2007 Farm Family of the Year Announced

The Peterson family of Delta Junction has been selected the 2007 Farm Family of the Year by the Alaska State Fair and the Alaska agricultural community. The three generation farm includes: Bob & Brenda, their son Randy & his wife Becky along with their children Kasey, Dustin & Kraig. The Delta Junction family will be honored at the Fair Board Director’s reception on Thursday, August 23, opening day of the Fair.

As described in their nomination: “The way this family works with each other and the way they are always striving to improve their farm; the land, the products and the service, make the Peterson family and their farm, Insanity Acres, a prime example of a Family Farm.”

The Peterson family moved to Delta Junction from Missouri in 1996. They raise oats and barley for grain, seed grasses, hay and potatoes. Their straw bales are popular with dog musher’s (as bedding for sled dogs) and meet the certification requirements of the Yukon Quest.
The family is very active in their community, including involvement in the Salcha-Delta Soil & Water Conservation District, the Delta Farm Bureau, the Delta Chamber of Commerce and the Delta Fair.

“This family represents the hard work, determination, and cooperation that is necessary to be successful at farming in Alaska” says Franci Havemeister, Director of the Division of Agriculture. “I am pleased to support this award and look forward to hearing more about this family.”

The award, sponsored by the Matanuska Valley Federal Credit Union, was established by the Fair in 2000 to honor an Alaska farming family and show appreciation for all the hard working Alaskans committed to agriculture in the State. “The Alaska State Fair is about recognition of excellence and the Peterson family exemplifies the qualities of excellence in family farming and farm practices,” says Ray Ritari, General Manager of the Alaska State Fair.

Nominations are accepted annually, and a committee chaired by the Division of Agriculture selects the winning family based on production of quality Alaska Grown products, community and agricultural organization involvement, and overall image.

Previous Farm Family award winners include the Huppert Family (2000), the VanderWeele Family (2001), Havemeister Farms (2002), Rempel Family Farm (2003), P & M Gardens (2004), Calypso Farm & Ecology Center (2005), and Wrigley Farms (2006).

For more information please visit www.alaskastatefair.org or contact the Fair media center at 907-746-7181 or mediacenter@alaskastatefair.org.