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The Interior Farm Forum was held on January 31^st and February 1^st at the Pike’s Waterfront Lounge, hosting over 100 attendees daily, including registered individuals and walk-ins. The Interior Farm Forum held several presentations focused on agriculture in the Interior of �ֻ�ֱ��, as well as statewide organizations and programs. Additional presentations were given by farmers themselves, who shared updates about their own farms or their experiences with farming locally.

Following the event, a feedback survey was distributed to attendees of the 2025 Interior Farm Forum. The purpose of this survey was to identify demographics of Interior farmers, satisfaction with the event and its presentations, and if attendees felt they gained information by attending the forum. Participants were also asked to provide written feedback regarding the event’s structure, desired topics for future events, and general comments regarding the Interior Farm Forum.

The Interior Farm Forum survey received 37 responses, ranging in age from under 18 to over 65. A large majority of respondents were over the age of 35, with the 45-54-year-old and 35-44-year-old age groups tied for the largest percentage at 24.3%. Nearly 20% (18.9%) of respondents were over the age of 65+, and 13.5% were between the ages of 55 and 64. Only 10.8% of respondents were between the ages of 18 to 34, and 5.4% were under the age of 18. 2.7% of respondents chose not to identify their age. By these numbers, the forum had almost double the number of senior citizens (65+) than it did of younger adults (18-34).

Approximately 40.5% of survey respondents were “established” farmers (2+ seasons), with 16.2% being “producers”, 13.5% being interested in becoming farmers, and 10.8% identifying as “beginning” farmers (less than 2 seasons). 24.3% were educators. Individuals were allowed to select multiple identities if their job covered multiple areas.

Among those who identified as established farmers, the most common age demographic was between 45 and 54 years old, accounting for approximately 40% of the total. The next two largest were those aged 65+ and those between ages 35 and 44 years old, with 20% of the total population apiece. Just below them was 55 to 64, followed by 25 to 35. There were zero established farmers below the age of 24.

Beginning farmers saw the lowest ages, with 50% identifying between ages 34 to 44. Those interested in becoming farmers were tied for the most common age, with both the 35 to 44 and the 55 to 64 years old age categories each holding 40%. There were no beginning farmers or individuals interested in starting a farm under the age of 24.

In total, over 60% of all established, beginning, and interested farmers are over the age of 45. This is well above the median age of the Fairbanks North Star Borough, which currently sits at 32.1 years old. In fact, among all three farmer categories, only 8.3% fell within the age range of 25-34. Only a little under 30% fell in the next nearest category, 35 to 44 years old, and there were absolutely zero farmers under the age of 24.

As part of the survey, farmers were asked to identify whether they felt they qualified as an “underserved farmer demographic”. These included characteristics such as being non-white, Native American, an immigrant, a veteran, or having a lower socio-economic status. Of the 25 farmers who responded, 44% stated that they did not feel like they qualified as an underserved farmer demographic. 36% responded that they felt they qualified, while 20% chose not to answer.

Beyond demographics, the Interior Farm Forum survey asked participants to rank their satisfaction with the event and assess how relevant, helpful, and valuable they found the forum to be. Ranks were assigned on a scale of 1 to 5 stars, with 1 being the lowest possible rating and 5 being the highest.

Nearly 65% of respondents gave the forum as a whole a 5/5 satisfaction rating, with only 8.1% giving it a rating of 3 or lower. When asked how relevant and helpful the forum was for the respondent and the work they do, 45.9% rated it 5/5, 35.1% gave it 4/5, and only 16.2% gave it a 3/5. There were no 1/5-star ratings, and only one 2/5-star rating.

73% of respondents felt they had gained technical knowledge about producing, preparing, procuring, and or accessing specialty crops during the forum. 78.4% felt they had gained knowledge about more efficient and effective distribution systems for interior-grown crops, and 54.1% felt they had gained knowledge about produce safety practices and regulations regarding Food Safety Modernization Act standards. One hundred percent of respondents stated that they would be interested in attending future Farm Forum events.

This report was prepared by Killian Felt with the Fairbanks Economic Development Corporation

 

Funding for this forum was made possible by a grant/ cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the USDA