News and Events


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Coffee Leaf Rust

Coffee Leaf Rust 2 November 2020

Coffee Leaf Rust

Pest confirmed on Maui and tentatively on Hawai`i Island

Coffee leaf rust (CLR) has been confirmed by the U.S Dept. of Agriculture from coffee plant samples collected on Maui last week. In response, the Hawai`i Dept. of Agriculture (HDOA) began statewide surveys and has detected suspect plants on Hawai`i Island.

ʻŌhiʻa Love Fest

ʻŌhiʻa Love Fest 2 November 2020

ʻŌhiʻa Love Fest

Celebrating one of Hawaiʻi’s most beloved plants

“The most abundant tree in Hawaii’s native forest is the ‘ōhi‘a lehua, a tree critical to providing the water we drink, keeping our ocean reefs clean, and to the native Hawaiian culture,” says Ambyr U. Mokiao-Lee, Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death (ROD) Statewide Outreach Coordinator. “For these reasons and more, ‘ōhi‘a will be celebrated in a week-long virtual event called ʻŌhiʻa Love Fest.

Extension Growth

Extension Growth 2 November 2020

Extension Growth

The Hawaiʻi chapter of Epsilon Sigma Phi is recruiting members

Ever wonder what Extension is up to – across the pond? Want a mechanism to share experiences, ideas, what works and what didn’t, with fellow professionals on the Mainland? Then consider joining Alpha Omega, the Hawaiʻi chapter of Epsilon Sigma Phi.

MacNut Pest Management

MacNut Pest Management 13 October 2020

MacNut Pest Management

A new study on the felted coccid can help growers manage loss from pests

Some years ago, an Australian native insect called the “macadamia felted coccid” found its way to Hawaiʻi, causing leaf and branch die back, flower drop and sometimes, tree death among Macadamia trees. Relatively recently, the invasive pest insect became widespread on the Big Island – and of course, this has led to reduced crop yields.

Hawaiiscape Green

Hawaiiscape Green 6 October 2020

Hawaiiscape Green

Extension teams up with LICH to help small and minority-owned businesses

Please join Extension agents Russell Galanti and Hannah Lutgen on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 3:00 p.m., as they present the first in a planned series of webinars on the local green industry. The first webinar will look at small and minority-owned businesses in the green industry and programs that will improve their economic situation and help them recover from COVID-related economic effects.

Piggeries in Puna

Piggeries in Puna 29 September 2020

Piggeries in Puna

A new deep-litter design may help jump-start family farms

Lower Puna has felt the stinging triple punch of hurricane, lava, and now, pandemic. Enter Mike DuPonte and a new deep-litter piggery.

Beyond Beginners

Beyond Beginners 15 September 2020

Beyond Beginners

GoFarm Hawaiʻi consults on business plans, grant writing, and a whole lot more.

Financial analysis, marketing support, business plan production, grant writing – perhaps not what you’d expect from a beginner farmer training program.

But as Janel Yamamoto explains in a recent article, GoFarm Hawaiʻi offers services for those already working in the agricultural industry.

One Busy Man

One Busy Man 9 September 2020

One Busy Man

Extension agent is helping livestock producers, near and far

What’s one way to help ranchers stay in business during a pandemic? Kyle Caires might give you three answers. Last week, the Extension agent was a guest of Maui Mayor Michael Victorino, as the mayor announced Feed My Sheep, a new CARES Act-funded partnership with local ranchers to provide ground beef to people in need.

RU AgCurious?

RU AgCurious? 19 August 2020

RU AgCurious?

GoFarm Hawaiʻi Windward kicks off another farmer training

If commercial farming is a key to economic diversification in our island state, why not start with Hawaiʻi’s premier beginning farmer training? The free webinar is the first step for anyone interested in GoFarm’s highly successful program.

Giant Smiles

Giant Smiles 19 August 2020

Giant Smiles

4-H contest gets keiki excited about agriculture

For eight years and running, Hawaiʻi County 4-H has found a special way to bring out big smiles from its smallest members: a contest of giant fruits and vegetables.

Congrats, Zhiqiang Cheng!

Congrats, Zhiqiang Cheng! 27 July 2020

Congrats, Zhiqiang Cheng!

Turfgrass and landscape pest expert wins arboricultural award

Golf courses, resorts, and homeowner lawns across the Islands rely on Hawai‘i sunshine, good irrigation, and the expert guidance of Zhiqiang Cheng of the Dept. of Plant & Environmental Protection Sciences.

Vegetable Garden Isle

Vegetable Garden Isle 22 July 2020

Vegetable Garden Isle

Extension agents feed the hungry with the fruits of their research

The Kaua‘i community has a long history of helping one another, and CTAHR’s Kaua‘i Cooperative Extension is no exception—agents recently donated 556 pounds of vegetable greens to the Hawai‘i Foodbank there. The vegetables were grown at the Kaua‘i Agricultural Research & Extension Center by assistant Extension agents James Keach and Emilie Kirk, with the help of agricultural technicians Andrew Ehlert and Michael Carle.

Soil Rx

Soil Rx 22 July 2020

Soil Rx

Extension offers conference on soil health

The United Nations has declared 2020 the International Year of Plant Health, and healthy plants need healthy soil! Find out how to foster and maintain it at the Cooperative Extension Virtual Soil Health and Sustainable IPM mini-conference on Tuesday, August 4, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Mama Cows

Mama Cows 22 July 2020

Mama Cows

Agent offers webinar on choosing heifers for cow/calf producers

Livestock Extension agent for Kaua‘i County Savannah Katulski is offering a webinar, “Selecting Beef Replacement Heifers,” on Thursday, July 30, at 6:30 p.m. This webinar will focus on best management practices for choosing and managing replacement heifers for a cow/calf operation. 

Mahalo, Hawaiian Earth Products

Mahalo, Hawaiian Earth Products 17 July 2020

Mahalo, Hawaiian Earth Products

Compost donation will support SOAP’s turmeric project

Longtime CTAHR supporter Hawaiian Earth Products (HEP) recently donated eight truckloads of compost to the Poamoho Research Station! The compost will be used to support research into the yield and quality of Hawai‘i-grown organic turmeric. 

City Mill Gives Back

City Mill Gives Back 8 July 2020

City Mill Gives Back

Home improvement store supports CTAHR Extension

Mahalo to City Mill for their generous donation of gardening tools and supplies—totaling over $33,000!—to the Urban Garden Center and CTAHR programs. City Mill has been a longtime supporter of CTAHR’s educational programs, and with their generous support, Extension will be able to expand gardening and horticulture offerings to meet the ever-changing needs of backyard and urban gardeners, agricultural producers, small business owners, consumers, youth, and local communities.

AI Is Eye-Opening

AI Is Eye-Opening 6 July 2020

AI Is Eye-Opening

Mealani Station shares an important technique with CTAHR faculty

Ever wonder where your meat comes from? What steps go into raising beef so you can enjoy a delicious hamburger or steak? CTAHR Extension agent Mike DuPonte and farm manager Marla Fergerstrom shared one step in this process with two CTAHR employees at Mealani Experimental Research Station and Farm.

Gifts to the Ali‘i

Gifts to the Ali‘i 1 July 2020

Gifts to the Ali‘i

4-H honors its outstanding community partners

Congratulations to Barry Taniguchi and Derek Kurisu of KTA Superstores, who were recognized by the Hawai‘i State 4-H program at its recent Ali‘i Ceremony.

Ali‘i Barry Taniguchi was the chairman and CEO of KTA Superstores on the Big Island. Ali‘i Derek Kurisu is the executive vice president of KTA Superstores and a CTAHR graduate.

Screenhouse Success Story

Screenhouse Success Story 26 June 2020

Screenhouse Success Story

A new series showcases Hawaiʻi Extension to a national audience

The first Story Lead Contest for eXtension Farm Journal has a winner, and it’s CTAHR! Interim Associate Dean of Extension Jeff Goodwin submitted the winning story last month, about the outstanding success of a Cooperative Extension project on screenhouse technology that leads to much higher yields and reduced insecticide use.

The Care and Feeding of Your Lawn

The Care and Feeding of Your Lawn 22 June 2020

The Care and Feeding of Your Lawn

Turfgrass expert explains how to keep your lawn green and happy

“I fought the lawn, and the lawn won…” If that’s your theme song, it doesn’t have to be. By sticking to a few simple principles, you can create, maintain, and manage a beautiful green lawn on your property.

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15 April 2020

Keeping the Pigs Fed

CTAHR is helping swine producers weather the crisis

Keeping the Pigs Fed

Swine specialist Halina Zaleski of CTAHR’s Department of Human Nutrition, Food and Animal Sciences is spearheading the Hog Feed Relief Program to help hog farmers whose livelihoods are being disrupted by the COVID-19 crisis.

Swine producers are facing marketing changes and supply-chain interruptions due to the closure of restaurants, hotels, and farmers’ markets. They’re losing a significant seasonal revenue source, sales of whole hogs for graduation parties and other special gatherings. They’ve also lost a crucial source of feed: food waste from hotels, restaurants, and schools.

4-H youth who are raising swine for their projects are also affected. Many take out loans in order to buy and care for their hogs, hoping to make the money back at their annual 4-H shows—which have now been cancelled.

This Relief Program will offer hog producers and 4-H youth a discount of $5 a bag for a variety of pig feeds at participating dealers. The dealers will be reimbursed for the discount on a weekly basis—they just need to send their invoices to Halina, who will be coordinating the disbursements.

Funding of $20,000 for this initiative was provided by Ulupono Initiative LLC through CTAHR, HDOA, and the Hawaii Pork Industry Association. The program starts on April 20 and will run as long as funds last.

Those with questions can email or call Halina at halina@hawaii.edu or 808-956-7594.