Currant Affairs
February 18, 2021 Edition
Compiled once or twice a month by Nick Riordan on behalf of Yarducopia, Alaska Community Action on Toxics and the Alaska Food Policy Council
**Marks new and updated items in this issue
VIRTUAL WORKSHOPS, WEBINARS, CONFERENCES, & SPECIAL EVENTS
February 18
Alaska Botanical Garden hosts an online workshop, Making a Garden Journal, from 6:00 – 7:00 PM. Winter is a great time to think about gardens. The seed catalogs are arriving earlier each year, tempting us with new varieties and old favorites. Creating a garden journal is a great way to plan. In this online workshop, join Education Specialist Patrick Ryan in preparing your own garden journal for the new season ahead. Small fee. Learn more/Register here.
**February 19
Alaska Mill & Feed Class Series continues with Getting your Seeds Started at 10:00 AM on Zoom. Registered folks will have access to the recording at a later date. More info & register here.
**February 19
Grow North Farm (a partnership between CSS & ACLT) is hosting a Facebook Live event at noon to share highlights, thanks, and updates on the farm. Link to join.
February 23
The Alaska Food Policy Council, Alaska Farm Bureau, and Alaska Farmers’ Market Association are hosting a webinar for Alaska Cottage Food Producers. Alaska Food Code allows the sale of non-potentially hazardous foods sold directly to the consumer without a permit as long as certain conditions are met. Presenters from the Alaska DEC and Municipality of Anchorage Food Safety and Sanitation programs will provide an overview of cottage food regulations and requirements and answer questions. Learn more/Register here.
**February 25
Matanuska Experimental Farm and Extension Center is offering a Soil Sampling workshop at 1 pm. More info and registration links here.
February 25
Alaska Common Ground’s Climate Action Plan Series continues with Land Use and Transportation. Free. 7:00 – 8:30 PM Learn more about this series and register here.
**February 26
Alaska Mill & Feed Class Series continues with Poultry Management Basics at 1:00 PM on Zoom. Registered folks will have access to the recording at a later date. More info & register here.
March 1
Good Earth Garden School, led by Ellen Vande Visse, offers What’s What with Potting Media? an online, hour-long discussion to ‘pool our knowledge and experience’ on the subject. 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM. Learn more/Register here.
**March 2
Matanuska Experimental Farm and Extension Center is offering a virtual Composting workshop at noon. More info here.
March 5 & 6th
Save the date! The annual Spring Garden Conference hosted by the Alaska Botanical Garden will be virtual this year. Details to come.
**March 9
Yarducopia and Adrift Gardens are partnering to run a two-hour Design Your Garden Workshop from 6:30 – 8:30 PM. This will be activity based, so pencil, paper, and your imagination are a must. Registration is on a sliding scale. All welcome. Reach out to garden@akaction.org for more info.
March 11
Join Sarah Lewis and the Cooperative Extension Service, as part of their Reset, Refocus, and Recharge series, for an hour-long cooking class – Veggie Slam: A Week of Vegetables in One Hour from 6-7:00 PM. Learn more/Register here.
March 11
AK Pioneer Fruit Growers Association has invited UA’s Matt Carlson & Justin Fulkerson to present on Pollinators and Their Habitat at their March membership meeting. 7:00 – 8:00 PM
March 15
Alaska Master Gardeners Anchorage monthly membership meeting 7:00 – 8:00 PM – topic TBA
March 18
Southeast Alaskans can now apply for a workshop to learn how to start their own mariculture farm. Registration priority given to Southeast Alaska Native residents. More info here.
March 20
Alaska Farmland Trust, Alaska Farm Bureau, Homer Soil & Water Conservation District, Matanuska Experiment Farm & Extension Center & UAF CES Anchorage are bringing you a VIRTUAL Alaska Women in Ag Conference in March. Registration opens on February 1.
Save the date & stay tuned for more details.
March 25
Alaska Common Ground’s Climate Action Plan Series continues with Food Systems. The Muni Climate Action Plan goal is to ‘support local, sustainable food systems’, and the event will consist of 10+ speakers giving short presentations on this topic. 7-8:30 PM Learn more/Register here.
**March 30
Yarducopia and Adrift Gardens are partnering to run a two-hour Seed Starting from Scratch Workshop from 6:30 – 8:30 PM. This will be a hands-on session starting your seedlings in your own home with live instruction and Q&A. Seeds, trays, soil, and a limited number of lights available for participants. Sliding scale fees, so pay what you can so we can support those who can’t! Contact garden@akaction.org for more info and to register.
April 3
Good Earth Garden School’s Ellen Vande Visse, and Alaska Mill & Feed are hosting an online class Beyond Compost – Other Ways to Build Your Soil. 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM. Registration details to come.
**April 8
Cook Inletkeeper is putting on an Alaska Salmon-Safe Agriculture Workshop.
**April 9
Alaska Farmers Market Association Annual Summit. More info here.
April 30
Good Earth Garden School’s Ellen Vande Visse, and Alaska Mill & Feed are hosting an online class Slugs, Bugs, and other Thugs – Non-Toxic Pest Management. 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM. Registration details to come.
SIGNUPS & PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENTS
Anchorage Community Garden signups is open for renewals until April 5, and it will open for new gardeners on April 10. More info on their website.
WIC and Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program will have open enrollment for farmers, farms, farm stands and farmers’ markets interested in participating starting ~ February 15. Applications to receive WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition coupons close May 15. More info here.
Arctic Harvest – Winter orders ongoing; Summer subscriptions start back up in April. More info
GRANT OPPORTUNITIES
None that I’m aware of.
OPEN POSITIONS & INTERNSHIPS
**Application period opens for APU Farm Internship at Spring Creek Farm – Read on!
**Alaska Botanical Gardens is advertising for several 2021 garden positions. Read more here.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES & REQUESTS FOR ASSISTANCE
None that I’m aware of.
To RECEIVE Currant Affairs, suggest items to ADD, CHANGE EMAIL ADDRESS or UNSUBSCRIBE, contact Nick Riordan at riordannk@gmail.com.
