Professor of Agricultural Extension

Steve Brown is a Professor of Agricultural Extension and serves as the District Agriculture and Natural Resources Cooperative Extension Service Agent for the Mat-Su/Copper River and Anchorage Districts of Alaska.  He serves as Program Leader for the Alaska Master Gardener Program. His subject matter specialties are high latitude agriculture/horticulture. In his spare time he is an avid mountaineer, marathon runner and giant cabbage contest competitor at the Alaska State Fair.

Education

• Ph.D., Environmental Science, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, 1999

• MS., Environmental Science, University of Texas at San Antonio, 1992

• BS., Recreation and Parks Management, Texas A&M University, 1987

• AS., Physical Science, Vernon Regional Junior College, 1984

Selected State and National Service

• Alaska Master Gardener State Program Leader, 2020-2023.

• President, Vice President, Secretary Board of Directors, Director, Alaska State Fair, 2012-2022

• Board Member, Mat-Su Borough Agricultural Advisory Board, 2020-2026

• President, Vice President, Secretary Board of Directors, Past President, Journal of Extension, 2013-2020

• Western Region Director, National Association of County Agricultural Agents, 2016-2018.

• National Chair and Editor, Journal of the National Association of County Agricultural Agents, 2010-2016

Representative Publications and Presentations

Brown, S. C. and E. Cohnen-Brown. 2023. Growing Giant Alaska Cabbages, University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service, Publication HGA-00049.

Nash, A., Brown S. C. and Cascio, J. 2020. The importance of Best Guesses in Emergency Situations, Journal of Extension, 58(3).

Brown, S. C., Tannehill, L. and Nash, A. 2019 (capnote address). Extension Response to the 2018 Cook Inlet Earthquake, Extension Disaster Education Network Conference, Spokane, Washington.

Brown, S. C. 2018. (invited article) Cultivating Cold-Weather Turf, Parks & Rec Business, June 2018.

Brown, S. C. 2016. Understanding Mapping Coordinate Systems, University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service, Publication MAK-00041.

Brown, S. C. 2015 (keynote address). Food Production in Northern Climates, North Slave Agricultural Awareness and Planning Workshop, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada.

Brown, S. C. 2013 (invited presentation and paper). Small Scale Poultry Production Education in Alaska, 8th Circumpolar Agriculture Conference & Inaugural University of the Arctic Food Summit, Girdwood, Alaska.

Brown, S. C., Smeenk, J. and Campbell, W. 2012. Bacterial Ring Rot in Alaskan Potato Crops, University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service, Publication PMC-00340.

Brown, S. C. 2011 (keynote address). Alaskan Agriculture: Innovations and Trends in High Latitude Farming, Northern Harvest Forum, The Pas, Manitoba, Canada.

Brown, S. C. 2011. Planting Grass on Gravel Runways in Alaska, University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service, Publication HGA-00340.

Brown, S. C. 2010. 2010 Status of Precision Agriculture in Alaska, Journal of the National Association of County Agricultural Agents, 3(1).

Brown, S. C. 2009 (invited lecture). Ice, Altitude and Agriculture: A Geospatial Study of Mexico’s Declining Glaciers, Spring Arbor University, Spring Arbor, Michigan.

Brown, S. C.  2009.  Improving Alaskan Aviation Safety with Grass Airstrips, National Association of County Agricultural Agents Conference, Portland, Oregon.

Brown, S. C. and Ploeger, J. 2008. A Kansas and Alaska Example of Extension Opportunities in Emergency Preparedness, Journal of Extension, 46(5).

Brown, S. C. 2007. The Brown County Online GIS: An Example of a Multi-Agency Collaborative Mapping System, Journal of Extension, 45(5).

Brown, S. C. 2006. Radar Mapping of the Jamapa Glacier, American Alpine News, 12(252).

Brown, S. C. 2004. Ground Penetrating Radar and GIS Applications, American Public Works Association Conference, Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Brown, S. C., Crum, S. and Foote, V. S. 2003. GIS and GPS Emergency Response Lessons Learned from the Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster, Journal of Extension, 41(4).

Brown, S. C. 2002. Precision Agriculture Education with GIS/GPS, GIS in Texas Education Conference, San Antonio, Texas.

Brown, S. C. and Blake, B. G. 2001. Laser Rangefinder Enabled GPS: An Improved Method For Precision Mapping of Urban Deer Populations, Texas Academy of Science 2001 Annual Meeting, Southwest Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas.

Brown, S. C., Van Auken O. W. and Kitchen, L. M. 2000. Using Raster GIS to Estimate Salt Marsh Plant Distributions, 47th Annual Meeting Southwestern Association of Naturalists, Denton, Texas.

Brown, S. C. 1998. Overcoming Barriers to GIS and GPS Education, North American Association of Environmental Educators, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.

Significant Mountaineering Accomplishments

Stok Kangri, 20,187 ft, Ladakh, India, 2018

Mt. Kilimanjaro, 19,300 ft, Tanzania, Africa, 2016

Mt. Elbrus, 18,510 ft, Russia, 2014

Pico Duarte, 10,100 ft, Dominican Republic, 2013

Aconcagua, 22,837 ft, Argentina, 2011

Denali (Mt. McKinley) 20,320 ft, Alaska, 2010

Pikes Peak via Pikes Peak Marathon, 14,115 ft, Colorado, 2008

Iztaccíhuatl, 17,160 ft, Mexico, 2001

Orizaba (Citlaltapetl), 18,490 ft, Mexico, 1990

Mt. Hood, 11,249 ft, Oregon, 1989

Mt. Rainier, 14,410 ft, Washington, 1989

Longs Peak via North Face, 14,259 ft, Colorado, 1985

Baldy Mountain, 12,441 ft, New Mexico, 1979