High vacancy rates, particularly in key leadership positions, have cast doubt over the department’s ability to strengthen protections against invasive species.
The department has included bottled water in its accounting for locally produced food.
One country is behind an increase in foreign ownership of Hawaiʻi’s dwindling agricultural land holdings. Hint: It’s not China.
Lawmakers are considering creating an agricultural crime commission and other measures to bolster laws that apply to agricultural theft, vandalism and trespass.
Local chickens are in good health — but they face a potential threat.
Upgrading aging infrastructure is key to agriculture’s future in Hawaii, but there are also safety concerns.
A herd recently threatened the Maui Nui Botanical Gardens. Hawaii is upping its effort to control the population.
The state Department of Agriculture is encouraging poultry and egg farmers to be vigilant for signs of avian influenza.
Even as part of the islands’ crop goes unharvested, some buyers turn to imports.
A state program that helped schools meet food safety standards ended during the pandemic and it can be daunting for campuses to tackle the requirements on their own.
The Agribusiness Development Corp. took issue with a well-attended event in which vehicles raced down a dirt track.
The Whitmore Village facility will include specialized ag equipment and DOE’s centralized kitchen.
After failing to stop a daylong “Mud Drag” event that attracted about 1,000 people last weekend, a state agency ponders its next move.
The city begins felling the first of 80 trees marked for removal on the North Shore.
The Hawaii Farmers Union outlined its priorities for next year during its annual convention.
Dozens of infested coconut trees have been marked for removal on Oahu’s North Shore. Will they be replaced?
A new facility researches how to make sea creatures more resilient in Native Hawaiian fishponds.
Lawmakers and state workers returned from a five-day tour of New Zealand’s biosecurity facilities armed with lessons on strengthening Hawaii’s defense against beetles and ants.
The Center for Food Safety says that Cloverleaf Dairy on the Big Island has been knowingly polluting the ocean with animal and milk waste for years.
Money to manage feral chickens and educate the public are among the items zeroed out of the budget. Millions of dollars have been cut from other programs for pest management.
Local businesses are getting big funding boosts to help make farmed algae part of the solution in addressing the amount of methane cattle produce.
New legislation awaiting the governor’s signature would help businesses operate out of home kitchens.
The agriculture department will likely receive $20 million for biosecurity this year. Lawmakers want results.
The biosecurity measure is one of two key pieces of legislation that will strengthen the efforts of the Department of Agriculture.
The destructive beetles pose a serious threat to palm trees and culturally important plants in Hawaii.
Gov. Josh Green had discussions with several people before making the decision after critics raised concerns over conflicts of interest.
Carol Okada had been sidelined at the Department of Agriculture because of personality clashes and her relationship with nurseries.
The interim rule has been signed by the Department of Agriculture in a bid to curb the spread of the stinging ants on Oahu.
The Department of Education has been planning to build a “mega kitchen” that would eventually go to the Agribusiness Development Corp. But it has yet to pay the security deposit.
The Kohala Ditch was built in the early 1900s to water sugarcane fields, then it fed ranches and small farmers’ operations. But it has languished since breaking in 2021.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture census paints a sorry picture for Hawaii’s goals of increasing food production.
The state has significant potential for tropical aquaculture production but the industry needs more investment and less bureaucratic red tape.
An innovative recycling plant also hopes to provide a process to turn invasive weeds and grasses into something more useful.
The Legislature is poised to pay the settlement along with dozens of others totaling more than $13 million.
The DOE has also failed to deliver a required annual update to state lawmakers on progress so far.
The state is developing new rules to address mounting problems with goats, pigs and deer but the group representing a crucial stakeholder has been floundering.
The invasive stinging ants were found on Thursday.
The traditional elixir is known as awa in Hawaii and was brought to the islands by the early Polynesian settlers.
Gov. Josh Green’s administration has moved quickly to shift thousands of acres out of DLNR’s control to boost ag production but more remains on the table.
Some senators say moving aquaculture to another state agency is the answer. Others say it’s about providing the necessary resources.
Landowners will get paid for killing the deer as part of a new animal control program run by the Department of Land and Natural Resources.
The Public First Law Center alleges that the Agribusiness Development Corp. and Defender Council violated Hawaii’s Sunshine Law.
The Department of Agriculture has more than 100 job vacancies. Lawmakers demand greater accountability as they consider next year’s funding requests.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture funding will focus on small- and medium-sized producers.
The Legislature is expected to consider a bill this session to create a new state entity that would oversee recreational and medicinal cannabis as well as industrial hemp.
The severely degraded island has undergone two decades of restoration work after years of overgrazing, bombing and burning. That endeavor could help guide efforts to control runoff and replant thousands of scorched acres.
Advocates are cautiously optimistic the DOE’s recent request for information will result in more local ingredients included in school lunches.
The work requires a ton of compost and mulch. But without a local composting facility, that will have to be shipped in — a gateway for invasive species.
The department has been going back and forth on new rules since at least February.
Proponents identified the post-fire period as a perfect opportunity to reset local food production.
A House working group has come up with a suite of recommendations, including better support for the state’s food banks.
With the official opening of a new facility, Maui hopes to charge ahead with plans for greater food security.
Farm owners and feeding operations are preparing to be in it for the long haul.
The proposal surprised local elected officials and conservation groups that had already been working on native seed issues.
Government needs to speed up its approval process and invest in research infrastructure to defeat a list of environmentally and economically threatening pests, experts say.
The corporation said the move signaled a new era of transparency for the agency.
State support has been lean, but the industry has attracted global recognition for its innovations.
In addition to the state’s interim rules, drones are being used to drop pesticides.
The money will be distributed across Hawaii to bolster community-level food security.
Grass from East Indian sugarcane to African Guinea grass have been introduced to Hawaii for centuries, predating the state’s increased risk of wildfire.
The beetle was found dead in a bag of compost at a Maui big box store during routine survey work.
Fire officials and landowners have known for years about gaps in Hawaii’s firebreaks and fuelbreaks. The problem boils down to money and cooperation.
The state’s ag industry mobilized to provide aid and the state bought feed, but ranchers need rain to grow grass soon.
That same fateful day, a couple of farmers, a troop of cowboys and fire crews were all that stood between a Waimea wildfire and potential catastrophe.
.The new director has a vision for community-focused innovative farming.
The department said it is taking an ‘all-hands-on-deck approach’ to the issue.
Food accounts for roughly 19% of all the trash thrown out in the county, which lacks a municipal composting facility.
For the state, the purchase was a “huge victory” for the environment. For Brendan Balthazar, it was a devastating loss of agricultural land.
The farm says it is hoping to reduce the state’s dependence on imported fertilizer.
The plant is the focus of new studies about its potential therapeutic benefits.
Demand for beef is exceeding supply, but local producers are not seeing the returns.
How much the program will cost and how it will roll out remains uncertain.
The hunt for a new executive director is continuing.
Nonprofits have stepped in to help with grant writing but the state agriculture department has been slow to take advantage of available pots of money.
Amid forecasts of less available water, officials want to ensure food producers have enough for their crops and livestock.
The state’s ethics commission stepped in and forced the restart of the hiring process.
The invasive insect has decimated the Pacific’s coconut palm populations. Now it’s been found on Kauai.
Demographic shifts mean that all of Maui County is excluded from a federal program meant to benefit kids in rural communities.
Hawaii’s congressional delegation wants to know why the money it fights for is not being used by the Department of Education.
Pacific neighbors are fighting back against the coconut rhinoceros beetle, and there are lessons for Hawaii.
The importance of nutritional assistance like SNAP was apparent during a recent statewide tour.
Local food producers and advocates are vexed by the department’s U-turn.
The bill was substantially altered during conference committee drawing scrutiny.
Hawaii will play host to a center that aims to empower food producers and businesses in US states and territories.
Updated: The bill was recommitted to conference committee Thursday, effectively killing it.
The hemp industry is poised for a legislative win after several years of negotiation.
The settlement this week follows 12 others over misleading labelling of Kona coffee.
State officials and stakeholders have suddenly found themselves asking who will carry on the work of the late James Nakatani.
The family-owned vegetable grower has found better prices on water and land leases.
The ag project needs lots of water but the dam that could supply it will be torn down unless the farm can raise millions of dollars to save it.
Current rules and regulations have become too onerous for local meat producers.
Larger food waste management plans will be announced soon, the mayor said.
Proceeds from compost sales to the public are kept by the partner schools.
Farmers and ranchers see an opportunity for ongoing collaboration.
The carpenter’s union says that more modular housing is not a “silver bullet.”
Lower shipping costs have freed up funds for more food supplies, Hawaii Foodbank said.
Coconut rhinoceros beetles have decimated yields across the Pacific, but there may be a surprising workaround.
Nearly half of Hawaii recipients of food support are employed but the end of additional federal assistance is going to sting.
Several major land leases are set to be moved from DLNR to DOA in a matter of months, resolving a lingering issue.
Hawaii’s demand for pork is on the rise but slaughterhouses cater to beef.
Future capital gains would be locked into local income levels as part of the plan.
The DOE plans for a centralized kitchen concept but local advocates say it’s better to increase cooking capacity at individual schools.
The state is investing in small-scale gardening, herding and livestock operations. It’s a start.
Producers have turned to supplying direct to hotels catering to tourists, shifting the emphasis away from local preferences.
Fresh research reinforces that the majority of tourists to Hawaii will pay a premium to experience local fare. That could make food produced here more affordable for residents.
State agencies and local hotels and restaurants are on the hunt for more Hawaii-grown produce, but only a small number of our farms conform to USDA guidelines.
Local layers are now racing to expand operations as the islands remain bird-flu free.
Information on restricted pesticide use in Hawaii was kept private until a 2018 law required transparency. Environmental advocates want more restrictions.
State lawmakers are asked to find a little more funding now to save a lot more money later in order to protect the islands’ fragile ecosystems and ag lands.
Small community meetings across the islands will help develop the first state plan to guide local food resiliency and production.
The department’s funding has become cause for concern after losing a special revenue stream. Lawmakers say they are listening, but they expect the next director to ask for more.
Climate change has emerged as a modern challenge for the guardians of these traditional food sources.
State lawmakers are looking at new subsidies to improve food sustainability and security in the islands while continuing the momentum from last session.
Mental health professionals are drumming up new, more diverse ways to help struggling farmers.
A new partnership enabling the planting of food gardens aims to bring sustainable, healthy, free produce and seedlings to 1,000 backyards throughout Hawaii.
The Wahiawa facility will support the development of new food products for local and export markets.
The opportunity for a leaseholder change on 100 undeveloped acres could revive long stalled plans for a promised agricultural park on Lanai.
The once popular seafood became somewhat of a delicacy over the years, but some consumers are now getting a fresh taste.
The list, which targets invasive species for eradication, hasn’t been revised in 30 years.
A cohort of farming legislators looks to bolster Hawaii’s food systems and build on momentum from 2022.
Kulahaven Farms is now running into one of the most common obstacles for Hawaii’s food producers — land. But the owner hopes to find new land to make a fresh start.
The nonprofit is working to create a backyard-to-market supply chain.
Virtual workshops are being held for stakeholders to learn more about the Whole-Farm Revenue Protection and Micro Farm options.
Hawaii imports an average of 250,000 Christmas trees from the mainland. Many say that’s a waste.
Ko Hana Hawaiian Agricole Rum is trying to break into the booming ready-to-drink cocktail market, but still needs to make it onto store shelves.
Boosting availability of affordable local food and combating invasive species are top issues for Michael Victorino and Richard Bissen.
A Kaiser High School teacher is educating students through his community garden and an extracurricular environmental club he helped build from the ground up.
Recent developments in growing striped mullet could help conserve Hawaii’s oceans, establish food security and perpetuate Hawaiian culture — but can they overcome new challenges?
A local nonprofit is helping train the next generation of agricultural leaders.
The department is charged with supporting local farmers and ranchers while boosting food security.
Some of Hawaii’s busiest food banks are turning to growing their own food rather than waiting for donations as the number of people showing up for help rises.
Under new ownership, Meadow Gold Dairies is trying to revive Hawaii’s dying dairy industry.
A large-scale commitment to buying from local farmers, ranchers and other food producers is needed to support the agriculture industry in the islands.
The wide-ranging bill would change zoning rules for thousands of Oahu properties. But it has gone largely unnoticed until now.
For some residents, last week’s still unexplained power outage was an inconvenience. For one farmer, it was devastating.
A 2019 law aspired to help farmers grow large amounts of food indoors or in greenhouses by providing savings on electricity. But critics say the current proposal falls short.
Gov. David Ige wants to nix the program because there is a soil survey in the works. But supporters say it’s like comparing apples and oranges.
Farmers and ranchers feel investing in agriculture has become more of a buzzword than an actual concern for the executive branch.
Maui’s DOA director designee Rogerene “Kali” Arce brings more than 30 years of experience to the role.
Early ideas of extra regulation caused consternation among farmers and ranchers on Maui.
Agricultural technologists descended upon Hilo to discuss innovation, as well as the many hurdles Hawaii faces as it tries to increase food production.
But the Legislature has once again only approved a fraction of what the Department of Agriculture requested.
Planting crops that adapt, cutting back on workers, even harvesting fog are ideas being put into action on Maui and Molokai.
Event organizers say a conference later this month could be the next step in making the islands a proving ground for farming technologies.
Considering all the hurdles within the food supply chain in Hawaii, some agricultural advocates say concepts like food hubs can help boost production and profit.
After exhausting their savings and losing hope for more meaningful legislative relief, some hemp producers in Hawaii may ditch the crop altogether.
Student meals will include locally grown leafy greens and less cheese as the DOE modifies menus to meet food sustainability and nutritional goals.
Finding workers is hard in Hawaii, so many farms pay extra, but lifting the benchmark to $18 could present a new set of problems for farmers.
Professor Thao Le discusses the experiences of researchers at the University of Hawaii who have been canvassing the ranching and farming community to find the state of its mental health.
Great stock has been put into fencing off native ecosystems, namely watersheds, to ensure that the state’s terrestrial and marine resources are protected for the future.
The island has a storied history of bovine tuberculosis, including a complete eradication of cattle from the island in 1985.
The voter-created Maui County Department of Agriculture needs leaders. And the mayor is hiring.
A 2021 audit of the agency was scathing. But instead of fixing it, critics fear lawmakers are poised to let it off the hook.
Experts say the future of farming will integrate this technology, but it’s tough to get started.
Legislative amendments would introduce new requirements for the land swap.
For decades, axis deer have threatened everything from ranching to watersheds. Hunters can limit the destruction while feeding their families but accessing the land has proven difficult.
It’s the farthest the raw milk measure has made it in Hawaii despite the past six years of trying.
As the pandemic eases, the Food and Drug Administration is resuming its audits of farms nationwide. Hawaii is unprepared, experts say.
A new report shows seven of the 18 departments bought local produce last year, spending a combined $2.6 million.
The co-chairs of a working group tasked with fixing an almost 19-year-old problem are taking two different approaches.
Many are former sugarcane plantation workers who, when their employer went bust, started one of the most renowned coffee regions of the world.
The Department of Agriculture’s leases restrict farmers from producing chickens despite the state’s goals of increasing food sustainability and the local taste for fowl.
When it comes to livestock in Hawaii, cattle is king. But there’s another animal with plenty of promise, especially for small farmers.
When things were not looking great for students at Ka‘u High & Pahala Elementary School, the teachers took their lessons to the region’s roots — agriculture.
A strategy is developing to use centralized kitchens to replace processed food imports currently served in student meals with fresh, local ingredients.
Ranchers are fed up with waiting two decades for the departments of Agriculture and Land and Natural Resources to sort out legally mandated land transfers.
It’s not easy to make a living in agriculture. But some intrepid residents are trying to answer the state’s call to wean the islands off imported food.
A billionaire’s investment in the state’s biggest slaughterhouses and a shift to more grass-fed operations could help ranchers keep their cattle in the islands after years of sending them to the mainland.
A new legislative report offers sparse detail on the planned overhaul of student meals served in Hawaii’s public schools.
As Hawaii strives for a more self-sufficient food system, a large cache of protein in the form of feral pigs, axis deer and other invasives could help.
Romantic ideas about locally grown food and a lack of statewide planning could be getting in the way of making real progress addressing food insecurity, climate change and the economy.
As the focus on local food production continues, lawmakers and lobbyists want to make farming and ranching easier in Hawaii.
Despite new legislation requiring public schools to serve student meals with more local ingredients, advocates say they are frustrated by a regression in local food initiatives.
Cacao has been in Hawaii for at least 190 years, but it’s only been in the last few decades that people are getting interested in making chocolate locally. Agrotourism may hold the answer for future growth.
Building solar farms on steeper slopes would ease competition for land between the renewable energy and agriculture sectors, a new report shows.
The state has struggled with biosecurity due to staffing issues and underfunding for more than 10 years. Whether the Legislature will increase funding to meet the state’s needs is still up in the air.
The avocado lace bug has burst onto orchards, causing reduced yields, smaller fruit size and an increase in blemished fruit that can’t be sold.
A collective of statewide food hubs has a plan to get more crops from small farmers to businesses, institutions and families that want locally grown food.
The multimillion-dollar facility is entirely off the grid. But it still needs to figure out how to produce its own feed and may need GMOs to do so.
The plantations that were so profitable in their heyday had the support of generous government incentives. Experts say today’s farmers must build political muscle to win state support.
The Hawaii Land Use Commission must now make tough choices as many landowners say their property isn’t fit for growing much, if anything.
Six researchers published a study that found two new and promising Hawaiian heritage sweet potatoes that could bring millions back to native people.
Four-year-old Mana Up is now providing a tool in addition to business advice: cash to grow.
Gabriel Sachter-Smith is on a mission to find the perfect banana for Hawaii. He’s already got 200 varieties in the works.
The federal legislation would enable research funding to be used to address current and emerging threats to the crops.
High-tech farming is costly and limited in what it can grow, but techniques could help Hawaii with its dependency on food imports.
More fires. Worse drought. Excessive heat. The state’s agriculture industry is facing serious environmental problems in the years ahead.
A new product development center is being heralded by supporters as evidence that the Agribusiness Development Corp. is making progress.
It’s part of a growing trend of people pushing for more opportunities to take food security into their own hands.
The Westside resident thinks kiawe trees can revolutionize Oahu’s food system and help the next generation learn to love where they live.
Farmers need better technology, data and transportation subsidies if Hawaii’s agricultural industry is going to grow substantially in the coming decades.
Renewable energy companies say Honolulu’s plan to designate 12% of Oahu as “Important Agricultural Lands” could hinder the state’s ability to meet its clean energy goals.
Voters in Maui County approved a charter amendment to create Hawaii’s first county-level agriculture department. Now organizers need to determine exactly what the agency will work on.
As the threat of COVID-19 subsides, some local food growers say they will continue to prioritize local families that kept them afloat during the pandemic over the tourism industry.
The effort to protect ag land and encourage farming — which has been in the works for more than a decade — is facing growing opposition.
The state Land Use Commission has scheduled two days of hearings beginning Wednesday to try to sort through Honolulu’s plan for designating Important Agricultural Lands.
Many Oahu property owners are angry and worried their lives could be suddenly upended by a major land use proposal that has been in the works for decades.
Let’s reduce our reliance on imported food by learning how to cook with more local ingredients.
Hawaii will never be a big producer of wheat or rice, but there are plenty of homegrown alternatives.
Facing a shortage of affordable agricultural land, a Maui farmer is forging unique partnerships with high-end homeowners to grow food in their yards.
A group of food hubs came together to support legislation that would win them new access to grant money. The bill failed, but the networking is paying off.
Hawaii’s reliance on food imports began in the 1960s. To achieve self-sufficiency again, experts say it will take old values and new tools.
Locally grown vegetables are expensive, so communities are coming together to grow fresh produce.
A group from the University of Hawaii West Oahu sees planting coconut trees as a way of improving food security and cultural ties in Hawaii.
Farmers say housing insecurity threatens their ability to retain employees and makes it difficult to ramp up production.
Some developers have turned acreage earmarked for farming into high-end luxury homes with high prices and restrictions on what the land can be used for.
When the pandemic hit, the start-up ditched its hospitality-focused components and zeroed in on a goal to help Hawaii food entrepreneurs reach a larger audience.
Growing, cultivating and cooking the starchy root vegetable, which is used to make poi, is hard work that’s not always profitable.
Federal funding and private donations helped support local food producers and feed thousands of local families during the pandemic.
Providing small farmers land is key to producing more local food, but the state’s go-to model isn’t moving the needle.
Blue Ocean Mariculture recently became the first U.S. operation certified by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council.
Several market analysis programs have been discontinued in the past decade, including monthly reports on Hawaii produce like bananas and papayas.
Senators were concerned the bill, aimed at keeping one company from dominating the processing industry, was unconstitutional.
A bill scheduled to be heard Wednesday targets an investor who has gained control of 70% of Hawaii’s meat processing capacity.
A pair of companies backed by a billionaire and a pension fund are trying to revitalize fallow farmland in the state.
The amount of land used for farming in Hawaii has shrunk dramatically since the 1930s.
Lawmakers plan to vote next week on a measure to dissolve the Agribusiness Development Corp.
It takes a lot of creativity and hard work to overcome the high cost of running a farm in the islands.
The pandemic has exposed a critical need for Hawaii to resolve the many challenges keeping the islands — with our fertile lands and ideal climate — from growing much more of our own food.