Volume 1 Sept | Oct | Nov 2009
- Eric Collier
- 2 days ago
- 9 min read
Aloha,
Welcome to the inaugural issue of HānaiʻAi, the sustainable agriculture newsletter of the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources. Sustainable agricultural systems strive to profitably meet food and fiber needs without degrading the natural and human resources that ensure productivity in the long term. No single model for agricultural sustainability exists. Judicious use of chemical and genetic technology with increased reliance on biological cycles may occur or certified organic systems may be used that exclude many synthetic inputs.
Regardless of the model, achieving sustainability requires the integration of many tools and practices based on extensive knowledge and on-going research. The mission of HānaiʻAi is to provide a venue for dissemination of science-based information to serve all of Hawaii's Farming Community in our quest for agricultural sustainability.
We hope you find the newsletter valuable and welcome your input
Feature Farmer
Ho Farms, Kahuku, O'ahu
Area under production:
30 acres
Years farming in Hawai'i:
18
Crops grown:
long beans, cucumbers, squash, eggplant, assorted tomato varieties
Fertility management:
synthetic fertilizers, fertigation, compost
HOT TIPS from Ho Farms
Focus on quality. Diversify crops so you are not solely reliant on a single commodity, especially in the local market.
Mahalo nui loa to Ho 'ohana for this interview and photos
Sustainable & Organic Research &
Outreach News
News from Hawaiʻi's Researchers and Extension Professionals
Compost: Using it Effectively
Ted Radovich,
University of Hawai'i at Manoa, CTAHR
Composting is a controlled form of biological decomposition in which organic materials are combined and managed to produce a stable or mature product (compost) that can promote plant growth several ways.
These include:
Enhance microbial activity of soils
Provide some plant nutrients
Ameliorate an buffer acids in soils
Improve N fertilizer use efficiency
Suppress disease
Increase water holding capacity
Improve soil structure
One of the most important characteristics of compost is the ratio of carbon to nitrogen by weight (C:N) it contains. Compost C:N should be about 20 to allow for release of plant available nitrogen and avoid “nitrogen robbing” from surrounding soil. Compost is relatively low in nutrients (nitrogen = 0.5-3%), and large amounts (20-40 tons per acre) generally need to be applied in the field to observe short term changes in soil quality or plant growth. The transportation and production costs associated with these application rates can be prohibitive. Innovative use of smaller quantities of compost may improve cost effectiveness and still provide benefits to plants.
These include:
Combining with high nitrogen fertilizers to improve fertilizer use efficiency
Using aqueous compost extracts (compost tea) to extend applications over a larger area
Incorporating composts into seedling media to target applications directly to the seedling and replace imported materials
For more information on compost and composting, please see:
FMI: Ted Radovich, email: theodore@hawaii.edu
Growing Your Business
Linda J. Cox,
University of Hawai'i at Manoa, CTAHR
Many agricultural operations do not know how profitable they were over the past year are until they complete their taxes the following year. Making good business decisions is difficult when much of the important information is not known until as much as a year later. If your profits are not as large as you would like them to be, you cannot make any changes to improve things until the next year. In order to plan ahead you will need a managerial information system that tells you your cost of production, among other things, so that you know what you must sell your products for in order to profitable.
FMI: Linda J. Cox, email: lcox@hawaii.edu
Improving sunn hemp benefits by integrating with solarization
Koon-Hui Wang ans Sharadchandra Marahatta,
University of Hawai'i at Manoa, CTAHR
If your land has been cropped continuously for a long period of time, you might want to plant a green manure cover crop to revitalize your soil. Sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea) has been identified as an ideal cover crop that can generate great amounts of organic biomass within 2 1/2 months of growth during spring to summer in Hawaii. Growers in Hawaii can also take advantage of solar heat to suppress various soil-borne pests. Recently, sunn hemp cover cropping followed by soil solarization to improve weed suppression was investigated.
YouTube video
FMI: Koon-Hui Wang, email: koonhui@hawaii.edu
Grafting for Managing Soil-borne Diseases
Scot Nelson,
University of Hawai'i at Manoa, CTAHR
Plant grafting is a highly successful organic method used for the management of root pests of tree species worldwide. Pathogen-susceptible tree varieties are grafted onto the root stocks of related plant species that possess resistance to or tolerance of important plant diseases. Two research projects underway on the Big Island examine the potential of grafting to manage coffee nematode decline caused by the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne konaensis and koa wilt caused by the soilborne fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. koae. These are the two most important and deadly diseases of Coffea arabica and Acacia koa in Hawaii.
FMI: Scot Nelson, email: snelson@hawaii.edu
Varroa Mite in Bees (CCP)
Mark Wright and Ethel Villalobos,
University of Hawai'i at Manoa, CTAHR
Varroa mite control posses many challenges since it may be difficult to kill mites without affecting the bees. Formic acid, an organic compound, can be used as a bio-pesticide for Varroa destructor control. A new formic acid treatment was tested at 42 hives and the large number of mites killed within the first ten days after treatment indicate that the treatment holds great promise.
FMI: Mark Wright, email: markwrig@hawaii.edu
Ethel Villalobos, email: emv@hawaii.edu
Publications & Programs
for sustainable and organic production systems
CTAHR Publications
FMI/FYI
Beneficial Microorganisms
Many farmers would like to use micro-organisms such as Rhizobia and Mycorrhizae to enhance crop growth. Some local vendors are importing inoculum and many mainland sources are available. If you do import inoculum from the mainland, please be aware that you must obtain an approval from the Hawaii Department of Agriculture. Contact Amy N. Takahashi, Microorganism Specialist, Plant Quarantine Branch, 1849 Auiki Street, Honolulu, Hawaii 96819. Phone: (808) 832-0589. Fax: (808) 832-0584. Email: Amy.N.Takahashi@hawaii.gov
For more information on using beneficial microorganisms in agriculture, please see:
Biological Nitrogen Fixation: Nature's Partnership for Sustainable Agricultural Production
OFRF (Organic Farming Research Foundation) has a resource and information page about the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) for organic farmers.
What is the most common pesticide violation found on organic farms by Hawai'i HDOA?
Actually, it's the same problem found for all farms: lack of Worker Protection training and signage. This is a serious, but simple problem for farmers to fix. Training in the Worker Protection Standard is required for any employees at a farm (with the immediate family being exempt: mother, father, wife, children, brother, sister). A specific poster must be displayed and records of training and application must be kept. Farmers who are unaware can learn about the requirements from the pesticides education program by contacting Mike Matsukawa, HDOA 793-9424.
Emerging Issues in the U.S. Organic Industry
This report examines recent economic research on the adoption of organic farming systems, organic production costs and returns, and market conditions to gain a better understanding of the organic supply squeeze and other emerging issues in this rapidly changing industry.
Report highlights include:
More than two-thirds of U.S. consumers buy organic products at least occasionally.
Growth of the U.S. organic livestock sector is constrained by the lack of organic feed grain supplies.
The average retail prices of most organic fruits and vegetables are almost 30% more than those of conventional commodities.
Organic producers face competition from producers interested in other niche markets, particularly "locally grown."
For the full report, please see: http://ers.usda.gov/Publications/EIB55/
Since 1988, the WSARE program has been supporting agricultural profitability, environmental integrity and community strength through grants that enable cutting-edge research and education to open windows on sustainability across the West, including Hawai'i.
The goals of WSARE are:
Promote good stewardship of our natural resources
Enhance the quality of life of farmers and ranchers and ensure the viability of rural communities
Protect the health and safety of those involved in food and farm systems.
Promote crop, livestock, and enterprise diversification
Examine the regional, economic, social, and environmental implications of adopting sustainable agriculture practices and systems.
For more information, please see: http://www.westernsare.org/ or contact Hawai'i WSARE co-coordinators Dr. Ted Radovich (theodore@hawaii.edu) and Jari Sugano (suganoj@ctahr.hawaii.edu).
Mahalo nui loa to Kalae Akioka and Kukui Maunakea-Forth for their guidance with naming our newsletter.
This e-publication has been prepared by CTAHR research scientists and extension staff to deliver science-based information about sustainable and organic production systems to serve Hawaii's farming community.
To continue receiving this newsletter, please confirm your interest by updating your profile/email address (see link below). If this publication has been valuable, please forward it to others. Send in your suggestions for what you want to read about in our articles. Tell us about your research needs.
Mahalo nui loa,
Sarah Moore, technician and editor
Eric Collier, Managing Editor
Sustainable and Organic Agriculture Program
Cooperative Extension Service
College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
U.H.O.T. Podcast: Why Organic in Hawai'i?
U.H.O.T. Podcast explores why local producers choose certified organic production. Local producers hearing from local producers.
This Hawai'i Peer Mentorship Program is Supporting Farmers' Mental Wellbeing - Overstory
Despite losing its federal funding, the University of Hawai'i's Seeds of Wellbeing's peer mentor network continues to help farmers navigate stress-and reduce stigma about mental health in the local agricultural industry.
HFUU is looking for both interested farmer participants and for experienced mentors. It has been decided to roll out the program statewide and HFUU is seeking applicants from all islands! There has been a lot of interest in the program and we thought it would be best to roll things out as quickly as possible.
Please reach out to organictransitions@hfuu.org and we will get you an application! Once you are signed up as an interested farmer, the Project Coordinator will get you the application form. Once it has been returned, there will be an initial interview to learn more about your farming operation before being paired with a mentor to begin your journey to becoming an organic farming operation
Livestock Wala'au: Livestock Podcast
Livestock Wala'au podcast presented by the University of Hawaiʻi College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources. This podcast serves as a way for the livestock community to connect, talk story, and learn.
Western Region Sustainable Agriculture and Education Program (WSARE)
SARE is a program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute for Food and Agriculture that provides competitive grants and educational materials. Our grants programs are conducted cooperatively by farmers, ranchers, researchers, and ag professionals to advance farm and ranch systems that are profitable, environmentally sound, and good for communities.
The SARE grant program mission is to advance innovations that improve profitability, stewardship, and quality of life in American agriculture by investing in groundbreaking research and education. To achieve that, Western SARE believes that our programs must include the involvement of agricultural producers from inception to finish, and therefore we require producer involvement in the planning, design, implementation, and educational outreach of any funded project.
Western SARE Goals
• Promote good stewardship of the nation’s natural resources by providing site-specific, regional, and profitable sustainable farming and ranching methods that strengthen agricultural competitiveness; satisfy human food and fiber needs; maintain and enhance the quality and productivity of soil; conserve soil,
water, energy, natural resources, and fish and wildlife habitat; and maintain and improve the quality of surface and ground water.
• Enhance the quality of life of farmers and ranchers and ensure the viability of rural communities, for example, by increasing income and employment, especially profitable self-employment and innovative marketing opportunities in agricultural and rural communities.
• Protect the health and safety of those involved in food and farm systems by reducing, where feasible and practical, the use of toxic materials in agricultural production, and by optimizing on-farm resources and integrating, where appropriate, biological cycles
and controls.
• Promote crop, livestock, and enterprise diversification.
• Examine the regional, economic, social, and environmental implications of adopting sustainable agriculture practices and systems.
This e-publication is supported through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP). TOPP is a program of the USDA Organic Transition Initiative and is administered by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) National Organic Program (NOP).
This e-publication has been prepared by CTAHR research scientists and extension staff to deliver science-based information about sustainable and organic production systems to serve Hawaiʻi's farming community.
To continue receiving this newsletter, please confirm your interest by subscribing or updating your profile/email address.
If this publication has been valuable, please forward it to others
Send in your suggestions for what you want to read about in our articles
Tell us about your research needs.
Mahalo nui loa,
Eric Collier Education Specialist and Managing Editor
Amjad Ahmad, Kylie Tavares & Emilie Kirk Co-Reviewers
Sharon Wages & Jensen Uyeda WSARE Content Reviewers
Theodor Radovich Editor-in-Chief
Sustainable and Organic Agriculture Program
Cooperative Extension Service
College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources
On-line version of newsletter as well as archived issues available at:
Hawai‘i Cooperative Extension is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution providing programs and services to the people of Hawai‘i without regard to race, sex, gender identity and expression, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, marital status, arrest and court record, sexual orientation, or status as a covered veteran.
Eric Collier | Education Specialist, Social Media & Web Manager | colliere@hawaii.edu
Copyright ©2013 University of Hawai‘i - College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources. Updated 4 Nov, 2021
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CTAHR Sustainable and Organic Program
at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa
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