Bright, cheerful, attractive to beneficial insects and birds, and great sources of food for animals and humans—sunflowers have it all! Find out about which varieties are the best to grow at a UH Maui Cooperative Extension floriculture field day on “Sunflower Cultivars for Cut Flower Production” on Thursday, April 18, at the UH Maui College Campus, CTAHR Co-op Extension Building.

Love 4-H? Raise your hand! The National 4-H Council is sponsoring the “Raise Your Hand” campaign to champion each state’s 4-H program. It will run from April 1 through May 15 this year, and the three states that get the most hands raised will receive $20,000, $10,000, and $5,000 respectively. Best of all, this year the results are prorated by state population, so Hawai‘i has a fair shot at these awards!

Sustainability in agriculture isn’t just about using practices that don’t harm the environment, crucial though that is; another important aspect is being able to make enough money to keep producing. That’s a big part of what agricultural economics focuses on, and CTAHR will be better equipped to help farmers with this now that Sarah Rehkamp (NREM) will soon be starting as the new assistant Extension agent in Ag Economics.

This year’s illustrious and deserving awardees for the 2019 CTAHR Banquet have been selected, including Dave Chun (left) for Ka Lei Hano and Barry Brennan (PEPS, right) for Outstanding Alumnus. To congratulate them in person and hear more about their impressive and helpful accomplishments, make sure that you come to the 2019 CTAHR Banquet!

Kids participating in Maui’s Big Brothers Big Sisters program took a literal field trip—to the GoFarm garden plots at UH-Maui College. GoFarm farm coach P.J. Oliveros showed the kids about farming, inspiring some with a new ambition: to become farmers when they grow up. GoFarm Hawai‘i is an extremely successful beginning farmer training program housed in CTAHR with classes throughout the Islands.

Fascinated by the idea of hydroponics but worry that it’s too complicated? Emeritus professor Bernie Kratky (TPSS) pioneered ways of designing non-circulating hydroponic systems that are easy to make and use. He recently released a new video, this one describing how to grow a variety of slow-bolting arugula, ‘Adagio’, in a non-circulating hydroponic tank.

CTAHR has roots around the world! Extension agent Sharon Motomura is a collaborator in the international Next Generation Cassava Breeding Project, which is working to identify and breed new varieties of cassava for smallholder farmers in Africa and around the world that specifically focuses on traits identified as desirable by the farmers and small producers themselves.

FCS is hiring two junior Extension agents, full time and temporary, to work with intergenerational and youth programs in Lihu‘e and Kona. The new agents should develop, deliver, and evaluate integrated and intergenerational education programs, including 4-H, that meet community needs and enhance the quality of life for stakeholders across the lifespan.

Welcome to Rosemary Gutierrez-Coarite (TPSS), who began her new career as the Maui County Edible Crops agent on Friday, February 15! Rosemary is right at home in the college, having previously worked as a junior researcher with Mark Wright (PEPS), primarily on integrated pest management of the macadamia felted coccid.

Fish and other seafoods are integral to the Island diet, but sourcing that fish can be problematic. Aurora Saulo (TPSS) was recently interviewed for Hawaii News Now’s story on how imported frozen seafood can be contaminated with unwanted chemicals, where she explained that antibiotics and other violative drugs are often used.

Wildfires are a serious concern, in the Islands as well as on the Mainland. Wildland fire expert Clay Trauernicht (NREM) recently gave a presentation on this timely subject on Maui, in which he explained that since 72 percent of wildfires with known causes are accidental, that means they can be prevented, and the time for prevention is now!  

EFNEP, a successful nationwide community nutrition education program, is celebrating its 50th year in Hawai‘i! The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) helps limited-resource families acquire knowledge and skills and change attitudes and behavior to improve the nutritional well-being of the whole family. 

O‘ahu Cooperative Extension joined with other CTAHR programs and statewide agricultural agencies to support the Hawaii Farm Bureau’s Ag Day at the Capitol. This educational event allows ag producers, organizations, and educators get to demonstrate just how crucial their work is to community, quality of life, and the economy and the environment of the Islands.

Agriculture and Environmental Awareness Day shines a light on Hawaiʻi’s agricultural industry and shows keiki how local food production connects communities and the environment. It not only lets kids see where their food comes from; it opens their eyes to possible careers in ag and environmental management, showing them how they can contribute to this important work.

Welcome to a new role to Amjad Ahmad, who joins O‘ahu Cooperative Extension as an assistant Extension agent in Sustainable and Organic Agriculture. Amjad, a CTAHR PhD alumnus, previously worked for the college as a junior researcher in TPSS. Amjad’s educational background is the area of agronomy, field crops, legume crops production, organic amendments, and nitrogen applications.

Welcome to a new role to Jennifer Hawkins, who has started her new position within CTAHR as the Edible Crops agent on Moloka‘i! Jennifer used to be the Moloka‘i Hawaiian Home Lands Agriculture junior Extension agent, where she inaugurated a successful program teaching farmers to keep bees as pollinators.

There have been lots of problems associated with lettuce in the news, from the E. coli outbreaks traced to mainland romaine to local concerns about leafy greens and rat lungworm disease. But O‘ahu Cooperative Extension offered a great way to eat your greens and feel safe about them, too, at the Hydroponic Field Day at the Waimanalo Research Station.

With their omnivorous appetites and modest housing needs, pigs are an important part of food security in the Islands, and CTAHR Extension is getting swine producers the help they need to keep local pork production safe and sustainable. Livestock Extension agent Savannah Katulski hosted a Kaua‘i Swine Day this month at the Kaua‘i Agricultural Research Station.

Every office needs someone to keep it running smoothly, which is why the Kamuela Cooperative Extension office is so glad that Raquel Stephenson has joined as the new office assistant IV. Raquel is originally from O‘ahu, but she and her family moved to agricultural land in Waimea on Hawai‘i Island several years ago. She is excited about learning more about the Big Island as well as agriculture on the island.

Grandparents who are the primary caregivers for their grandchildren face some unique challenges as well as the potential for special joys. Here to help them is the GRANDCares Project, which offers grandparents a variety of useful tools to cope with their unique family situation and added responsibilities. It also provides grandchildren with positive youth-development experiences through its Youth Club.