September 2025 Outlook

Note from IANRE Director Jodie Anderson

We鈥檙e wrapping up harvest season, and this year we鈥檙e better than ever. Thanks to a generous investment from the State of Alaska, we're using new combines that are transforming how we harvest grains at our three locations in Delta, Fairbanks and Palmer. This incredible machine analyzes moisture content and cleans the seed as it harvests, saving us weeks of painstaking hand-cleaning.

This new equipment saves us money on repairs and labor, making our operations far more efficient. The increased efficiency will allow us to accelerate our research goals and better serve Alaska鈥檚 agricultural community.

As we move into our winter work, I want to keep this focus on efficiency. This winter, I'll be working on strengthening our relationships with our local, national and international research and community partners. Simultaneously, our Cooperative Extension team will be preparing a statewide needs assessment. This assessment will give all of our faculty and staff a shared foundation for developing future programs and services. Stay tuned for ways that you might participate in that assessment. It鈥檚 your input that we want to drive our work.

Thank you for supporting the work we do. Enjoy your harvest.

All the best,

Jodie

Slugs slither into Fairbanks gardens

鈥 Laura Weingartner 
This summer, the real enemy in many Fairbanks gardens wasn鈥檛 drought or moose 鈥 it was slugs.

鈥淚 get more calls about slugs every year,鈥 said Gooseberry Peter, agriculture and integrated pest management program assistant with the University of 缅北禁地 Cooperative Extension Service.

Most people calling have never had slugs before, making these slimy critters a major topic of conversation for Fairbanks gardeners this season.

Stephanie Maggard was one of those hit hard by slugs. At her home in the hills above Fairbanks, she described the scene in her yard. 鈥淵ou can see all the slime marks,鈥 she said, describing the shimmering trails slugs leave in their wake. 

See caption below image for description
Photo by Sarah Swift Masterman
Gray garden slugs eat a tomato in a Fairbanks garden.

Keep your eyes peeled for blueberry caterpillars

Worm in blueberry鈥擜lex Wenninger

Calling all blueberry enthusiasts! When you鈥檙e out picking blueberries, please keep your eyes peeled for these little bitty blueberry caterpillars. These pale, pinkish larvae, sometimes called worms, are actually juvenile moths that like to feed inside blueberries.

These seem to be a natural part of our blueberry ecology in Alaska, but despite how common they are, not very much is known about these moths, so I鈥檇 like to gather more information about their habits and distribution in Alaska. From past reports, it seems that these are most commonly found near coastal areas of Southcentral and Southeast Alaska, inside the fruits of oval-leaf blueberry and Alaska blueberry, but they may be found elsewhere or on other blueberry species as well. I welcome all sightings of these from around the state!

If you see one, please take a photo and email the following information to akwenninger@alaska.edu:

  1. Location (either street address or GPS coordinates)
  2. Date observed
  3. Species of blueberry, if known
  4. Please attach a photo of the caterpillar to your report for verification.

Wondering how this data is used? how community science helped map the distribution of the fireweed flower gall midge in Alaska, published earlier this spring.

Potato harvest at Fairbanks Experiment Farm

鈥 Laura Weingartner
Jordan O'Connor, a technician working on the vegetable variety trials project, holds up two enormous 'Ididared' potatoes. 'Ididareds are one variety of 10 planted this summer to determine which varieties perform best in Alaska. Potato yield, disease and pest resistance, uniformity and bolting are some of the characteristics measured.

Here's to a good potato year for all!

Group of people harvesting potatoes

  

Harvest time in the Mat-Su

鈥 Aimee Young
Fall is here in the valley, and we're getting ready for the community potato harvest on Sept. 30! This great family-friendly event allows the community to try a wide variety of potatoes grown right here at the Matanuska Experiment Farm and Extension Center. Harvest slots are full.

We're in the middle of harvesting carrots, cabbages, research grains and the remaining trial vegetables. We are doing our best to make use of every window of sunny weather we get.

Faculty promotions

Congratulations to our 2024鈥2025 IANRE tenure and promotion recipients:

  • Casey Matney, agriculture and horticulture agent on the Kenai Peninsula, has been promoted to professor.
  • Arthur Nash Jr., energy specialist, has been promoted to professor.
  • Santosh Panda, who has a joint appointment with the UAF College of Natural Science & Mathematics, has been promoted to professor of geographic information systems.

Registration open for workshop and conference

Alaska Invasive Species Workshop

The annual Alaska Invasive Species Workshop is scheduled for Oct. 28-30 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Clarion Suites Downtown, 1110 W. 8th Ave., Anchorage. In-person and virtual options are offered. The in-person cost is $160 and registration for the virtual option is $60. Zoom links will be available in October.

For updates and to register for the workshop, visit the . For more information, contact Gino Graziano at gagraziano@alaska.edu or 907-786-6315.

2025 Alaska Agriculture Conference and Grazing Lands Symposium

The 2025 Alaska Agriculture Conference brings together some of the state's most active agriculture advocacy organizations to deliver education, resources, and networking opportunities to producers, industry leaders, agriculture professionals, agency representatives, land stewards, small farmers and new farmers alike.

The conference is Nov. 13-15 at the Sheraton Anchorage, 401 E 6th Ave.

To register, visit the .

Check out what's happening at IANRE

Looking for informative workshops and events around the state? You can keep up-to-date with what鈥檚 happening on the IANRE online calendar. Scroll to the bottom of the page and check out what's happening statewide.

In the News

  • Gino Graziano talked to Mike Chmielewski about invasive chokecherries in this Sept. 12 .
  • The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner covered the Far North Currant Fest: . 
  • The Delta Wind had a story on the history and current activities of 4-H in the area: .
  • Glenna Gannon鈥檚 agrivoltaic research is featured in a story in the Alaska Center for Energy and Power newsletter. 
  • Art Nash鈥檚 Sept. 7 column in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner: .

(Note, if you don't subscribe to the News-Miner, you can read Extension columns on the )