News from Alaska Farm Bureau
August 2017
Alaska Farm Bureau News
Greetings! 
 
Mark your calendars for the 2017 Friday Forum, Awards Banquet and Annual Meeting; to be held in Homer at Land's End on November 3-4, 2017. Book your room by calling 907-235-0400 Ext 1 and reference the Alaska Farm Bureau to receive the group discount.
 
We are SUPER excited to announce that we'll be joined by American Farm Bureau Federation President, "Zippy" Duvall! Zippy Duvall is a third-generation farmer from Georgia. In addition to a 400-head beef cow herd for which he grows his own hay, Duvall and his wife, Bonnie, also grow more than 750,000 broilers per year.

Along with our Friday Forum and Annual Meeting, the Alaska Farm Bureau holds an auction to support our Bruce Willard Scholarship Fund. During the day on Friday is the silent auction, with an outcry auction Friday night at the Awards Banquet. We are so thankful for all the donations we receive for the auction! We are able to provide two scholarships in the amount of $2000.00 each year to students going into agriculture or natural resources fields. We are asking for donations for the 2017 Bruce Willard Scholarship Auction. You can send items to the Alaska Farm Bureau office at 37075 Nicholas View Lane, Soldotna, AK 99669, bring the items with you to the Friday Forum, or if it's a large item, provide a certificate.
 
General members who want to participate in voting for directors or at the Annual Meeting need to make sure their dues are current. If you're not sure, contact Amy at 907-252-5064 or amy.seitz@gmail.com.

Cheers!


Amy Seitz, Executive Director

37075 Nicholas View Lane
Soldotna, AK 99669 
907-252-5064 






PS. Do you still need to renew your Farm Bureau membership this year? Or, have you been meaning to join and just haven't gotten around to it? Join/renew on our website -  AlaskaFB.org

Wanted
YOUR NOMINATIONS FOR LEGISLATOR OF THE YEAR AND AG APPRECIATION AWARDS
 
The Ag Appreciation Award will honor your neighbor who is exceptional in their service to agriculture and the farmers and ranchers in Alaska.  
 
The Legislator of the Year Award is to honor a Representative or Senator who has made a significant contribution to the advancement, promotion, or protection of agricultural producers in the state.
 
The deadline to nominate is September 15th. The nomination process is not a formal one as there are no applications or forms to complete.  Just send an e-mail or a note with the person's name and a brief description of why you think they should be honored.  Send your nominations to the Alaska Farm Bureau's office at 37075 Nicholas View Lane, Soldotna, AK 99669 or e-mail it to amy.seitz@gmail.com
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FARM BUREAU BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELECTION
 
It's that time of year! Time to nominate someone to represent your chapter on the Alaska Farm Bureau's Board of Directors.   You will be receiving your Nomination Petition in the mail. Complete the petition with the name and address of the person you wish to nominate to represent your chapter on the Board of Directors. 

Two General Members who have their 2017 dues paid must sign the nomination petition.  The petition must also be signed by the person nominated indicating that they agree to serve if elected.  The person nominated must be a General Member and have their 2017 dues paid.  A General Member is actively engaged in agriculture or mariculture.
 
Nominating petitions must be received or postmarked by September 15th. They are sent to the Alaska Farm Bureau Office at 37075 Nicholas View Lane, Soldotna, AK 99669.  Ballots will be mailed to eligible voters by October 1st. 

Members of the Kodiak Farm Bureau Chapter will not be participating in the election process this year as their Director; Lorne White's term of office does not expire until 2018.
Alaska Farm Bureau
Photography Contest
 
I hope you had your camera with you this summer! Now it's time to submit those photos for the Alaska Farm Bureau Photo Contest!
 
The contest is open to every member and their children.  
 
There are three categories:  
  1. Farm Animals
  2. Farm Scenery
  3. Country Children
A $100 first prize will be awarded in each category. Those attending the Friday Forum and Annual Meeting will select the "People's Choice" from among all the photographs entered. That winner will also be awarded $100.
 
Photographs will be judged on the following criteria: creativity, originality and human interest.  
 
The photographs should be digital and e-mailed to AKFB executive director Amy Seitz at amy.seitz@gmail.com .
 
Photos can also be mailed to 37075 Nicholas View Lane, Soldotna, AK 99669.   
 
The deadline is October 1st.  
 
Copies of the photographs may be used by the Alaska Farm Bureau to promote agriculture in our membership brochures, website and Facebook. Credit will be given to the photographer if their photo is used.
USDA Program helps Offset Transportation Costs for Farmers and Ranchers in Alaska
 
The Reimbursement Transportation Cost Payment Program (RTCP) for fiscal year 2017 began on July 17, 2017, and will end on Sept. 8, 2017.
 
The 2014 Farm Bill reauthorized RTCP, which offsets a portion of the costs of transporting agricultural products over long distances. The program allows farmers and ranchers in Alaska, Hawaii and insular areas including the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, Virgin Islands of the United States, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands and Republic of Palau, to recover any transportation costs.
 
This program helps U.S. farmers and ranchers outside the 48 contiguous states who are at a competitive disadvantage when transporting agriculture products to market.
 
RTCP payments are calculated based on the costs incurred for transportation of the agricultural commodity or inputs during a fiscal year, subject to an $8,000 per producer cap per fiscal year. In the event that claims for payments exceed the funds available from the program for a fiscal year, payments will be reduced on a pro-rata basis.
 
For more information on RTCP, farmers and ranchers in the eligible areas can visit their administrative FSA county office or the FSA website at www.fsa.usda.gov/pricesupport . To find your local FSA county office, visit  http://offices.usda.gov  or  www.fsa.usda.gov/ak .
 
The Reimbursement Transportation Cost Payment Program (RTCP) for Geographically Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers  fact sheet .
 
RTCP Signup Form  FSA-218 .
Vertical Harvest Hydroponics
Expanding Product Lines
 
Vertical Harvest Hydroponics, Entrepreneur of the Year for the 2017 AFBF Rural Entrepreneurship Challenge, is expanding their product line! Complimenting their existing product line and bringing commercial growing techniques to consumers.  
 
VHH, has developed cabinet-style hydroponic growing systems for home and business use.

Photos provided by Linda Janes with Vertical Harvest Hydroponics
 
Grow all the fresh greens your family needs with their 60 plant home garden or get their 90 plant commercial indoor garden and delight your customers with beautiful greens!  
 
Checkout their website, verticalharvesthydroponics.com , to learn more.
Board of Game Prop 64:
Removal of Sheep and Goats from the Clean List
 
In 2016, the Wild Sheep Foundation proposed amending a regulation that would remove domestic sheep and goats from the 'clean list' and add permit requirements for sheep and goat owners and fencing requirements for those within 15 air miles of Dall sheep habitat. This proposal was known as "Prop 90," the proposal was postponed at the 2016 Board of Game meeting after significant outcry by the public and others citing a lack of authority to regulate domestic animals (under authority of DEC) and the lack of any information that would demonstrate that wild sheep populations are at risk of contracting pathogens from domestic species. 

Proposal 64 is the new number for this proposal and is scheduled to be brought back up at the Board of Game's statewide meeting November 10-17, 2017 at The Lakefront in Anchorage.

The Board of Game is accepting public comments on proposals through October 27th. You can find information on this proposal, and others, as well as information on submitting comments here.
Alaska's Youth Learning about Agriculture
 
In its third year, the Alaska Farm Bureau's Agriculture Education Mini-Grant continues to provide assistance to organizations and individuals educating youth on agriculture in Alaska. We are excited at the variety of projects and the outreach through "train the trainer" programs as well as hands on experience for youth.

Thank you to all
Previous grant recipients: Calypso Farm and Ecology Center
applicants for seeing the importance of bringing agriculture to our youth, and congratulations to this year's recipients:   

Alaska Ag in the Classroom
will be developing a series of lesson plans on practical and affordable year round indoor gardening techniques for classrooms. They will also offer educator workshops to reach Alaska's teachers, students and communities with information and education about Alaska's agricultural industry.  
 
Covenant House serves homeless, trafficked and at-risk youth that have little connection to their food sources and lack a good understanding of proper nutrition and health. The Plant Your Future agriculture education project will allow homeless youth residing at CHA's Youth Engagement Center to create a youth-run 200 sq. ft. urban garden on-site at the YEC shelter courtyard. The overall goal is to introduce homeless youth to how their food is sourced and to increase general agricultural knowledge, particularly on how agriculture works in Alaska. Other goals would be to increase their appreciation of farming, to learn more about horticultural science, to learn gardening skills, to expose them to agriculture as a potential career and to allow them to experience the therapeutic benefits of farming. Finally, youth will learn about garden-based nutrition and how a "seed-to-plate" program works. Youth will ultimately benefit from the nutritional value of the garden as harvested vegetables will be used in the meals at the Covenant House shelter.
 
Previous grant recipient: Alaska FFA Association
 
Alaska FFA is hoping to grow high school agriculture education programs in Alaska, the four Alaska FFA officers will travel to all the current agriculture and natural resource programs in the state and provide leadership training to approximately 300 members. This program will provide leadership training as well as agriculture related skills and knowledge to chapter members. A major goal aims to continue to grow FFA and educate students about opportunities for a successful career in agriculture and natural resources.  
 
Dena'ina & Goose Bay Elementary will provide an opportunity for kindergarten students to experience poultry production first-hand. Specifically; increase student's knowledge of how a chick develops from fertilized embryo to hatched chick, learn about the conditions required for eggs to hatch (incubator, turning of the eggs, appropriate temperature and humidity), learn to candle an egg to determine if it is fertilized or not, and how to care for a baby chick once it has hatched.
 
Thorne Bay School in the Southeast Island School District will be working with students to create a fully functional fiber harvesting business involving live animals. The chosen breed would be Angora Rabbits which can have their fur humanely harvested and processed for sale and are small enough to require less space than a sheep. Students would need to create a business plan involving the purchase of pellets and fresh hay and take into account the added expense of living on an island where items must be shipped to. Students would also be responsible for caring for all the animals, properly harvesting the fiber, spinning the fiber, and selling it as yarn or as a finished product.
 
Tanana District Livestock Committee is committed to providing exceptional leadership and educational opportunities to the 4-H and FFA members in the Interior. A major goal for 2017-2018 is expanding the meat quality assurance program into our market program. Through such national certifications as Beef Quality Assurance and Pork Quality Assurance, we strive to provide our youth the best opportunity to learn and grow as responsible members of the Agricultural Community. We would be able to help cover the cost to bring an expert on quality assurance and meat science to the interior. Sarah Baker is an extension agent with the University of Idaho and specializes in cattle management and meat science. She has a bachelor's degree in range management from the University of Idaho and a master's degree in Meat Science from there as well. She is willing to come to Alaska and teach a multitude of classes including a train the trainer course in Beef quality assurance and teach meat quality and meat science classes to the 4-H and FFA members as well as the general public.
 
At Kodiak Heritage Farms, part of Kodiak Baptist Mission, we are diligently working to raise a generation of educated youth in the area of Alaskan farming. We are daily transforming our 32 acre campus to serve as a training ground toward these efforts. Thanks in part to the Alaska Farm Bureau Grant of 2016 we have doubled our farm program and will be offering twice as many camps this coming summer. We are also piloting a farm after school program, daily visits from four preschool classes and a "parent and me" farm introduction class. We are excited to take the next step in educating our youth on where their food comes from by beginning a teaching kitchen . This will be a place for our next generation farmers to be active participants in watching their food, which they have had a hand in caring for, planting and harvesting be transformed into healthy meals. We hope to inspire these young people and their families by creating a community climate that values our local farmers and instills the importance of working hard for our food and seeing the direct affect it can have on their lives and their health.
Events
 
September 8: Deadline to enroll in the Reimbursement Transportation Cost Payment Program.
 
September 15: Deadline to submit nomination forms for chapter directors.  
 
September 15: Deadline to submit nominations for Legislator of the Year and Agriculture Appreciation Award. Send nominations to amy.seitz@gmail.com. 
 
October 1: Deadline to submit photo's for Alaska Farm Bureau's photo contest. Photo's submitted to amy.seitz@gmail.com. 
 
November 3-4: Alaska Farm Bureau Friday Forum, Awards Banquet & Annual Meeting. Lands' End in Homer, AK.
 
November 3-4: Alaska Food Policy Council Festival & Conference. Pike's Waterfront Lodge in Fairbanks, AK.
Member Benefits
View All Benefits Here  
 
 
DEEP DISCOUNTS AND FREE SHIPPING ON ALL GRAINGER ORDERS  
   
Alaska Farm
Bureau members get deep discounts on all equipment and supplies and enjoy free standard ground shipping when they order catalog items
  online, over the phone, or at their Grainger branch*.
 
 
Farm Bureau members receive even deeper discounts on the following categories:
 
To get the Farm Bureau discounts, always reference the Alaska Farm Bureau organization account number when submitting an order. Call 907-252-5064 to get access to the Alaska Farm Bureau Grainger account number. Get started with your price savings using one of 3 easy methods:
 
  1. Present the Alaska Farm Bureau organization account number at time of purchase;
  2. Go to https://www.grainger.com/content/farmbureau to establish a new Grainger.com® account using that account number; or
  3. Call Grainger customer service at 877-620-2852 to update your existing Grainger account with the Farm Bureau organization account number.
  
To be sure you get your Farm Bureau discount, always reference Alaska Farm Bureau's organization account number when visiting your local branch, ordering over the phone, or setting up your online account. If you have questions or need assistance, please call 907-252-5064.

*FREE standard shipping* on all orders shipped ground transportation. Other freight charges will be incurred for services such as expedited delivery, special handling by the carrier, sourcing orders and shipments outside the continental United States. 
  
Join the Alaska Farm Bureau for only $40 per year and your dollars will go to support our mission of improving the economic well-being and expansion of agriculture and to enrich the quality of life for all Alaskans.
 
 

Classified Ads 

Pig Farrowers Wanted : Help grow the Alaska grown livestock industry! Looking for someone to farrow pigs on a commercial scale. If you're interested in this, contact Greg Giannulis at 907-696-1888.   

 
  80 Acre Farm: Farm for sale in Two Rivers, Alaska. $480,000-$520,000 depending on financing- owner financing available. 30 acres brome hay, 2 acres peonies,2 acres vegetables, 3 high tunnels, small barn, unfinished shop, 30 year old unfinished log house, well, septic, electricity. Contact Joni at 907-488-9202
 
Green Bison Hides:
Scraped, salted, dried and folded green bison hides for sale. Ready for tanning. $150.00 each. Contact Scott Hollembaek @ 907-895-4715

Hay For Sale: Brome Hay in 500# round bales available near Delta Junction. Have nutrient contents available on request. Call 907-378-6334 to arrange a time for loading onto your trailer. Housing is also available if traveling long distance.  Call the above number for housing. Any questions and price, call 907-518-4244 or 907-723-1132.

Straw Bales Wanted: Truck load of square straw bales wanted. Please give a quote including delivery. Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. Discounts and donations are 100% tax deductible. Contact Mike Miller at 907-301-7942

All Natural Beef: Locally grown, all natural, grass fed, Delta Barley finished, Black Angus beef for sale. $3.85/lb. dressed. Available in whole or halves from Mugrage Hay & Cattle. Call 907-895-2072 or 308-362-9060

Goats Supply, Excellent Breeds Available: We have excellent breeds of many goat species, we have breeding pairs available. We currently have goats which are in milk, kids are ready to breed. Our goats have excellent milk and show lines. Various species we have: Nubian, Nigerian Dwarf, Pygmy, Alpine, Pygora, Kinder, Angora, LaMancha, Toggenburg, Boer, Kiko, Brush goats, Tennessee Fainting Goat. Contact Jackson at 802-729-0326
 
100% Alaska Grown Wine: Alaska Berries, located near Soldotna, is the first and only Estate winery in Alaska. An estate winery is one that grows ALL of its fruit used in its wine. Our business hours are Wed - Sun from 2:00 to 7:00pm. Come visit our tasting room and sample our wines before you buy. At this time we are not shipping wine. Contact Brian Olson, 907-252-8511
 
Goats for Sale: We are proud breeders of excellent quality, standard size breeds; Alpine, Lamancha, Nubian, Oberhasle, Saanen, Sable, Toggenburg, Boer and the Nigerian Dwarf goats. These are healthy goats with good feet and are easy to handle. They respect goat netting fences and do not jump. Each animal has its own file with full treatment record. Ongoing support can be provided for people who are new to goats. These are very good quality goats. Call or PM Jerry @ (503) 506-7826
 
Looking for Land to Lease for Cattle Grazing: Top dollars paid for land to lease suitable to graze cattle. Minimum acreage 40 acres. On the Kenai Peninsula. Please contact Robert Gibson at 907-598-2000 
 
We Buy Berries: Bear Creek Winery is family owned and operated and we are a farm to table operation. Our award winning wines are so popular that we cannot grow enough berries to keep up with demand, so we also buy berries from local farmers. Please keep us in mind if you are thinking of growing or need a buyer for any of the following crops: Raspberries, Black Currants, Gooseberries, Strawberries, Apples, and Blueberries.
Contact Louis at 907-235-8484
  
Locally Grown Food Wanted: The center for Alaskan Coastal Studies hosts a number of camps and overnight programs at our Peterson Bay Field Station throughout the course of the summer. We provide meals for participants during the programs and would like to source more of our food locally and sustainably. The Center is a 501 © (3) environmental education organization in Homer. It was established in 1982. E-mail Melanie@akcoastalstudies.org for more information. Telephone: 907-235-6667.
Alaska Farm Bureau
37075 Nicholas View Lane 
Soldotna, AK 99669

Call  907-252-5064 or send an  e-mail to:  amy.seitz@gmail.com
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