By Delcenia Cosman

Homer Independent Press

If you live in Anchor Point, you know one of the best places to get locally grown produce, fresh eggs and an abundance of other goods is the Anchor Point Greenhouse. The Alaska State Fair and Alaska Division of Agriculture recognized that too in naming owner/operators Al and Grace Poindexter and their family “2026 Farm Family of the Year” earlier this month.

The Poindexters are lifelong Alaska residents; Al grew up on family farms in Seward and Caribou Hills, raising chickens and ranching cattle. After moving to Anchor Point, his parents started the greenhouse on 10 acres of family property.

This year marks Anchor Point Greenhouse’s 50th anniversary. Al Poindexter said the business slowly evolved over time from its beginning in 1976 as his father, Charles, developed the now-famous Fishy Peat and Alaska Earth potting soil. Poindexter continued manufacturing and perfecting those products and gradually progressed to growing and selling plants, vegetable starts, herbs, rhodiola products and more.

“I love every part of it,” he said. “It was the potting soil that was the springboard for this place … but the other stuff all carries its own weight, so it all works out pretty good together.”

Poindexter credited Anchor Point Greenhouse’s continued success to the employees that help keep it running: “consummate gardener” and wrestling coach Bubba Wells, who is now Poindexter’s main grower; 90-year-old transplanter Pauline Benson; Poindexter’s nephew, Trapper, who is responsible for equipment maintenance; Marcy Madsen, flower basket designer and rhodiola lab tech; waterer Elisa Thompson; cashier Janet George; and Poindexter’s granddaughter, Audrey Leonetti, who interned at the greenhouse this summer and may continue the Poindexter family legacy.

Beyond the greenhouse operations, the state also recognized Poindexter for his longtime role as an agricultural educator. He started out teaching physical education at Homer High School and, in 1984, took over the high school’s agriculture program to save it from shutting down.

Poindexter also led a local Future Farmers of America chapter, served as executive director for the Alaska Association of Conservation Districts and was involved with the Kenai Peninsula chapter of the Alaska Farm Bureau.

To Poindexter, agriculture is vital to social and economic success. According to Alaska Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education, of the 365 million acres in the state, about 15 million acres are designated as suitable for farming, but only 1 million acres are being farmed. 

“If Alaska really wants to thrive, it’s got to build an agricultural base. We need to have a four-year comprehensive agriculture program at every high school,” he said. 

Training up locally grown farmers is one piece of the puzzle; land accessibility and affordability is another. The national FFA organization has a degree program, with the highest being the American FFA Degree. Once students earn that, Poindexter said, the state should grant them a piece of agriculturally-compatible land.

“If we had enough of those to populate (15 million) acres, we would have a booming economy, because not only would we be food-secure in this state, we’d probably be exporting as well,” he said. 

The Anchor Point Greenhouse is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday at 33851 Alder Street in Anchor Point or follow it on Facebook.