F of Fairbanks. There are only slightly more that will survive in Anchorage or Juneau.

As you shop for plants, be especially cautious if you are shopping at a Big Box Chain store. Some buyer Outside decided what would grow here based upon USDA planting zones alone with no regard for our daylength, prolonged freeze-thaw in the spring, salt-spray in coastal areas, heavy snow cover, and prolonged cold soil temperatures. Many plants survive the winter only to be killed in the Fall. These plants come out of dormancy too late in the Spring and, fooled by the long days, don't go into dormancy in time before they are killed. In my experience, if a local nursery isn't selling it, it isn't hardy. There's generally (but not always) a reason no-one else is growing it in your area. While the Big Box stores doe sell some hardy plants, in my experience, the bulk of them are not.

Secondly, Outside buyers think that Alaska has a single planting zone. This is definitely is not the case. The folks in Kodiak and Haines can grow things that we in the Interior only dream about growing. Plants are bought for the entire state and shipped statewide. This may work out fine for the warmest areas, but definitely backfires in the coldest.

Finally, your community may have multiple micro-climates. Your YARD will have multiple microclimates. Even where the USDA zones are appropriate, Big Box Stores sell for the perfect microclimate. Here in Delta, I have successfully gotten tulips planted in the fall to bloom -- by planting deep, mulching and ensuring adequate snow cover. Where I live now, where the wind blows the snow away, I could never get away with this.

So, what plants are the stars for Alaska? Here's the beginning of a list of "can't fails" for MOST (not all - check with your local nursery!!!!!) of the state (at least the part of the state still within the treeline). I'll continue to list more every few days throughout the Spring.

Lilacs Lilacs are our summertime jewels. They are often given away by power companies as "small trees" appropriate for planting under power lines. If you go to a box store, don't be fooled and purchase just any lilac though. There is variation in hardiness among these. Many of the fancy French-style lilacs won't grow in Fairbanks or only in special microclimates. Look for hardiness zone 2 in this case. Unfortunately, in my experience, moose often loves lilacs as much as we do. They do tend to go for certain varieties over others though so experimentation might be needed. Cultivation details are here.

Peonies Peonies do so well here that Alaska is looking to export blossoms. That's right - an agricultural export. Peonies bloom for us when no one else in the world has them -- and it coincides with June weddings. Be cautious of buying the bare roots in the Spring. They often need a little cold to break their dormancy. I planted some one Spring and tried to start them in a window. They never came up. I didn't throw them out - and noticed them sprouting the following winter after getting a little cold through the window. I then had to keep them all winter so that I could plant them the following the Spring. Oops. Still, they are incredibly easy to grow, long-lived, and beautiful. For more on Alaska peony growing, click here and here.

White Spruce. White spruce grow in most of the state. There are probably better spruce for the Southeast, but for the rest of us, this is the one. They are an Alaska native and are bulletproof. The problem with them is that they are difficult to transplant. Their roots spread out over the top of the ground. To get a large enough root ball to support a decent size tree requires creating something that look kind of like a pancake. For that reason, large transplanted white spruce often take a while to catch back up after the shock of transplanting. For that reason, it's often just as fast to start with smaller plants as they will catch up quickly. A friend of mine near the Johnson River prunes his like boxwood and uses them as evergreen shrubbery. They look great. While I don't know if planting white spruce against the foundation in a wildfire area is such a good idea, this would certainly work well in our urban areas. By the way, Alberta Spruce are a sport of white spruce -- they just aren't as hardy. That's why you will often see Alberta Spruce in Big Box Stores in Fairbanks. They don't grow in 80% of Fairbanks unfortunately. I've seen many dead ones in people's yard. Unless you are sure of your microclimate, don't bother with these north of the Alaska Range. Unfortunately, most of the research done with White Spruce has related to its applications in forestry. It's a shame that no one has done work selecting named varieties for use in the Interior. It would be great to find a hardy dwarf white spruce or perhaps a blue version.

Arctic Roughnecks - Good PR for Work on the Slope

2009-04-18T18:30:00.005-08:00

More Discovery Channel Alaska Week. At the moment, I'm watching Arctic Roughnecks. Everyone who has something to say about ANWR - pro or con - should watch this show. It gives a very good portrayal of what happens on the North Slope.

I'm not sure the Discovery guys were on target putting this show together though. Unlike its Canadian counterpart, Ice Road Truckers, these guys are not cowboys. Instead, they are calculated and careful. In some way, this makes for a bad tv as it lacks some of the inherent conflict that would make it interesting. On the other hand, this seems to be fairly honest television with great educational value. Someone in New York City (or Anchorage) watching this will get a very good idea of what work on the slope is like. Admitedly, it is hard to depict or dramatize long-term environmental impacts from these type operations but it seems that the workers there at least want to protect the wildlife around them. From the engineering to the types of equipment used, some careful thought has gone into working on the tundra and on the ocean.

Sadly, Alaska week is coming to a close. Nonetheless, it appears I'll still be able to get my fix this summer... Oh wait. I forgot, I'll be out in Alaska playing. Thank goodness for the DVR and reruns.

Offshore Drilling and Lawsuits

2009-04-18T16:52:00.008-08:00

The courts have been busy. Offshore drilling is certainly a contentious issue in Alaska. For one perspective on it, including links to original documents from the Federal Court, check out this detailed writeup on As The Fireweed Turns. While I don't agree with all of Upinak's points, it is well worth reading. Offshore drilling is ultimately critical to Alaska's oil and gas industry. At the same time, I understand the concerns that some have about a cleanup in iceberg filled waters. I think there's a compromise somewhere in the middle- and it shouldn't have involved the courts (which it will be tied up in for years now).

Governor Palin's view is also quite interesting. The mainstream media's view can be found on the Wall Street Journal .

More Historic Alaska Agriculture

2009-04-18T12:34:00.007-08:00

As we ponder eating local, consider this picture from the 1899 text, Alaska: It's History and Resources, Gold Fields, Routes and Scenery, by Miner Bruce. Alaska agriculture was in full swing in the 1890s, but quickly faded. Is it time to recapture this heritage?

[On a side note, notice the presence of a plant that government agencies consider invasive - white clover. It's been here since the 19th Century. If it hasn't invaded yet, it's not going to.]

1899 Unalaklik

2009-04-18T12:19:00.004-08:00

As we read about the closure of the tunnel leading to Whittier, let's take a moment to consider the Alaska Railroad, as it comes to the rescue of those folks ithat are cut off from civilization.

From the very beginnings of Alaska, a railroad was considered of utmost importance. The presence of the railroad allowed cities like Fairbanks and Anchorage to boom. In 1899, Miner Bruce wrote, "Alaska offers many inducements for railroad building. The physical contour of the country, especially in the interior, presents few obstacles, and the numerous valleys afoord natural avenues for the construction of these great highways. The many tributaries of the Yukon will yet hear the snorting of the iron horse, and the vast coal fields, mountains of silver and iron ore, as well as many other natural resources of this country, will be opened up by the enterprise of the twentieth century. The indomitable energy and power of man will yet lay this vast country under tribute and cuase it to yield a golden harvest."

Today, these promises have yet to be realized. We are firmly in the 21st century yet much of the state is closed to development - not solely due to the Federal government - but for our lack of trying. Major communities like Bethel and Nome have tenuous connections by air and water to the rest of the state - connections that can be severed at any moment. It's time for Alaska to develop a long-range transportation plan to bring the state's transportation network not only into the 20th Century, but the next one as well.

Enduring Ridiculous Partisanship

2009-04-18T09:46:00.009-08:00

I found a comment below the News-Miner's article on Begich's speech yesterday that struck a chord with me.

Ancientweb writes: "Sitting here wondering which group of people is more insane: The PETA crowd or these right-wing reactionaries who have clearly slid off the deep end. Wow."

The extreme left and right both talk like the world is going to end. Either Barrack Obama or George W. Bush is the Devil himself. Either Karl Rove and Rahm Emmanuel are their Iago's. They are either communists, socialists, or fascists. None are Americans.

Where are we as a people when we cannot discuss issues civilly but rather automatically categorize the other side into "Hitler's henchmen" without ever listening???? What happens if someone is pro-Environment but also pro-Life? Is that right or left? What about someone who is pro-gay marriage but pro-gun rights? Left or right? It seems you have only two choices Coke or Pepsi - not RC.

The more I hear NRA supporters talk about buying guns because Obama is going to take them, or PETA talk about the slaughter of wolves, the more incensed I become. Both PETA and the NRA make considerable money by blowing items out of proportion and painting the other side as evil. It pains me to hear friends, left and right, parroting these organizations nonsense as Gospel. They miss the fact that these organizations are bureaucracies - just like our government - who depend upon new controversies for survival. If the government bought every person a new AK47 and enough ammo to last a lifetime, would the NRA close its doors? If animals were given human rights, would PETA say "job done" and disappear? We all know the answer to that.

Though I believe we have undue corporate influence in our government, it is still government by the people. The employees and contractors who work for the federal and state government are red-blooded Americans who love their country. They are our friends and neighbors, children and cousins. The politicians who devote their life to public service simply sway to the demands of the public forced to play a game against the other side in order to stay in office. Ultimately, both love America.

We may disagree on some issues, but there is common ground amongst all of us.

Surprisingly, I like Sarah Palin and Bill Clinton. I think Ted Stevens was guilty of a crime (which we will never know now) -and deserved a Presidential pardon for his years of selfless service. I think Nancy Pelosi has done great things for California - but has simply been in office too long and lost sight of the needs of average Americans. Does that make me right or left? In spite of mylikes and dislikes of their policies, I would be proud to have any of them over for dinner as I believe they are all great Americans.

How about you? Can you say you actually listen to the other side, or do you simply label them the devil.

Some News that Got Buried

2009-04-16T21:38:00.006-08:00

While Sarah fights the legislature, other news is still happening in Alaska:

Alaska's rural population continues its 8 year slide... But not quite as bad as previous years, in spite of the cost of fuel and the Yukon fishing disaster - which could become officially a "disaster".

A Jefferson City, Montana, taxidermist has been charged with poaching in Alaska. Evidently, he was trading favors with big game hunters from Australia, swapping tags, etc.

You go on a small charter plane to Valdez or other remote spot of choice. Your plane crashes. You live. Does the beacon still work? Maybe not.

Alaska Air wi-fi is a go. How much it will cost is a question. I guess you can blog where you are when the beacon doesn't work.

A visit to DC coordinated by the Alaska Wilderness League, the Sierra Club and the Wilderness Society prompted Salazar to spend so much time in Alaska. Interesting. Very Interesting.

Friday Art: 40 Days and 40 Nights

2009-04-16T21:22:00.003-08:00

Friday Art: 40 Days and 40 Nights by Relaxder

More Friday art to take you into the weekend.

40 days and 40 nights by *relaxeder on deviant ART

A Mythbuster's Quiz on Alaska

2009-04-16T19:42:00.005-08:00

Okay, just how smart are you about Alaska???? Discovery Channel's Mythbusters has a little quiz that might help you separate some fact from fiction. Some of the answers are quite interesting. And, yes, people in Fairbanks commonly believe the one about Japanese procreating.... well, you'll see. I have to admit I thought that one was true too.

And, if you didn't realize it, Adam and Jamie were in Alaska again. This new episode airs this week as part of Alaska Week. How many other states get their own week on the Discovery Channel!!!!?! I love it.

Essential Science on the Yukon

2009-04-16T19:20:00.004-08:00

The recent collapse of fishing in villages like Emmonak is very much a mystery. Many theories have been proposed -- by-catch from the pollock industry, warming waters causing an increase in jellyfish, overfishing by foreign fleets, and climate change -- but none have been universally accepted. The changes in the Yukon are emblematic of other changes here in the North Country. Understanding them is essential to understanding future change here in Alaska -- whether due to natural or manmade factors, climate change or simply decadal variation.

One essential research project are the studies being completed by the U.S. Geological Survey in the Yukon River Basin. On Friday, April 17th, the USGS will discuss the need for the Yukon Basin Initiative with Senator Mark Begich, who is visiting Fairbanks.

Until hard data is gathered, possible makers must rely on conjecture, rumor, and political bias in their decision-making. Often, without hard data, it is a matter of which wheel is the squeakiest. In many cases, this is often the group with the most lobbyists. Let's support the science being done in the Yukon so that policy decisions - both local and national - are made using rational judgement - and not based upon who can write the largest check.

The past is the future - 1915 Georgeson Reports

2009-04-16T17:59:00.011-08:00

The reports from the Alaska Agricultural Experiment Stations – available on Google Books -- are interesting to browse through. Those years supervised by Charles Georgeson, for whom the Botanical Garden in Fairbanks is named, are an amazing source of information on Alaska agricultural and gardening history, as well as technique.

At the moment, I am jealous looking of this photo from the 1916 report to Congress. It shows tomatoes on the vine – outside, unprotected, juicy looking, and evidently ripe. The report states, “….tomato plants, started in the house but set in the open ground in the beginning of June, set an abundance of fruit, a large percentage of which matured without protection. The tomato is a tender garden vegetable, and that it should actually mature fruit out of doors in latitude 64₀ 40’ is one of Alaska’s agricultural phenomena that deserves special notice."

The report goes on to say “Twenty tomato plants were set in the open garden in early June. These plants bore from 6 to 10 pounds to the vine, and about 30 pounds ripened thoroughly on the vines.”

In 1915, Georgeson did not have a huge variety of tomato seeds to choose from. In fact, reading through the journals, it becomes evident that getting any seeds into the Interior was at times a challenge. Due to the slow mail service, trading seeds was the only way to keep varieties going from year to year. With so few varieties to choose from, it’s amazing they were able to grow such wonderful crops.

Today, we have hundreds of catalogs and varieties to choose from with pages and pages of tomato seeds alone. Yet, in spite of this, I’ve not seen outdoor tomatoes anywhere in Alaska that look as good as these from 1915. I wonder if it’s because our seeds – even though they are named varieties supposedly suited for Alaska – are actually being grown in warmer climates.

Seed collectors obviously collect seeds from successfully grown plants. It takes a ripe tomato to make seeds. Because of this, even named varieties will quickly experience genetic drift as a result of the climate in which they are grown. Successful plants in South Carolina, for example, survive heat and sandy soils -- not cold nights and glacial till. If we Alaskans are ordering seeds grown in South Carolina or even Washington State, are they really still suited to our climate? Is that named variety really the same one that was grown 20 years ago? Or has genetic drift and rogue cross pollination corrupted what were probably good varieties for Alaska. Is the "Sub-Arctic" tomato bred over several generations in California still a "Sub-Arctic"?

I think the old timers had it right to begin with and didn’t realize it. They saved seeds because they had. Nevertheless, this ensured that the seeds they were getting were from the most successful parents for THEIR climate.

Maybe it’s time to go back to local seed-saving – particularly for climates as unique as we have in Fairbanks, Kodiak, and Nome. They did this back in 1915 when the streets of Fairbanks were nothing but mud and all the produce was grown locally – with excellent results.

Maybe we as individual gardeners should start putting down the glossy seed catalog and find that single, ripe, juicy tomato that survived the first frost. Instead of eating that entire tomato, save a few seeds. If you only get a ripe tomato from 1 out of ten plants – that’s the plant you want the seeds from -- not the plant grown in California that gave birth to the other nine.

It’s time to take our seeds – and our local gardening heritage - back. In this case, the past is truly the future.

Owl Mystery

2009-04-16T06:10:00.003-08:00

An excellent article from the News-Miner this morning on the deaths of owls in the Interior. No one knows why they're dying - though it seems to be of either starvation or bacterial poisoning.

http://newsminer.com/news/2009/apr/16/boreal-owl-deaths-mystery-fairbanks-bird-experts/

Car conversion course - go electric!

2009-04-16T05:23:00.003-08:00

An interesting opportunity over on the SNRAS blog. With windmills sprouting up all over the state, electric cars may eventually be the way to go.

Wooly Pigs

2009-04-15T19:52:00.011-08:00

This year, we had people calling constantly looking for piglets to raise - and unfortunately had none. Momma decided she didn't want to have her pigs under the heat lamp - and they froze overnight before we even realized she had them. We had been watching her, late the night before, and first thing the next morning. But she had ideas of her own.

Luckily, Delta has a number of other farmers that are helping to fill the need. Overall, the interest in piglets this year continues to surprise me. Folks here in Delta Junction are looking for to produce their own food, mirroring the larger trend that is occuring across the country. For example, USA Today had an article on Economic Survivalists -- people who are doing everything they can to become self sufficient for fear of a larger economic or personal economic collapse.

Speaking of hogs, this seems to be another area that the University could help in. MANY people in Alaska raise hogs every year from piglets born in the Spring. Unfortunately, keeping hogs through the winter is difficult and expensive. Sows eat quite a lot to stay warm. Much of their food intake goes simply to keeping warm rather than giving birth to piglets. If only there was a hog with fur!

Except, there is. The Mangalitsa Hog is a heritage breed from Europe that has only been recently introduced into the United States. Coming from Hungary, this hog would be ideally suited to Alaska. Its wooly coat would certainly hold more heat than the predominate breeds grown here -- which are almost always thinly haired (Durock, York, etc). While this breed is quite fatty, it could be cross bred with leaner varieties to develop a hog more suited to our farms.

The only problem with the Mangalitsa is that it is not readily available to farmers or breeders in the US. The individuals who first imported the hogs to the United States, in order to maintain their investment, are only selling neutered piglets designated for butchering. They are not selling breeding stock. To solve this, I propose that the UAF Experimental Station import a few for us farmers to try out. Since I am not allowed to raise reindeer, at least give me a hog breed suited to our cold climate. What do you say, help us create an Alaskan hog variety.

Photo credit:http://www.flickr.com/photos/20108777@N00/2433044372/

The Bush Canaries – Why Urbanites Should Care

2009-04-15T18:45:00.015-08:00

Here in Alaska, the last few months have been eventful, and in many ways, tumultuous. We had a visit by Ken Salazar, Secretary of the Interior, ostensibly to gather information on the development of offshore gas and oil leases, but probably to inform of us of what is likely already a done deal given the critical energy needs of the nation. He was met with pleads from both sides of the issue – the Governor wanting more leases to create jobs against conservationists concerned with cleanups of oil in icy or frozen waters. This month, a meeting of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council in Anchorage highlighted the issue of by-catch – pitting supporters of massive Pollock fishing against those whose very life depends on whether salmon appear in their rivers every summer. A recent report showed how ice cover in the arctic is so thin that there is a possibility that it will disappear altogether this summer – opening up new shipping lanes but dooming the polar bear, increasing coastal erosion, and possibly causing a shift in ocean and coastal ecosystems. Pebble Mine began giving (bribing?) villages grants, hoping to sway opinion about the development of the mine and construct a precarious dam above pristine waters. Aerial wolf hunting made the national news – a plan to essentially wipe out one predator for the benefit of another – with allegations that it was being conducted strictly for the benefit of out-of-state trophy hunters.

Finally, this winter, villagers saw the convergence of high heating and shipping prices with a major failure in their fisheries. This story, untold by the national news, reminded me of the plight of the Okies in the Great Depression as the Dustbowl wiped out their farms and banks took away their land. People caught in the midst of change. Fortunately, donations poured in to help the suddenly needy - but the root problems remain. Will it happen again this winter?

Commercial interests have always profited from Alaska’s tremendous resources but never before have there been such serious allegations that these profits are being gained at the expense of entire communities. We can debate the specific reasons salmon are dwindling -- whether due to bycatch, overfishing, or climate change – but the reality remains that it is indeed happening. We are seeing our immense resources finally dwindle – and now we are fighting over the crumbs.

Alaska is at a turning point. The outcome of these battles will ultimately determine whether Alaska remains a state where personal use of natural resources remains a priority – or whether we see the continued erosion of the availability of fish and game in favor of commercial interests and jobs.

Why should those of us in the city and road-system towns care? Why is the plight of those losing their livelihood in Emmonak or Numan Iqua important?

Most obvious are the effects on sport fishing and hunting. Those of us who enjoy fishing in Valdez or Homer may no longer be able to catch that huge halibut. Dip netting at Chitina may have extreme limits – a few silvers for a day’s work. Moose hunting may end up being a lottery system for the very few or the very privileged.

Bycatch is probably the issue that is most emblematic of this growing disparity between commercial interests and individual needs. Commerical Pollock fishing earns millions of dollars for the United States and Japan. Floating factories, these boats sweep the ocean floor clean of fish. That Fish sandwich from McDonald’s came from our waters – and is sold worldwide by the millions.

Unfortunately, salmon often swim with Pollock and get caught in the same nets. These factories cannot legally process the salmon they accidentally catch. The salmon are sometimes donated to villages, but usually wasted as they are thrown overboard. Though the NMFS inspects and tracks the amount of bycatch, attempting to enforce limits, it's too easy for commercial fisheries to look the other way when the inspector is not present. Fast food interests win over those who need the salmon.

Halibut too are affected by the bycatch issue. The following comment was left on the Anchorage Daily News webpage on an article about by-catch. Ken2701 wrote,

“I was fishing on the artic storm acouple years ago, there were times that wewould catch 10-15 metric tons of bi-catch in one haul. you name it ,theartic storm caught it. the ploblem is , there is too much money at stake,. Iremember in 99' , we caught a 500# halibut, the observer helped kill it, andthrow it over the side. I am all for stiff bi-catch limits [sic].”

I went on a halibut charter in Valdez two summers ago and caught NOTHING. Waste of a 500 pound halibut like this is infuriating. Had this been caught by a small local boat, it would have been eaten and shared - yet a commercial boat simply throws it out.

Less obvious are the effects on our individual rights. Today, thousands across the country - including communities in Alaska -- protested the President’s bailout and the taxes that will be required to pay for it. They protested giving public money to fat-cat CEOs making millions. They protested bailout of businesses to big to fail with our children’s money. Yet, these same people say nothing when major corporations, whether intentionally or through negligence, destroy fishing for generations.

Corporations control our government. They are taking Alaska’s resources for their own profit, without regard to Alaska’s future. Unfortunately, commercial interests already have the upper hand. Politically, they control our government – both Democrats and Republicans.

So, are bush villages Alaska’s Canaries? Is the sudden desperation by those who could always live off the land a sign of something greater? Are we at the point where the people no longer own Alaska’s riches? At what point are we just another stop in an international supply chain? Unless we take dramatic steps now to protect these resources -- and our ownership of them -- we shall never see them again.

Alaska Community Forest Council Needs Members

2009-04-15T14:21:00.006-08:00

Here's an interesting tidbit from the Peninsula Clarion that didn't make many of the other news outlets.

"..The Alaska Community Forest Council, a state advisory council under the Department of Natural Resources' Division of Forestry, is accepting applications for new members. ....
The council advises the state's Division of Forestry on developing and supporting local community forestry programs and works with the division to foster partnerships between government agencies, businesses and volunteers. Council members also review community forestry grant proposals and promote tree planting in their communities. "

Six of fifteen seats will be open by the end of June; two of those are members at large. There are usually quarterly meetings in Anchorage. Applications are due by the 27th.

Information at http://forestry.alaska.gov/community/council.htm or the Community Forestry Office in Anchorage at 269-8466, or from Nickel at stephen.nickel@alaska.gov.

Fava Beans are a Fave...

2009-04-14T19:02:00.004-08:00

For about 5 years, I've grown a vegetable that was previously new to me -- fava beans. Until Hannibal Lechter talked about eating someones liver with them, I had never heard of them. Until moving to Alaska, did I realize how good they are. Looking for a new vegetable and a replacement for limas (I know... I'm one of the few that likes them), I decided to try them one summer. I started some indoors and also direct seeded some. I got a nice crop from both. Admittedly, you won't get a lot -- I'm hoping some our local plant breeders can help with this - but you'll get enough to want to plant them again. I was surprised at just how well they did - and how tasty they were.

In the lower 48, favas are planted as summer crops in cool areas and winter crops in southern areas. As I found, they tolerate our cool soils well and will continue bearing right up to and beyond frost. Most varieties will tolerate freezes down to about 20 degrees. I haven't tried this yet, but I'm guessing row covers would also help prolong the season further. My favorite variety is Windsor, an open-pollinated heirloom variety.

Favas are also used in other areas for animal feed. Because they are nitrogen fixing, it seems that this species is another excellent target for selective breeding in Alaska. Breeding a short season determinate fava bean could potentially make them as commonplace as barley.

In short, if you are looking to try something new this year, try fava beans!

Discovery's "Out of the Wild" - A fair test of survival?

2009-04-14T18:03:00.015-08:00

I love the Discovery channel - and am having fun watching Alaska week. Last year, I thoroughly enjoyed The Alaska Experiment now retitled Out of the Wild: The Alaska Experiment. As a watch the latest incarnation, I wonder once again about the validity of testing someone's survival skills by dropping them off in Alaska in the Autumn. Is it simply because the filmmakers wanted to avoid mosquitoes?

This year, as well as last, the participants are dropped off at distance from a cabin, which they have to navigate to. The bright yellow and occasional red leaves lead me to believe this was filmed around September. This makes sense as the film-makers probably wanted to film a hunt. They also want to stay legal, meaning that filmmaking had to occur during hunting season. [Last year a local guide led them on a successful sheep hunt and unsuccessful moose hunt.]

What bothers me about this show is that much of Alaska survival depends on what you do in the summer as much as the fall. Gardening and berry-picking, not to mention building cabins and shelter, are critical to the natives and sourdoughs who live by subsistence means. Transporting goods into the bush, whether over frozen rivers or by boat, is another seasonal activity. Fishing and preservation of the catch is certainly seasonal.

Last year, the show was filmed down around the Kenai and Southcentral. The participants arrived after the bulk of salmon had already swam upriver. As a result, the teams caught only a few fish - providing an unrealistic illustration of how people survive up here. This year, it's being filmed in the Interior (Talkeetna - starting out at Tsusena Lake) - so the opportunities for salmon are even more limited. Small game as well as moose will probably be the team's primary protein source.

View Larger Map

Still maybe showing individuals surviving the Alaska fall and early winter probably does more good on the whole than harm. Individuals such as Timothy Treadwell and Christopher McCandless marvelled at the mystique of Alaska, tantalized at the prospect of leaving the grid and finding self-sufficiency in the bush. Both died. Timothy Treadwell was eaten by his beloved bears while the Christopher McCandless starved in a schoolbus, never realizing he was a few miles away from a river crossing to safety. Perhaps throwing the show's participants directly into winter -- and filming the drama created from this unusual situation -- is a blessing in disguise. Maybe showing Alaska at its most fierce will dispel the romanticism that the nation has with Alaska and save some lives. Perhaps the lower 48 -- and even some urban Alaskans -- will finally come to learn what subsistence really means.

Arctic Ice video

2009-04-13T12:44:00.003-08:00

Interesting link today Treehugger show a video from NASA of changes in sea ice cover. Will this be the summer where we finally lose all the ice? Or, is this a blip on the radar?

Lost:Gas Leases. Has anybody seen them?

2009-04-13T12:23:00.005-08:00

Exxon is trying to get back the gas leases it lost at Point Thomson. Details on the Wall Street Journal. Poor Exxon.... Maybe Sarah Palin has seen them?

Discovery's Bear Attack

2009-04-12T18:43:00.007-08:00

If you can catch it, the Discovery Channel has an excellent documentary - "Bear Attack" -- on last summer's string of bear attacks in Anchorage. The documentary examines the three attacks, how Fish and Game tracks bears, and why the attacks might have occurred (late salmon run). It also compares the attacks to brutal killings in the Russian town of Kamchatka where bears began tracking humans as they faced starvation. Rick Sinnott is featured extensively. What is suprising is just how long bears are spending right in the middle of the suburbs. Listings are found here.

2009-04-12T18:39:00.001-08:00

Weekend art: "Caribou Crossing" by Dan Mills (Wolverat)

Caribou Crossing by ~Wolverat on deviant ART

Milk Money

2009-04-12T12:17:00.016-08:00

Villages throughout Alaska struggle with food costs. If we could find a way to get milk cows or goats to the villages, perhaps this would eliminate another import to rural communities? Perhaps this would be another step towards self-sufficiency? Probably not - at least not the way the current laws regarding dairy production are written.

Early settlers often brought milk cows with them. Images of treks across the prairie often included a lone milk cow tied behind a prairie schooner. A few entrepreneurial individuals would then begin selling milk. Eventually, these grew into the dairies that dot our national landscape.

Dairy came into Alaska not on prairie schooners but largely as a result of the Matanuska Colony and efforts in Fairbanks and Delta Junction. Juneau had one of the first dairies. We've all heard about the plight of MatMaid milk -- and the new dairy that has emerged in the MatSu. Northern Lights Dairy offers some of the best milk to be found anywhere in the nation -- but struggles with costs and a gradual erosion in the number of farms that supply its milk. Creamer's Field, in Fairbanks, folded long ago and is now a waterfowl refuge.

Each of these dairies competed with cheap imports from Washington State - with varying levels of success. Washington State milk is usually cheaper (though often of lesser quality) and consequently competes well on the road system. However, once you add the transportation costs of moving milk into the villages -- is it still cheaper? Wouldn't locally raised milk produced on a small scale be cost-effective?? Especially if it is grass fed milk - which is argued to healthier anyway?? Furthermore, as fuel costs go up, raw milk is becoming increasingly competitive in even Anchorage and Fairbanks.

One of the problems is that new dairies cannot begin production without huge capital investments. Milking parlors must be inspected like a bovine "restaurant". The floors of Northern Lights dairy, for example, are immaculate. All milk sold must be pasteurized and processed under controlled standards. Milk containers have to be fabricated on-site from plastic pellets, unless a local supplier can be found - which means transportation of large but light bottles thousands of miles. Recent Homeland Security regulations, intended to protect our food supply from biological and chemical terrorism as well as natural borne disease outbreaks, add another layer of cost. These regulations are costly and threaten even the established dairies. Bringing animals into the state -- in order to maintain good genetic lines -- is difficult too. Finally, you have to figure out how to distribute milk to the customer under controlled temperatures -- which in Alaska, usually means keeping it from freezing!

An individual with one or two cows cannot legally sell raw milk out their back door as they begin raising money to grow a herd or procure equipment. To start in dairy in Alaska -- or most states -- is basically an all or nothing proposition. You either get a loan and go big in the beginning -- or you don't at all. Unless you happen to have several hundred thousand dollars squirreled away and want to gamble it, beginning with cash versus credit is basically impractical. This is one reason why close to 98% of all dairies in the US are now owned by a handful of multinational corporations.

One solution that has been proposed is the use of Cow-Shares. Instead of buying milk, you buy a share in a cow. You pay people to feed, house, groom, love, and most importantly milk your cow. You then receive a dividend - free milk. Courts have ruled on this scheme - with varying degrees of acceptance. Selling milk under this scheme, while seemingly legal, could open you up to enforcement by zealous state employees anyway - leaving it up to a state (or Federal) judge to determine the legality.

There are, admittedly, reasons for these regulations. Early in the 20th Century, milk was often produced in substandard conditions or adulterated. Often, milk transmitted diseases such as listeria. Producers outside New York City in the 1910s, for example, were more concerned with the bottom line than animal health and frequently sold diseased milk. Still, many today argue that raw milk is much healthier than pasteurized and go out of their way to purchase it - in spite of its illegality. In California, raw milk producers are allowed to sell their product, provided they submit to additional inspections. Still, even these producers have difficulties.

One way to solve this is by exempting small producers from the regulations - or minimize the regulations -- until they become established. Prohibit them from selling to facilities that aggregate milk -- and allow them to sell direct to customers. This would allowing young farmers and entrepreneurs an opportunity to establish new businesses without the fear of going to jail. Consumers could buy milk from producers they know -- and have the freedom to purchase and drink the food they choose.

Alaska's regulations actually offer the Governor a way to do this. 18 AAC 32.050 states "Ungraded milk. If the commissioner finds that an emergency exists,the commissioner will, in the commissioner’s discretion, authorize the sale of pasteurized milk and milk products that have not been graded or the grade of which is unknown. A person who sells milk or a milk product subject to an authorization under this section shall ensure that the milk or milk product is labeled “ungraded.” (Eff. 5/23/98, Register 146)."

We do have an emergency in the Bush and in rural Alaska in general. Though this option still requires pasteurization, small producers could probably afford a home pasteurizer - or even pasteurize milk on the stove.

Perhaps it's time for the Governor to call for a "dairy" emergency throughout the state? The Department of Natural Resources could cite an "economic" emergency, and issue relaxed guidelines for small producers. With support from the state instead of additional regulation, some of these small producers could grow and become the full-fledged dairies that the state truly needs.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/chiavatti/1971606590/

Today's dirt....

2009-04-12T10:09:00.006-08:00

It must be because it's Easter. Some great articles in the papers today.

ADN: Melting snow means gardening classes are packed. Hoorrayyyy!!!!!

News Miner: Meeting Moller: An interview with Gov. Palin’s rural adviser. A frank discussion about rural and village issues. The community comments are worth reading too.

News Miner: Legislative bill touts tax credits for clean air. So, how does this play towards those with outdoor wood boilers?

Juneau Empire: Mining companies file ballot measure complaint. Another development on the Pebble/Bristol Bay controversy.

LA Times: An odd article for them. Will Mount Redoubt affect salmon fishing?

AP: Palin leaving town as legislature discusses stimulus. Is this so she can say later, "I rejected the funds -- but they took them when I was out of the state"? Whatever you think about Sarah Palin, she is a savy politician -- in the Karl Rove sense.

New York Times: Stevens Case Leads to Scrutiny of other Alaska Corruption Cases.

As predicted...

2009-04-12T09:51:00.004-08:00

As predicted, two individuals were injured during Arctic Man in two separate instances. Warbelows, a private ambulance company, transferred the individuals to Delta Rescue, who then delivered them to medical care. During the time when Delta Rescue was transferring these individuals, there was 1 fewer ambulance available for the community. Due to medical confidentiality, the circumstances and names of these individuals is unavailable - but both were traumatic injuries, probably associated with a snow machine accident.

In other news, a Homer snowmachiner has been found... This appears to be a natural death as the individual was prepared for the conditions. Condolences to his family.

Alaska's Sustainable Stars -- Igiugig

2009-04-11T20:41:00.009-08:00

Igiugig is a tiny town of 50 -- that recycles waste, feeds chickens food scraps for eggs, and is looking to heat a greenhouse with waste heat from the village incinerator. 2008 represented the first harvest of potatoes for the community - a moment that essentially marked the infancy of agriculture in the community. I suspect if we shipped them a few goats and cows, they'd quickly have a dairy running!

Education is a top priority for the community. In 2008, the Igiugig School was awarded the Alaska Performance Incentive Award - basically, extra cash for doing an outstanding job. In 2007, the village found money to send students to Costa Rica - helping them to see beyond the boundaries of their village. Graduates are doing important work throughout our state.

Sport-fishing tourism provides cash-flow, with the village working to welcome visitors. Fuel oil is used for electrical generation, but the village is looking to do away with that import too -- by using an in-stream generator in the Kvichak River.

Most of this work has been done without federal or state assistance - the result of a hard-working group of individuals committed to their town. A vibrant, wonderful spot in the bush Igiugig is a small-scale model for other native communities.

Federal Jobs versus Contracted Jobs

2009-04-11T18:12:00.013-08:00

On March 4th, President Obama issued a memorandum to the heads of all agencies directing them to re-look the contracting out of essential government services. Specifically, the memorandum directs agencies to evaluate the true costs of no-bid contracts, whether contracts are competitively bid, and whether the tasks that are specified in the scope of work are governmental in nature - and should be done by federal employees instead. This memorandum has serious implications for Alaska.

Since the Bush I and Clinton administrations, the contracting out of government services has been moving ahead full steam. Known as A-76, agencies were required to openly compete work done by federal employees with private companies. Only work that was non-governmental could be contracted out. Governmental work -- such as awarding contracts or making decisions on behalf of the government - could not be contracted. Nonetheless, the guidelines as to what tasks were non-governmental seemed to expand every year. More and more agencies replaced life-long federal employees with contractors. By 9/11 and the Iraq war, overseas logistics operations were being handled by Haliburton -- instead of Department of Defense employees. Security was done by Blackwater - instead of using Soldiers and Marines. Power generation and distribution on Army bases was sold to private companies such as Doyon. What began as an effort to save money by contracting tasks such as janitorial work or grounds-keeping mutated into significant government operations run entirely by contractors. As politicians complained about the growing of government, the number of federal employees actually decreased 34% -- from a high of 6,416,000 employees in 1967 to a 4,206,000 employees in 2008 while the number of contractors exploded.

During the 1990s and 200s, A-76 studies appeared across the nation, including Alaska. Most maintenance and repair on our three Army posts -- Fort Greely, Fort Richardson, and Fort Wainwright -- is now performed by contract. Other agencies in Alaska -- the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Federal courts, etc -- had fewer of these studies but were not entirely immune. Government employees generally lost the bids - not because they were inefficient -- but rather because they were too busy doing their jobs to focus on preparing bid packages. It was also harder for government contractors - with known costs -- to cook the books. As a result, contractors appeared everywhere. Once they won the bids, contractors were there to stay regardless of their costs. These contractors then contributed substantially to political campaigns which further strengthened their influence and ability to seek government work.

No-bid contracts, antithetical to the need for cost-efficiency and often awarded out of public view, became commonplace. Native Corporations represent a large portion of this contracted work. Using these corporations is attractive to contract administrators because they can be awarded with little to no bidding. Native contractors operate large portions of the Missile Base on Fort Greely, for example. Competing contractors have complained loudly about these no-bid contracts, citing them as unfair. Other competing contractors have simply partnered with Native Corporations as their only way to get work. Ted Stevens, as most know, was a strong proponent of these contracts.

Contracting out government services was thought to increase efficiency and effectiveness -- replacing what were thought to be "lazy" "overpaid" government employees. Instead, loyal employees were often replaced with a revolving door of cheaply paid employees with little incentive to make government work a career. Contract managers and contract inspectors - responsible for ensuring that the work was actually completed -- were overwhelmed and often signed off on work without a full inspection. Honest contractors did the work they were paid for; many others did not. Where government employees could have been directed to do work at any hour without paperwork, contractors had to be directed in writing to perform tasks, under the supervision of a contract manager. No longer could employees simply do work where it was needed. It had to be identified by a government employee first. The promise of efficiency proved to be overblown - and costs escalated. Project costs exploded far beyond customary local costs.

In December 2000, there were close to 13,000 federal employees in Alaska. In 2005, there were 10,896 federal employees. Alaska has seen the number of federal employees shrink significantly since contracting efforts began -- in spite of expanded operations at Fort Wainwright, Fort Greely, and the opening of new offices for other agencies. This may change. Under Obama, federal employment promises to be on the upswing. No bid contracts seem to be on their way out. Inherently government functions -- like launching missiles -- will be under government employee control again.

What are the implications of this change? Workers at National Parks and Army posts will probably see better pay and benefits. Managers at these locations will no longer be paying a middle man to supervise their employees -- and will be able once again to directly supervise their workers. More federal employees will likely be hired. Fewer contract managers will be needed. Federal employees are more likely to stay in their jobs -stabilizing their communities. Often, these employees work for the government because they care about its mission, improving quality of service. On the flip side, Native Corporations will see their profits drop. The next few years definitely promises to be interesting for federal employees and contractors in Alaska.

Some Alaska Greenhouse Links

2009-04-11T13:03:00.004-08:00

For those of you with Spring fever, here are some good greenhouse links:

-- A cheap greenhouse made from PVC, plastic and treated lumber. Probably not so good in windy areas and should be taken down before winter.

-- The Alaska Cooperative Extension Greenhouse Guide (pdf file)

-- A "bioshelter" in Anchorage -- Youtube video -- featuring greywater reuse.

-- Alaska Structures -- professionally built greenhouses

-- Linden Staciokas' tips on greenhouse gardening on Northerngardening.com.

-- A geodesic greenhouse dome in Homer

Keep in mind when choosing a greenhouse your climate. The colder and windier your area gets, the more damage any plastics in the structure will receive during the winter. Many greenhouses, such as the inexpensive kits sold by Sam's Club or at Alaska Industrial Hardware, should be taken down in the fall.

2009-04-11T11:26:00.002-08:00

Prosecutorial Cold Feet

2009-04-11T08:39:00.006-08:00

This article from Foxnews talks about the effects of killing the investigation of Ted Stevens. While many rejoice at the salvation of their favorite senator, the long term effects on our justice system could be significant. Has someone in power once again writhed out of due-process? Will prosecutors be less likely to pursue these cases?