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Glenn Teves, Tribal Advisor

Glenn Teves, Tribal Advisor 13 December 2023

Glenn Teves, Tribal Advisor

Sen. Schatz appoints Extension agent to new committee

There’s a new Tribal Advisory Committee within the USDA, and retired Extension agent Glenn Teves has been appointed to serve by U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz. Schatz, chair of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, announced his appointment of Glenn last week. The new committee, authorized in the 2018 Farm Bill, will provide advice and guidance to the Secretary of Agriculture on Native equities in USDA programs and policies, and develop an annual report to Congress.

With Much Gratitude

With Much Gratitude 13 December 2023

With Much Gratitude

Maui County presents 2023 Administrator Awards

The last year has been an especially challenging one for Maui County, and even more so for Molokaʻi, due to Ag Tech and Secretary shortages, fiscal purchasing barriers, theft of equipment, difficult neighbors, the search and addition of two new faculty, an unsigned lease with DHHL, transitional leadership within CTAHR, and last but not least, the sudden UHMC commitment changes related to the Molokaʻi Farm, which led CTAHR to vacate the farm and consolidate our efforts at our office location. 

Teens in Training

Teens in Training 8 November 2023

Teens in Training

Maui 4-H hosts statewide disaster preparedness

In response to the wildfire disasters in Lahaina and Kula, Maui 4-H quickly organized a statewide disaster response training – Hawai‘i’s first-ever event tailored specifically for teens. With 110 high school students from every Hawaiian island gathering at Baldwin H.S. in Wailuku, and a program based on the national Community Emergency Response Team administered by FEMA, it was a rare and valuable opportunity to both train for emergencies and discuss ways to contribute to the long-term disaster recovery process and future disaster planning.

Mālama the Farmer

Mālama the Farmer 8 November 2023

Mālama the Farmer

“Taking Care of Yourself and Each Other” conference strikes a chord

With so many Hawaiʻi farmers facing challenges that can seem insurmountable, the timing couldnʻt have been better for CTAHR’s Seeds of Wellbeing initiative to host “Mālama the Farmer, Taking Care of Yourself and Each Other” last month.

Kalo and ʻAwa

Kalo and ʻAwa 11 October 2023

Kalo and ʻAwa

Extension marks a decade+ of celebrating Waimea Valley festival

Since 2013, CTAHR has been honored to be invited to Waimea Valley Botanical Garden’s Kalo and ʻAwa Festival on the North Shore of Oʻahu. This year, the Dept. of Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences and Dept. of Family and Consumer Sciences participated once again byproudly hosting an educational booth that focused on educating participants about kalo plant parts, varieties, and groups. 

Open House!

Open House! 11 October 2023

Open House!

Stop by Urban Garden Center THIS Saturday, Oct. 14

CTAHR faculty and staff are excited to host their first Open House at the Oʻahu Urban Garden Center since the pandemic – and public interest is super high – so head over Pearl City this Saturday morning! UGC will combine the event with the popular “Second Saturday at the Garden” to provide a variety of educational exhibits and demonstrations for the general public. 

Invasive Pests

Invasive Pests 11 October 2023

Invasive Pests

CTAHR conference brings together like-minded collaborators

With our beloved island home beset by invasive pests of all shapes and sizes, what is the best way to pool our collective knowledge and resources so we can effectively combat these challenges? A two-day conference on invasive pests is a good start. 

Fire and Clay

Fire and Clay 31 August 2023

Fire and Clay

NREM wildfire expert answers 50+ media calls

A heartfelt mahalo from the CTAHR ‘ohana to Clay Trauernicht of the Dept. of Natural Resources and Environmental Management. As the Maui wildfires tragedy unfolded, Clay was interviewed by at least 50 different media outlets from across the country and internationally. With the highest level of scientific integrity, advocacy, and professionalism, he represented NREM, CTAHR, UH, and the state of Hawaiʻi to millions of people around the world.

Senator’s Stop

Senator’s Stop 31 August 2023

Senator’s Stop

Kauaʻi Extension gives Mazie Hirono the grand tour

U.S. Senator Maize Hirono received the red carpet treatment August 14 as she toured the Kauaʻi Agricultural Research Center along with Extention agents, specialists, and Jeremy Elliott-Engel, CTAHRʻs new Associate Dean & Director for Cooperative Extension.

Gene-ius Day

Gene-ius Day 31 August 2023

Gene-ius Day

Oʻahu and Big Island keiki participate in our summer program

The Genius Day Program holds its STEM program for Hawaiʻi public middle schools every summer. It all started in 2006 by Dr. Ania Wieczorek. For the month of June, middle school students participated in a week-long course filled with lots of educational and hands-on science related activities. The overall significance of this program is to educate middle school students on the field of science, and interest them in a STEM-related career.  The all-day program ran from June 5-30, Monday-Friday. 

LICH Conference

LICH Conference 31 August 2023

LICH Conference

Sign up now for the September event

After a four-year hiatus, the landscapers are back. Thatʻs right, the 2023 Green Industry Annual Conference is set for Sept. 14-15 at the Hawaii Convention Center. Hosted by the Landscape Industry Council of Hawaiʻi, the event will be jam-packed with learning opportunities, including can’t-miss presentations by CTAHR faculty. 

Next Gen Agents?

Next Gen Agents? 10 August 2023

Next Gen Agents?

Extension holds a popular field day at Waimānalo R.S.

A throng of landscapers, farmers, and residents showed up for Sterile Landscape Tree Field Day at the Waimānalo Research Station, hosted by Ken Leonhardt and Alberto Ricordi of the Dept. of Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences. Since then, CTAHR has fielded multiple requests for an encore performance.

Smart Tech

Smart Tech 10 August 2023

Smart Tech

Extension shows growers how to leverage devices and apps

Technology is impacting industries big and small, and agriculture is no exception. But it don’t mean a thing if you ain’t got that swing. With many growers reporting they don’t own a computer or smart phone, while others report they have such devices but don’t know how to use them, Extension’s Amjad Ahmad organized an educational workshop for local growers on harnessing the latest technologies that impact ag. 

Carrots for Hawaiʻi

Carrots for Hawaiʻi 10 August 2023

Carrots for Hawaiʻi

Extension’s field day sows plenty of public interest

With more than 50 varieties of carrots out there, choosing the right one to grow successfully in Hawaiʻi can be a daunting task. The need for hands-on guidance – and the public’s interest for learning more – was apparent Aug. 5 as Extension’s Jensen Uyeda and Koon-Hui Wang of the Dept. of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences held a Field Day at the Poamoho Experiment Station.

Island Hopping

Island Hopping 6 July 2023

Island Hopping

New Extension dean visits Ag Fests on Maui and Kauaʻi

Jeremy Elliott-Engel, CTAHR’s new Associate Dean & Associate Director for Cooperative Extension, hit the ground running with flights to Maui for the Maui Ag Fest & 4-H Livestock Show and Kauaʻi for the Kauaʻi County Farm Bureau Agricultural Festival.

Building an Ag Workforce

Building an Ag Workforce 6 July 2023

Building an Ag Workforce

UGC partners with Waipahu H.S. on workforce development

In line with CTAHR’s grand challenge to advance workforce and economic development, Extensionʻs Urban Garden Center is proud to partner with Waipahu High School and its ʻOhana of Excellence Academy (OEA), a pilot program funded by the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR). 

Language-Appropriate Outreach

Language-Appropriate Outreach 6 July 2023

Language-Appropriate Outreach

Extension will use USDA grant to help immigrant farmers

Immigrant farmers in Hawaiʻi whose native tongues include Thai, Lao, Ilocano, Chinese and other languages often find it difficult to access new safety guidelines and other important agricultural information.

Fast Forward

Fast Forward 12 May 2023

Fast Forward

Youths aren’t forgotten in Urban Garden Center’s many interactions with the public

As more than 250 students from 24 high schools across the state gathered to participate in this year’s Future Farmers of America convention on Oʻahu, the Urban Garden Center proved a key resource in the event. The youths visited UGC and took part in fast-paced educational activities around the facility. With their teachers, the students got their hands dirty restarting a static hydroponic system, harvesting locally grown fruits and veggies in raised beds, and transplanting succulents.

What’s All the Buzz About?

What’s All the Buzz About? 12 May 2023

What’s All the Buzz About?

Maui 4-H bee house reopens after pandemic

The Bee House at the CTAHR Maui Extension Office is making a triumphant return after a three-year-long hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Led by 4-H Youth Development Agent Nancy Ooki and Master Gardener Coordinator and Beekeeper Eric Demaria, the project seeks to teach youths about the importance of bees to Hawaiʻi’s ecosystems. 

The Potential for Sweet Onions

The Potential for Sweet Onions 21 April 2023

The Potential for Sweet Onions

Extension’s field day draws a large, interested crowd

The length of the day plays a large role in the development of sweet onion bulbs, thus farmers in Hawaiʻi have historically been limited to growing only “short-day” onions, especially during the winter when days are shorter. However, there are options for growing intermediate-day varieties in the summer months, and this potential opportunity drew more than 30 growers and community members to Extension’s recent field day at Poamoho Experiment Station.

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24 April 2020

Beefing Up Production

HNFAS Extension agent improves pregnancy rates for Wagyu cattle

Beefing Up Production

Wagyu, a Japanese breed of cattle, produces high-quality meat prized by chefs the world over. Unfortunately for steak lovers, Wagyu are also known for having poor reproductive rates. But Kyle Caires is on a mission to change that.

Kyle, an Extension agent in CTAHR’s Department of Human Nutrition, Food and Animal Sciences, just took the next step forward in his long-term quest to improve the reproductive technologies of cattle with his latest paper, “The outcome and economic viability of production using IVF and SOV techniques in the Wagyu breed of cattle.”

Along with collaborators from Brazil and Washington State, Kyle is combining econometrics (the application of statistical methods to economic data) with scientific outcomes. The goal is to implement the advanced reproductive technologies that are necessary for cattle producers to make rapid genetic improvements in a cost-effective manner.

“For Maui ranchers raising Wagyu, our research team developed a framework to nearly double pregnancy rates, at nearly 70% less cost than typical genetic improvement strategies—a true game changer for high-quality beef in Hawai‘i!” says Kyle.

He adds, “There is a plethora of reproductive management programs out there to choose from, and it can get complicated and costly for ranchers, even overwhelming at times. Our team conducts applied research to help take the guesswork out of the process for beef producers. This will lead to improvements in cattle fertility and lower costs for genetic improvement. I’m excited to help our Hawai‘i ranchers remain competitive in a dynamic, ever-changing global beef industry.”

Kyle’s paper will appear in an upcoming issue of Veterinary Sciences.