NASS, the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, has disseminated the results of its 2022 Census of Agriculture, including profiles of Hawaiʻi farmers and agriculture. The data – collected directly from producers – shows a decline in the total number of Hawaiʻi farms and land in farms. However, the data also show an increase in the value of agriculture sales across the state.

From tropical plants grown at CTAHR stations to models wearing original designs by our fashion students to remarkable stories of Extension’s impact on Hawai‘i communities to the Dean’s Awards for teaching, research, and more, this year’s ‘Ohana Banquet will be a fun evening for everyone.

Nine lucky students traveled with me to one of the largest fashion conventions in the world in Las Vegas, February 14 and 15. Each year, “Magic” attracts vendors and manufacturers from around the world to showcase their collections to industry buyers. This event is not open to the public, but as faculty in the Dept. of Family and Consumer Sciences, I was able to take students to experience this aspect of the fashion industry. 

Congrats to Mark Thorne who recently began a two-year term on the Board of Directors of the Society for Range Management. Mark, who has served the society in many capacities for almost 30 years and is currently Section Treasurer, will focus on three key issues throughout his term: recruitment and retention of SRM members, involvement in the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists in 2026, and strengthened national and international partnerships and collaborations.

Historical studies of agriculture generally focus on wetland and dryland cultivation because these forms of agriculture leave behind physical infrastructure that can be observed and mapped. But this approach tends to ignore agroforestry systems, in which trees represent the infrastructure.