Alaska Agriculture

Although the largest state in the nation at 365 million acres, only about 870,000 acres are farmed in Alaska, and most of its 1,173 farms are clustered northeast of Anchorage. Greenhouse and nursery crops are one of the the fastest-growing agricultural segment in the Last Frontier State, with other important commodities including hay, dairy, potatoes, and cattle and calves. Alaska farmers also produce reindeer, wool, antlers, velvet, bison and yak, among other commodities.

Some crops can grow huge in Alaska thanks to seemingly endless daylight hours during the summer. Local farmers have produced a world-record 19-pound carrot, 76-pound rutabaga and 127-pound cabbage.

Alaska is well-known for its seafood industry, which accounts for more than 60 percent of commercial seafood harvested in the U.S. The timber industry is vital to the local economy, too, and spans nearly 25 million acres.