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Matanuska Field Day

Thursday, July 31, 2-6 p.m 

Matanuska Experimental Farm

 

Download pdf version of the map, schedule and program

 

Program

Small Grain Research & Breeding Program Jakir Hasan 

This program is developing early-maturing, high-yielding barley, wheat, and oat varieties suited to Alaska’s climate. Researchers focus on traits like drought tolerance, rapid growth, disease resistance and grain quality. This work aims to support local farmers, reduce dependence on imported grain and promote long-term food security in the North.

 

Feeds and Feeding of Livestock in Alaska Jim Vinyard

Raising livestock in Alaska presents the challenge of having access to limited local feeds. This research aims to identify new feed ingredients that can be grown and harvested here, including Alaska seaweed, salmon meal, crab meal and novel forages.

 

Vegetable Variety Trials for Alaska Glenna Gannon & Sierra Chavez

This program grows and evaluates different fruit and vegetable varieties to understand which are best suited to Alaska’s growing conditions. Researchers look for crops that do well in cold soils and long days, among many other characteristics.

 

Cover Crop Effects on Root Maggots and Their Natural Enemies Gino Graziano

This project aims to identify how cover crops with different ratios of clover and radish affect root maggot damage on cabbage crops. 

 

Can Kelp Be Used as an Effective Fertilizer in Alaska? Erin Oliver

Kelp has the potential to act as an effective fertilizer and biostimulant. This project aims to develop a guide on how to best use kelp as a fertilizer in Alaska. Kelp harvested from Prince William Sound was dried, ground up and applied to carrot plots at a range of rates (100-5,000 lbs/acre). The effect of this fertilizer will be evaluated by assessing both soil health metrics and crop yield.

 

Soil Profile Characterization and Monitoring Caley Gasch

The soil science research program aims to characterize soil profiles and understand how soil properties change in response to different land uses across Alaska’s main agricultural regions. By analyzing soil samples for a long list of properties and collecting continuous climate data from the stations, researchers can learn how land use changes the soil ecosystem.

 

A Plant Community for Alaska Chelsea San Roman

This trial aims to establish a mixed perennial plant community via direct seeding that requires minimal labor, utilizes native or locally sourced species of plants, is attractive and is beneficial to the ecosystem. Researchers are investigating three different treatments of a custom seed mix to find the most effective methods of establishing this plant community.

Schedule

 

 

Map