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MEDIA RELEASE Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan has announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture is seeking grant applicants for the 2012 Farmers Market Promotion Program. Approximately $10 million is available for marketing operations such as farmers markets, community supported agriculture and road-side stands. The grants, which are administered by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service, are available [...]

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MEDIA RELEASE April 28 is the date for Kona Coffee Farmers Association’s fundraiser banquet to be held at the King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel. The event is 5-9 p.m. and includes a no-host cocktail hour, sumptuous island buffet, and both silent and live auctions. Many exciting items are being donated for the auctions. Everyone is [...]

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MEDIA RELEASE In an annual competition hosted by the Roasters’ Guild of the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA), three coffees from the Ka‘u coffee growing region were among the top 10 judged, earning them the coveted title Coffee of the Year for 2012. Winners from Hawaii are: * Will and Grace Tabios of The [...]

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Due to the breakdown of Ke’ei Well “D,” Department of Water Supply customers in the affected area are now under a Water Conservation status. The Department of Water Supply will be furnishing water from our Ke’ei Wells “A” and “C” until the repairs are completed. With everyone’s full cooperation, daily water needs can be met during this emergency that is currently estimated to last 9 to 10 months.

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MEDIA RELEASE It seems like just yesterday natural/organic was the hot ticket, but local is quickly becoming a consumer favorite, as locally-sourced products are becoming more popular at grocery stores and restaurants alike across the country. According to recent Mintel research, the same is true in the fruit and vegetable industry with more than half [...]

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Big Island police are investigating the theft of longan fruit from several Kurtistown farms.

Multiple thefts were reported between February 21 and March 8 . During that time, 20 longan plants and more than 1200 pounds of fruit were stolen. These types of agricultural thefts constitute a felony offense.

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MEDIA RELEASE Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan have unveiled the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food (KYF) Compass, an interactive web-based document and map highlighting USDA support for local and regional food projects and successful producer, business and community case studies. While hosting a live webinar to highlight USDA’s work [...]

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MEDIA RELEASE The Puna Ulu Festival is 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, March 3 at Hooulu Lahui, the site of Kua O Ka La Public Charter School at Pualaa, adjacent to the Ahalanui County Park warm ponds in Puna. The event is free and open to the public. The Puna Ulu Festival will feature a cooking [...]

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The Hawai‘i State Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR), in partnership with the state Departments of Agriculture and Public Safety, University of Hawai‘i Career and Technical Education Center, County of Hawai‘i, University of Hawai‘i Community Colleges, University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, and Hawai‘i Farm Bureau Federation, has announced that the West Hawai‘i Sustainable Agriculture Skill Panels Forum will convene on Tuesday, March 6, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel in Kona.

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MEDIA RELEASE The state Department of Agriculture has established permanent rules that require permits, treatments and inspections in order to transport unroasted coffee beans and other coffee-related materials from Hawaii Island to other islands to prevent the spread of the coffee berry borer (CBB). The rules became effective Feb. 24 and are similar to interim [...]

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MEDIA RELEASE In an effort to better market Hawaii commodities to foreign and domestic markets, three statewide agriculture associations have founded the non-profit Synergistic Hawaii Agriculture Council (SHAC). The three founding associations — the Hawaii Papaya Industry Association (HPIA), the Hawaii Coffee Association, (HCA), and the Hawaii Floriculture and Nursery Association (HFNA) — represent 543 [...]

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The 8th Annual Grow Hawaiian Festival included demonstrations and presentations from experts in native plants, cooking methods and traditional skills.

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