Yesterday, Melissa and I drove to Delta Junction to attend the Delta Farm Forum. This event is held annually to give the local farmers a venue to hear presentations on topics of interest in that area.
Delta Junction is one of the agricultural centers of Alaska. Delta barley is well-known throughout the state, but there are also large operations producing other grains, vegetables, cattle, and dairy products. Usually, the Cooperative Extension Service, Soil and Water Conservation Service, and state and federal agricultural agencies send representatives to share information. This year, the AK State Veterinarian made a presentation about avian influenza that held my attention quite well.
The event was held at the high school. On one of the roads leading to the school, we saw this sign. Privately-owned planes are more common in Alaska than in many other places and there are small airports and landing strips in many towns.
We did well on the door prizes. I won a gift certificate for services from a large-animal veterinarian in the area. Unfortunately, I don’t have any large animals and I live 100 miles away. So, I donated it back into the prize pool. Melissa won a large bag of carrots. We were happy about that. She makes a fantastic carrot soup.
One tourist attraction in the Delta area is the river crossing of the Alaska Pipeline. The river is difficult to see because it is filled with ice at this time of year. On each bank of the river there are large zig-zags in the pipeline to allow for it to safely flex under the various stresses it endures. Alaska is prone to earthquakes and Delta is known for its windy conditions.
I’m thinking that forum must have been really nice to hear, and winning prizes is terrific, too.
You did the right thing to turn in your prize for the use of someone more able to use/need it.