Matanuska Experiment Farm and Extension Center

10/12/2026

Interested in taking advantage of our free Pressure Canner Gauge Testing? We are now testing gauges BY APPOINTMENT ONLY!

To schedule an appointment - please contact Melissa Clampitt at [email protected].

10/09/2026

Thank you to all who joined us October 1st for our 2026 Community Potato Harvest! The coldest day of the week didn't slow down around 100 folks who came to pick potatoes. In total the community harvested 1026.2lbs!

Remaining potatoes were harvested by staff later in the week - totaling an additional 1530.5lbs which were distributed throughout the community, including to Black Birch Books Community Food Pantry, My House, and the Upper Susitna Food Pantry.

The grand total of potatoes harvested this year rings in at 2556.7lbs! Almost double the yield in 2025 of 1328.74lbs! 🥔

Thank you to the Alaska Division of Agriculture's Plant Materials Center for the seed potatoes that make this event possible!

09/29/2026

Thank you for all who signed up for our Community Potato Harvest! We had a huge response in just under 8 minutes - wow! 🥔

If we have any spots left open after calling back everyone who registered, we will repost the signup form. Thank you!!

09/25/2026

Exciting news! It’s almost time to register for the annual Community Potato Harvest at the Matanuska Experiment Farm & Extension Center!

Keep reading for all the details:

**Just like last year: Harvest time requests are accepted using the ONLINE FORM ONLY**

Registration will open via the online form at 11:00 am Tuesday, September 29th. We will post the form on our page on Tuesday morning.

-The harvest will be on Thursday October 1st, time slot availability will be posted on the online form.
-Signing up does NOT guarantee a slot, and slots will fill up fast!!
-We will fill the slots in order of forms received.
-We will call you to let you know whether you received a time slot or not.

Please note: This is NOT intended as a time to gather a large amount of potatoes for the year, this is an opportunity to learn about potatoes and try a wide variety.

We would like to extend a huge thank you to Casey Dinkel and Mickenzie Erickson from the Alaska Division of Agriculture’s Plant Materials Center for the donation of the seed potatoes.

Questions? Contact:
907-745-3360

Accommodation requests related to a disability should be made five business days in advance to [email protected] or 907-474-5211. Language access services, such as interpretation or translation of vital information, will be provided free of charge to individuals with limited English proficiency upon request to [email protected]. ▪️The University of Alaska (http://www.alaska.edu/alaska) is an equal opportunity/equal access employer and educational institution. The university is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination (http://www.alaska.edu/nondiscrimination) against individuals on the basis of any legally protected status. ▪️ This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

09/20/2026

Our office will be CLOSED from Monday, 9/21 through Monday, 9/28. We will reopen at 10am on Tuesday, 9/29!

We apologize for any inconvenience. Don't forget - you can access our full publication catalogue, check out upcoming events, and find contacts for any Extension questions you may have at uaf.edu/ces

09/14/2026

We are starting to receive questions about whether we will have a Community Potato Harvest this year and the answer is YES! We are excited for another great harvest event. 🥳

The harvest will be on Thursday October 1st.
**Just like last year: Registration will be done using an ONLINE FORM**

➡Registration will open on Tuesday, September 29 at 11:00 A.M.

**We will post registration information on Facebook so be sure you’re following our page, and stay tuned!
**We WILL NOT register anyone via phone calls/ emails.
**Signing up does NOT guarantee a spot. We will fill the spots in the order they were received. Spots will fill up quickly.
**We will contact you to confirm if you did or did not receive a harvest time

Please note: This is a Fun Family Event to help teach kids about growing, harvesting and eating their own food! It is also an opportunity for adults to get to sample new varieties of potatoes. This event is not meant to provide you with potatoes for the season.

We would like to extend a huge thank you to Casey Dinkel and Mickenzie Erickson from the Alaska Division of Agriculture’s Plant Materials Center for the donation of the seed potatoes.

We look forward to sharing this year's harvest with you and your family!

Questions? Contact: 907-745-3360

Accommodation requests related to a disability should be made five business days in advance to [email protected] or 907-474-5211. Language access services, such as interpretation or translation of vital information, will be provided free of charge to individuals with limited English proficiency upon request to [email protected]. ▪️The University of Alaska (http://www.alaska.edu/alaska) is an equal opportunity/equal access employer and educational institution. The university is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination (http://www.alaska.edu/nondiscrimination) against individuals on the basis of any legally protected status. ▪️This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

09/10/2026

There are only a few spots left! Sign up today!

Are you interested in learning more about foraging mushrooms? Join us in this full day hands-on workshop that's part lecture, part identification and foraging. 🍄 The link to register is in the original post. Space is VERY limited to grab your spot today! Gain experience and grow your confidence!

Upcoming workshop: Mushroom Identification 🍄 In this intensive course, you will learn how to identify some of the common species of mushrooms in Southcentral Alaska. We will start with an overview of biology, ecology, and uses, and then take a walk and learn how to identify some species we find.

On Saturday September 19th, Mycologist Christin Swearingen will give an introduction to mushroom field guides and dichotomous keys, making collections, and learning which features to hone into when identifying mushrooms. We will learn about both edible and inedible mushrooms.

🔸Cost: $100.00
🔸When: September 19th from 9am - 4pm
🔸You must register to attend. Register here: https://bit.ly/PalmerMushroom26

📍We will meet at the UAF Matanuska Experiment Farm and Extension Center 1509 S. Georgeson Drive, Palmer. In the afternoon, we will be collecting mushrooms from a different location, so prepare to carpool or drive yourself to an alternate location.

What to bring:
We will break for a short time for lunch, so a sack lunch is recommended.
A collecting basket or tackle box that can keep your mushrooms separate.
Optional: pocket knife, hand lens, water bottle, and notebook.
Snacks and water bottle, as needed.

This class will be mostly held outside, please dress accordingly.

❓For more information, contact the MEFEC front desk at [email protected] or call 907-745-3360.

Accommodation requests related to a disability should be made five business days in advance to [email protected] or 907-474-5211. Language access services, such as interpretation or translation of vital information, will be provided free of charge to individuals with limited English proficiency upon request to [email protected]. ▪️The University of Alaska (http://www.alaska.edu/alaska) is an equal opportunity/equal access employer and educational institution. The university is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination (http://www.alaska.edu/nondiscrimination) against individuals on the basis of any legally protected status.▪️This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

09/10/2026

Learn the tips and tricks to growing garlic in Alaska! There's a video and a publicaton to check out in the post. 🌱

Garlic is grown all over Alaska. And researchers from the Institute of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Extension (IANRE) are working to learn which garlic varieties grow best and how to successfully grow your own.

The Alaska Botanical Garden began multi-year garlic trials in 2013, and the Southeast Alaska Garlic Growers Association conducted trials between 2012 and 2013 in Ketchikan, Juneau, Douglas, Gustavus and Haines. In 2023 and 2024, garlic was evaluated for survival, bulb size and quality at IANRE’s Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station in Fairbanks.

If you are a garlic gardener—or you want to be—check out what researchers have learned at Growing Garlic in Alaska, a free publication from Cooperative Extension Service. Or watch
Growing Garlic - In the Alaska Garden with Heidi Rader, a professor of Extension at the Institute of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Extension with the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

The Institute of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Extension enriches the lives of Alaskans through research, education, GARLIC and outreach grounded in community needs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYmnx5qn5x0

https://www.uaf.edu/ces/publications/database/gardening/garlic.php

09/10/2026

In one week, join us on a free guided MEFEC Farm Tour! Farm Manager Aimee Young will lead a walking tour of the Matanuska Experiment Farm and Extension Center on Thursday September 17th at noon.

This one hour outdoor tour will highlight some of the current and upcoming research happening at the farm. If you've ever been curious about MEFEC 🧐 come on out and learn all about it!

Dress for the weather 🌦 and be prepared for uneven and muddy terrain.

📍Location: Matanuska Experiment Farm and Extension Center, 1509 S. Georgeson Drive, Palmer. Meet in the lobby of Kerttula Hall.

For more information, contact the Farm's front desk at 907-745-3360.

Accommodation requests related to a disability should be made five business days in advance to [email protected] or 907-474-5211. Language access services, such as interpretation or translation of vital information, will be provided free of charge to individuals with limited English proficiency upon request to [email protected].

The University of Alaska (http://www.alaska.edu/alaska) is an equal opportunity/equal access employer and educational institution. The university is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination (http://www.alaska.edu/nondiscrimination) against individuals on the basis of any legally protected status.

This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

09/07/2026

We are closed today, Monday 9/7 in observance of Labor Day . We will re-open on Tuesday 9/8 at 10 am. Come see us at the Fair in the June R. Tull 4-H Building on the Red Trail!