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KODIAK ISLAND, ALASKA – Ian and Leah Zacher, with help from their two children, operate Feirme Béar Donn Farm on Kodiak Island, Alaska. It’s a thriving vegetable operation that sells produce to over 1,000 customers each year. 

Their farm is currently the largest vegetable producer in the town of Kodiak. It provides food security for Kodiak residents and surrounding communities, which is critical since Kodiak is not connected to the contiguous U.S. road system and is vulnerable to supply chain disruptions.

Food security is a concern for all Alaskans, considering its remote location, high import and shipping costs, infrastructure limitations, and short growing season. About 95 percent of the food purchased in Alaska is imported and the food supply chain is vulnerable to disruptions, especially for residents off the road system and on remote islands. 

Their produce is available to the public to purchase at the Kodiak Harvest Food Cooperative and the Kodiak Food Hub. They also donate food to the local women’s shelter. 

Expanding the Farm One Bed at a Time

A native of Humboldt, California, Ian moved to Kodiak in 2018 and started farming there in 2020—a critical time for growing local food with supply chain disruptions from the pandemic. 

Over the years, he has added onto the farm, from a chicken coop, to a greenhouse, to raised beds, to two high tunnels (also known as hoop houses). His future plans include installing an irrigation system with NRCS assistance, a high tunnel, and four more hoop houses.

“I farmed in Humboldt where you could grow just about anything,” he said. “I never grew in a hoop house before moving here; I’ve had to teach myself everything.”

Ian farms intensively on about 3,000 square feet and in one season can yield about 800 heads of bok choy, 400 pounds of potatoes, 200 heads of broccoli, 180 cauliflower, 400 bunches of radishes, 200 bunches of turnips, 200 bunches of beets, 60 pounds of spinach, and pounds and pounds of lettuce. He also produces cut flowers and other crops in his greenhouse, and chicken and duck eggs.

Adopting NRCS Conservation Practices

Ian is piloting NRCS conservation practices on his farm and using his experiences to encourage other growers to do the same. In 2025 he installed low tunnels using the NRCS’ Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).

“This is the best paying practice for small farmers,” Ian said. “They are easy to build, and they help me control moisture and manage the soil temperature. I can open and close them easily to manage air flow. And by putting them inside a high tunnel or hoop house, I can manage better for the wetter and colder climate in Kodiak.”

In just his first season with the low tunnels, Ian noticed a significant improvement in pest management. This year he had not one single root maggot in his harvest of garden turnips because they were grown inside the low tunnel. 

“From the 100 or so bunches this year, we’ve only had three turnips with light damage, normally it’s around 10 percent of my turnips,” Ian said. “These low tunnels work.”

Ian is taking this experience and working with other growers on the island to connect them to NRCS programs. Multiple residents have installed seasonal high tunnels, also known as hoop houses, with NRCS assistance. The high tunnels allow them to manage crop production in a controlled environment and improve crop quality and yield.

“Crops grow three times faster in the high tunnel than outside of it, and you have to manage it three times more intensely,” Ian said.

A Rise in Community-Led Farms

The demand for local food on Kodiak is growing. Interest is growing, and more people are producing local food. NRCS and the Kodiak Soil and Water Conservation District are working with other partners on the island including the Kodiak Archipelago Leadership Institute and its member farms. Village farms are expanding on the island including hydroponic facilities and mariculture operations through the Alutiiq Grown program. 

Ian also hosts a podcast “Talks Around the Farm Table” in partnership with KMXT radio and is passionate about using this platform to inform, inspire and expand diverse agriculture on Kodiak Island.

“We need more farmers in Alaska,” Ian said. “My goals are to bolster the community gardens, advocate for raised beds, get people growing in small spaces where they can, and foster the idea of subsidizing people’s food costs with growing a small lettuce crop. And practices like mini tunnels and raised beds are an easy tool to get people to buy in,” he said.