Matanuska Experiment Farm and Extension Center

06/06/2026

Lovely flowers are blooming in the sunshine here at the Farm. A delicate white poppy and some purple Jacob's ladder are nestled beside tall iris leaves as they try to steal the spotlight from the Center Cottage.

Built in 1917 and named for its position, the Center Cottage is one of the oldest framed structures in the Mat-Su Valley. This cottage is a duplex and is a single home with a wall through the center. When wanting to go to the other side of the house, you have to walk around outside, as the two sides are entirely separate!

What's blooming in your garden? 🌷

06/04/2026

Bug of the Week! This week’s bug of the week is the larder beetle, Dermestes lardarius. I’ve done a bug of the week on the larder beetle before, so I’ll be brief in describing it, but most of us have seen one. They are a smaller beetle, about ¼ in length. Their head and pronotum are brown, and they have dark brown elytra broken by a light tan band. Dermestids are notable because these beetles are hairy. The larvae, like the adults, are hairy as well, and resemble an elongate lint ball. We find these beetles in many, if not most homes, and the beetles are adapted to living off our refuse. Specifically food stuffs with proteins and fats and our shed skin. So, anyone with pets or kids where food bits may hit the floor probably has them.

There are many species of dermestid beetle. Some are specialized in feeding on the rotting flesh of carcasses, but those are different species. I mention this beetle now as one of our retired farm employees mentioned how he picked up a bag of sunflower seeds at a local grocer and found the beetles there. If you think about it, this isn’t surprising as many stores with food likely have food bits hitting the floor providing fodder for the beetles. It also exposes one of the many ways the beetles get moved around or introduced into our home. Sometimes we wonder where bugs come from and it’s almost always from us, often an overlooked avenue we never thought of. But it’s not worth calling a pest company for this species. A good cleaning usually takes care of the problem or keeps the indoor populations so low we rarely see them. And we could even think they are doing us some good, eating all those shed skin bits we don’t even notice we drop.

Joey Slowik, IPM Technician
[email protected]

The photograph is from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dermestes_lardarius

06/04/2026

❓Did you get a free rhubarb start from us last year? We're excited to find out how they're doing! Please comment below or send us a message with a picture of your plant and let us know which variety you received.

And in case you missed our rhubarb post a few weeks ago... here's some fun facts!⤵

We have a rhubarb plot that's maintained as a back-up site to the national clonal germplasm that's housed at the USDA-ARS Plant Germplasm Introduction and Testing Research Unit (PGITRU) in Pullman, WA.

This variety is called Parson's Crimson, and its grown so much since that post!

**Edit to Add: We do not have rhubarb to give away this season.**

For more information on successfully growing your own rhubarb, here is the link to the UAF CES publication "Growing Rhubarb in the Alaska Garden" https://www.uaf.edu/ces/publications/database/gardening/growing-rhubarb.php

06/03/2026

May Weather Data! ☔ Here at the Farm, our 2026 research season is finally in full swing. The researchers are all glad it's warming up so they can plant and w**d their fields.

We continue to utilize our on-site weather station as well. This data is invaluable to the researchers. Our weather station is part of the National Weather Service Stations and is the second oldest station in the state. We started this in 1917, and take weather data here every day. Every month, we summarize the monthly report to share with you, including a comparison to the data we collected 100 years ago.

May was fairly chilly, especially compared to May of 1926. We reached a high of just 64 degrees last month, while 100 years ago there were 2 days with 71 degree temps. We also received 9 more days of rain than 100 years ago.

**Here are the weather data highlights for May 2026**

High Temp = 64 degrees on 5/26
Low Temp = 28 degrees on 5/24
Average High Temp = 54.2 degrees
Average Low Temp = 38.0 degrees
Most Rainfall = .23 of an inch on 5/11
Total Rainfall = .86 of an inch
Most Evaporation = .28 of an inch on 5/17
Total Evaporation = 4.53 inches

It rained 11 days total in May 2026

**100 years ago. (1926)**

High Temp = 71 degrees on 5/11 and 5/28
Low Temp = 34 degrees on 5/2 and 5/26
Average High Temp = 62.2 degrees
Average Low Temp = 40.9 degrees
Most Rainfall = .10 of an inch on 5/25
Total Rainfall = .12 of an inch

It rained 2 days total in May 1926

🌱How are your gardens coming along this spring? 📸 Post a picture in the comments!

06/02/2026

There's a great class tomorrow! Register to join in!

06/01/2026

There's a job opportunity in Fairbanks, AK: Cooperative Extension Resilience Educator. Check out the post for details.

Come work with us!

The UAF Cooperative Extension works to enrich the lives of Alaskans across the state by bringing relevant, research-based information to communities.

The Cooperative Extension Resilience Educator will lead the development, delivery, and evaluation of trauma-informed programming and Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training across rural Alaska. This role is responsible for bridging the gap between clinical research and community application, specifically targeting the opioid epidemic, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and rural isolation.

Learn more at https://careers.alaska.edu/jobs/cooperative-extension-resilience-coordinator-fairbanks-alaska-united-states

05/30/2026

If you're out for a walk this weekend along some of the wooded trails in the Valley, you might catch a glimpse of bright pink popping out from the soil. Take a moment for a closer look, because this delightful little beauty is the Calypso Orchid! 💜

Calypso bulbosa, known as the Calypso Orchid or Fairy Slipper, is one of many species of orchid that call Alaska home. Blooming in May and June in our region, this stunning flower is considered endangered and protected in many areas of North American (so admire, but do not disturb this little sweetie!). It's rooting structure, an oval corm, relies on specific fungi to survive, which is why transplanting these orchids is rarely successful!

A fun fact to share with your friends when you spot a Calypso Orchid on your walk? This orchid has deceptive flowers which provide no nectar to visiting bumblebees. Bees will be disappointed and move on (now covered in pollen, a successful trick on the part of the orchid). Most bumblebees quickly learn to not return to this orchid after their first trip. Because of this, Calypso experiences low pollinator activity, which contributes to its endangered status.

These special plants remind us how interconnected Alaska’s forests, insects, and native plants really are!

You can learn more about Alaskan orchids through the North American Orchid Conservation Center: https://northamericanorchidcenter.org/

05/25/2026

MEFEC is closed today in observance of Memorial Day. We'll be open tomorrow, Tuesday 5/26 from 10 am - 4:30 pm.

05/21/2026

Check out this great video about growing apples, cherries, plums and pears in Alaska.

54 likes, 6 comments. "Growing Apples and Other Fruit — In the Alaska Garden with Heidi Rader"

05/20/2026

🧐Are you wondering what our current research projects are here at the Matanuska Experiment Farm and Extension Center? Join our Farm Manager Aimee Young TOMORROW, Thursday May 21st for a FREE walking tour at noon!

This is a one hour outdoor tour, so 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.

If you've ever been curious about MEFEC, come on out and learn all about it!

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 Alda Norris at [email protected] or 907-474-7120. ▪️ 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]. ▪️This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture. ▪️