Hawaii 24/7

MEDIA RELEASE In a unanimous decision on the Senate floor, State Senators confirmed Scott Enright as the Chairperson of the Department of Agriculture (DOA). Enright has served as the director of the Department of Agriculture since January 2014, and deputy director for the previous two years. Enright serves as national chair of the National Association […]

Read the full story

MEDIA RELEASE The Kohala Center recently received a federal Farm to School grant to support the increase of locally produced foods for Hawaii schools and to increase support for school gardens and farms statewide through curriculum development that connects core standards with garden-based education. “Every year, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) awards the […]

Read the full story

MEDIA RELEASE Gov. Neil Abercrombie has announced the release of more than $15.85 million for various capital improvement projects administered by the state Department of Agriculture in support of the local agriculture industry and further preservation of Hawaii’s watersheds. “Hawaii’s agriculture industry is vital to our local economy and supports thriving rural communities,” Abercrombie said. […]

Read the full story

MEDIA RELEASE U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz has announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture declared Hawaii and Maui Counties disaster areas due to the ongoing drought. Kalawao County was named a contiguous disaster county also eligible for federal assistance. This declaration makes farm operators facing extreme drought conditions eligible for low interest emergency loan assistance from […]

Read the full story

MEDIA RELEASE The Kohala Center today launched a series of online surveys aimed at soliciting input and feedback from various sectors of Hawai‘i’s organic food industry. The surveys are accessible online at http://www.laulimacenter.org/organic_survey.html through Friday, August 2. The surveys are part of an initiative to determine the feasibility and potential roles of one or more […]

Read the full story

MEDIA RELEASE Ku I Ka Mana, a Beginning Farmer-Rancher Training Program administered by The Kohala Center, is accepting applications from prospective students for its second cohort. Applications may be downloaded at http://www.kohalacenter.org/farmertraining/application.html. No previous farming experience is required. The eighteen-week course is conducted in Honokaa and begins on Friday, August 2, 2013. Class sessions take place Friday evenings at the North Hawaii […]

Read the full story

State set to keep garter snake for educational purposes

Read the full story

MEDIA RELEASE The state has announced the opportunity for investment grade energy audits for Hawaii agricultural producers and rural small businesses interested in energy efficient practices. Through a $100,000 federal grant via the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Energy for America Program, the energy audit initiative will provide approved farms, agricultural producers and other […]

Read the full story

MEDIA RELEASE Children in low-income communities are eligible to receive free or reduced-price meals during the school year through the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. However, the programs end when school lets out for the summer. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) helps fill the hunger gap. During the […]

Read the full story

MEDIA RELEASE The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated 31 counties in Missouri as primary natural disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by the recent drought. The counties are Hawaii and Maui. “Our hearts go out to those Hawaii farmers and ranchers affected by recent natural disasters,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said. “President […]

Read the full story

MEDIA RELEASE Hawaii ranchers are hopeful that a small beige-colored moth will be able to control the fireweed, an invasive plant that is toxic to livestock and has caused havoc on the state’s prime pasturelands. For more than 13 years, entomologists and researchers at the Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA) have literally searched the world […]

Read the full story

MEDIA RELEASE The Hawaii Department of Agriculture has obtained approval from the United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) to release the Arctiidae moth to combat the spread of Fireweed, an invasive pest that is toxic to livestock, Sen. Daniel K. Inouye has announced. Fireweed is an invasive weed from […]

Read the full story

MEDIA RELEASE Shipments of Christmas trees from the Pacific Northwest have been found to be widely infested with slugs and other pests that are not found in Hawaii, causing about half of the shipments to be held for treatment by the Plant Quarantine Branch (PQ) of the Department of Agriculture. Agricultural inspectors have inspected 150 […]

Read the full story

MEDIA RELEASE Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced Hispanic and women farmers and ranchers who allege discrimination by the USDA in past decades can file claims until March 25, 2013. “Hispanic and women farmers who believe they have faced discriminatory practices from the USDA must file a claim by March 25, 2013 in order to […]

Read the full story