Candidates for junior/assistant Extension agent for Floriculture and Nursery Industries on the Big Island will be giving their interview presentations starting next week: Robert Cating will present on Tuesday, June 12, Russell Galanti on Monday, June 18, and Emma Neigel on Monday, June 25.

The Taste of the Hawaiian Range is returning to its agricultural roots and taking on a more family-friendly focus this year. It will consist of a free day-long ag festival, including farm tours and fun and educational activities for keiki, followed by a cooking demo and the much-anticipated evening food-tasting gala.

Last week, CTAHR’s Kaua‘i team and the Kaua‘i County Farm Bureau jointly hosted the 23rd Annual Agriculture & Environmental Awareness Day at the Kaua‘i Agricultural Research Center, with multiple exhibits and lectures for the 5th-grade students from local schools who attended.

The cover story of last week’s Crave section of the Star-Advertiser is all about the ADSC Seed Lab. The seeds it sells come from varieties that have been shown to grow well in Hawai‘i’s unique conditions, and they’re fresh, local, and extremely affordable!

Kim (Kamalu) Joaquin has started as the new office assistant in the Kamuela Cooperative Extension Office as of Tuesday, May 29. She comes to the college by way of the North Hawaii Community Hospital in Kamuela, and we’re glad she made the switch. Welcome to the CTAHR ‘ohana, Kim!

Associate Dean Ania Wieczorek and the Saturday Gene-iuses program, and the “Wow Factor” that they promote in kids, are featured in the Good Neighbor column of Midweek Magazine. It’s good timing, because registration is now open for the program, which will start up again in the fall.

For those applying for the Maui County FY 2019 grant competition, proposals are due directly to Maui County administrator Cindy Reeves at reevesc@hawaii.edu before 4 p.m. on June 14. Projects are expected to be completed within the calendar year, no extensions, and the budget needs to be firm.

The ADSC) is offering assistance to producers affected by current volcanic eruptions in Puna, Volcano, Pahala, and Oceanview areas. The farmers are allowed to submit free samples of water and soil for testing of pH and heavy metals. O'ahu growers were also invited to send samples to ADSC after the flooding in April.

Monica Esquivel (HNFAS) recently spoke at the Hawaii Athletic Trainers’ Association High School student workshop on what Registered Dietitians (RD) do, the pathway to becoming an RD, opportunities at UH Manoa, and how diet and food interacts with the body.

Associate Dean Ania Wieczorek and her Gene-ius Day team recently completed their 6th year coordinating the Saturday Gene-iuses Program, an exciting science education series that offers classes once a month to engage a total of students in innovative hands-on science activities.

U.S. Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard’s senior legislative assistant, Dave Chun, visited the Poamoho Experiment Station to learn more about the research and Extension demonstration projects taking place there and was impressed by the work being conducted by CTAHR’s dedicated faculty and farm staff!

The O‘ahu Urban Garden Center will be promoting pollinator-protection awareness and strategies at its Second Saturday at the Garden event on June 9 from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. The program is coordinated by members of the Bee Hui at the UGC, who provide community education and outreach about bees’ and other pollinators’ essential services.

Scientist Melissa Price collaborated with artists and the Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra to create six animated movements that educate youth about Hawai‘i’s endangered native bird species and the importance of conservation.

A Protected Culture Field Day will be held at the Waimanalo Research Station on Wednesday, May 30, from 10:00 a.m. to noon, where Extension agent Jari Sugano and associate professor Koon Hui Wang (PEPS) will discuss the benefits and disadvantages of screen and high-tunnel systems.

Emilie Kirk and Russell Messing represented CTAHR and the Kaua‘i Extension team, helping to provide information when hundreds of rural families and farmers showed up seeking answers and assistance at a flood-recovery community meeting on May 3 in Hanalei town.

Despite the earthquakes and volcanic activity, over 30 interested growers showed up at the Komohana Extension Office or participated online in the first-ever Giant Fruit & Vegetable Seminar, for contestants planning to enter the 2018 Hawaii 4-H Giant Fruit & Vegetable Contest.

In honor of Arbor Day, Andy Kaufman (TPSS) assisted a class of first- and second-graders to plant a hala tree on the UH campus; then, in honor of ‘Ohi‘a Lehua Day, he assisted a class of third- and fourth-graders to plant ‘ohi‘a trees on the Mid-Pacific campus.

Cooperative Extension proudly supported O‘ahu RC&D’s Parade of Farms, held at the Waimanalo Research Station on May 5. Faculty and staff from CTAHR helped to coordinate the event, and many CTAHR programs were in attendance to sustain O‘ahu RC&D and the Waimanalo community.

The O‘ahu Research and Conservation Development Council’s third annual Parade of Farms, hosted at the Waimanalo Research Station, will showcase farms and agriculture-related businesses in Waimanalo this Saturday, but recent storms have necessitated some changes in the tours.

Andrea Kawabata, associate Extension agent for coffee and orchard crops, was awarded a $750 scholarship from the Roy A. Goff Memorial Endowment Fund to support her participation in the recent Specialty Coffee Association Expo in Seattle. Andrea presented an educational poster illustrating how a specialty coffee region is able to deal with a significant pest (coffee berry borer) in order to continue to provide high-quality coffee to the consumer. Andrea also learned about current research; new technologies, equipment, processing methods; new varieties, and marketing strategies that she will be able to share with Hawai‘i coffee producers. The Roy A. Goff Endowment supports professional development for CTAHR Extension faculty and staff. It’s managed by representatives of Epsilon Sigma Phi Extension fraternity, Hawaii Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, Hawaii Association of Extension 4-H Agents, and the Hawaii Association of County Agricultural Agents. Applications for the next scholarship will be due July 31—for information about the scholarship, email Julia at zee@hawaii.edu.