Want to know more about the state of ag education throughout the state? There’s no better way to find out than by reading the Final Report on a Coordinated Framework of Support for Preschool through Post-Secondary Agriculture Education in Hawai‘i, submitted to the Legislature by the P–20 Ag Ed Working Group, of which CTAHR is a member.

Want to spread the good word about ag and hang out with happy fifth-graders? Volunteer for the annual CTAHR Agriculture and Environmental Awareness (AEA) Day! The purpose of AEA Day is to create a greater awareness and understanding of agriculture and the environment among students and teachers and to introduce students to career opportunities in agriculture and environmental studies.

As part of a collaboration between livestock Extension agent Kyle Caires and King Kekaulike High School’s Agricultural Program in Maui, Phase III of forage research and pasture trials started on January 2 with new plantings of pasture grasses and forage crops. This collaboration has generated valuable data for industry and provided hands-on learning opportunities for high school ag students.

Extension faculty and staff at the Poamoho Station just presented a Cucurbit Powdery Mildew Management Field Day. Besides giving the participants an overview of the disease and its effects, the field day offered the results of a trial comparing three commercially available products reported to control powdery mildew on cucurbits.

Kyle Caires (HNFAS) wrapped up a productive year in livestock extension by hosting an animal health and handling workshop on Maui for more than 40 4-H youth and adults in early December at Kaonoulu Ranch. Attendees got hands-on experience administering dewormers and vaccines, as well as trimming hoofs and treating hoof problems in sheep and goats.

Those at the Kona Research Station got a first-hand lesson in the value of CPR and first aid when ag tech Nick Yamauchi used these skills to save Marc Meisner’s life during a medical emergency in the field. At the annual 2018 Hawai‘i County staff meeting held December 7 in Kona, Nick was awarded a certificate of commendation for his outstanding, life-saving aid.

Zhiqiang Cheng (PEPS) and Norman Nagata (TPSS, Maui CES) organized the 2018 Maui Turfgrass and Landscape Pest Management Workshop at CTAHR Maui Extension Office, including updates on important turfgrass and golf course pests such as frit fly, take-all patch, mini ring, rover ant, coconut rhinoceros beetle, and lobate lac scale.

Civil Beat recently published an article about the workshops CTAHR and the island Invasive Species Councils have conducted on how eco-tour operators can avoid spreading Rapid ‘Ohi‘a Death (ROD) and other pathogens, weeds, and pests. The workshop leaders include Extension forester J.B. Friday and ROD educational specialist Corie Yanger (both NREM).

Ken Leonhardt, Ilima Ho-Lastimosa, and Ted Radovich (all TPSS) represented CTAHR’s holiday spirit in fine style at the 2018 Waimanalo Christmas Parade, featuring Ken’s 1924 Model T and a “certified-organic” tractor loaded with gifts and cheerful candy-tossers that reminded onlookers of how long CTAHR’s been making life better for the community.

The seminars for the O‘ahu County Sustainable and Organic Agriculture Extension agent position have been completed, so please evaluate the two candidates, Amjad Ahmad and Mitchell Loo. CVs and some video presentations for candidates for junior/assistant Extension agents in Agricultural Economics, Agricultural Finance, and Livestock are available as well.

The Women in Ag Learning Network will be holding a virtual conference featuring information, tips, and tools that ag educators and service providers can use to deliver more engaging and effective programs for beginning women farmers and ranchers. The conference will be held from January 29 to 31, from 7:00 to 11:00 a.m. each day Hawai‘i Time.

The college’s celebration of the centennial of Hawai‘i 4-H and the 90^th anniversary of Extension in the Islands is still going strong! If you missed the luncheon hailing these milestone events or want to relive the memories, check out the CE90 – 4-H100 website, which features a video of the event, a photo gallery, and images of all the posters shared in the educational displays.

Yvette Rodriguez Stern and Sarah Yuan (both COF) led the project team for the Center’s recently published 2018 Community Profile Series, created in collaboration with the YMCA of Honolulu. The team also included COF members Javzandulam Azuma and Kathleen Gauci. The profile series presents measures of quality of life and well-being for 11 communities on O‘ahu.

CTAHR’s Agricultural Diagnostic Service Center (ADSC) is looking for a manager! The ADSC provides analytical and diagnostic services to Hawai‘i’s agricultural community through soil testing, plant tissue analysis, feed and forage analysis, plant disease identification, and insect pest identification. It also runs the popular UH Seed Program.

All are invited to attend the interview presentations of the candidates for junior/assistant Extension agent for the edible crop industry on Maui, a position that will be based in TPSS. Each candidate will speak on the topic of “Expanding the Edible Crop Extension Program on Maui.” 

All are invited to attend the interview presentations of the candidates for junior/assistant Extension agent for sustainable and organic agriculture on O‘ahu, a position that will be based in TPSS. Each candidate will speak their “Vision and Approach to Expand the Sustainable and Organic Agriculture Program on O‘ahu.” 

All are invited to attend the interview presentations of the candidates for junior/assistant Extension agent for sustainable and organic agriculture on Kaua‘i, a position that will be based in TPSS. Each candidate will speak on their “Vision and Approach to Expand the Sustainable and Organic Agriculture Program on Kaua‘i.” 

There will be a statewide training for growers on the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)’s Produce Safety Rule on Friday, December 14, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the UH Maui College’s Community Service Building #205. This training. especially timely in light of the recent warning against eating romaine, will help growers understand FSMA requirements and potential food safety risks on the farm. 

Celebrate the careers, contributions, and well-deserved retirement of HNFAS faculty Brent Buckley and Douglas Vincent and Extension agent Glen Fukumoto on December 17, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in Ag Sci 219. Attendees are requested to contribute either monetary donations or potluck foods. 

A laudatory article in the Maui News spotlights Extension agent Cynthia Nazario-Leary (TPSS). Cynthia is also a CTAHR alumna, with a master’s degree in horticulture and a doctorate in Natural Resources and Environmental Management. Now, as an agent in urban horticulture, she is trialing sunflower varieties, overseeing the Bee House, and coordinating the Maui Master Gardeners.