I saw some snow buntings driving back from Palmer the other day: my personal litmus test.
I’ve heard it said that Alaska has four seasons: winter, winter, winter and summer.
I'm more of the mindset that we have six: winter then breakup then mud season followed by spring, summer and fall.
Most Alaskans are thinking about getting ready for spring- prepping our gardens, purchasing seeds, cleaning up the greenhouse.
If you are doing livestock, pens will need tended to, chicken coops mucked out.
Maybe thinking about getting or hatching some new chicks? Getting some snow pushed off the garden?
There are other like minded people out there. Here is a great resource.
The state of Alaska has seven different farm bureaus: Fairbanks, Delta Junction, Anchorage, Mat-Su Valley, South Kenai, North Kenai and Kodiak.
The State Farm Bureau has established different commodity groups.
There is one representative from each area on each different commodity group.
The commodities are as follows: apiculture (fancy word for beekeeping); hay and feed; floriculture (Another fancy word- flowers); medicinal herbs; livestock; hemp (I'm not touching that one); YFR-Young farmers and ranchers, a program for 18 to 35-year-olds it's a great program to help younger people.
These commodity groups are looking for ways to help Alaskans build our industries and work together to help create sustainability, promote agriculture, livestock and beekeeping, and try to help all Alaskans with best practices.
These meetings are open to everyone and as time goes on at least the group I'm involved with wants to help others members in our industry become better at what we do in an environment that is not very forgiving.
Anyway I'm the guy representing beekeepers for our local farm bureau. Coincidentally I was the only beekeeper in the Copper River valley on the farm bureau at the time. So not a lot to choose from.
Our local farm bureau and soil and water hold meetings at 6:30 on the first Wednesday of the month at the Kenny Lake Community League building. It's also zoomed if you can't attend in person. These are open meetings, anyone can attend.
Also the state has been working on the local area plan for something like 30-40 years.
Several local groups have been involved with that over the years recently the state announced the plan was done and would be released shortly.
I'm not going into a lot of details here, that's another topic I just wanted to touch base on it as the soil and water board has worked extensively on trying to get more land allocated for agriculture and ranching in our valley.
Another perk of being a member of the soil and water and/or the farm bureau is they have seeding equipment for planting gardens or fields. Also chick incubators and brood boxes, honey extractor, bottling tanks, honey uncapping tank and the specialty tools.
Our local farm bureau chapter has a 50% membership drive right now for interested parties.
For more information and contacts:
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