Providing science-based information to serve Hawaii's Farming Community
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September | October | November 2013
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Sustainable & Organic Research &
Outreach News
News from Hawai'i's Researchers and Extension
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Wasps Nesting Block: A condominium to attract Natural Enemies of Insect Pests
Koon-Hui Wang and Jane Tavares, CTAHR-PEPS
As the honey bee colony collapse syndromes are becoming a concern, some researchers have begun to look for approaches to attract alternative pollinators to pollinator-dependent cropping systems. Building nesting blocks for leaf cutter bees, carpenter bees, and several other solitary bees have been promoted to attract these alternate pollinators. This article focuses on describing how to facilitate the use of a wasp nesting block in a hydroponic or aquaponic cropping system for insect pest management through conservative biological control approach. Read here.
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Biological control of corn earworm – sunn hemp enhancement compared to mass releases of parasitoids
Roshan Manandhar and Mark G Wright, CTAHR-PEPS
Corn earworm (Helicoverpa zea, Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) is a serious pest of sweet corn in Hawaii. Managing this pest with insecticides is near impossible, and wild levels of natural enemies are inadequate to suppress the massive numbers of larvae that emerge from eggs laid onto corn silks. We recently completed work comparing the potential of enhancing natural enemy abundance using sunn hemp to create in-field insectaries, with mass-releases of lab-reared egg parasitoids. Read here.
FMI: Mark Wright, email: markwrig@hawaii.edu
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Strip-till cover cropping and vermicompost extracts improve soil and plant health in a short-term vegetable cropping system
Archana Pant, Koon-Hui Wang and Theodore J.K. Radovich
This article summarizes the effect of strip-tiall cover cropping (STCC) and vermicompost water extract on soil food web structure in a short-term agroecosystem. Objectives of this study were to examine if: 1) drenching chicken manure based vermicompost tea could suppress plant-parasitic nematodes; 2) integrating STCC+SM with drenching of vermicompost tea could further improve soil health condition than STCC+SM alone; and 3) nematode community indices are good indicators of zucchini plant health. Read here.
FMI: Koon-Hui Wang, email: koonhui@hawaii.edu
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Train the Trainers, Hawaii Public Seed Initiative
Lyn Howe, The Kohala Center
On September 13-15th, 2013, the Hawaii Public Seed Initiative (HPSI) held the last of its series in the 2 year Seed Production workshops. 25 participants from all 5 islands were chosen to attend the “Train the Trainers” held at the Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Gardens in Kona. This 3 day workshop, designed to take seed saving to the next level with a “hands on” approach, focused on seed germination, seed storage, variety trials and record keeping, effects of microclimates on genetic expression, vernalization techniques for biennial crops, biosecurity, seed and plant diseases, vegetatively propagated crops and other more advanced seed production topics. Read here.
FMI: Lyn Howe, email: lynhowe1946@yahoo.com
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Publications & Programs
for sustainable and organic production systems
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NEW from CTAHR
NEW from the Landscape Industry Council of Hawaii
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From the Agribusiness Incubator
The Marketing Mix:
Attracting your target market through an integrated effort
By Steven Chiang,
Director, UH Agribusiness Incubator Program
Read the full article here.
FMI: Steve Chiang, email: schiang@hawaii.ed
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Growing Organics: Moving Hawai‘i’s Organic Industry Forward
- Monday October 28, 2013
- 9:30 am to 5:30 pm
- King Kamehamehaʻs Kona Beach Hotel, Kailua-Kona, Hawaiʻi Island
A day of workshops and presentations for Hawai‘i’s organic food producers, distributors, retailers, consumers, and advocates designed to inform and empower Hawai‘i’s organic industry.
For more information and to register, visit http://www.kohalacenter.org/archive/laulima/ or call The Kohala Center at 808-887-6411.
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GoFarm Hawaii Is Hiring
Help us produce Hawaii's next generation of farmers. If you have years of experience in commercial vegetable farming, are versed in organic farming methods, can operate and maintain small farm machinery, are a good communicator, and have a passion for developing new farmers for Hawaii, we want to talk to you! GoFarm Hawaii is a beginning farmer training program based in Windward O'ahu and is supported by Windward Community College, the UH College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, and UH's Agribusiness Incubator Program. More info at www.gofarmhawaii.org.
- Part-time (with opportunity for full-time position), $26/hr.
- Contact: David Ringuette at 236-9265 or ringuett@hawaii.edu
Molokaʻi Native Hawaiian Beginning Farmer Program
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FoodCorps Hawai‘i
The Kohala Center has been chosen to be the host site for the state of Hawai‘i’s FoodCorps Program. FoodCorps is a national AmeriCorps program that addresses childhood obesity and food insecurity in underserved communities. On September 1st, FoodCorps service members began working at eight schools on four islands. These service members will dedicate one year of full-time public service in school food systems, where they will expand hands-on nutrition education programs, build and tend school gardens, and help bring high-quality, locally produced foods into schools. The Kohala Center looks forward to building this program throughout Hawai‘i. For more information, please contact Nancy Redfeather, Host Site Supervisor, at nredfeather@kohalacenter.org.
Interesting in growing, selling or processing 'ulu (breadfruit) as a food crop?
A half-day workshop for growers, sellers, cooks, consumers, and others interested in learning more about how to harvest, store, prepare and market breadfruit will be held on Hawai'i Island, Maui, O'ahu, and Kaua'i. Presenters include Dr. Diane Ragone and Ian Cole of the Breadfruit Institute and Craig Elevitch and Andrea Dean of the Ho'oulu ka 'Ulu project. This first-of-its-kind hands-on workshop is intended to help breadfruit become (once again) a common staple in Hawai‘i.
- First workshop: November 9, 9:00 am -12:00 pm, Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden, South Kona.
- Workshops for the other islands will be held January 9–11, 2014.
- For more information, visit www.breadfruit.info or call 808-960-3727.
Farmers Say Cover Crops Work
During the fall of 2012, corn yields increased 9.6% when planted after a cover crop, compared to side-by-side fields with no cover crops, and soybean yields improved 11.6% following cover crops. Because of this, and witnessed improvements to soil and water quality, farmers across the Midwest are rapidly expanding their cover crop acreage.
Farming in the 21st Century a practical approach to improve Soil Health
http://soils.usda.gov/sqi/management/files/21st_century_soil_health_tech_doc.pdf
Digital Mapping and GIS for Small Landowners and Permaculture Design
Learn how to map your land using open source software and freely available data. This material was presented in a workshop at Oregon State University last year, and is now available on CD as a self-paced course. ($125 + $5 S/H).
http://www.earthmetrics.com/?page_id=292
Student Competition: Agricultural Innovation Prize
The Howard G. Buffett Foundation and the University of Wisconsin-Madison announced the launch of the 2014 Agricultural Innovation Prize in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture. Open to U.S. undergraduate and graduate students across all academic disciplines, the competition runs through spring 2014. Teams will compete for the chance to win $215,000 in prize money, with a grand prize of $100,000; making this the largest agriculture-focused student competition in the world. The contest encourages student teams to develop innovative plans to address social and agricultural challenges within food systems, improving the standard of living and quality of life for the world's population. Additional information is available at http://agprize.com
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Western Region Sustainable Agriculture and Education Program (WSARE)
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The Summer 2013 issue of Simply Sustainable contains articles about innovative and diverse operations, proposed food systems research and development agenda, on-farm renewable energy, upcoming sustainability events and recently funded projects
Since 1988, the WSARE program has been supporting agricultural profitability, environmental integrity and community strength through grants that enable cutting-edge research and education to open windows on sustainability across the West, including Hawai'i. The goals of WSARE are:
- Promote good stewardship of our natural resources.
- Enhance the quality of life of farmers and ranchers and ensure the viability of rural communities.
- Protect the health and safety of those involved in food and farm systems.
- Promote crop, livestock and enterprise diversification.
- Examine the regional, economic, social and environmental implications of adopting sustainable agriculture practices and systems.
For more information, please see: http://www.westernsare.org/ or contact Hawai'i WSARE co-coordinators Dr. Ted Radovich (theodore@hawaii.edu) and Jari Sugano (suganoj@ctahr.hawaii.edu).
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This e-publication has been prepared by CTAHR research scientists and extension staff to deliver science-based information about sustainable and organic production systems to serve Hawaii's farming community.
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Mahalo nui loa,
Eric Collier, Education Specialist and Managing Editor
Dr. Linda Cox and Dr. Ted Radovich
Jody Smith, e-Extension Manager
Sustainable and Organic Agriculture Program
Cooperative Extension Service
College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources
The University of Hawai‘i is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution.
Jody Smith | Web Manager | smithjos@hawaii.edu
Copyright ©2013 University of Hawai‘i - College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources. Updated 4 Nov, 2021
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