Extending the Alaska Growing Season: High tunnels and Cost-sharing Ideas

Anchorage gardeners face challenges when it comes to gardening in wet, rainy, and cool weather. High tunnels and/or low tunnels can be great solutions to this problem, by keeping the rain off and providing a warmer environment for your crops; such as tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, and peppers. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has cost-share programs to help farmers and gardeners purchase, and sustainably manage tunnels that increase crop productivity and diversity by improving Alaskan growing conditions.

This panel will include representatives from the NRCS and the Anchorage Soil and Water Conservation District (ASWCD).

Jessica Sharp is the manager of the Anchorage Soil and Water Conservation District. She has been working in the natural resource conservation field in Alaska since 2010 and has worked at Districts in Fairbanks, Homer, and now Anchorage.
Sayako Schwing is the urban agriculture program leader for Anchorage Soil and Water Conservation District. Schwing has trained in a unique blend of educational and cultural backgrounds in Hokkaido and Alaska; for silviculture, horticulture, and Broader Impacts.
Matt Kugel is a Natural Resource Specialist for the Natural Resource Conservation Service out of the Wasilla field office. He has an eclectic ecological background working with landowners and researchers to achieve their plant production, resource inventory, and restorative goals. Matt is excited to share his technical knowledge and NRCS’s cost share programs with the public to help facilitate and stimulate agricultural production and environmental stewardship.
Braden Pitcher is a Soil Conservationist and Lead Planner for the Natural Resources Conservation Service based in the Wasilla Field Office. He has been working with farmers, gardeners, forestland owners, Tribal entities, and conservation non-profits for nearly 10 years, the last 4 of which have been in SouthCentral Alaska. His variety of work experiences incorporate his passion for sustainable land use and desire to consistently build pathways toward regenerative food systems.