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Agriculture
Add your commentTo Bee or Not to Bee
Community Contributed
By Glenn I. Teves, County Extension Agent, UH CTAHR Cooperative Extension Service
The relationship between humans and honeybees is ancient, as demonstrated by cave paintings in Spain, South Africa, and Nepal, depicting honey hunters collecting honey from wild hives. The honeybee was introduced to Hawaii in 1857, but the accidental introduction of the Varroa mite in 2007 puts this relationship in jeopardy and is one example of Hawaii’s vulnerability to invasive species.
Money Available for Farming Conservation
Community Contributed
Provided by Wally Jennings
The Ho`olehua Field Office is seeking land owners and managers that would be interested is conservation practices to address resource concern to come sign-up of conservation planning. This service is free and may offer opportunities for assistance do conservation on farmed and ranched lands.
Through the Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, two programs are available for Molokai farmers to assist in wildlife habitat and erosion and conservation techniques.
MHS Farmers to Farm Again
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Molokai Farmer without a farm? Not for long.
Molokai High School (MHS) recently celebrated the clearing of farmland adjacent to the school, allowing student to once again bring agricultural learning out of the classroom.
“This year, its like the new era – getting back to the land… and the opportunity to do some agriculture projects in the field,” said Principal Stan Hao.
The lot, which sits between MHS and the Ho`olehua Fire Station, was neglected over the last few years and became overgrown.
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“They’re ag! Now they have a place to plant,” added business teacher Kai Sawyer.
But the students aren’t stay-at-home farmers – this year, they took their ag learning on the road. Classes from the Natural Resources Academy visited Kumu Farms, Pu`u O Hoku Ranch and Mycogen Seeds to learn about different types of farming.
Want to help restart the agriculture program? MHS is looking for more companies and individuals to offer community support. Call Kai Sawyer at 567-6950 for more information.
Dear Monsanto Molokai,
Molokai High School would like to express our gratitude for the assistance with the clearing of our agriculture field.
• Coco Augustiro for coordinating everything, kindly working around our school schedules, having patience with us, and ultimately, “Making it all happen!” You made everything seem so simple! MAHALO!
• Dean Place, Gaylan Chang, and Rod Dudoit, for your awesome and exciting operator skills! It has been almost six years since we last had crops in our agriculture field; this task for us alone would have taken at least a year or two, or even three years to complete. The work you folks have done saved us valuable time, tons of money, and work. We enjoyed watching the machines push large trees and overgrown brush to clear our field. MAHALO!
• Deluna’s Equipment Services, for your assistance with the hauling of equipment and anything else that was needed, MAHALO!
Your donation to us has excited our students and faculty. Our faculty and students plan to have many things happening in our fields; the ideas range from native plants, kalo, sweet onions, ti-leaf, various flowers, fruit orchard, and a variety of vegetables. We are in the process now of strategizing parcels and putting in our irrigation system.
Again, a huge mahalo to you folks for all that you’ve done! You have helped to create an environment where students are more eager to learn and produce. Your time, dedication and commitment to us are much appreciated and will not be forgotten.
From all of us at Molokai High School,
Mahalo!
Teaching ‘Simple Agriculture’
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Community Contributed
By Alison Place
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Val Hart began the class in August, teaching her 16 students about soil sampling. They tested the garden’s soil and found the soil’s pH is seven – perfect for the native Hawaiian garden and herb garden they were planning behind the school. One of the first projects they worked on was creating a compost box. They practiced vermicomposting using red wigglers. The group also studied wind to determine the proper placement of plants in gardens.
“Using worms and microorganisms to turn food waste into compost is called vermiculture,” said sixth grader Jake Samaniego. “It can be done anywhere in the world, and is one of the best fertilizers for your garden.”
Their vermi worms did not all survive outdoors, so the students turned it into a bug and worm box instead. They use this bug box to collect specimens to observe under microscopes. Once the bugs were identified, the students researched them to determine if they were helpful to the garden or not. Students regularly feed the worms and bugs to keep their specimens alive.
“I enjoy working with slimy worms. I like learning about soil, worms and plants,” said first grader Maya Lima.
Students have learned that technology plays an important role in the science of horticulture and vermicomposting. They have learned to incorporate computers for research; digital cameras and high definition video cameras to gather data; and learned to use microscopes with video capabilities and soil sampling kits. Some of this equipment has been made available through the loaning library of the Maui Economic Development Board Women in Technology program. The soil sampling kits were made available through the Digital Bus program. The class is funded by the 21st Century Grant “Connecting Molokai M’s: Me, My Mind, My Mana`o.”
Beginning Farmers Up and Running
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Community Contributed
By Glenn I. Teves, County Extension Agent, UH College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources
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After getting some of the infrastructure functional and selecting participants, the Molokai Native Hawaiian Beginning Farmer Program is up and running. An orientation meeting and workshops were held in production mapping, introduction to farm production, soil fertility, organic agriculture, marketing, and drip irrigation. Classes are being planned as the beginning farmers enter that phase in their farm development.
With over 7,600 acres of agricultural land and water available from the Molokai Irrigation System, the Ho`olehua Hawaiian Homes area is a natural for this kind of program. With farmers aging nationally, the average age of farmers is 57 years old while the average age of the workforce is 38 years of age. We have made a commitment to help develop the next generation of farmers to complement those already farming in order to maintain a critical mass of small farmers needed on Molokai.
Participant’s plots were prepared by mowing, ripping, and disking. Crops were selected, and include lettuces, sweet corn, mixed local vegetables, laying chickens, taro, and others. Participants are expected to harvest on a regular basis and deliver to local markets or other avenues to sell their crops. This program has a strong business management and production focus. Participants were required to complete a production map, approved by project managers to assure the plan is well thought out and covers as many what-ifs as possible. With an acceptable production plan, participants can then move forward to implement their plan.
The Molokai Native Hawaiian Beginning Farmer Program is an education and training initiative of the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, Molokai Cooperative Extension Service. This project was supported by the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For more information, contact our office at 567-6929. We’re located next to the Ho`olehua Post Office.
DHHL to Extend Protections for Mo`omomi
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That guarantee may be on its way. At a beneficiary meeting last Wednesday, the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) presented plans to designate Mo`omomi-Anahaki a special district.
All DHHL-owned land is assigned one of 10 land uses – for example, pastoral, commercial or residential. Mo`omomi-Anahaki, which is within the Ho`olehua-Pala`au Homestead, is currently designated for general agriculture.
As a special district, the department would establish preservation zones around all cultural site complexes, as well as a shoreline setback. No development exceeding three stories would be permitted in the area. Agriculture would still be permitted as long as it doesn’t conflict with special district guidelines.
First Wind had been in talks with DHHL to build on homestead land adjacent to the Ho`olehua Airport. In May, according to First Wind, the Federal Aviation Administration told the company the land’s proximity to the airport raised safety concerns and nixed the plans.
But homesteaders continued to worry about development on DHHL land, particularly at Mo`omomi-Anahaki. At a contentious meeting in July with the DHHL Planning Department, homesteaders pushed to designate the area a “No Build” zone.
Since then, DHHL planners and the community have collaborated on surveys of the area, including natural and cultural resources, to support the amendment, which was presented at last week’s meeting.
“So within this special district, no 400 foot windmills? No undersea power cable, correct?” one homesteader asked.
“We need protecting, we need guarantee,” said another.
Homesteader Lori Buchanan asked about expanding the special use area to include all of DHHL land on the northern coast. This would require more surveys, according to Kaleo Manuel, a DHHL planner.
“This is a step in the right direction to address the immediate concerns of the community,” he said.
Manuel said he hopes to have the amendment on the Hawaiian Homes Commission’s December meeting agenda and passed before the next governor takes office and appoints a new commission chair.
“Time is of the essence,” said Henry Tancayo, the Molokai representative on the Hawaiians Homes Commission.
While most at the meeting said they were happy with DHHL’s proposal, at times the discussion moved from the land use designation to more immediate concerns, namely the state of access roads to Mo`omomi.
“Before we should look at any proposed district, we should malama what’s there,” one homesteader said. Corene Helm compared it to driving on soft cinnamon.
Mac Poepoe, a longtime resource manager for the Mo`omomi area, agreed.
“It’s not as flowery as you might think – there are a lot of problems we have down there,” Poepoe said. “At some point the department has to step up.”
DHHL planners met with surrounding landowners this week. They plan to host another beneficiary meeting on Nov. 17 to present more details of the amendment, incorporating comments from last week’s meeting, before sending it to the Homes Commission.
Growing Upland Taro: Part II
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Community Contributed
By Glenn I. Teves, County Extension Agent
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Wind protection is important, but taro also needs good air circulation to deter diseases and pests. A major disease is leaf blight caused by a fungus called Phytophthora (‘leaf destroyer’) and is more prevalent at higher elevations than in the lowlands. This disease can melt the leaves and affect starch content and the sticky quality of poi. A week of cool wet weather creates ideal conditions for this disease, but increasing air circulation by planting farther apart during winter months can mitigate this problem. New hybrids developed by the University of Hawaii appear to be more tolerant to this disease. By crossing Hawaiian varieties with South Pacific and Asian varieties, hybrids have been created that are more vigorous and can overcome the disease quicker than the Hawaiian varieties. However, when conditions are ideal for the disease, it moves rapidly to affect all varieties, even the hybrids. Stories of ten feet tall plants with 20 pound taro throughout the state derived from these hybrids are not exaggerated. Still, the proof is in the poi, and it’s hard to beat a well grown Hawaiian wetland taro. However upland taro growers are coming close to producing tasty, sticky poi that’s difficult to distinguish from wetland poi.
Bringing the taro to harvest can be a challenge. Among the pests are aphids, ants and mealy bugs, root knot nematodes, and spider mites. The key to controlling most pests is to grow a healthy plant and not allow it to get stressed. For home gardeners, spraying the plants with water early in the day can control many pests, but be sure plants are dry when the sun goes down. Wet plants at night can create fungal and bacterial problems. Adding lots of organic matter prior to planting, planting green manure crops such as sunn hemp as a rotation, and practicing fallow can help to minimize nematodes. It’s also a good idea not to plant in the same area for a year or more to break the pest cycle and give the soil a rest.
You can tell the taro is mature by the size of the huli. After reaching a peak in their height, the plant will drop back and shrink down. The top of the taro corm will start to form a dome. If you have a lot of taro, it’s a good idea to start eating them before they’re fully mature, so when you get to the end of your field, the last taro is not over-mature. Some taro, like Moi or Piko types can be held in the field after maturity while Lehua and Mana need to be harvested when mature or it will start to rot quickly. Growing your own taro can be a very gratifying experience, and even more gratifying when you share it with others.
Bill Sparks Controversy for Small Farms
Local farms are up in arms over proposed federal legislation, claiming it would impose strict food safety regulations that could further strain their ability to make ends meet.
Known as the Food Safety Modernization Act (S. 510), the bill has passed in the House and is currently being considered by the Senate. It seeks to increase the administrative power of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in order to ensure safer food production.
Some local farming operations are concerned that S. 510 would bring about extra paperwork, increased costs and less-than-manageable regulations.
Deer Damage Molokai Crops
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Drought is a farmer’s worst nightmare. But imagine the few plants that make it through the summer are then eaten by something other than your family or customers.
On top of a dry summer, the Molokai agriculture community is facing a deer problem – lack of water and food in their usual habitat has driven deer into the fields for nourishment at the farmer’s expense.
“The problem is there’s not a whole lot you can do about it,” said Rick Tamanaha, owner of Kaleikoa Farms in Ho`olehua. “They’ve actually stopped me from planting for 2010. They’ve shut me down.”
Tamanaha said he will be installing an electric fence to ward off the deer. This is one of many problems that come with farming that he prepares for.
“If it’s not deer it’s going to be something else,” he added. “You take the good years, and you [have] to take the bad years.”
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For hunting help, call Ron Rapanot at 567-6541.
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