Ag Day at the Capitol draws not only legislators, who are educated about agriculture’s critical impact on the local lifestyle and economy, but also members of the public, who come in crowds to eat, talk, and learn. And many CTAHR faculty, staff, and students were there to help with the learning.

What do edible flowers, newspaper dresses, a jar full of snakes, and a giant scary costume of a coconut rhinoceros beetle have in common? The first annual CTAHR Day, presented by the Academic & Student Affairs Office, showed how they are all related to CTAHR’s community Extension and research.

Ag finance agent Shannon Sand recently conducted a regional Women in Ag conference at the Komohana Research and Extension Center. It focused on creating and maintaining healthy farms, cultivating resiliency through learning, and fostering the opportunity for women farmers to connect with one other.

CTAHR is now accepting applications for the position of assistant Extension specialist, in the Department of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences. The position will be based in Hilo. This full-time, permanent, tenure-track position will begin August 2020 or soon thereafter

Looking to improve your Extension programs by using innovative and emerging technologies?Join in for the “Using Innovative Educational Approaches to Enhance Ecosystem Health” webinar on February 20^th at 8:00 a.m. Hawai‘i time. This is the first in a series of nine webinars sponsored by Renewable Resources Extension Act (RREA) that are geared toward showcasing innovative Extension programs. 

In the rapidly changing world of invasive species, nimble and novel outreach mechanisms that reach a cross-section of society are necessary to positively impact the renewable resources in range, forests, and wetlands. Maintaining ecosystem health at the landscape scale can be more feasible when using communication tools that link people together at the regional level.

Extension professionals are constantly seeking new strategies to effectively reach and engage audiences. While traditional methods are still effective in many places and for certain audiences, innovative approaches can expand connections, deepen impact, and broaden scope. They also give a chance to learn new skills and professional advancement.

This webinar will feature Andrea Lorek Strauss, University of Minnesota, discussing the uses of video; Megan Weber, University of Minnesota, who will present on 3-D printing; and David Coyle, Clemson University, who will discuss social media.They each will explain how they use innovative media strategies in their Extension programs!

This and the other webinars in the series will be an opportunity for renewable resource Extension professionals to share, learn, and connect with their colleagues across land-grant institutions and disciplines. If you have questions, you can contact Kris Tiles, natural resources educator at the University of Wisconsin.

The webinar is open to all; feel free to distribute to colleagues and others who may be interested.

The Family Education Training Center of Hawaii, under the aegis of the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, is offering enrichment and help building sustainable lifestyles for the whole family with its new Youth Advantage! Sustainable Sciences Internship and Family Advantage! Programs.

Mark Thorne, in the Department of Human Nutrition, Food and Animal Sciences, is quoted in a Hawaii News Now article about the invasive pest devastating Big Island pastures, the two-lined spittlebug. The bug, which first appeared in 2016, kills forage grasses that cattle graze on.

How do you make the perfect cup of coffee? CTAHR’s Cooperative Extension partnered with the Kona Coffee Cultural Festival and Lehu‘ula Farms to educate coffee producers, consumers, and the public on how to make that perfect cup by making informed decisions when purchasing and brewing coffee.

Agriculture Day at the Capitol (February 5) is an opportunity to showcase CTAHR’s impact on Hawaiʻi. Up to 400 state lawmakers, staff, and stakeholders are expected to attend, and booths fill up fast, so please RSVP ASAP to publicize your program or project with an informational display, interactive activity, swag, or samples.

A recent article in Hawaii Tribune Herald noted that Mark Thorne, Extension specialist with the Department of Human Nutrition, Food & Animal Sciences, is working with the Kona livestock community to combat the two-line spittlebug (TLSB), a recently discovered pasture pest. They "pose a significant economic threat to the Hawai‘i livestock industry,” he says.

When thinking of CTAHR’s interdisciplinary collaborations, the connection between plant sciences and the Theatre and Dance department isn’t perhaps the first to come to mind. But this exact partnership came into full bloom for the recent UH Manoa theatre production Leviathan, which went up at the Earle Ernst Lab Theatre on December 5–8.

The position of junior or assistant Extension agent in Floriculture on Hawai‘i Island, position #0082196, has been posted at University of Hawai‘i NEOGOV. Housed in the Department of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences and based in Hilo, the position is responsible for helping to develop, coordinate, and conduct a science-based educational program for the floriculture, nursery and related industries.

What is CTAHR’s impact on Hawai‘i? Is our research relevant to the state’s needs and sustainability? Does our outreach benefit the local economy, environment, and food supply? A sizable contingent of state senators, representatives, and staff got their chance to learn the answers on November 21 when they visited the Magoon Research and Instructional Facility during CTAHR’s 2019 Legislative Visit.

Morning sunlight bouncedoff animated faces as the busloads of 5^th-graders disembarked at the Oʻahu Urban Garden Center. The occasion was Agriculture and Environmental Awareness Day, and the 555 students and 48 teachers on this November 2 field trip were in for a special treat. Awaiting them were rows of outdoor exhibits, hands-on presentations, fun activities, food samples—even a small pen with live goats. 

Imagine a large room, with 30 professional chefs all cooking up something special with locally farmed ingredients. At the 2nd Variety Showcase held recently at Kapi‘olani Community College, that foodie’s dream was brought to reality. The event pairs up local farmers and breeders with local culinary experts, builds community and collaboration, and invites the public to learn more and taste the results: some awesome food, made in Hawai‘i.

The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) is celebrating 50 years of successful programming! In Hawai‘i, EFNEP is a grassroots initiative of CTAHR’s Cooperative Extension Service in cooperation with county, state, and federal partners. It teaches parents, caregivers, and youth the essentials of nutrition, food safety, food resource management, food preparation, and physical activity.

What? You missed a whole season of Sam Choy? Eight humorous episodes with the world-renowned chef inviting himself into a couple’s home, raiding their kitchen for leftovers, and reaching for CTAHR ingredients to save the meal? Not to mention Pamela Young’s terrific storytelling vignettes inserted into the episodes, featuring interviews with CTAHR’s very own Ted Radovich, Jari Sugano, and more? No worries—all of the episodes are available online!

The CTAHR ‘ohana on Kaua‘i is growing—they are currently hiring for multiple positions to join the team. There are openings for the county administrator, based in Līhu‘e; agricultural research technician (III) at the Kaua‘i Agricultural Research Center in the Wailua Homesteads; and an 89-day temporary hire Agricultural Research Tech, also based in Wailua.

The Symphony of the Hawaiian Birds will be performed on Kaua‘i for the first time in February 2020, and help is needed to recruit teachers on the island to bring their students. All classes in grades 4–12, as well as home-schooled students, are welcome. It's a place-based interdisciplinary program that brings together science, music, art, dance, and education to tell the story of our endangered Hawaiian forest birds.

Clay Trauernicht (NREM) wrote a chilling article on a hot topic in Civil Beat. The wildland fire researcher and Extension faculty member discussed Central Maui fires that burned nearly 20,000 acres this summer (see image of burned area from the Sentinel-2 satellite). This “unprecedented” area reflects “dramatic increases in wildfires across the state,” he warns.