An Alaska Farmer's Unlikely Bet on Growing Corn

Tarn Coffey is an Anchorage-based entrepreneur who made an unlikely bet: growing sweet corn commercially in Nenana, Alaska. After noticing that the region's long summer days produced enough heat to mature corn outdoors, Coffey spent a decade growing it in his backyard before scaling up. In 2022 he won 225 acres of state land at auction and planted his first commercial crops in spring 2023.

Coffey's ambitions extend well beyond corn — he envisions eventually growing hay, bell peppers, and a range of other crops on the new acreage. His story reflects a broader effort by state officials and entrepreneurs to develop interior Alaska's underutilized agricultural potential, challenging the assumption that the Far North is inhospitable to serious farming.