 Fairbanks
Experiment Farm
The
Fairbanks Experiment Farm, part of the Agricultural
& Forestry Experiment Station, is comprised of the Fairbanks
Experiment Farm, offices, laboratories, and greenhouses. The
farm is located on West Tanana Drive on the
UAF campus and it includes 260 acres of cropland and 50
acres of forest land for research and demonstration projects.
The Farm houses a red barn, a 65-foot high grain handling facility,
a small stationary sawmill used to cut rough lumber for farm
structures, feed mill, maintenance shop, combination greenhouse
and agronomy lab, visitors' center with a small gift shop, two
residences and several storage facilities. The Georgeson
Botanical Garden is also located on the farm.
History
- 1906:
Established by the United States Department of Agriculture
(USDA) as an Agricultural Experiment Station to conduct research
and promote agriculture in Interior Alaska
- 1922:
University of Alaska opened on a site adjacent to the USDA
Experiment Station
- 1931:
USDA Experiment Station was transferred to the University
of Alaska for use as an agricultural experiment station comparable
to those at other land-grant universities
Forest
Management
- Interior
Alaska has approximately 22.5 million acres of productive
forest lands
- Researchers
seek environmentally sound methods to diversify local and
state economies by producing high yields of quality wood products.
Research focuses on:
- Developing
forest ecosystem management
- Improving
forecasts of forest growth and yield
- Designing
cost-effective forest regeneration practices
Animal
Science
- Researchers
seek to determine nutritional characteristics of cereal grains
developed in Alaska for use in livestock diets in conjunction
with by-products from Alaska's fishing industry
Agronomy
- Research
on soil and crop management to sustain agriculture emphasizes:
- Breeding
and selecting field crops and forages adapted to high latitudes
- Enhancing
soil nitrogen in subarctic conditions by using legumes
- Reducing
pesticide use and determining alternatives for pesticides
- Developing
biological controls for plant diseases
- Assessing
how agricultural practices might impact the production of
"greenhouse" gases at northern latitudes in its
relation to global change
Resources
Management
- Integrated
research involving economics, social, and environmental impacts
in resource management includes:
- Evaluating
multiple-use land plans for research in agronomy and forestry
- Assessing
the impact of recreational activities on natural areas
- Marketing
research includes:
- Improving
marketing techniques for farmers' markets and roadside stands
using the "Alaskan
Grown" logo and program
- Using
sensory panels to determine the characteristics of, and
consumer preferences for, Alaska agricultural products
Horticulture
- Research
on horticulture--Alaska's largest agricultural industry--focuses
on:
- Improving
annual flowers, native plants, fruit crops, and woody and
herbaceous perennial ornamentals for high latitudes
- Developing
management systems for efficiently cultivating these crops
- Applying
research results on light quality, daylengths and temperature
to the greenhouse production of horticultural crops
- The
Georgeson Botanical Garden
serves as a demonstration garden for research results on
annual and perennial horticulture plants
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