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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.
“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.
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/
(Anchorage, Alaska) May 2015 – The Alaska Farm Bureau announces the $5/Week Alaska Grown Challenge – a statewide campaign to increase consumer spending on Alaska Grown products with the goal of strengthening local economies and increasing Alaska’s food security.
The Kenai Peninsula Chapter of the Alaska Farm Bureau, in partnership with the Kenai Soil and Water Conservation District and several other local organizations, launched the $5/Week Alaska Grown Challenge on May 5, in honor of Alaska Agriculture Day. Now the Challenge is going statewide with the help of social media, Farm Bureau chapters and local food advocates across the state. …
Read the full press release and sign up for Challenge: http://www.alaskafb.org/take-
