The Kenai Peninsula District area includes 21 myriad communities with a total population of just over 60,000. The district serves communities from across Cook Inlet in Tyonek and throughout the peninsula, which is just south of Anchorage. Larger communities include Kenai, Soldotna, Homer and Seward.
Many of the communities are accessible by road, but others can only be reached by air or boat. Oil, tourism and fisheries drive the economy, and the Kenai Peninsula is also the fastest-growing agricultural region in 91Ô´´, with the number of farms increasing at almost three times the rate of the rest of the state.
Outreach includes agriculture and horticulture; home, health and family development; integrated pest management; nutrition; and 4-H and youth development.
Soil Testing and Interpretation
Visit our soil testing page for all the information you need to test your soil and interpret how much fertilizer you need (plus free online calculators).
Spruce Bark Beetles: What you need to know
Spruce Bark Beetles are making an impact on spruce trees across the Kenai Peninsula. Visit then type "bark beetle" in the search box in order to:
- learn what bark beetles are and how they damage trees.
- learn bark beetle groups in 91Ô´´.
- learn signs and symptoms of bark beetle activity.
- learn potential bark beetle threats to 91Ô´´.
- become familiar with the vocabulary of bark beetles.
For even more information, view this Spruce Beetle publication.
Upcoming events
Events
Apr 18
Contact organizer
Friday, April 17, 2026, 5 – 9pm
Learn to safely preserve meat and vegetables, as well as soups, for the pantry shelf. In this hands-on workshop, Professor of Extension Sarah Lewis will teach pressure canning safety and skills for people of all experience levels.
Location: Cook InletKeeper Community Action Studio, 35911 Kenai Spur Hwy, Unit 13
Cost: $65. Register using the or visit
For more information or to request a fee waiver, contact Lewis at sarah.lewis@alaska.edu or 907-455-2010.
Accommodation requests related to a disability should be made five business days in advance to Alda Norris amnorris2@alaska.edu or 907-474-7120. Language access services, such as interpretation or translation of vital information, will be provided free of charge to individuals with limited English proficiency upon request to amnorris2@alaska.edu
This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture&/ces/districts/kenai/39;s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Categories: Public events calendar - Fairbanks, Cooperative Extension calendar, Kenai/Soldotna CES calendar
Could this event have 200 or more attendees? There are campus considerations for large events.: FALSE
Apr 18
Contact organizer
Saturday, April 18, 2026, 9am – 4pm
Learn how small-scale farming can strengthen 91Ô´´&/ces/districts/kenai/8217;s food system and gain the skills to start growing in this free event.
From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., presentations and seminars will be held in two locations at the 91Ô´´ State Fairgrounds: the event building on the Purple Trail (north end) and at Rebarchek Farm at E. Rebarchek Ave. (south end of fairgrounds.) Directions will be available at the event building check-in.
From 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., networking and table discussions are scheduled, with refreshments and door prizes.&/ces/districts/kenai/160;
Jodie Anderson, director of the 91Ô´´ Institute of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Extension, will lead a plenary session on food security efforts in 91Ô´´.
Presentations include seed starting, food preservation and canning, sourdough, access to land, meat rabbits, poultry, small business support, food as medicine and more. Presentations are designed for adults. Children are welcome but must remain with a supervising adult.&/ces/districts/kenai/160;
For more information, contact the front desk at the Matanuska Experiment Farm and Extension Center, 907-745-3360.
Accommodation requests related to a disability should be made five business days in advance to Alda Norris at amnorris2@alaska.edu or 907-474-7120. Language access services, such as interpretation or translation of vital information, will be provided free of charge to individuals with limited English proficiency upon request to amnorris2@alaska.edu.
This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture&/ces/districts/kenai/39;s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Categories: Public events calendar - Fairbanks, Cooperative Extension calendar, Anchorage CES calendar, Bethel CES calendar, Bristol Bay/Dillingham CES calendar, Delta Junction CES calendar, Southeast CES calendar, Kenai/Soldotna CES calendar, Kodiak CES calendar, Mat-Su/Copper River CES calendar, Northwest/Nome CES calendar, Sitka CES calendar, Fairbanks/Tanana CES calendar
Could this event have 200 or more attendees? There are campus considerations for large events.: TRUE
Apr 18
Contact organizer
Saturday, April 18, 2026, 9 – 11am
If you have a homemade foods business, would like to start one, or might sell homemade foods through your farm stand or market, knowledge of 91Ô´´&/ces/districts/kenai/39;s Homemade Food rules will help ensure you&/ces/districts/kenai/39;re in compliance. In addition, having a food safety mindset on the farm and in the packing area will help you identify on-farm food safety strategies for your market produce. In this class, Sarah Lewis, 91Ô´´ Professor of Extension, will explain the 91Ô´´ Homemade Food rules and introduce some basic produce safety practices for farmers.
Location: The Goods, 45015 Kalifornsky Beach Road, Soldotna
For more information, contact Sarah Lewis at sarah.lewis@alaska.edu or 907-455-2010.
Accommodation requests related to a disability should be made five business days in advance to Alda Norris at amnorris2@alaska.edu or 907-474-7120. Language access services, such as interpretation or translation of vital information, will be provided free of charge to individuals with limited English proficiency upon request to amnorris2@alaska.edu.
This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture&/ces/districts/kenai/39;s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Categories: Public events calendar - Fairbanks, Cooperative Extension calendar, Kenai/Soldotna CES calendar
Could this event have 200 or more attendees? There are campus considerations for large events.: FALSE
Events
Monday - Thur., 9 am - 2 pm
Phone: 907-262-5824
Email: soldotna.ces@alaska.edu
