Ag Happenings Around Homer
Sunday, May 19th: Homer Garden Club Meeting, 2:00 - 4:00 pm, Best Western Bidarka Inn. Hear noted Alaskan teacher, Paul Marmora as he demonstrates the art of bonsai. Paul will illustrate how to prune a tree found in Alaska and how to modify it to exhibit the Bonsai principles of harmony, peace, order of thoughts, and balance.
Tuesday, May 21st: NRCS Tensiometers Installation Demonstration, 2:00- 4:00 pm, at the Kenai Peninsula Food Bank, 33955 Community College Drive in Soldotna.
Learn about tensiometers as an irrigation management technique for your property and watch NRCS demonstrate how to install them. This is a follow up to the January workshop Tensiometers and Irrigation Water Management. Led by NRCS Soil Conservationist and plant-water relations expert Dave Ianson and NRCS Kenai engineer and irrigation water management enthusiast Alicia Greene. To RSVP contact Alicia: Alicia.Greene@ak.usda.gov
Saturday, May 25th: Homer Garden Club Annual Plant Sale, 11:00 am - 1:00 pm, Homer Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center.
Saturday May 25th: Homer Farmers Market Opening day! 10:00 am - 3:00 pm. Celebrating their 20th year! The market will be open Saturdays 10:00-3:00 and Wednesdays (starting May 29th) 2:00- 5:00 pm. Fun events at the market include:
- June 1st Homer Steps Up! 2019 End of Challenge Party
- June 29th Market Jammie Jam with music by the Kenai Peninsula Brass Band, 1 pm
- July 27th Market Jammie Jam III with music by the Kenai Peninsula Brass Band 1 pm
Sunday, June 2nd: Spring 2019 High Tunnel Bus Tour! 9:00 am -1:00 pm, hosted by Homer Soil & Water Conservation District. Woo Hoo!
Join us on a tour of four properties along East End Rd. featuring four approaches to growing in high tunnels. Meet the producers and learn from their variety of expertise and experience with different ways to use them. Farms will feature:
* Growing fruit trees inside vs out.
* Years experience with tunnels vs new perspective.
* Growing many kinds of vegetable under one roof vs specialized crop distribution.
* Minimum till for soil microbe health and caring for individual plants.
Homer Soil & Water staff will be on board to answer your questions about soil health, and high tunnel production.
We'll travel by bus and make the ride out east fun, so RSVP soon to get your seat. Snacks provided. RSVP to nicole@homerswcd.org
The Alaska Food Hub is now OPEN for the season! Opening day was Friday, April 26th and it runs until November. Hit up their Facebook page for a discount code- available until May 20th. If you're interested in selling on the Food Hub, swing by Homer Soil & Water to pick up a packet of all the information you'll need.
The Kenai Peninsula Chapter of the Alaska Farm Bureau is not meeting in June or July so that members can enjoy fun in the sun. They will resume meetings in August, where they will discuss their booth at the State Fair.
Other Cool Things to Know About
May 15th deadline for Certified Naturally Grown's special offer to win free design services. Sign up for Certified Naturally Grown certification and you'll be entered to win free design services to create a custom banner, sign, or business cards a generous special welcome packet. If you're going to apply this spring - do it right away so you can reap these benefits! Lots of great info on their website.
Contact Abbe Lentz, Programs Coordinator: abbe@naturallygrown.org.
Alaska Farmers Market Association has produced their 1st ever Alaskan Beet statewide market newsletter- funding information, market listings and so much more. See it here.
June 3rd deadline for the Community Food Project (CFP) Grant offered by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). Application period opened 4/22/19 and closes 6/3/19. For information visit their website. You can also visit New Entry Sustainable Farming Project at https://nesfp.org/ for helpful tips and guidance on this grant from their staff and past CFP grantees.
USDA is accepting applications to help cover producers' costs for organic certification. Apply through the Farm Service Agency (FSA). For more follow this link or contact Erin Sturdivant with FSA. Application period closes October 31, 2019.
Podcast: Why Farm Research Matters. Produced by SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education). The final installation of their Our Farms, Our Future podcast series on topics like aquaponics, protecting our pollinators, advocating for sustainable agriculture, and more. Available here.
FYI: Higher limits are now available on several types of USDA Farm Loans and Microloans. Contact Erin Sturdivant at Farm Service Agency in Alaska for more: Erin.Sturdivant@ak.usda.gov
Tuesday, May 7 was Alaska Ag Day. Check out the Alaska Grown webpage and/or Facebook page to check out some of the fun from around the state.
In case you haven't seen it, the Kenai Peninsula Borough is drafting a pilot project for a new Agricultural Lands Lease Plan. In an effort to best craft this plan to meet local user needs, KPB Land Management Officer Marcus Mueller is actively seeking input, encouraging residents to view the draft plan and provide input, along with letters of interest.To view the draft plan, parcel maps and more visit https://www.kpb.us/landmgt/kpb-agriculture-initiative
Up The Road
Friday, May 17th: Farm & Food Friday, 8:30 - 9:30 am at Odie's Deli in Soldotna. Farm & Food Friday is an informal opportunity to connect with fellow farmers and farm-supporting organizations, co-sponsored by Kenai Local Food Connection.
Saturday, May 18th: Plant Sale Fundraiser for Kenai Soil & Water, 1 pm in the parking lot in front of Three Bears in Kenai. The sale will include plant starts (herbs, vegetables, and flowers), berry bushes and fruit trees, certified organic compost, baked goods and more. A portion of all proceeds will go to Kenai Soil & Water Conservation District to support local sustainable agriculture.
Keep your radar tuned for Saturday, September 14th, because it's the Harvest Moon Local Food Festival held at Soldotna Creek Park- in the heart of Soldotna. The Kenai Peninsula's biggest celebration of local food. For information about becoming a vendor, please contact Heidi Chay at kenaiswcd@gmail.com.
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