The Alaska Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station (AFES) is administered by the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The station includes the Fairbanks Experiment Farm, the Matanuska Experiment Farm & Extension Center and the Delta Junction field research site. The Georgeson Botanical Garden and the Reindeer Research Program are at the Fairbanks farm.
Researchers associated with the experiment station focus on creating knowledge and solving problems in agriculture, natural resources and the forest sciences. State and federal agencies, private industry, and the university sponsor and fund AFES research.
News
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Things to consider before starting a peony farm
Feb. 17, 2020Many have seen the news about the growing peony industry in Alaska and been captivated by the flowers and thought, “I should start a peony farm!” But it’s more complicated than a lot of people think. Carolyn Chapin started one of the first peony farms in Alaska (and in Fairbanks) in 2003 with Jan Hanscom. She explained, "There’s all these complex moving pieces, it’s like a jet engine. . . . but people are looking at it like it’s a bicycle.”Read article -
Sustainable agriculture conference set for Anchorage
Feb. 14, 2020The Alaska Sustainable Agriculture Conference will take place Feb. 20-22 at the BP Energy Center in Anchorage. The 15th annual conference will feature about 60 speakers on a wide range of agricultural topics, including recent research, food businesses, Rhodiola rosea production, rural farming, business planning and livestock management.Read article -
Peony industry honors researcher with Growers Cup
Feb. 5, 2020The Alaska Peony Growers Association awarded its Growers Cup to longtime University of Alaska Fairbanks researcher Bob Van Veldhuizen. Members of the statewide association honored Van Veldhuizen during its winter conference, which ended Saturday in Fairbanks. The award recognizes individuals who provide key support to the peony industry.Read article
Agroborealis Research Highlights
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Fall 2019While studying how trees take up snowmelt and rainwater, Jessie Young-Robertson noticed dramatic seasonal variations in the water content of trees, particularly in deciduous trees like birch and aspen.Read highlight -
Spring 2019Finding vegetable varieties that grow well in Alaska has been a goal of experiment stations from their earliest days. Agronomist C.C. Georgeson published his first circular that recommended vegetable varieties in 1906, a year before the Fairbanks Experiment Station and farm opened.Read highlight -
Fall 2018The village of Savoonga owns a herd of more than 3,000 reindeer, and a decreasing supply of walrus and other marine mammals has the St. Lawrence Island community thinking more about its reindeer as a source of food and employment.Read highlight
Fairbanks Experiment Farm staff have been collecting weather data since 1911.