WASILLA -- A couple who raise bison on Lazy Mountain are this year's Alaska State Fair Farm Family of the Year.
Todd and Roxann Pettit will be honored at the fair on Aug. 27. They operate Little Pitchfork Ranch, established by Pettit family grandparents Jack and Jane Seeman in 1947, according to a press release from the Alaska Division of Agriculture, which presides over the farm family selection process. The farm began as an oat and barley operation but evolved to include beef cattle, draft horses and hay.
Todd Pettit assumed ownership in the mid-1990s and introduced bison to the farm in 1998 in response to low beef prices. Bison's small calves, ability to eat snow for water and efficient feeding habits made them a good match for the Matanuska Valley.
Pettit socializes his bison by "interacting with them on a regular basis," the release says. The ranch also raises elk. Pettit also manages the Windy Valley Musk Ox Farm, which produces qiviut wool.
Roxann Pettit processes bison wool into fiber to make garments and other items.
The fair established the farm family award in 2000. A panel of judges selected by the Alaska Division of Agriculture from different sectors of the agriculture industry selected the Pettits from an unusually crowded field of eight nominees, according to Jacquelyn Schade, with the agriculture division.
Officials praised the Pettits as involved community members who volunteer time to the agriculture industry.
They are founding members of the Alaska Diversified Livestock Association. Todd Pettit chairs the Palmer Soil and Water Conservation District, serves as president of the Alaska Association of Conservation Districts, and has volunteered on numerous committees and boards. He's also a member of the Mat-Su Chapter of the Alaska Farm Bureau.