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The 7th annual Harvest Moon Local Festival was another great success with 48 booths,cooking demonstrations, kids’ activities, the ever-popular Fermentation Station, live music, juggling and story-telling, the first ever Harvest Moon Pie Baking Contest and 3000+ visitors! Check out this great coverage and photo essay by Brian Mazurek at the Peninsula Clarion: https://www.peninsulaclarion.com/news/pies-produce-and-pickling/
by Victoria Petersen, Peninsula Clarion, Friday, September 14, 2018
Kenai Soil and Water Conservation District are expanding their catalog of affordable agricultural rental equipment through a charitable project that benefits both farmers and the community.
Three pieces of equipment, which includes a potato digger, a potato washer and a potato planter, were purchased with the assistance of grants from the Kenai Peninsula Foundation, the Rasmuson Foundation and Western SARE. The equipment can be rented to small-scale farmers for $25 day, plus a donation of 25 pounds of potatoes to the Kenai Peninsula Food Bank. It’s a small price to pay for equipment that could cost a single farmer thousands.
Full story: http://peninsulaclarion.com/news/2018-09-13/farm-food-bank-equipment-rental-leads-community-benefit/
Wondering what it takes to produce and sell food on the Kenai Peninsula? Join us
Saturday, Sept. 8 to tour three local farms that have met the challenge in unique ways. Meet the farmers and hear their stories: how their farms evolved, lessons learned along the way and why they are passionate about what they do. Taste a variety of Alaska Grown wines to complete the tour. This tour, sponsored by Kenai Soil & Water Conservation District and Kenai Local Food Connection, in collaboration with Alaska Farm Tours, is the special kick-off event for Harvest Moon Local Food Week, Sept. 8 – 15, 2018.
Tickets: $50, include a wine tasting at Alaska Berries. TICKETS ON SALE NOW
See the full schedule of Harvest Moon events at www.KenaiLocalFood.org.
Alaska’s Certified Weed-Free Gravel Program is a voluntary inspection program administered by the Alaska Department of Natural Resources/Plant Materials Center and carried out on the Kenai Peninsula by the Kenai Soil & Water Conservation District. The purpose of the program is to increase the availability of weed-free products to land managers working in sensitive areas to prevent the spread of invasive weeds and protect fish and wildlife habitat.
The demand for certified weed-free gravel is growing. The Kenai National Wildlife Refuge began requiring certified weed-free gravel for all construction projects within Refuge boundaries in late 2013. The US Forest Service, US Department of Transportation and BLM have also started to include weed-free provisions in their contracts. We expect demand to continue to expand as a result of large-scale highway projects slated for the Kenai Peninsula.
Getting certified is probably easier than you think. The first thing to know is that not all weeds are on the invasive list. The second is that even when invasive weeds are found, it is possible to treat them to meet certification requirements. Keep in mind that gravel has to be inspected before being moved. Certificates are good for 1 – 6 months depending on time of year and site conditions.
Certification is affordable. The annual fee of $500 includes three to four inspections and expert guidance on weed prevention and effective control measures at one site up to 5 acres. Partial-year certification is also available for short-term projects.
Be ready to bid on projects requiring certified weed-free gravel by requesting inspection early. Inspections are scheduled on a first-come-first-serve basis.
For an inspection request form and fee schedule or request information about our Certified Weed-Free Forage program, email kenaiswcd@gmail.com, or call 283-8732 x 5. To learn more about what weeds are a problem and why, visit www.kenaiweeds.org.
“Farmers & Chefs” is an occasional networking event for farmers, food professionals and anyone interested to get more local farm products on area tables. On Tuesday, Nov. 7. the discussion theme will be “lessons learned from the 2017 season.” This event is … Continue reading
Do you understand how the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) will (or will not) impact your small farm? On-farm food safety, FSMA, intentional crop planning and post-harvest handling are some of the topics to be covered in a free workshop to be held Saturday, Apr. 8, 9 am to 5 pm at Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association in Kenai. We are fortunate to have Atina Diffley of Family Farmed coming to lead the workshop, as well as a similar workshop in Homer on Apr. 7. Atina is an organic farmer, top-notch presenter and author of the 2012 award-winning memoire, Turn Here Sweet Corn: Organic Farming Works. This don’t miss event is co-sponsored by Homer Farmers Market and Homer Soil & Water Conservation District.
There is no fee to attend. Bring your own lunch. And please register at http://tinyurl.com/FamilyFarmedAK. Questions? Email Heidi at kenaiswcd@gmail.com.
Kenai Soil & Water is helping contain the spread of invasive plants through its gravel certification program in partnership with Alaska Division of Agriculture and the Alaska Plant Materials Center.
Participants in Certified Weed-Free Inspector Training conduct a mock inspection at a Soldotna gravel pit in May, 2016.
Read more here: http://peninsulaclarion.com/outdoors/refuge-notebook-smarter-management-of-invasive-plants-with-weed-free-gravel
Growing the Economy: Agriculture Flourishing on the Kenai Peninsula
By Jenny Neyman
Dec. 23, 2015 — Redoubt Reporter
When people think about the economy of the Kenai Peninsula, it’s usually oil and gas, fishing, and maybe education, health care or government. But there’s a growing trend to add another sector to that list — farming.
“These are not hobby farmers, these are hard-working folks. They are investing in infrastructure, they are buying equipment, they’re building storage, they’re building refrigeration for peonies, they’re putting up more high tunnels planting more. These folks are thinking ahead, and I think the rest of us should, as well,” said Heidi Chay, manager of the Kenai Soil and Water Conservation District, speaking at a Kenai Chamber of Commerce meeting Dec. 16.
Commercial agriculture is typically thought of on a big scale, but the Kenai Peninsula is growing its own agricultural revolution, one small operation at a time.
“Today the farms that are making headlines are the small farms under 10 acres, very likely under 5 acres,” Chay said. …
Link to the full article: https://redoubtreporter.wordpress.com/2015/12/23/growing-the-economy-agriculture-flourishing-on-kenai-peninsula/
