Alaska Science Forum: The Gardening Potential of the Last Frontier
The Fairbanks Experimental Farm on the UAF campus, pictured here in 2014, opened in 1906.
Todd Paris
More than 100 years ago, a man traveled north on a mission most people thought was ridiculous—to see if crops would grow in the frozen wasteland known as the Territory of Alaska.
That man, Charles C. Georgeson, was a special agent in charge of the United States Agricultural Experiment Stations. The secretary of agriculture charged Georgeson with the task of finding out if crops and farm animals could survive in the mysterious land acquired just twenty-one years earlier from the Russians.
Fruitful Research
When he landed at Sitka 100 years ago, Georgeson set in motion agricultural studies that are still carried on today at the UAF’s Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station.
Georgeson, a Danish immigrant, was not a man easily discouraged.
In 1898, the experimental station site in Sitka was in the middle of a swamp. Until he could clear and drain the land, he borrowed patches of land from Sitka settlers, as he explained in an interview in Sunset magazine in 1928.
“My plots were scattered all over the village and having insecure fences, or no fences at all, the local boys, cows, pigs and tame rabbits rollicked joyously through them,” he said. “The seeds came up to become the playthings of diabolical ravens, who, with almost human malice, pulled up the little plants merely to inspect their other ends.”
Current Issue
January 2026
From this shaky start came the federal government’s discovery that crops could indeed survive in the far north, some better than others.
Georgeson quickly helped establish other experimental stations: a Kodiak station in 1898, one at Rampart on the Yukon River in 1900, and another at Copper Center in 1903. The final three were at Fairbanks, which opened in 1906, the Matanuska farm station, established nine years later, and the Palmer Research Center, which opened in 1948.
Success and Setbacks
Charles Georgeson with an apple tree in Sitka around the year 1900.
E.W. Merrill
Federal interest in Alaska agriculture waned during World War I and the Great Depression. By 1932, the agricultural stations at Sitka, Kenai, Rampart, Kodiak, and Copper Center had all closed despite some success (for example: grain and potatoes did well at Rampart; the Sitka hybrid strawberry is among the hardiest of all breeds; and cattle and sheep thrived at the Kodiak station until the eruption of Novarupta volcano in 1912 coated the pastures with up to 18 inches of ash).
The Fairbanks and Matanuska stations have endured. Horticulturists and animal breeders today carry on the same type of experiments Georgeson did 100 years ago, finding species of plants and animals capable of adapting to the Far North’s extremes in day length and temperature.
From crossbreeding studies came first the Sitka hybrid strawberry, developed by Georgeson in 1907. Agriculture and Forestry Experiment Station researchers have bred a few dozen other varieties that thrive in the north, including the Alaska frostless potato (1970, in the Matanuska Valley), Yukon chief corn (1974, in Fairbanks), and the Toklat strawberry (1976, in Fairbanks).
Today, Alaska-grown crops and animals account for less than 10 percent of what Alaskans consume. But the potential for more is here. Crops and animals do well in some areas of Alaska, such as the Tanana and Matanuska valleys. Someday it may not be cheaper to import foods from outside Alaska. Maybe then Georgeson’s dream of Alaska as an agricultural state will be realized.
Since the late ‘70s, the UAF Geophysical Institute has provided this column free in cooperation with the UAF research community. Ned Rozell is a science writer for the Geophysical Institute.
Big Lake Farm Obtains License to Propagate Patented Berry Bushes
A license to propagate patented hybrids of honeyberry and sour cherry opens a new chapter for Common Ground Alaska farm in Big Lake.
Beyond the Blooms: Peony Producers Persevere
The Alaska peony industry has grown from one research plot to an international market with about 100 commercial growers. Julie Stricker with the UAF Institute of Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Extension describes the diversity of peony products.
Matson Deploys Whale Spotting Technology to Avoid Ship Strikes
A new technology that leverages machine learning to analyze thermal images will help Matson container ships steer clear of marine mammals.
We’re honored again this year to celebrate our partnership with Junior Achievement of Alaska, a nonprofit that educates local youth about enterprise, business, money, and financial literacy. In the special section, three Junior Achievement of Alaska students weigh in on their experience with the exceptional volunteers and teachers involved with the program.
And in Industry Support, we explore the range of varied services that industry in Alaska requires, from mancamps to spill response to off-grid energy solutions.
Outside the special sections, make sure to check out the 2026 Economic forecast, where Alaska leaders share their insights on what may lie ahead in the coming year. Enjoy!