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Fence Them Out

Fence Them Out 23 November 2018

Fence Them Out

Troubled by wild beasts? Growers who are have requested assistance in managing the wild animals that enter farm areas and destroy edible crops. In response, Cooperative Extension will be holding a Wild Animal Deterrent: Electric Fence Field Day on December 8 at the Waimanalo Research Station to show how wild animals can be excluded from production areas using an electric fencing system. 

Master It!

Master It! 16 November 2018

Master It!

Want to be a Master Gardener volunteer or know someone who does? The East Hawai‘i Master Gardeners are now accepting applications for the 2019 Master Gardener Volunteer Training Program. The course begins January 23 and runs through April, from 9 a.m. to noon every Wednesday morning at the Komohana Research Center.

Past, Present, and Future of Extension

Past, Present, and Future of Extension 16 November 2018

Past, Present, and Future of Extension

CTAHR celebrated 90 years of Cooperative Extension and 100 years of 4-H in Hawai'i on November 7. Attendees included current Extension faculty and staff, retirees, and stakeholders. US and local lawmakers, Dean Nicholas Comerford, interim associate dean for Extension Kelvin Sewake, and state 4-H  leader Jeff Goodwin spoke on the past, present, and future of Extension and 4-H in Hawai’i.

Success and Advancement

Success and Advancement 7 November 2018

Success and Advancement

CTAHR was triumphantly represented at RCUH’s 2018 Awards Luncheon, with both first- and second-place awardees. COF’s Annalynn Macabantad and Dana Senaha took second place in the Team category, and GoFarm director Janel Yamamoto won first prize in the Researcher/Project Manager/Professional category!

Papayas and Hope

Papayas and Hope 2 November 2018

Papayas and Hope

Extension in Hawai‘i County was able to qualify for a grant to hire two agricultural technicians from among the many workers displaced by the recent eruptions. The new ag techs will work at Waiakea Station planting and cross-pollinating papaya plants to obtain seeds for commercial growers to start rebuilding the decimated papaya industry on that island.

A Flowering of Support!

A Flowering of Support! 25 October 2018

A Flowering of Support!

The Hawaii Floriculture and Nursery Association (HFNA) presented CTAHR’s Waiakea Research Station with a $7,500 donation to support research benefiting the floriculture and nursery industries, such as development of new cultivars and control of pests and diseases. Mahalo to HFNA for their support of CTAHR research!

Scrumptious!

Scrumptious! 25 October 2018

Scrumptious!

Although 4-H isn’t just about “cows and cooking,” as popular perception often has it, these are iconic activities for a reason! And while East Hawai‘i 4-H has cattle covered, there hasn’t been as much cooking going on in this chapter. So over the recent Fall break, organizers decided to hold a 4-H Cooking 101 Day Camp, and participants were glad they did!

He's Pro-Protea

He's Pro-Protea 25 October 2018

He's Pro-Protea

In a column in the Hawaii Tribune-Herald, former Extension agent Norm Bezona highlights protea flowers: “Of all the many floral choices available in the marketplace, none can beat the bizarre yet entrancing beauty of the Protea.” He praises former CTAHR horticulturist Philip Parvin, director of the Maui Experiment Station, who was responsible for expanding protea culture in the Islands.

More Support

More Support 25 October 2018

More Support

Dean Comerford was interviewed for an article in the Maui News about Rep. Lynn DeCoite’s call for more state support for farmers. Dean Comerford, who has spoken with Rep. DeCoite, praises her ideas and explains that with the ten new Extension agent positions that have been funded by the Legislature, the college will be able to provide more outreach, particularly in ag economics and financing.

Getting to the Root of Things

Getting to the Root of Things 25 October 2018

Getting to the Root of Things

Some local 5- and 6-year-olds on Fall break spent the week off school at the Komohana Research & Extension Center helping to pilot a new 4-H Junior Master Gardener Early Childhood Development curriculum offered through East Hawai‘i 4-H. The week-long day camp was centered around the theme of roots.

John M. Halloran

John M. Halloran 25 October 2018

John M. Halloran

We are saddened to report the death of former Extension economist and professor John M. Halloran at age 65 in Maine. John spent the first half of his career at UH, advising farmers on marketing in areas from cut flowers to coffee, bananas and papayas to livestock, forests to fisheries. He was instrumental in Hawai‘i’s early farm-to-table movement.

Celebrate Extension!

Celebrate Extension! 18 October 2018

Celebrate Extension!

If you haven’t yet registered for the celebration marking two important events in Cooperative Extension in Hawai‘i, now’s the time to do it—the deadline is October 26! There will be a celebration luncheon in honor of these historic milestones, and the CTAHR ‘ohana is invited to participate in commemorating Hawai’i’s past while looking toward the future!

Counting What We’ve Lost

Counting What We’ve Lost 18 October 2018

Counting What We’ve Lost

Ag economist Matthew Loke (NREM) conducted a Survey on Farm Disasters caused by Kilauea’s recent eruptions. Results indicated a $27.9 million loss by 46 affected farmers and a displacement of 1,337 acres of arable land. The survey results will be used to seek federal, state, and county government assistance for  affected farmers.

Connecting Kids to Food

Connecting Kids to Food 18 October 2018

Connecting Kids to Food

In a column in the Star-Advertiser, junior Extension agent Emilie Kirk details how the “Farm-to-School Program Connects Kids to Food.” October is national Farm to School month, and it’s a great initiative. If you’re a parent, teacher, or school administrator, or know someone who is, you’ll find something of interest in this helpful article, so take a look!

Honoring Our Past, Growing Our Future

Honoring Our Past, Growing Our Future 11 October 2018

Honoring Our Past, Growing Our Future

The year 2018 marks a special time for Hawai‘i Cooperative Extension and the Hawai‘i 4-H Program! There will be a celebration luncheon on Wednesday, November 7, in honor of two important Extension milestones, and the CTAHR ‘ohana is invited to participate in commemorating Hawai’i’s past while looking toward the future!

Documents to download

Be an AgPro!

Be an AgPro! 11 October 2018

Be an AgPro!

Registration is now open for the AgPro professional-development training on October 23 and 24 on Maui. The two-day event, with the theme of “Extending Our Reach: Technology Use in Cooperative Extension,” will offer Extension agents and specialists the latest updates relating to the use of technology in agriculture, livestock, and Extension education.

In Their Own Words

In Their Own Words 11 October 2018

In Their Own Words

Through collaboration with community partners, CTAHR Cooperative Extension was able to reach 14 Thai farmers on Kaua‘i and 10 Thai farmers on O‘ahu last week by providing bilingual workshops. Farmers noted that both workshops were very informative and that they are interested in attending additional workshops in the future.

They’re into Growing in a BIG Way!

They’re into Growing in a BIG Way! 28 September 2018

They’re into Growing in a BIG Way!

East Hawai‘i 4-H had a record year at their recent Hawai‘i County Giant Fruit & Vegetable Contest, adding six new contest records, including a 2.37-pound giant tomato, a 16.74-pound coconut, a 2.02-pound lemon, a giant 7.47-pound sweet potato, a 14.5-inch sunflower head, and, astonishingly, an 84.5-inch-long gourd!

Healthy Facts About Social Media

Healthy Facts About Social Media 28 September 2018

Healthy Facts About Social Media

In a recent Star-Advertiser column, HNFAS nutritionists Joannie Dobbs and Alan Titchenal discuss the role that social media can play in affecting and maintaining people’s health. They point out that a lot of what we read on social media about food and diet can be “biased and misleading,” especially if it’s disseminated by special interest groups with their own agendas.

Fire Fighter

Fire Fighter 20 September 2018

Fire Fighter

Clay Trauernicht (NREM) recently published an article in Civil Beat’s “Community Voices” forum entitled “Fire Is the One Hawaii Disaster We Can Avoid.” As he explains, there’s nothing people can do to prevent many of the natural disasters that have hit our state in the past few months. But one natural crisis that we can prevent is wildfire.

 

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8 April 2020

Pigs and Papaya

CTAHR Extension is helping two industries save each other

Pigs and Papaya

The pig farmers had no feed for their pigs. The papaya farmers had no market for their papayas. But CTAHR brought them together.

Both local industries have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Some 75% of swine producers’ feed comes from food waste generated by schools, restaurants, and hotels. But this supply has dwindled radically since Hawai‘i residents began sheltering in place. Papaya growers have found their markets slashed since US Mainland distributors stopped buying papaya during the crisis, as consumers focus on canned and other long-keeping items they can stockpile.

Faced with the shortage, pig farmers quickly switched to purchasing Mainland grain. But this caused a shortage of pig pellets at local feed stores, leaving the Islands without feed until the next boat. It’s not a sustainable solution, either. Pig pellets are more costly and require more fossil fuel to transport, and local farmers have to rely on a supply chain that may break down at any stage. Transporting large amounts of feed might also strain a shipping industry struggling to keep Hawai‘i supplied with essentials for humans.

At the same time, papaya growers were in danger of going under. Approximately 50 families, independent growers and members of the non-profit Hawaii Papaya Industry Association (HIPA) are in desperate need of immediate assistance. They have no other income than selling papayas, and their market has crashed, yet they do not qualify for unemployment. 

CTAHR’s Role

CTAHR Extension livestock agent Mike DuPonte, a member of the Hawaii Island Pork Association, began coordinating with HIPA president Eric Weinert of the large Hilo packing plant and exporter Calavo Growers.

Together, they’ve created a short-term means to protect both industries and Hawai‘i’s precious food supply. Pigs readily eat papaya, and there’s plenty to be had. Mike is coordinating with the animal farmers needing a food source by providing an estimate of need. Papaya farmers will pick and supply the papaya to be used as feed. Eric Weinert will open the packing plant as a marshalling yard to receive and distribute the papaya. HPIA will provide forklifts, scales, and recordkeeping.

It’s not a complete solution—papaya doesn’t provide all the nutrients that pigs need over the long term, and swine producers can’t afford to pay the prices that papaya farmers usually command from human consumers. So CTAHR agents are also helping members of both organizations get financial funding and other emergency aid from the federal government and large corporations like Land O’ Lakes, which runs a feed and shipping program and will work with farmers to subsidize them.

But for now, this locally grown partnership is keeping both industries afloat while they explore other solutions, ensuring that essential elements of our Islands’ food sufficiency can survive.