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Fairbanks Field Day

Tuesday, July 28, 2-6 p.m 

Fairbanks Experimental Farm

 

Program

Registration and refreshments

Collect your map and program at the entrance to the Botanical Garden and visit the tables sharing information about the Alaska Songbird Institute, Susan Harry's pollen counting and more. Return after the presentations for lemonade, cookies and another chance to talk with the researchers.

Botanical Garden and Alaska Harvest Collaborative Tour Lacey Higham and Mallory Smith

Go on a guided tour of the botanical garden and learn about the Alaska Harvest Collaborative. Visit the research garden, children’s garden, perennial display gardens, hedge maze and reindeer gardens — where AHC students learn how to grow and harvest crops, prepare their bounty and more.

Using Nematodes to Manage Root Maggots Gino Graziano

Several nematode species are now permitted for purchase in Alaska for use as biocontrol agents. One species, Steinernema feltiae, preys on root maggots, a pest that feeds on the roots of various crops, including onions, cabbages and radishes. Learn about the research on the effectiveness of these nematodes as biocontrol agents and how often they need to be applied.

Managing Weeds in Alaska Barley: Practical Strategies for Reliable Yields Magdi Elsayed

Weeds are among the most significant constraints to barley production in Interior Alaska, yet effective management options remain poorly defined for this region. Learn about research evaluating integrated weed management strategies — combining cultural, mechanical and chemical approaches — to identify practical, cost-effective solutions for Alaska growers.

Small Grain Breeding Research Jakir Hasan

Learn about the progress toward developing improved wheat, barley and oat varieties adapted to Alaska’s climates. Through field testing, breeding and selection, researchers are identifying high-yielding, early-maturing and resilient small grain lines. This work supports local food and feed production, crop diversification and long-term agricultural sustainability in northern environments.

Properties of Local Soils Megan Andersen and Rebecca Collins

Changes in land use alter soil morphology and permafrost dynamics. Evidence of these changes is preserved within soil profiles. See a soil profile and learn why understanding the world underground is so important.

Alaska Variety Trials Katie DiCristina and Glenna Gannon

The Alaska Variety Trials Program evaluates vegetable, fruit and specialty crop varieties for performance in Alaska’s unique growing conditions. Research focuses on identifying productive, resilient cultivars and providing growers with practical, research-based recommendations to support local agriculture and food security. View the trials plot and learn about the varieties being researched.

Permafrost Grown Art and Science Walk Glenna Gannon and Melissa Ward Jones

The Permafrost Grown project brings together UAF researchers and Alaska farmers to better understand interactions between permafrost and agriculture. Take a tour of the exhibit highlighting art produced by the researchers and farmers inspired by new knowledge and observations of permafrost.

Feeds and Feeding of Livestock in Alaska Jim Vinyard

Raising livestock in Alaska comes with the unique challenge of limited access to local feed. Learn about research that aims to identify new feed ingredients that can be grown and harvested here in Alaska, such as seaweed, salmon meal, crab meal and novel forages.

A Plant Community for Alaska Inga Peterson and Chelsea San Roman

Learn about work establishing a mixed plant community via direct seeding that requires minimal labor, uses native or locally sourced seeds or plants, is attractive and benefits the ecosystem. Researchers are investigating three treatments of a custom seed mix to determine the most effective methods for establishing this plant community.

Soil Nitrogen Contributions of Cover Crops Kristin Haney and Caley Gasch

Cover crops hold nitrogen in their biomass, which, when terminated, returns to the soil and is available for plant uptake. Researchers study if cover crops play a role in improving nitrogen management in soil enough to reduce fertilizer applications on cash crops. Learn about tracking cover crop nitrogen accumulation in biomass, release from residues and its retention in soil.

The Great Mulch Study Glenna Gannon

Mulch is a layer of material applied to the soil surface to conserve moisture, regulate soil temperature, suppress weeds and increase crop yields. Learn about how the Great Mulch Study evaluates how different types of mulch affect soil temperature to better understand how mulch might speed up or mitigate permafrost thaw.

Schedule

Presentations are about 15 minutes long with time for questions

 

Map