Fall 2012 issue of HānaiʻAi

Aloha Kākou, welcome to the Fall 2012 issue of HānaiʻAi, the sustainable agriculture newsletter of the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources.

New growers are urgently needed to take the place of our aging farmers and Hawaii's public institutions and non profits are stepping up to provide beginners the resources they need to succeed. This special issue of HānaiʻAi takes a close look at beginning farmers and the programs that serve them. Our featured farmers this issue, Alex and Mimi Karp of Island Harvest Organics, are new farmers who are committed to being commercially successful and evironmentally responsible food producers in the State. Dr. Linda Cox provides business planning guidance that's good for all of us and particularly valuable to new farmers. Also, programs for new farmer training across the State are highlighted, and the Director of CTAHRʻs Agribusiness Incubator Program reports on a recent tour to visit similar programs in the Northeast. And, whether you are a new grower or a grizzled old timer, you'll enjoy our research and extension updates from CTAHR and NRCS, which highlight valuable strategies to maintain soil fertility, avoid soil erosion and control important weeds biologically.

Finally, make sure to visit the "back pages" of the newsletter as well, which features Publications & Programs, upcoming Workshops, Conferences and Meetings, the Organic Update and upcoming WSARE funding deadlines.

We hope you find this issue of HānaiʻAi useful, and welcome your input.

Growing Your Business

Business Basics for Beginning Farmers By Dr. Linda J. Cox People often get into farming because they enjoy working on the land. Farmers also need to make a profit. If you want to start farming, this article has some suggestions for how to start developing your business plan immediately. READ the full article here. FMI: Linda Cox, Email:lcox@hawaii.edu

CTAHR Sustainable & Organic Research News News from Hawaii's researchers & extension professionals

Growing Farmers in the Northeast Steven Chiang, email:schiang@hawaii.edu A growing number of people in Hawai'i are interested in starting a farm. This past July, thirteen people including members of UH CTAHR, the UH Agribusiness Incubator Program, UH Maui College, UH Hilo, Windward Community College, the Kohala Center's Center for Agricultural Success, and Kamehameha Schools toured beginning farmer programs in the Northeast U.S. This article summarizes the programs that were visited and what was learned by participants. READ the full article here. Agribusiness Incubator Program Beginning Farmer Training Tour RELATED LINKS Hawaiʻi Community College: Business Plan Development Training for Farmers. Contact: James Rushing,jrushingmail@hotmail.com, phone (808) 934-2700 Kamehameha Schools: Strategic Agricultural Plan Kamehameha Schools: Punalu'u Ahupua'a Farms Open for Business Kohala Center: Ku I Ka Mana New Farmer Training Initiative Contact: Betsy Cole, email: cole@kohalacenter.org Laulima Eco-friendly Alliance of Farms (LEAF) MA'O Organic Farms Maui College: Maui New Farmers Network Molokaʻi Native Hawaiian Beginning Farmer Program Windward Community College (with CTAHR): AgCurious The 4-R's of Nutrient Management Adam Reed, USDA NRCS Pacific Island Area, email: adam.reed@hi.usda.gov Adequate soil fertility is an essential ingredient to any farming operation. Many producers have found that a Nutrient Management plan can be a cost effective way of providing adequate plant nutrients without harming the environment. This article describes the four components of a nutrient management plan. READ the full article here. CTAHR Agricultural Diagnostic Service Center (ADSC) Prepare for the Rainy Season - Simple Steps to Reduce the Risk of Soil Erosion Ben Vinhateiro, email: ben.vinhateiro@hi.usda.gov and Susan Kubo, email: Susan.Kubo@hi.usda.gov, USDA NRCS Pacific Island Area Jean Brokish, email: jean.brokish@oahurcd.org,Oahu RC&D Winter storms often bring heavy rainfall that creates runoff, damaging production areas by causing erosion and polluting streams. Farmers and land managers can minimize risks of erosion by taking precautions now. This article explains how to reduce soil erosion in a variety of agricultural settings. READ the full article here. Release Secusio: Transitioning to a Biocontrol Management Program for Fireweed (Senecio madagasceriensis) on Maui James Leary email: leary@hawaii.edu Since 2010, Maui County sponsored the Fireweed Management Prescription (FMP) Program and with the program coming to an end, the herbicide that is used as a temporary fix will be too costly for ranchers to use regularly. The Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA) is seeking federal approval to release the defoliating biocontrol agentSecusio extensa in 2013 as part of a sustainable fireweed management program. This article discusses the proposed program. READ the full article here. For more information about CTAHR's research, visit ourOffice of Research Webpage.

Publications & Programs for sustainable and organic production systems

NEW from CTAHR Nutrition Considerations in Aquaculture: The Importance of Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Fish Development and Human Health Potassium Deficiency of Palms in Hawaii Powdery Mildew of Papaya in Hawaii Boron Deficiency of Papaya Naturalizing Orchids and the Hawaii Pacific Weed Risk Assessment System Available on-line from CTAHR'sPublication and Information Central. Invasive Aphids in Hawai'i: Invasive Aphids in Hawai'i describes over 100 alien species of aphids that can be serious pests of agricultural and native plants in Hawai'i. The book's 266 pages provide keys to aphid characteristics and list their island distributions, the plant diseases they vector, and their host plants. Hundreds of color photographs of both live and slide-mounted aphids further enable identification of these pests.$20 from CTAHR Office of Communication Services, phone: (808) 956-7036, e-mail:ocs@ctahr.hawaii.edu. Other Publications from CTAHR Developing Sustainable Pest Control Practices Against Major Pests in Papaya in Hawai'i: The papaya industry makes an economic contribution to the State's agricultural sector. White peach scale (Pseudaulacaspis pentagona), papaya mealybug (Paracoccus marginatus), papaya thrips (Thrips parvispinus) and mites are major pre-harvest papaya pests that can significantly affect tree health, reduce yields and increase production costs for farmers. This poster presents the results of research that evaluated the effectiveness and environmental impact of various management strategies designed to target all of these papaya pests. New from Hawai'i Community College, Center for Agricultural Success and PAR Hawai'i Island Farmer's Guide to Accessing Local Markets

Organic Update

The USDA National Organic Program (NOP) has updated the audit checklists and Sunset dates sections of the NOP Handbook. View Full Program Handbook New Publication on GMO Contamination Prevention The University of Minnesota Southwest Research and Outreach Center has released a newly revised and expanded publication,GMO Contamination Prevention - What Does It Take? The publication describes best management practices for growers of GMO and non-GMO crops, including certified organic crops, to help minimize GMO contamination of non-GMO crops. Recently Published eOrganic Articles and Videos Soilborne Disease Management in Organic Vegetable Production, Department of Plant Pathology at The Ohio State University Videos on Plant Propagation and Pest Management for Beginning Farmers, Penn State Extension. eOrganic Resources Find all eOrganic articles, videos and webinars athttp://extension.org/organic_production. Connect with eOrganic onFacebook and Twitter, and subscribe to our YouTube channel. Have a question about organic farming? Use the eXtensionAsk an Expert tool to connect with eOrganic. Tag your question as "organic production" to make sure it reachs our members. Are you a beginning farmer or rancher? Or have you worked on a project funded by the Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Development Program? USDA would like to learn how we can better support training, education, outreach, and technical assistance initiatives for beginning farmers or ranchers. Please provide feedback by sending written comments to: email: bfrdp@nifa.usda.gov, Fax: 202-401-1782 Risk Management Agency Organic Crops Spotlight available at http://www.rma.usda.gov/news/currentissues/organics/ USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service 2011 Certified Organic Production Survey (October 2012) available at: http://sustainableagriculture.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/USDA-2011-Organic-Production-Survey.pdf

Workshops | Conferences | Meetings

AgCurious? October 11, 2012, Windward Community College Register your name by Oct. 11, 2012 at gofarm@hawaii.edu. View flier here. "Know Your Farmer, Know Your Fish" UH Food DayProgram 11:00-1:00 pm October 24, 2012. UH Manoa Campus Center Dining Room.Link here for full announcement. International Sandalwood Symposium 2012,21-24 October 2012, East-West Center, University of Hawaii Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii,Link here to Conference Website. 10th Annual West Hawaii Community Seed Exchange 3-5 p.m., Friday November 2 Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden, Captain Cook Share seeds, ideas, and get to know your community of "seed" people. Seed Production Basic Workshop for Farmers and Gardeners Nov 3 & 4th, 2012, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden, Captain Cook. View flier here. Link here FMI and to view the workshop agendas and download registration and scholarship forms Contact: Lyn Howe, Workshop Coordinator, email: seedproject@kohalacenter.org Hawaii Sheep and Goat Association 2012 Annual Workshop, November 9 and 10, Kahua Ranch Focus: Grazing management for Healthy and Productive Pastures & Animal and Herd Health Management. Link here for more information and to register. "Growing Koa in Hawai'i Nei" Symposium 2012, November 16-17 2012, Kilauea Military Camp (KMC), 'Ohi'a Room, Volcano, Hawai'i and Keauhou Ranch, Ka'u, HI.Link here to Conference Website.

FMI / FYI

Punalu'u Ahupua'a Farms Open for Business More than 200 acres of agricultural lands are being prepared by Kamehameha Schools for a new agricultural park, Punalu'u Ahupua'a Farms. The trust seeks to increase agricultural productivity in Ko'olau Loa by partnering with knowledgeable farmers and making land available for local food production. For more information, contact Kāwika Burgess at 534-8189 orkwburges@ksbe.edu .