News
Big Island Green
Big Island Weekly
December 25, 2013
If your goal in 2014 is to join the many knowledgeable farmers on the Big Island helping to increase our self-sufficiency, you’re in luck. A new Farmer Training Program on the Big Island, Ku I Ka Mana (KIKM), was hatched in 2012 thanks to funding from the USDA and matching monies from the County of Hawaii. Now, two 16-week cohorts are “in the books” with about 25 families having participated. To get in the field, apply for the third session by January 10 – it is slated to kick off Friday evening, January 31, in Honoka‘a.
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Farmer-Rancher Training Program Offered
Big Island Now
December 18, 2013
Ku I Ka Mana, a beginning farmer-rancher training program administered by The Kohala Center, is accepting applications from prospective students for an 18-week course conducted in Honokaa beginning Friday, Jan. 31.
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New Farmers Cropping Up in Hawaii County
Hawaii Public Radio
July 11, 2013
There’s been lots of discussion throughout the state about the need to have more farmers and to have more of our food grown right here at home. On Hawaii Island, there's a program to develop new farmers—and they're looking for candidates. HPR’s Sherry Bracken has the story.
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Growing the Farmers
North Hawaii News
May 30, 2013
According to Jim Cain, program director for The Kohala Center's beginning farmer training program, growing food requires just three basic things: land, water, and people. "Our island has plenty of land and water, but we are in need of more people who want to make a living as farmers," he said.
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Farming in Focus
Honolulu Star-Advertiser
April 23, 2013
Jim Cain doesn't sugarcoat it: Farming is tough work. Profits can fluctuate from year to year, making long-term planning both vital and next to impossible. It's not a 9-to-5, and it's rarely five days a week. It requires commitment and passion and a joy for working outdoors. In short, farming is not for everyone.
Click here to view the article online.