Alaska Agricultural And Forestry Experiment Station Article Index for
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Alaska Agricultural And Forestry Experiment Station




Research at AFES has concentrated on introducing vegetable cultivars appropriate to Alaska and developing adapted cultivars of Grain s, Grass es, Potato es, and Berries (for example, Strawberries and Raspberries ). Animal and poultry management was also important in early research, with studies on Sheep , Yak s, Cattle , Dairy Cow s, and Swine over the years. Modern Animal Husbandry study at AFES is focused on Reindeer and Muskox en, with some research on Fisheries . Other research is in soils ( Cryosol s and Carbon Cycling studies, for example) and Climate Change , Revegetation , Forest Ecology and Management , and rural and economic development.


HISTORY

The Hatch Act Of 1887 authorized agricultural experiment stations in the U.S. and its territories to provide science-based research information to farmers. In 1898 the federal government established the Alaska Agricultural Experiment Station in Sitka. The Kodiak station was also established in 1898, operating until 1931. Stations in Kenai (1899-1908), Rampart (1900-1925), Copper Center (1903-1908), and Fairbanks (1906-present) followed quickly. In 1915 the Matanuska Station (now the Matanuska Experiment Farm) was established.

In 1931 the federal government transferred ownership of all experiment station facilities to the College of Agriculture and Mines in Fairbanks. The Sitka and Kodiak stations were closed. The college was renamed the University of Alaska in 1935.


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