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.

“Soil: from the Ground Up” With nutritional horticulturist Dr. Jana Bogs Date: November 17 & 18, 2012 1:30-4:30 p.m. Location: Tropical Edibles Nursery, 83-5696 Mamalahoa Highway, Captain Cook Saturday – “Healthy Soil = Better Crops” Bring plant tissue for testing Sunday – “Creating Healthy Soil” Amending from test results $30 for each afternoon session or […]

The Food Vulnerability Assessment Training Course is intended to prevent and deter terrorist acts targeting the food sectors by teaching communities and industry to assess vulnerabilities and implement mitigation strategies to harden vulnerable targets. Participants will learn how to assess vulnerabilities for food facilities on a community-wide basis and assess vulnerabilities within food systems, as well as individual facilities, and identify and implement possible mitigation measures to reduce vulnerabilities. Suggested participants for this course is the food industry, officials at the federal, state and county levels, as well as others involved in food security.

Learn about the Little Fire Ant from ant specialist, Cas Vanderwoude, as he provides an educational LFA presentation. Derek Shigematsu of the HDOA Pesticide Education and Certification Section will also discuss pesticide labeling, use, and handling. Furthermore, coffee farmer, Kim Johnson will talk about her personal experiences with finding LFA on her property and in her coffee field and how she has been affected by the ants. A question and answer session will follow

Essential FREE Marketing Resource for Farmers, Market Managers, and Consultants Marketing for Profit: Tools for Success Webinar Series Registration Now Open!  The Farmers Market Federation of NY and the NY Farm Viability Institute have partnered with USDA Northeast SARE to present a series of webinars on marketing, “Marketing for Profits: Tools for Success”. These webinars […]

Learn how to reposition your business for success after the Great Recession. Give your business a do-over for 2013!