SEASON II: Introduction

SEASON II: INTRODUCTION

“We may be the breadbasket of the nation someday...I’d like to be on the forefront of that.”

— Scott Mugrage, Mugrage Hay & Cattle, Delta Junction, Alaska

EPISODE NOTES

It’s a grey morning in early March. I’m curled up by the window inside my cabin in McCarthy, Alaska, miles and miles from a grocery store or a restaurant or many other markers of modern American life. Across the room, the wood stove pumps.

We’ve had the coldest winter since I first moved here five years ago. Some community members who’ve been here far longer said they hadn’t seen those kinds of sustained cold temperatures in a long time.

It’s been refreshing, in a way. Especially after a particularly hot summer that felt a lot like climate change in action. It was scary. Wildfires hit places that are usually soaked in rain. Things felt on edge here, like they might explode at any moment.

Outside the cabin, tiny snow flurries dot the air. A couple feet of packed snow covers the forest floor, but the spruce trees stand naked, a reminder that things aren’t exactly back to normal. The trees shed the snow from their branches a few weeks ago after a warm spell. The river broke too.

The glacially-fed Kennicott River has been breaking mid-winter for the last few years. (Erin McKinstry / February 2020)

The glacier’s been doing that the last few years, letting go of a rush of water in the middle of winter. The frozen rivers are no longer reliable highways, which can spell trouble for subsistence activities. Things are changing all over Alaska. And that means good and bad things for all kinds of industries, including agriculture.

Mike Emers has been farming outside Fairbanks since 1997.

“Yeah, it's a big gamble farming,” Emers said. “but it’s gotten less so with the changing climate.”

Mike Emers stands in a field of marijuana at his farm outside Fairbanks, Alaska. He transitioned from growing vegetables to growing pot following legalization in the state. (Erin McKinstry / July 2019)

On season two of Out Here: Alaska agriculture and what climate change could mean for its future. Maybe, you didn’t even know you could grow things in Alaska. Here you’ll meet some of the innovative people giving it a go.

Growing here is no easy task. To make space for gardening, most people have to clear their own land and mix their own soil. I have no earthworms, no garden supply store, no tap to turn to water the garden in a mercilessly hot and dry July. 

And I’m just doing it for myself. What if you’re chasing a farming dream here, that somewhat romantic notion that we can work the land locally and provide for our community instead of using massive amounts of energy acquiring food from far away places? In Alaska, that means investing time and money into a business venture that’s risky in places with better infrastructure and a more hospitable climate. Starting out can be a bit nerve-racking, said Sally Boisvert, who farms outside the southeast Alaska town of Haines.

 “It was a challenge at first thinking, oh my gosh, I’ve done all this work clearing this land, will anyone want any vegetables?” Boisvert said.

Sally Boisvert and her two young children enter one of several high tunnels on her farm outside of Haines, Alaska. During the summer months, Boisvert runs the farm alone while her husband fishes. (Erin McKinstry / August 2019)

And then there’s the knowledge. I didn’t grow up with a big vegetable patch in the backyard, and I didn’t grow up in Alaska. Neither did Boisvert, although she did come to the state with agricultural experience. Still, it was a challenge.

“Then the challenge became, okay, let’s figure out how to grow things at 60 degrees North latitude, which is very different from 45 degrees North, which is where I’d been farming previously in Maine,” she said.

Yes, the long summer days can mean giant heads of cabbage and a fast turnover for certain vegetables. But Alaska’s growing season is also short and full of unpredictable and extreme weather patterns. That’s something that only seems to have gotten worse in recent years, says farmer Tenley Nelson, who lives about 50 miles down the road from me.

 “I think it’s the unstableness of the weather that’s the most frustrating. Too much rain, then no rain at all. Too hot,” Nelson said.

Tenley Nelson feeds her chickens at her farm in Strelna, Alaska. Nelson began advertising her produce for the first time last year. (Erin McKinstry / September 2019)

But despite the challenges—known and unknown--I’m not alone in my gardening adventures here. It’s almost a given that you have some sort of garden in and around McCarthy, even if it’s just full of greens. There’s no big grocery store, and no local farmer’s market either.

“You can't buy organic garlic anywhere. You can't drive anywhere within five hours and get that product,” Nelson said. “But I can grow it and share it a little bit.”

Some of Tenley Nelson’s garlic harvest for the summer of 2019. (Erin McKinstry / September 2019)

Some places in Alaska aren’t as removed from food supply chains, but most food is still coming up on a barge from faraway places. And that leads to something that gets talked about quite a bit in Alaska: food security. It’s something many of the farmers I talked to brought up.

Alaskans are an independent bunch. Many provide for themselves whenever they can. The Alaska Native tradition of subsistence is strong: hunting, fishing, foraging, berry picking. The homesteading tradition is strong too: raising chickens, growing and canning food, making a weekly loaf of sourdough, that kind of stuff.

And then there’s the tradition of farming, where people feed themselves and their neighbors. It’s never been huge compared to regions like the Midwest, but it has been persistent. Some farmers even dream of feeding the rest of the country someday, like Scott Mugrage, a cattle rancher in Delta Junction, the once planned hub of a barley export industry.

 “We may be the breadbasket of nation someday,” Mugrage said. “With the storm challenges and things going on in the lower 48 anymore, you know, and we very well have the potential to do that here, I think. And so, I’d like to be on the forefront of that.”

Scott Mugrage looks out on a field at his cattle ranch and farm near Delta Junction, Alaska. Mugrage and his son moved up from the Midwest after finding their land on the internet. (Erin McKinstry / July 2019)

Welcome to Season Two of Out Here, a podcast about life in rural Alaska. Here you’ll get some of the complicated story of Alaska agriculture from the perspective of Alaska farmers. It’s a story full of failure and innovation, one that defies stereotypes and looks quite a bit different from the mono-crop agriculture that dominates the lower 48.

We’ll fly to the Arctic to meet an Iñupiat woman who’s mixing Western agriculture with Native traditions. We’ll meet an apple grower, a cattle rancher and a seed grower. And we’ll talk about where we’ve been, where we’re going and what climate change could mean for farming here. 

 Maybe, by the end of it, you’ll want to plant something too.

Stay tuned and stay persistent. 

Music from Blue Dot Sessions: Vibrant Canopy, Moon Bicycle Theme, Vela-Vela, Wistful / Featuring Mike Emers of Rosie Creek Farm, Kevin Irvin of Sundog Orchard, Rainey Nasuġraq Hopson of Gardens in the Arctic, Leah Wagner of Foundroot, Ina Jones of Alaska Homestead Peonies, Sally Boisvert of Four Winds Farm, Tenley Nelson of Wood Frog Farm, Scott & Justin Mugrage of Mugrage Cattle & Hay, Brian Olson of Alaska Berries, Pete & Lynn Mayo of Spinach Creek Farm and Rita Jo Shoultz of Alaska Perfect Peony / Financial Assistance from the Rasmuson Foundation

II.I CLEARING LAND

EPISODE I: CLEARING LAND

“It was a challenge at first thinking, I’ve done all this work clearing this land. Will anyone want any vegetables?”

— Sally Boisvert, Four Winds Farm, Mosquito Lake, AK

EPISODE NOTES

Last summer, I had a pretty difficult gardening moment. It was just before summer solstice, so my plants had been in the ground for a few weeks already.  I got home from work after an 11-hour shift. It was dark, and I was exhausted. All I wanted to do was make dinner and go to bed. But, the responsible voice in the back of my head was like: you need to go water your garden. 

So, down to the garden I went, and at first, I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.  Probably because it was dark. But when I got to the cabbage and broccoli, I stopped because the tops were missing, the soil was disturbed and several of the tender transplants had been uprooted from their homes and discarded like unwanted toys. I started crying. I couldn’t help it. 

I’d nursed the plants from seed since April, helping them overcome a mysterious illness and dancing them around the room for maximum sunlight. And now, all of that time and energy was for nothing. Most of them were damaged beyond repair. I built a fence in the spring to prevent this exact scenario. But what I didn’t think about is that a moose, with all of its gangly grace, could hop right over the top. 

The sinking feeling lasted through the night, but I realized pretty quickly there wasn’t much I could do but keep trying. All of this to say that carving cultivation space out here in the wilderness takes persistence and will inevitably break your heart at some point.

“If you're a farmer, you’re a continual optimist or you wouldn't be in it,” says lifelong homesteader and farmer Ina Jones. “Nobody goes into the winter thinking, oh, next year's gonna be worse. Otherwise, you're just gonna discourage yourself, and you’re just gonna throw your hands up and go bury your head in the sand.”

Ina Jones at her peony farm outside of Homer, Alaska. (Erin McKinstry / July 2020)

On episode one, Clearing Land, we’ll meet two beginning farmers using all of the persistence and optimism they can muster to clear their own space and nudge a budding local food movement.

Where I grew up in the Midwest, farmers laid the foundation for an agricultural industry centuries ago. Nowadays, most beginning farmers just have to find farmland rather than doing the tedious work of turning forest to field.

But not so in the southeast Alaska town of Haines, where we’ll travel on this episode. The remote, end-of-the-road town is nestled between the ocean and dramatic, snow-capped peaks. It’s really beautiful, but that also means there’s a limited amount of land there. Most of what is available has to be cleared and turned into fertile ground.

There is a small history of farming in Haines that dates back to the homesteading days. It was once the strawberry capital of Alaska. But things have changed since then. Our globally-connected food system no longer has to rely on local production.

When farmer Sally Boisvert moved to Haines in 2004, she didn’t find much of agricultural scene at all.

“When originally, you know, I wanted to become a farmer someday, I thought I’d be in a place with a tradition of farming and other farmers to collaborate with,” Boisvert said. “It’s kind of like, just, figure it out.”

Sally Boisvert shows off one of the high tunnels on her farm near Haines, Alaska. When Sally and her husband bought the land for Four Winds Farm, it was covered in second-growth spruce and cottonwood. They had to clear the land themselves. “it did start as a little hole in the forest,” she said. (Erin McKinstry / August 2020)

On this episode, we’ll talk with Sally and farmer Leah Wagner about starting from scratch, like really from scratch. We’ll hear the lessons farming teaches about the natural world—for children and adults. And we’ll learn about the challenges of farming in a place without a strong agricultural tradition.

“One of the biggest problems is that there’s a lack of infrastructure and a lack of access,” Wagner said.

Listen to the episode to hear more. For more photos, head here.

Leah Wagner and her husband Nick Schlosstein own Foundroot, a seed company and market garden in Haines, Alaska. She and her husband moved to Haines to start growing seeds for the company. (Erin McKinstry / August 2020)

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Music from Blue Dot Sessions: Moon Bicycle Theme, Jog to the Water, Bedroll, Feathersoft / Featuring Ina Jones of Alaska Homestead Peonies, Sally Boisvert of Four Winds Farm and Leah Wagner of Foundroot / Financial Assistance from the Rasmuson Foundation / Episode Artwork from Ian Gyori

II.III THE BREADBASKET

EPISODE III: THE BREADBASKET

“There’s so much potential for agriculture here, but there’s so little agriculture.”

— Scott Mugrage, Mugrage Hay & Cattle, Delta Junction, AK

EPISODE NOTES

When I think of Alaska, I think of wilderness. Probably like most people. Snow-capped peaks, rugged glaciated landscapes, boreal forests. I don’t think of the open cropland of my Midwestern roots.  

The forest that surrounds my cabin feels untouched and wild. But in reality, somebody probably homesteaded here 100 years ago. Alaska is full of wilderness, but there’s also a long history of cultivation.  

I’m always surprised when parts of the state transport me to that Midwestern landscape of my youth. I’ve seen hay bales in open pasture. Flat fields of cover crops, tilled soil and irrigation equipment. Cattle roaming and munching on grass.  

Smoke from a wildfire rises in the distance above Mugrage Hay & Cattle. The farm and ranch is located in Delta Junction, Alaska. (Erin McKinstry / July 2019)

There are places where wind whips through fields of barley. Like the Fairbanks Experiment Farm, which opened more than a century ago. Its 260-acres are a lab for the grand experiment of Alaskan agriculture.  

“It looks like a farm. It changes as the season goes. We cut hay, we harvest the grain. The fields change. It’s just like any other farm,” farm manager Alan Tonne says. 

Farm manager Alan Tonne and University of Alaska Fairbanks researcher and professor Mingchu Zhang discuss cover crop trials at the Fairbanks Experiment Farm. The Farm opened in 1906 to test crops suitable for Alaska. (Erin McKinstry / June 2019)

He and University of Alaska Fairbanks researcher Mingchu Zhang take me through a field of crops in various stages of growth. We see barley, wheat, sunflowers, canola. They’re the kinds of crops that are usually associated with the industrial agriculture of the lower 48, not so much Alaska.  

Mingchu points to a stand of short stalks. Some are still green, but in June, others are already turning brown.  

"Here is the trial to select hard, red spring wheat that [is] suitable for Alaska,” he says.

A few Alaska farmers grow wheat on a small scale, but it’s tricky. Mingchu’s working with a breeder to develop a variety that can be grown on a large-scale during Alaska’s short season and that meets quality standards. Grain growing is of particular interest to those looking to increase Alaska’s food security, he says. Because, you can’t live on just Alaska-grown potatoes.  

“If you want to eat the potato every day…that would be the easy solution,” he said. “But [it] may not be good health, especially for children. Children need proteins. [It’s] also hard to use the potato to feed the animals.”

In contrast grains can be milled for flour and baking. You can provide essential proteins and feed animals.

Professor and researcher Mingchu Zhang stops for a photo at the Fairbanks Experiment Farm. He does everything from soil testing to teaching classes at the University of Alaska Fairbanks to fertilizer recommendations for peony farms. (Erin McKinstry / June 2019)

So far on season two, we’ve talked with people who are farming on a pretty small scale. Their operations are diversified, and they’re not looking to export their produce outside of their region. 

But that’s not the whole story of Alaskan agriculture. The state has more land and a lower population density than any other. Dreams to clear swaths of it, feed the state and export crops have come and gone over the years. On episode three, The Breadbasket, we’ll hear more about the history of those ambitions, the obstacles they’ve faced and what climate change could mean for their future.

Cattle congregate in a field at Scott Mugrage’s farm and ranch in Delta Junction. He and his son keep between 650 and 850 head of cattle and farm around 2300 acres. (Erin McKinstry / July 2019)

Then, we’ll meet a cattle rancher and farmer who’s doing his best to keep that dream alive.

"My goal’s not to be the biggest cattle producer in the state of Alaska. My goal is to change the way Alaska views agriculture,” Scott Mugrage of Mugrage Hay & Cattle says. “And make people more aware of its existence and its quality.”

Listen to the episode to hear more, and head here to see more photos.

Farmer and rancher Scott Mugrage looks out at one of his fields. He and his son farm 2300 acres. (Erin McKinstry / July 2019)

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Music: All the World is All of Us by Sam McKinstry / Lament of the Old Sourdough by Sam Dunham, sung by Paul Roseland (sourced from the Library of Congress) / Building the Sled & Glinting Giant by Blue Dot Sessions / Featuring: Alan Tonne & Mingchu Zhang of the Fairbanks Experiment Farm, Scott & Justin Mugrage of Mugrage Hay & Cattle / Background information from Phil Kaspari, Agriculture Agent at Cooperative Extension in Delta Junction & articles & videos, including: Sustainable Agriculture for Alaska and the Circumpolar North: Part I: Development & Status of Northern Agriculture & Food Security, Alaska’s State-Funded Agricultural Projects and Policy - Have They Been a Success?, Bison Depredation on Grain Fields in Interior Alaska, Why Do We Farm in Alaska?, Farming in the 49th, The Alaska Review, Homesteading in Alaska/Matanuska Dairy, Fireside Chat 8, On Farmers & Laborers / Financial Assistance from the Rasmuson Foundation / Episode Artwork from Ian Gyori

II.IV A GREEN EVOLUTION

EPISODE IV: A GREEN EVOLUTION

“It’s a big gamble, farming, but it’s gotten less so with the changing climate. It’s definitely a boon to agriculture up here. ”

— Mike Emers, Rosie Creek Farm, near Fairbanks, Alaska

EPISODE NOTES

I’m driving down a bumpy dirt road without a sure sign that I’m headed in the right direction. When I turned off the main road, there was no street name and no GPS directions. And now, I’m a little lost and running late.

The road narrows as I head deeper into a spruce forest. Finally, I reach its end and pull into a narrow parking spot. A small sign for Rosie Creek Farm assures me I am in the right place. It’s decorated with friendly lettering, a dragonfly and sunflowers. It feels pretty welcoming, except there’s also a tall metal fence, a security camera and a posted warning in red lettering: “Restricted Access Area. All visitors must be accompanied by authorized personnel.” 

The entrance to Rosie Creek Farm. The security camera and gate are just two of the investments Mike Emers had to make when he switched from vegetables to pot. (Erin McKinstry / July 2019)

Then, a tiny Australian Shepherd bounds toward the fence accompanied by his owner, Mike Emers. Mike is the authorized personnel I need to enter this highly-secured space. 

He opens the gate and gestures me inside a small building. I sign a guest book and put on a visitor’s pass. It feels a little more like visiting a prison than a farm. But that’s because Mike’s not growing food. 

He’s growing marijuana. 

All of the weed at Rosie Creek Farm is grown outdoors. Mike Emers grows everything from seed and is developing strains specifically suited for his climate. (Erin McKinstry / July 2019)

“You can see all the cameras around here, that’s just a little piece of the puzzle. Every single plant has a tag on it with a barcode,” Mike says. “Every single gram of plant material has to be accounted for.”

On episode four, A Green Evolution, we’re heading in a different direction toward one of Alaska’s niche markets. We’ll look inside a commercial outdoor marijuana operation.

“I tell people if people valued food as much as they value this crop, we’d still be growing food,” Mike said.

We’ll hear about Mike’s evolution from ecologist to vegetable farmer to pot grower. Then, we’ll talk about how he’s seen Alaska’s agricultural scene evolve in the 22-ish years since he started farming. And, of course, we’ll hear his thoughts on how climate change is influencing his work.

“It’s a big gamble, farming, but it’s gotten less so with a changing climate,” Mike said. “It’s definitely a boon to agriculture up here.”

Mike Emers stands in a field of marijuana at his farm outside Fairbanks, Alaska. He transitioned from growing vegetables to pot following legalization in the state. (Erin McKinstry / July 2019)

Listen to the episode to hear more and check out this bonus post about Pete & Lynn Mayo of Spinach Creek Farm. They helped inspire Mike to make the jump to farming full-time back in 1997.

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Music from Sam McKinstry: All the World is All of Us / Music from Blue Dot Sessions: Convoy Lines, Gondola Blue, Basecamp, Rapids, Kirkus Interlude / Artwork from Ian Gyori / Funding from a Rasmuson Foundation Individual Artist Grant / Featured in this episode: Mike Emers of Rosie Creek Farm