Farm Service rep visits Homer

• Obama Administration encouraging local food production in rural areas

by Aaron Selbig
Homer Tribune
Local agriculturalists – from the small gardeners to the largest of ranchers – got a boost this week with a visit from Danny Consenstein, the new state director for the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency.
Consenstein, who was appointed to his post by President Barack Obama in July, said he was in Homer on Tuesday to meet and greet farmers and ranchers and “get a feel for what’s going on” with food production on the lower Kenai Peninsula.
“It’s really an exciting time for agriculture in Alaska,” said Consenstein. “A lot of people are looking to buy local, and there are more people getting into the business on the producer side. It’s not like the Lower 48 where there are generations of farmers. In Alaska, there’s still that pioneer spirit.”
The Obama Administration has a vision for rural agriculture, said Consenstein, which includes creating job opportunities by providing necessary infrastructure like cold storage facilities, greenhouses, renewable energy plants and broadband Internet access.
“I’m here to listen to the people … to hear what they’re doing, where they’ve been successful and what we can do to help,” he said.
Most of the time, that government help comes in the form of cash.
Between 1995 and 2006, the Farm Service Agency doled out nearly $12 million in payments to Alaska farmers in the form of loans and grants. The agency, which has offices in Palmer and Delta Junction, has trained staff to help with financing and technical support, said Consenstein.
“All of these things take some capital,” he said. “We’ve got programs to support Alaska entrepreneurs who have ideas. I know Alaskans have good ideas and sometimes it just takes government to provide that financing.”
After visiting an alpaca farm in Anchor Point and conducting an open house at the Homer office of the National Resources Conservation Service, Consenstein was off to Kenai and Soldotna on Wednesday.

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