May 27, 2014 (West Hawaii Today)—The Kohala Center is seeking Hawaii Island high school students and recent graduates who want to get their hands dirty this summer as paid interns with its Beginning Farmer-Rancher Development Program.
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March 25, 2014 (West Hawaii Today)—As a boy, Max Bowman didn’t have a burning desire to become a farmer. After graduating from Honokaa High School in 2004, Bowman attended the University of Redlands in California, where he earned an English degree. He discovered a passion for agriculture during his senior year there, after taking some classes and reading some books on the subject.
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December 25, 2013 (Big Island Weekly)—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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December 18, 2013 (Big Island Now)—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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July 11, 2013 (Hawaii Public Radio)—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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May 30, 2013 (North Hawaii News)—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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April 28, 2013 (Honolulu Star-Advertiser)—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.
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