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Riding Off Into the Sunset

Riding Off Into the Sunset 11 September 2019

Riding Off Into the Sunset

Kelvin Sewake retired as Interim CTAHR Associate Dean of Extension on August 30, 2019. In appreciation for his 34 years of serving within CTAHR in various administrative roles and as Extension agent in Floriculture and Nursery Crops, a farewell tea was held for him on September 3 at the Komohana Research & Extension Center in Hilo. 

A Tree Grows in the UGC

A Tree Grows in the UGC 4 September 2019

A Tree Grows in the UGC

Ray Uchida’s years of service honored

On Thursday August 29, volunteers at the Urban Garden Center shared aloha and mahalo with Ray Uchida, who is retiring from his longstanding post as O‘ahu County administrator. The occasion was marked with hula, stories, and the planting of a tree in his honor. Steve Nagano, an Extension agent for O‘ahu County, helped Ray to plant the crepe myrtle that will bear his name and commemorate his many years of service to the college, community, and ‘āina.

Just Brew It!

Just Brew It! 4 September 2019

Just Brew It!

Eight CTAHR projects are helping the coffee industry

The Hawaii Coffee Association recently hosted their 24th Annual Conference & 11th Annual State of Hawaii Cupping Competition from July 25 to 27 at the Ala Moana Hotel. The statewide annual conference invites coffee educators, industry professionals, and enthusiasts to network and attend sessions and events. It hosted workshops on topics such as soil health, fermentation with yeasts, roasting, and cupping, with the goal of educating, sustaining, and boosting the profitability of the Hawai‘i coffee industry.

 

Fetching Some Interest

Fetching Some Interest 4 September 2019

Fetching Some Interest

Family services center showcases its interactive programs

To kick off another semester of youth and family programs, the Family Education Training Center of Hawaii (FETCH) hosted an open house at their program site, Hale Tuahine Farm in Manoa Valley. High school students interested in the world of sustainable agriculture and families seeking healthy ways to grow their own food and learn the skills to create a healthier and more positive family-life attended the free event to explore FETCH’s programs.

New Faces: Marielle Hampton

New Faces: Marielle Hampton 20 August 2019

New Faces: Marielle Hampton

Marielle Hampton just started as a temporary FCS junior agent in Kona. Marielle is well versed in more than one of CTAHR’s areas of focus, having earned her master’s degree in Nutrition: Agriculture, Food and Environment from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy from Tufts University in May 2019. She comes to CTAHR most recently from The Kohala Center, where she worked as an agriculture development intern, conducting local farmer needs assessment and outreach for food hub facility upgrades. Welcome to CTAHR HI County, Marielle!

Conservation Innovation

Conservation Innovation 6 August 2019

Conservation Innovation

ROD squad recognized at Hawai‘i conservation conference

The Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death Working Group—also known as the ROD Squad—was formed to respond to the new disease threatening Hawai‘i’s most important native forest tree. With nearly 200 individuals representing state, county, federal, university, and non-profit organizations; local and private businesses; and private citizens, the group facilitates inclusive communication on all issues related to the fungal disease and shares knowledge on a regular basis among group members, their organizations, and the people of Hawai‘i.

Invade the Big Island

Invade the Big Island 6 August 2019

Invade the Big Island

Registration now open for Invasive Species Conference

Secure your place at the Invasive Species Conference at Imiloa Astronomy Center in Hilo, Hawaii island on August 22–23! Many members of the CTAHR ‘ohana will be giving presentations on topics from pests of trees as small as the fungus that causes ROD and as big as the coconut rhinoceros beetle; novel ways to deal with invasives such as allowing their natural predators to attack them or using them for compost; and infesters of iconic Hawai‘i crops such as coffee and macadamia nuts.

Documents to download

Islands in Flames

Islands in Flames 6 August 2019

Islands in Flames

Wildfire educator sounds a warning

Wildland fire expert and 2019 winner of the Excellence in Extension award Clay Trauernicht (NREM) was recently interviewed by Noe Tanigawa on Hawai‘i Public Radio’s Planet 808 show about the increasing danger of wildfire in the Islands and its connection with climate change.

4-H Vets

4-H Vets 6 August 2019

4-H Vets

Summer program introduces youth to veterinary science

Middle school students explored veterinary science as a possible career in a week-long 4-H Veterinary Science Day Camp conducted by Hawai‘i County 4-H Extension agent Becky Settlage in Hilo in July. CTAHR’s Extension veterinarian Jenee Odani, local and state veterinarians, and a couple of UH student assistants also helped to lead the program. With their love of animals and desire to help them, the thirteen youth had a strong interest in this career, and this program definitely increased their interest!

To Bean or Natto Bean, That Is the Question

To Bean or Natto Bean, That Is the Question 6 August 2019

To Bean or Natto Bean, That Is the Question

Soybean variety trial and hands-on workshop was a success

Natto…people love it or they hate it. Making natto is a good way to preserve soybeans, add nutritional content, create a value-added product, and produce a distinctive flavor and texture that some swear by…and others swear about. Participants at the recent natto workshop at the Pearl City Urban Garden Center were decidedly of the former camp, eagerly tasting different preparations of the sometimes-slithery fermented soybean condiment and learning how to make it themselves.

4-H Awards

4-H Awards 6 August 2019

4-H Awards

Hawaiʻi faculty honored at national meeting

Maui County 4-H agent Nancy Ooki and state 4-H program leader Jeff Goodwin will be recognized at the annual meeting of the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents in November. Nancy will be recognized in two award categories, as the Western Region winner for the Communicator Award in the Educational Piece category and for the Excellence in Educational Technology Specialty Award. Jeff will be recognized as a national winner in the Published Photo category of Communicator Awards.

Family Training and Sustainable Living

Family Training and Sustainable Living 24 July 2019

Family Training and Sustainable Living

The Energy House will host a Garden Showcase

The Family Education Training Center of Hawai‘i (FETCH), headquartered at the iconic Energy House on the UHM campus, is hosting a Garden Showcase. FETCH teaches parents how to lead effectively and shows children how to take responsibility for their actions and effects on the group. In FETCH’s integrated programs, family members develop teamwork as they work together to complete hands-on projects in sustainable family gardening. Everyone can learn to grow, harvest, prepare, cook and eat their own food at home.

Keep It Covered

Keep It Covered 24 July 2019

Keep It Covered

O‘ahu County Extension offers cover-crop field day

Although conventional farming practices call for clearing away all growth from fields whenever food crops aren’t in the ground, there’s a lot of evidence that growing cover crops can have many beneficial effects on soil health, plant nutrition, and pest control. Find out more about this sustainable practice at the Cover Crop Field Day.

New Faces: Hallie Cristobal

New Faces: Hallie Cristobal 24 July 2019

New Faces: Hallie Cristobal

Family and Consumer Science and 4-H agent joins CTAHR Kaua‘i Extension

Welcome to Hallie Cristobal, who has joined the UH Cooperative Extension team in Kaua‘i County as a junior Extension agent in the department of Family and Consumer Science. Hallie grew up on the west side of Kaua‘i in Waimea. She has a BS in Health Promotion from Weber State University in Utah and is currently working online to get a Masters of Education from Capella University.

Sam Choy’s in the Local Kitchen

Sam Choy’s in the Local Kitchen 16 July 2019

Sam Choy’s in the Local Kitchen

Tune in Sunday afternoons for CTAHR ingredients and stories

A few years ago, local chef extraordinaire and co-founder of Hawai‘i Regional Cuisine Sam Choy had an idea for a new television show: eschewing high-end restaurant kitchens, he would visit the houses of local residents, invade their refrigerators, and whip up delicious dishes from whatever leftovers and neglected ingredients he could find there. His motivation was to decrease food waste by showing ordinary home cooks new ways to put together ‘ono recipes from foods they might otherwise have been tempted to throw away. The takeaway: don’t discount what’s right in front of you—it’s got more possibilities than you can imagine.

Happily Ever Grafter

Happily Ever Grafter 16 July 2019

Happily Ever Grafter

New techniques on cacao are getting a closer look

At Komohana Research and Extension Center there’s been a lot of cacao excitement! PIs Eli Isele and Alyssa Cho (both TPSS) have received an Applied Grafting Techniques grant from the County of Hawai‘i Department of Research and Development for a project comparing two hand-held machine-grafting tools with traditional grafting by hand using a knife to determine which are most efficient and cost-effective for avocado, cacao, and macadamia.

Better Coffee, More Markets

Better Coffee, More Markets 9 July 2019

Better Coffee, More Markets

CTAHR-led pruning and pesticide trials help local growers

CTAHR faculty and staff, with the support of HDOA, USDA, and grower-cooperator Greenwell Farms, have conducted research trials on coffee-pruning techniques and pesticide residues in green coffee beans at the Kona and Mealani Research Stations. Information and outreach from both trials will increase farmers’ ability to manage coffee berry borer (CBB) and produce high-quality specialty coffee.

Preliminary results from the first year of harvest in the three-year pruning trial show that single or double vertical, hand-hedged trees provide nearly 1.5 times greater yield in the first season of harvest compared with Kona-style pruned coffee trees, and 3 times greater yield compared with stumped trees. However, pruning, de-suckering, and harvesting the hand-hedged trees also requires about twice as much labor.

CBB can be managed while using all these methods of pruning, provided that there is proper field sanitation in and around the farm and that Beauveria bassiana sprays are well timed and provide good coverage.

Results of the coffee pesticide residue trial determined that a synergist, piperonyl butoxide or PBO, was present in green (dried, unroasted) beans when coffee berries were sprayed up to 105 days pre-harvest. The PBO residues were greater than those allowed by export countries such as Japan. The researchers are recommending that growers avoid using products containing PBO on coffee so as to eliminate the risk of rejection for exported coffee to such countries. Other pesticides tested did not result in detectable residues in green coffee.

Project faculty and staff Stuart T. Nakamoto (pruning project), Andrea Kawabata, Matt Miyahira, Julie Coughlin, and James Kam are welcoming participants to meet growers and learn more about these and other coffee research and updates at the Hawaii Coffee Association Conference at the Ala Moana Hotel on July 25–28. CTAHR coffee project and outreach updates will be provided on Friday, July 26, and from the college’s educational booth throughout the event.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

How Does Your Garden Grow? 2 July 2019

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Cooperative Extension offers a seedling-propagating workshop

There’s nothing like the miracle of watching tiny dry grains sprout into lush green plants…and when they can provide healthful, sustainable vegetables, all the better! But making sure that the seeds sprout and caring for them until they become sturdy, strong plants aren’t always so easy. Find out how at the Vegetable Seedling Propagation Workshop.

Where? At the Farm Fair!

Where? At the Farm Fair! 2 July 2019

Where? At the Farm Fair!

Useful information for those exhibiting at the Farm Fair

Fair Hours: Saturday, July 13: 9:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m.; Sunday, July 14: 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Location: Kualoa Ranch, 49-560 Kamehameha Highway, Kaneohe, HI 96744

Thank you for representing the college! If you have any questions, please email Rachele Lamosao at rachele@hfbf.org or call her at 292-3208.

Hawai‘i Raises Its Hand

Hawai‘i Raises Its Hand 2 July 2019

Hawai‘i Raises Its Hand

Support for local 4-H garners national attention

The National 4-H Council ran a Raise Your Hand for 4-H promotion to raise awareness of all the great work that 4-H does with youth development. Supporters of the program could vote by virtually raising their hands in celebration of its myriad health, leadership, agriculture, and STEM programs for kids. While Hawai‘i 4-H didn’t win one of the top three monetary prizes, voters still put CTAHR on the map at the national level for generating the greatest percentage increase of hands raised compared with the 2018 promotion. For this, Hawai‘i will receive an Inspire Kids to Do photo shoot sponsored by National 4-H Council. 4-H’s Inspire Kids to Do campaign helps youth to grow into leaders through inspirational hands-on learning experiences.

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28 September 2017

Wildfire Expert

Wildfire Expert

Clay Trauernicht discussed drought conditions and fire potential as part of a Hawai‘i News Now story on a wildfire threatening Kaua‘i’s Na Pali coast.

A tropical wildfire expert and assistant specialist in Natural Resources and Environmental Management, Trauernicht is a frequent go-to expert for local media when areas of Hawai‘i burn.

While not officially designated as drought stricken, the area was dry enough for underbrush to ignite, he said of the most recent fire near Ha‘ena State Park. And much of the state has been under drought conditions since July.

Watch the news story and read more about Trauernicht's work on wildfire in Hawai‘i.