This past weekend, associate Extension agent Andrea Kawabata dove in a spearfishing event to gather roi, ta‘ape, and to‘au for research into fish disease, age, and reproductive status, as well as the impact of these species on the reef. Over 210 pounds of fish was then donated to Big Island farmers for compost and compost-tea fertilizers. 

The college’s Extension agents recently got some well-deserved props in a laudatory article in Hawai‘i Magazine. The article focuses on Andrea Kawabata, Glen Fukumoto, and Jari Sugano, painting a picture of skilled, dedicated, and enthusiastic Extension workers making a huge difference in Island agriculture—one farm visit, variety trial, or workshop at a time.

 

CTAHR faculty and Master Gardeners helped Jefferson Elementary students with Project Lemon Tree, which established CO₂-reducing trees, an arbor, and student gardens on a campus site vandalized in 2016.

Congratulations to all CTAHR faculty who were successful in the recent Maui County FY19 grant competition! The projects funded included education in reproductive technologies, establishing a trial garden for ornamentals, investigating dispensing pesticides from drones, continuing breadfruit research, and more.

Scott Nikaido and Ethel Villalobos (both PEPS) were featured in a Ka Leo article on the class on beekeeping that they teach, Beekeeping in the Tropics: Introduction to Honeybee Health and Management. It is offered through the UH Manoa Outreach College, though Scott hopes to offer classes for credit at UH in the future.

Joshua Silva and the rest of O‘ahu Cooperative Extension will be holding a Celery Variety Trial Field Day on July 26, from 10 a.m. to noon, at the Poamoho Research Station. Participants will be able to observe nine commercially available celery varieties and discuss production practices.

All growers are invited to a day-long educational workshop: “CTAHR Ground Support: Research-Based Support for O‘ahu’s Fast-Paced Edible Crop Industry,” to learn about current agricultural research, practices, and information from CTAHR faculty and other agricultural partners on Wednesday, August 1, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The volunteer development team is interested in learning more about people’s experiences as volunteer managers and is asking those who currently manage Extension volunteers for their input via a 10- to 20-minute anonymous and voluntary online survey. Responses may be used to improve the volunteer experience for faculty, staff, and volunteers.

The year 2018 marks a special time for Hawai‘i Cooperative Extension and the Hawai‘i 4-H Program, which are celebrating their 90-year and 100-year anniversaries. Everyone is invited to celebrate these two special events to commemorate Hawai‘i’s past while looking toward the future on Wednesday, November 7, so save the date!

The Children’s Healthy Living Program was designated a Center of Excellence and awarded $2.1 million in USDA funding to continue its successful efforts to decrease the prevalence of childhood obesity in the Pacific.

Clay Trauernicht and Patricia Fifita (both NREM) organized the American Samoa Extension Climate Forum with partners at American Samoa Community College (ASCC), similar to the climate forum for Extension personnel that they organized last year at UH. Jonathan Deenik and Jensen Uyeda (both TPSS) also presented and attended.

Volunteers from the East Hawaiʻi Island Master Gardener program will be at the Hilo Orchid Society Annual Show and Sale to answer questions and assist home gardeners with horticultural and gardening information on Friday, July 13, between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. and Saturday, July 14, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Cooperative Extension conducted four workshops for veterinarians and technicians and four open lectures covering “Small Ruminant Health,” one each on O‘ahu, Maui, the Big Island, and Kaua‘i, featuring David Pugh, a board-certified veterinary specialist in nutrition, parasitology, and theriogenology.

Responding to popular demand, the Kona Extension Office offered two hands-on coffee grafting workshops for coffee producers last week. Alyssa Cho, Stuart T. Nakamoto, and Andrea Kawabata provided participants with an overview on the coffee root-knot nematode project and the important points of how and why to graft coffee plants.

If you haven’t signed up as an exhibitor for the Hawaii State Farm Fair on July 14 and 15, there’s still time, and there’s still a need: the Saturday morning (9 a.m. to noon) and Sunday afternoon (1 to 5 p.m. shifts still need to be covered.

The 61st Annual Hawai‘i County 4-H Livestock Show and Sale was held at the Rocking Chair Ranch (aka Anderson Arena). It was the project conclusion for 40 youth who had been working for many weeks feeding, training, and grooming their steers, heifers, pigs, goats, lambs, rabbits, and poultry.

Associate Dean for Extension Kelvin Sewake was interviewed for an article in Supply Chain Dive about the effects of Kilauea's volcanic activity on the supply chain on the Big Island and throughout the state. The article reported that he and other members of the college are working to help find solutions so farmers won’t have to stop farming.

Show off your program or project at the Hawaii State Farm Fair on July 14 and 15! Exhibitors are encouraged to offer family-oriented games or activities or samples. Please RSVP to Cheryl at ernst@hawaii.edu by Thursday, June 14, with your preferred shift(s) and your topic.

More than 300 visitors learned about insects that pollinate home gardens and Hawai‘i ecosystems at the Urban Garden Center’s recent Second Saturday event.
 

Rajesh Jha and Halina Zaleski (both HNFAS) provide their expert opinions in a story in Civil Beat about what should be done with the island’s food waste to best increase food security.