As a community service, The Entrepreneurship and Small Business Clinic of the University of Hawaii William S. Richardson School of Law in partnership with HTDC is offering FREE sessions up to 45 minutes each to small businesses to discuss their legal questions. The sessions will be conducted by law students in the Clinic, under the supervision of Clinic instructor Greg Kim, a licensed attorney who specializes in business law.

To provide producers with an update on current FSA, NRCS, and RD programs as well as discuss the Hispanic and Women Farmer and Rancher Claims Process. The claims period closes on March 25, 2013 and details are at www.farmerclaims.gov or calling 888-508-4429. Persons with disabilities who require accommodations to attend or participate in this meeting should contact Diane Ley or call 808-441-2704.

Course includes: Business plan development training; site visits to working agriculture-related businesses; introduction to resources, including Hawai`i Island Farmers Guide to Accessing Local Markets; practical business textbooks and more; speakers to inspire existing/aspiring farmers. Get introduced to many existing, local resources and opportunities!

Do you have a coffee, tropical fruit or nut crop insurance policy and have questions about it? Interested in understanding more about crop insurance in Hawai‘i? Come and learn about managing your financial risks by attending this FREE workshop on crop insurance for Hawai‘i growers. AgSecure Insurance Services’, Bonnie Lind, will present on topics mentioned in the overview. She has over 30 years of experience in all facets of the business. Bonnie started writing for Hawai‘i crops in 1998 and for coffee crop insurance since the program was released for the 2007 crop year.

Hawai‘i is dependent on importing food both nationally and internationally. Those involved in the food import process as well as those who play key roles in dealing with food security emergencies will have an opportunity to participate in a course that is designed to utilize and implement effective sharing of information and intelligence to enhance food safety and security related to food importation and transportation. Participants will learn about the global movement of food, key vulnerabilities of the food chain, the food import process, how to observe, assess and report problems, learn the definition of information versus intelligence, be able to identify seven signs of suspicious activity, and understand the key benefits of sharing information. Suggested participants include: food and agriculture industry, extension professionals, federal, state and county public health and agriculture officials, transportation industry, emergency managers and responders, law enforcement and state Fusion Center personnel.