Hawaii 24/7

MEDIA RELEASE The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced that on Dec. 1, the government of Japan approved Rainbow papaya for commercial shipment to Japan. The Rainbow papaya is genetically engineered to be resistant to the papaya ringspot virus. “The market opening in Japan is great news for Hawaii’s papaya producers and even better news [...]

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MEDIA RELEASE The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) must be built to meet the evolving needs of a 21st century agricultural economy, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Monday in presenting USDA’s Blueprint for Stronger Service, a plan that helps producers continue to drive America’s economy by streamlining operations and cutting costs. “The USDA, like families [...]

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The Waimea Irrigation System’s water level was marked at 50.00 feet (51.70 million gallons) on Monday, November 14, 2011, up 10.00 feet or 25 percent from the November 7, 2011 reading. Laupahoehoe (HI80) weather station reported 8.46 inches of rain for this reference week. The conservation status remains unrestricted.

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Hawaii 24/7 Staff The USDA has released fact sheets for each of the state that provide information on population, income, education, employment, federal funds, organic agriculture, farm characteristics, farm financial indicators, top commodities, and exports. Links to county-level data are included when available. www.ers.usda.gov/State…

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Typical trade wind conditions in the very beginning of the week gave way for more unusual weather conditions during the second half of the week as an upper-level low moved over the state. This low brought its associated cooler air to our overlying atmosphere causing conditions to become unstable. All islands experienced heavy showers during this time, some with thunderstorms and even hail. Overall, Kauai and Oahu were hit hardest.

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Last week’s weather was generally very mild in comparison to the previous week. The northern counties of Kauai and Oahu continued to receive heavy showers early in the week, remnants from the storm the week prior. By Thursday, skies were slowly starting to clear with light and passing showers over the northern islands.

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MEDIA RELEASE The number of solar panels, wind turbines and methane digesters on America’s farms and ranches has increased significantly over the past decade and there are now 8,569 operations producing their own renewable energy, according to the results of the 2009 On-Farm Renewable Energy Production Survey. Conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National [...]

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According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service Hawaii Field Office (NASS), Hawaii’s honey production in 2010 dropped 19 percent from the previous year to 770,000 lbs. The maximum number of honey producing colonies during the year remained the same at 10,000 colonies while the average yield per hive decreased from 95 lbs to 77 lbs.

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The week presented mixed weather conditions, none that were of heavy detriment to farmers. Mostly localized rains were heavy but brief. Despite some sweeping showers, skies were partly cloudy for the most part with rains favoring upper elevation and windward areas. Hazy conditions were also present during the week as winds were light and variable.

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Heavy rains fell for part of the week with thunderstorms leaving the majority of precipitation on Maui and Oahu, with Kauai also receiving drenching rains. The Big Island was left out of any significant downpours, aside from the Mt. View area which received nearly two inches over 24 hours midweek. Based on location, rains caused problems for farmers that received excess amounts.

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MEDIA RELEASE Despite the less than ideal soil conditions and above normal temperatures during the 2010 growing season, U.S. corn growers harvested the third largest crop on record, according to the Crop Production 2010 Summary released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). Corn production totaled 12.4 billion bushels, down 5 [...]

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MEDIA RELEASE The sales of food crops grown under protection in the United States more than doubled in the last decade as U.S. horticultural operations are becoming more diverse and taking advantage of newly emerging agricultural trends, according to results of the 2009 Census of Horticultural Specialties released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National [...]

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