Co-PIs Andre Seale and Rajesh Jha (both HNFAS), in collaboration with Darren Lerner and Darren Okimoto of the UH Sea Grant College Program, recently received a 3-year NOAA Sea Grant 2018 Aquaculture Initiative award of $749,815. 

Rajesh Jha (HNFAS) recently returned from China after teaching the summer intensive course “Livestock Ecology” to the students of Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University in Xianyang. He has been serving as a visiting professor at the university for last three years. 

This in-depth two-day short course is about handling pesticides, including herbicides, in ways that will reduce risks to people and our environment. It would benefit people who want to be better informed about handling pesticides properly or prepare for the Hawaii Department of Agriculture’s examination for restricted use pesticide certification. (Certified applicators will not earn re-certification credits by attending this course.) (The course does not include the exam for restricted use pesticide certification.)

There will be a free online webinar on “Challenges and Opportunities for Implementing Food Safety Programs in Commercial Aquaponic Production of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables” on Friday, August 24, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. via Zoom, featuring present and former faculty and staff from the college.

The Hawaii Symphony Orchestra will again be performing the successful multimedia collaboration Symphony of the Hawaiian Birds, spearheaded by Melissa Price (NREM), on October 31 and November 1 for students in grades 4 through 12. If you know any teachers who might like to bring their classes to a performance, make sure to let them know!

Samir Khanal (MBBE) recently returned from Indonesia, where he was invited to deliver a summer course and special lectures at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta. He also participated in discussions with university representatives about research collaborations and student exchange possibilities.

New Extension agent Robert Cating is stationed in Hilo, attached to Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences and focused on floriculture, nursery and related industries statewide.

Over 40 participants attended Swine AI School, put on by Extension agent Mike DuPonte, specialist Halina Zaleski (HNFAS), and MS student Brittany Castle in Hilo, and a swine time was had by all!

The new Bee House at Maui County Cooperative Extension’s  Research and Education Demonstration Center provides an observational hive to augment youth and community educational projects on beekeeping and the importance of bees to Island agriculture.

CTAHR agents and researchers, along with other agricultural professionals, partnered to host a well-attended and well-received conference on August 1 at Leeward Community College.

Cooperative Extension helps everyone, but sometimes they need some help themselves! Now they’ll be getting it: with the support of the State Legislature, HDOA, Hawaii Farm Bureau, Hawaii Farmers Union United, and many external partners and stakeholders, CTAHR is able to offer 10 new positions in four counties for immediate hire!

State 4-H leader Jeff Goodwin has produced a short video to highlight the work of the 4-H program “Connect Kids to the Nature,” funded by a grant from the Disney Conservation Fund. It includes fun activities like learning about entomology, insect pheromones, and butterfly gardens at the O‘ahu Urban Garden Center.

An Extension bulletin by Scot Nelson (TPSS) and Associate Dean of Extension Kelvin Sewake, “Volcanic Emissions Injury to Plant Foliage,” was quoted and recommended in a recent Big Island Now article. The bulletin is all too relevant to those living in areas of the Big Island affected by the opening of the new vents on Kīlauea Volcano.

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.