Alaska Farmland Trust Reflects on the 2022 Ag Census Data
Guest Blog by Amy O’Connor, Executive Director, Alaska Farmland Trust
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) conducts a national census every five years. This census provides data for each state, such as the number of active farms, acres of farmland, and crops grown, as well as demographic and economic data. The most recent census release reflects data from 2022 and offers comparisons from the prior 2017 data. At the Alaska Farmland Trust, we grow increasingly concerned about the loss of current farmland in Alaska, and the 2022 data makes it painfully clear we are losing acres of farms from the Southeast to the North Slope.
Amy Seitz: Alask Farm Bureau, Robbi Mixon: AFPC and Amy O’Connor: Alaska Farmland Trust
At Alaska Farmland Trust (AFT), our mission is to protect existing farmland and strengthen Alaska’s food security. We do this by working with farmers across the state to secure farmland with agricultural conservation easements, a tool that forever protects the land from non-agricultural development. Agriculture in Alaska is innovative, unique, groundbreaking, and creative. Farmers, ranchers, and producers take advantage of the midnight sun and the glacial soils and, in doing so, can produce pumpkins, peonies, potatoes, parsnips, and people (like you!) who deeply care about creating a food-secure Alaska.
The census is an essential resource for the Alaska Farmland Trust because it provides critical, up-to-date data on the current state of agriculture in Alaska and how the landscape has changed post-COVID in Alaska. Read through our census takeaways below.
Farms in Alaska Table 1. Historical Highlights: 2022 and Earlier Census Years
Nationally, acres of farmland and the number of farms have declined alarmingly. Since 2017, the U.S. has lost 20 million acres of farmland and seen a 7% decline in the number of farms. More specifically, the number of farms has decreased in every size category except for farms operating 5,000 acres or more.
We continue to lose farms, and the remaining ones are consolidating into larger acreage. It is essential to compare these national trends to Alaska. Since 2017, there has been an 18% increase in Alaskan farms, with the most increase found on farms operating at 49 acres or less. (And no, that is not a typo, though we did chuckle at how those numbers “fit” so well with Alaska!) However, while the number of Alaskan farms increases, the average size is decreasing.
Alaskan farmers are forced to find creative ways to grow on smaller acreage to feed their communities in a state with limited viable agricultural land and increasing land prices around major population centers. Census data shows that small family farms are the driving force of Alaska’s agricultural industry.
Demographics
Alaska continues to exceed the national average of female producers. 48% of Alaskan producers are female, while the national average is 36%. Yet, there is a need to address diversity, representation, and equity among Alaskan producers.
In a state with abundant diversity, census data report that only about 5% of Alaskan producers identify as American Indian or Alaska Native. Alaska Natives and indigenous populations are not equitably represented within Alaskan agriculture. They are essential to feeding some of the most remote communities. Underserved producers must be given equitable access to land and resources to remove the barriers to starting new, necessary farming operations across Alaska.
Table 52. Selected Producer Characteristics: 2022 and 2017
Table 58. Female Producers - Selected Producer Characteristics: 2022 and 2017
New and Beginning Farmers
The average age of Alaskan farmers (56.7 years) continues to be below the national average (58.1 years). While the state continues to have one of the youngest farming populations in the country, there has been a 3% rise in the average age since 2017.
As Alaska's farming population ages, farmers are often forced to sell their land or parts of it to pay for healthcare or retirement. The state must support aging farmers by allowing them to keep their viable farmland in production, pass it along to heirs, or transfer ownership to new producers eager to begin or expand their farms. Under current State of Alaska programs (or the lack thereof), there is zero direct state support for farmland protection. This needs to be provided. While Alaska has many new initiatives to “open up” new farmland, this census report clearly shows that current state priorities and initiatives are not aligned with reality. The Alaska Farmland Trust asks that we focus on saving our existing farmland, supporting and funding current and critically needed agricultural infrastructure and industry, and prioritizing agricultural education before investing in expansion and outside exports.
Alaska’s young, new, and beginning farmer populations (under 35 years of age) remain vibrant and growing. 39% of Alaskan producers are new and beginning farmers, while the national average is 30%. To continue supporting the producers, who will feed future generations of Alaskans, the existing farmland near population centers must remain protected and accessible to the next generation of farmers.
Table 68. Young Producers - Selected Producer Characteristics: 2022 and 2017
Table 70. New and Beginning Producers - Selected Producer Characteristics: 2022 and 2017
Conclusion:
“Once converted, farmland cannot be reclaimed from a highway, subdivision, or gravel pit.”
We can make a difference together, one farm at a time, so please join us! Engage in the conversation, lift your voice as a farmlands advocate, and contribute your financial support to our mission. The call is more critical now than ever. Join us in protecting farmland across Alaska, and together, we can grow more farms, acreage, and farmers in Alaska.
Amy O’Connor
amy@akfarmland.com
907-390-9084
akfarmland.com
Alaska Farmland Trust
We aim to protect Alaska’s farmlands by securing agricultural conservation easements to build a food-secure state for future generations.
Reach out to learn more about supporting Alaska's farmland and food security.
Amy O’Connor is the Executive Director of the Alaska Farmland Trust. She lives in the Mat-Su Valley, where she and her daughters own and operate Crooked Fence Farm; she has over a decade of experience raising poultry, goats, and sheep.
