About this episode

Sam Knapp discusses his successful storage crop farm in Alaska and strategies for winter food security.

In this episode, we sit down with Sam Knapp, an Alaskan grower and author of Beyond the Root Cellar , to explore what it means to solve the biggest gaping hole in the local food system: winter food security. We dive deep into his journey from chemical engineering and a formative Fulbright grant in Sweden to establishing a successful, low-overhead storage crop farm in Fairbanks, Alaska. We highlight how Sam built a highly viable business on 1 acre by focusing on low-maintenance root crops like parsnips and utilizing efficient, manual systems instead of heavy machinery. Sam breaks down the structural design of his self-built cold storage facility, tips for managing humidity with Inkbird sensors and thermostats, and the reality of fighting thermal mass in the ground. Finally, we discuss how local growers can build predictable, highly profitable “off-season” revenue, his advice on avoiding the "YouTube Academy" trap by finding mentors, and his ultimate mission to democratize cold storage for local communities. Sam’s book: Beyond The Root Cellar Timestamps [00:00] Intro. [03:34] Shifting local foods from a summer novelty to reliable winter staples. [07:47] Pivoting from a…

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