Hawaii 24/7

MEDIA RELEASE USDA’s prestigious Two Chiefs’ Award has been presented to M. Irene Sprecher of Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources. The Two Chiefs’ Award is a national award presented annually to recognize people and teams that work collaboratively to support conservation and forest stewardship. Award winners are selected by the Chiefs of the […]

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Ken Love | Special to Hawaii 24/7 A new USDA rule and approval allowing Hawaiian-grown Sharwil avocados to be shipped to a 32 mainland states between November and March is a first step in the right direction. Although there are a number of caveats that will have to be met before the fruit can be […]

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Department agrees to spend $1M immediately to set up operation to battle invasive species

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MEDIA RELEASE Rural Development Hawaii State Director, Chris Kanazawa has announced that USDA has awarded a Pre Development Planning Grant to the Hawaiian Shores Community Association. The Planning Grant will help the homeowner’s association pay for the preliminary work to develop an application for water system repair and upgrades. The United States Department of Agriculture […]

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated Maui and Hawaii counties as primary natural disaster areas due to losses caused by an ongoing drought that, for purposes of this disaster designation, began January 9, 2012, and continues.

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MEDIA RELEASE The U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultutral Statistics Service (NASS) will mail the 2013 Census of Agriculture in mid-December. If you receive an Ag Census form, please complete and return it by the Feb. 4, 2013 deadline. Producers can easily and securely respond online after receiving their census form at www.agcensus.usda.gov For questions […]

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MEDIA RELEASE U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recently announced $18 million in federal funding to support new farmer training and education programs in 27 states. The Kohala Center received a $562,000 grant to create and deliver Ku I Ka Mana, a beginning farmer training initiative. The County of Hawaii is providing the necessary […]

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MEDIA RELEASE The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced a commitment of more than $560,000 for the Kohala Center’s Ku I Ka Mana New Farmer Training Initiative. “As a state that imports about 85 percent of our food, it’s clear we’ve got some work to do to make Hawaii more self-reliant. That’s why I have […]

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Trade wind weather dominated Hawaii Island this week. Light showers and intermittent overcast skies were observed windward. While leeward areas were mostly dry and hazy throughout the week. Overall, light scattered rains with some sunshine benefited crop and pasture conditions. A wildfire in Ka`u kept firefighters busy at the end of the week. Some acres […]

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A front to the north of the islands diminished trade winds throughout the week, bringing light rain and sunny days to most windward areas and an increase in precipitation for many leeward areas of the Big Island. Rains decreased later in the week, with the trades culminating in a beautiful, sunny weekend.

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The past week was relatively dry, with light intermittent rains in windward areas and few scattered showers in select leeward areas. Light precipitation fell over most windward areas throughout the week, most consistently in the Puna district. There was also plenty of sun, which resulted in continued healthy growth. Leeward areas did not fare as […]

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This week was fairly dry island-wide until rains picked up in windward areas over the weekend with strengthening trade winds. The highest recorded 24- hour rainfall total was 1.90 inches on Sunday at the Kawainui Stream gage in the north Kamuela area. The light rains coupled with intermittent sun continued to encourage growth in windward […]

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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 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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