The Alaska Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station (AFES) was established in 1898 in Sitka, Alaska, also the site of the first agricultural experiment farm in what was then Alaska Territory.
Research at AFES has concentrated on introducing vegetable cultivars appropriate to Alaska and developing adapted cultivars of grains, grasses, potatoes, and berries (for example, strawberries and raspberries). Animal and poultry management was also important in early research, with studies on sheep, yaks, cattle, dairy cows, and swine over the years. Other research is in soils (cryosols and carbon cycling studies, for example) and climate change, revegetation, forest ecology and management, and rural and economic development, including energy and biomass research.
History The Hatch Act of 1887 authorized agricultural experiment stations in the U.S. and its territories to provide science-based research information to farmers. In 1898 the federal government established the Alaska Agricultural Experiment Station in Sitka. The Kodiak station was also established in 1898, operating until 1931. Stations in Kenai (1899–1908), Rampart (1900–1925), Copper Center (1903–1908), and Fairbanks (1906–present) followed quickly. In 1915 the Matanuska Station (now the Matanuska Experiment Farm) was established.
In 1931 the federal government transferred ownership of all experiment station facilities to the College of Agriculture and Mines in Fairbanks. The Sitka and Kodiak stations were closed. The college was renamed the University of Alaska in 1935.
Region-specific variety development Few varieties of northern-region grains, vegetables, and fruit have been developed for subarctic or arctic areas. The Alaska experiment station works to produce new varieties that will succeed in Alaska's weather conditions, often starting from plant or animal strains used in Scandinavia and Siberia. Below are release dates and varieties developed.
2009. Sunshine hulless barley 2008. Midnight Sun-flower (unofficial release) 2006. Wooding barley 2001. Finnaska, a short-stemmed, high-protein barley 1987. Kenai polargrass 1986. Nortran tufted hairgrass 1983. Alasclear potato 1981. Datal barley; Otal barley; Thual barley; Norcoast Bering hairgrass; Highlat russet potato; Squentna strawberry; Ingal wheat; Nogal wheat; Vidal wheat 1980. Sourdough bluejoint reedgrass 1979. Denali potato 1977. Alaska red potato 1976. Tundra glaucus bluegrass; Alyeska polargrass; Kiska raspberry; Toklat strawberry 1974. Yukon Chief corn 1972. Denali alfalfa; Lidal barley; Weal barley; Ceal oats; Toral oats 1970. Alaska 6467 & 6469 cabbages; Alaska Frostless potato; Early Tanana tomato 1969. Susitna and Matared strawberries 1968. Pioneer strawberry 1965. Nugget Kentucky bluegrass, Polar bromegrass 1964. Arctared red fescue 1963. Alaska russet potato 1961. Stately potato 1959. Alaska 114 potato 1953. Gasser wheat, Alaskaland red clover, Knik potato 1920. Trapmar barley 1905. Sitka hybrid strawberry
References 100 Years of Alaska Agriculture. Agroborealis 30(1), Spring 1998. Fairbanks: University of Alaska.
External links Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station homepage Publications of the station