The Landscape Industry Council of Hawaii (LICH) newsletter, edited by CTAHR Extension Agents Hannah Lutgen, Alberto Ricordi, and Russell Galanti, was recognized with “Third Place Outstanding Multi-part and Image-based Communications Award” at the 2025 American Society for Horticultural Science Conference.

We were thrilled to be part of the highly anticipated return of the Hawaiʻi State Farm Fair earlier this month. Team CTAHR had 13 interactive tables and displays with games, coloring books for keiki, and a petting zoo of locally grown fruits, vegetables, and flowers.

Congratulations to our Cooperative Extension colleague Ty McDonald for earning a Kupuna Lifetime Achievement Award from the Hawaii Island Landscape Association (HILA). He was honored for his outstanding leadership and service to HILA and the Hawaii Island landscape industry.

Saturday, June 28, marked the first Military ‘Ohana Day at CTAHR’s Waimānalo Research Station led by Cooperative Extension’s 4-H Military Program Coordinator, Tina Mahina Mueller.  Along with a crew of eager volunteers, Tina welcomed 30 military-connected families for a day filled with aloha, culture, and connection.

The 2025 CTAHR Conference, “He ʻAʻaliʻi Kū Makani: Resilience Through Innovation,” succeeded far beyond our expectations, thanks to the support of our CTAHR community. 

More than 1,300 people and 25 exhibitors participated in community gathering at the Komohana Research and Extension Center in Hilo that combined ʻŌhiʻa Love Fest 2025 and the East Hawaiʻi Master Gardeners plant sale.

Want to learn more about CTAHR Cooperative Extension programs, research, and resources? Whether you’re working in agriculture, environmental conservation, or community development, our newly updated website can help.

In the most recent episode of the Seeds of Wellbeing (SOW) Podcast, producer Jim Crum interviews CTAHR Dean Parwinder Grewal

Mahalo to Oʻahu County Administrator Jari Sugano and the fabulous folks at the Urban Garden Center (UGC) in Pearl City for helping CTAHR and the UH community thank UH System President David Lassner.

All are welcome on January 25, when a plaque commemorating 106 years of the 4-H youth development program in Hawaiʻi will be dedicated on Maui near the site of the state’s first 4-H club.

Over 60 volunteers from CTAHR and the local community came together on December 10 to plant kupuna kalo back into the ‘āina at the Waimānalo Research Station.

CTAHR was well represented at the Oʻahu District FFA Career Development Event (CDE) Competition held December 14 at Kāhala Elementary School.

Since 2019, Ted Radovich has been conducting science interviews as part of the “Science Zone” segment on his radio show, “In Your Head with Professor Ted,” which airs this Friday 9-12 on KTUH. Ted’s show, which is supported by producer Mikey Kantar (both of the Dept. of Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences), has interviewed more than 50 scientists on different projects related to Hawaiʻi and the world. 

This summer, youths across the state learned and cooked their way through “4-H Camp Kau Kau,” a new week-long summer culinary camp from CTAHR’s 4-H Youth Development Program. Recipes and lessons focused on the context and diversity of local food in Hawai‘i, with hands-on cooking experiences and educational activities about Hawai‘i’s food and agricultural history.

When CTAHR serves the community, and the community helps the College, everybody wins. The Mānana ahupuaʻa is home to several new food-growing systems after Oʻahu County Extension wrapped up its third annual summer workday series at the Urban Garden Center. 

The Urban Garden Center is more than a green oasis that calls to commuters as they drive through Pearl City. It’s a living classroom where community growers and gardeners can learn how to keep plants — and the environment — healthy and beautiful. 

Garlic is one of the most widely used spices for cooking across many different ethnic groups, yet it is one of Hawaiʻi’s most rarely produced spices. One of the challenges, explains Jensen Uyeda of the Dept. of Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences, is that garlic requires a cold winter to overcome dormancy.

What’s the appetite for hot peppers among local growers in the community? On one hand, Hawaiian chili types are well known and one of the more widely produced peppers in the state. And of course, chili peppers are commonly used, both fresh and dried, in many different culinary dishes.