Alaska agriculture board to review farm loan applications May 19

The Alaska Board of Agriculture and Conservation will review loan applications from four farming operations at its May 19 meeting in Palmer, where it will decide which applicants receive state financing and which are declined.

The board will vote on applications from Wrigley Farms, Kaelean McClain of Flat Rate Farm, Kobie Jenski, and Alaska Ocean Farms. The meeting is open to the public, with in-person attendance at the Division of Agriculture office at 1801 S. Margaret Drive, Suite 12, in Palmer.

Alaska News previously reported that the board approved one loan application and declined two others at its March meeting, while initiating foreclosure on two delinquent loans. The Agricultural Revolving Loan Fund currently has about $3 million available to lend, with roughly $2.5 million designated for short-term loans, according to March meeting minutes.

Bryan Scoresby, Division of Agriculture director, reported at the April meeting that fertilizer supplies are adequate for the current season. The board also set a June 9 meeting date due to application workload and staffing limitations after a grant team member resigned.

The public can join remotely via Microsoft Teams using meeting ID 250 954 725 456 00 and passcode Ba6J5Co2, or by phone at 907-202-7104 with conference ID 739 540 346. Public comments are limited to three minutes per person.

The board will also hear a report on the Build Back Better Challenge grant issued to the Southeast Conference of Alaska and approve minutes from previous meetings.