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2025 Interior ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ Farm Forum

Jan. 31 - Feb. 1, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Pike’s Waterfront Lodge, Fairbanks 

Interior ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ Farm Forum Schedule

Pike's Waterfront Lodge: Friday, Jan. 31 — Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025

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Friday, Jan. 31, 2025
8 – 9 am Registration Table Open - Coffee and Tea Available
9 am Opening and Welcome

Grier Hopkins, FNSB Mayor

Brian Scoresby, AK Division of Ag

Jodie Anderson, UAF IANRE

10 am – noon Bus Leaves for Tour of Offbeet Farm (pre-registration required)
  Binkley Room Upstairs Meeting Room
10 – 11 am AFFECT Food Security – Farmer Training, Land Access, and Shared Infrastructure – Callen Christensen, Fairbanks Soil and Water Conservation District
Golden Heart Grown – Killian Felt, FEDC
IAFN & the $5.00 Challenge –Cindee Karns, Interior ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ Food Network and Mel Sikes, Fairbanks Soil and Water Conservation District
Foraker Grant Writing Workshop – Laurie Evans Dinneen,  The Foraker Group
11 am – noon Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Presentation – Heather Branfold-Faber, ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ State Vets Office
Noon – 1:30 pm Lunch and Topic Table Discussions
1:30 – 1:45 pm Break
1:45 – 2:15 pm Farmers Market Association Update – Brad St. Pierre, ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ Farmer's Market Association Flower Growers Meet and Greet
2:15 – 2:45 pm Applying for AgWest's New Producer Grant – Abby Lutmer, Heartspace Community Farm and Clay Venetis, Fairbanks Farm Access Using Ozone in the Chiller for Season Extension – Ron Illingworth, North Pole Peonies
2:45 – 3 pm Break
3 – 4 pm 5-minute Lightning Round Presentations – Farmers Update on their Farms  
4 – 4:30 pm Improving Soil Quality & Productivity – Mingchu Zhang, UAF Agricultural & Forestry Station Farm Service Agency Programs – Deb White, Farm Service Agency
4:30 – 5 pm Our High Tunnel Story: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly – April Smurda, Growing Roots Farm Foraker Grant Writing Workshop Follow-up

 

Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025
9 am

Opening and Welcome
Coffee and Tea

Fritz Wozniak, Fairbanks Farm Bureau
  Binkley Room Upstairs Meeting Room
9:30 – 10 am USDA Programs - Braden Pitcher, Natural Resources Conservation Service New Growers School – Marji Illingworth, North Pole Peonies
10 – 10:30 am Buyer's Panel – Erica Moeller from Roaming Root, Christopher Hutchquist from Coop Market and Deli, Brad Spitz from Walmart, Steve Davilla from ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ Feed, Chris Beks from North Pole Peonies
10:30 –10:45 am Break
10:45 –11:45 am 5-minute Lightning Round Presentations – Farmers Update on their Farms  
Noon – 1:30 pm Lunch and Topic Table Discussions
1:30 – 1:45 pm Break
1:45 – 2:15 pm 5-minute Lightning Round Presentations – Farmers Update on their Farms  
2:15 – 2:45 pm Planning and Starting a Farm in the Nenana Totchaket Ag Lands - Tam and Adrianna Coffey, Coffey Farm Flower Growers Meet and Greet
2:45 – 3:15 pm Farm Labor Panel Discussion: John Dart from Dart-AM Farms, Cindee Karns from IAFN, Marji Illingworth from North Pole Peonies Farm Tax Breaks – Clay Venetis, Fairbanks Farm Access
3:15 – 3:30 pm Break
3:30 – 4 pm Small Diversified Farming in ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ – Megan Schulze, Frontieress Farm Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA): Produce Safety Presentation – Heather Branvold-Faber, AK State Vets Office
4 – 4:30 pm The Cost of the Last Mile: Lessons Learned at Manley – John Dart, Dart-AM Farms Cultivating a Forest Garden: Turning Challenges into Opportunities – Zach Yates, Arctic Eden Farm
4:30 – 5 pm Wetland Regulations for Farmers – Irene Wood, Golden Heart Gardens Becoming a Producer in ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ – Kasha Ostbloom, Moosetard
5 – 7 pm After Forum Mixer with Appetizers and Drinks – Sponsored by AG West and Ursa Major Distilling

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