What's New?

September 2015

Field Day: Cover Crop Calculator

Organic Plant Health Workshop

August 2015

Waimānalo Research Station Organic Farming Field Day

Featuring updates and exhibits on:

July 2015

In our special summer fruit issue of HānaiʻAi, we feature the upcoming Hawaiʻi Tropical Fruit Growers Conference and proudly introduce two new faculty members with research interest in sustainable fruit production. Mark Suiso of Makaha Mangoes, our featured farmer, is well-known statewide for his avid promotion of Hawaii’s tropical fruit crops. Read about climate change, understanding organic in Hawaii plus articles on soil health.

June 2015

The Dirt on Soilless Agriculture

May 2015

Original CTAHR research on the nutrient retention capacity of biochar (charcoal based soil amendment), verification of rapid in-field nutrient sap meters, and the preservation of wild pollinators in the spring 2015 issue of HānaiʻAi. Our featured farmer Mr. Fung Yang has been commercially producing certified organic edible mushrooms for 5 years. Check out the Organic Update section for info on curriculum available for teaching organic farming and more.

January 2015

Soil Health Workshop Series coming to Waimanalo and Poamoho. Learn more here.

Tomato variety trials, food safety in egg production, and updates for Banana IPM are featured in the Winter 2014-2015 issue of HānaiʻAi. Learn about Food Producing Landscapes from linked publications and from featured farmer Justin Franzmeier of Island Foodscapes.

November 3, 2014

The Benefits of Vermicomposting (YouTube): Dr. Koon-Hui Wang and colleagues talk about the benefits of using vermicompost as a soil amendment or as vermicompost tea (VCT). Vermicompost tea produced through proper brewing or curing procedures provides significant plant available nutrients, beneficial plant growth promoting agents, and soil amendments with high water holding capacity. VCT used as a drenching solution can reduce damage from plant pathogens and arthropod pests. http://youtu.be/7pQBWyQYum0

October 20, 2014

Soil Health, cover crops, food safety for aquaponics, and community engagement take center stage in this Fall 2014 issue of HānaiʻAi. We feature a new program CRATE, the Center for Rural Agricultural Training and Entrepreneurship. Meet a longtime sustainable agriculture advocate and this issue's featured farmer, Jerry Ornellas.

September 3, 2014

Links to presentations from the 2014 Banana Mini-Conference are now available.

Organic Field Day, July 26, 2014

Come celebrate 20 years of Organic Research by the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources at the Waimānalo Research Station featuring Chili Peppers, Eggplant, Kalo, Local Fertilizers, Screenhouses and more...

July 24, 2014

Mushrooms, Moringa and Chickens -- these topics and many others are covered in the Summer 2014 issue of HānaiʻAi. Learn how Charlie and Paul Reppun get a price premium for certified organic and high quality products.

April 22, 2014

Enjoy the spring issue of HānaiʻAi, with articles on many topics ranging from coffee berry borer updates to ti leaf diseases, honeybee diets to citizen science mapping our state butterfly populations, local products for fertigation and cool season cover crop trials, plus the report Growing Organics: Moving Hawai‘i’s Organic Industry Forward. Our featured farmer is Koa Chang, a leader in Hawaii agritourism at Ali'i Kula Lavender, Maui.

January 28, 2014

Pests, Peaches, Pollinators and more! Check out the winter 2013-2014 issue of HānaiʻAi, and meet a graduate of the Molokaʻi Native Hawaiian Beginning Farmer Program, William "Tubz" Kalipi.

Link here to learn about upcoming events.

October 15, 2013

View our fall issue of HānaiʻAi with articles on wasp nesting blocks, rearing and releasing natural enemies, and growing insectary plants to attract pollinators and control insect pests. Read about the advantages of strip till cover cropping and vermicompost tea. Come to Kipahulu, Maui, to meet our featured farm family, the Boerners of ONO Organic Farms.

July 15, 2013

SOAP is now on FB logo Facebook and Twitter logo Twitter!

Read our summer issue of HānaiʻAi introducing a new section for New Farmers, and articles on conservation programs available from NRCS, cost of production planning, more good news about the benefits of local foods, and much more. Our featured farm ʻohana is Ann and Owen Kaneshiro of Kane Farm, Waiʻanae, Oʻahu. Don't miss your chance to give input on the organic food industry surveys.

April 2013

See the spring issue of HānaiʻAi, with articles on sustainable koa production, organic cotton,  lady bugs, and what is Local Food. This issue’s featured farmer is Chris Robb, an experienced organic vegetable farmer growing in Waimea.

January 2013

The Winter 2012-2013 issue of HānaiʻAi, has been posted, with extension updates on Korean Natural Farming, yield and phytonutrient content of aquaponic pak choi, promising locally-produced composts as substitutes for imported fertilizers, as well as articles about the WSARE conference Strengthening Agriculture's Infrastructure, and an interview with Myrone and Carol Murakami.

October 2012

See the fall issue of HānaiʻAi, with a special focus on beginning farmers in Hawai'i plus extension updates from CTAHR and NRCS, which highlight valuable strategies to maintain soil fertility, avoid soil erosion and control fireweed biologically.

July 2012

The summer issue of HānaiʻAi, CTAHR’s sustainable & organic agriculture newsletter is available, with articles on managing Hawaii’s most damaging snail (the Giant African), low-cost measures farmers use to improve water quality in Waimanalo, virus screening trials for organic tomatoes, and research on biocidal compounds in sunn hemp that keep nematodes at bay.

June 2012

Presentations from the worshop "Protecting Beneficials in Hawai‘i and the American Pacific" (April 2012) posted.

May 2012

Presentations from the WSARE PDP worshop "Organic Fertilizer and Cover Crop Calculator: Hawai'i" (April 2012) posted.

April 2012

The spring issue of HānaiʻAi, CTAHR’s sustainable & organic agriculture newsletter is available, with articles on spicy-hot Hawaiian chili peppers, raising sheep and goats, cover crops to attract beneficial insects, and farm practices to benefit our state’s only land mammal, the endangered ‘ōpe‘ape‘a (Hawaiian hoary bat). Meet Lani & Bill Petrie,  and Glen Krebs of Kapapala Ranch at Ka‘u.

January 2012

Tea Time in the Tropics: A Handbook for compost tea production and use

"Tea Time in the Tropics: A handbook for compost tea production and use" (edited by Theodore Radovich and Norman Arancon) is now available for $10 from the Sustainable and Organic Program. This 72-page booklet contains information on selecting high-quality compost, compost tea production, using compost tea to increase plant growth and quality, suppression of arthropod pests and diseases using compost teas, case studies from Master Brewers, and frequently asked questions. Contact Jody Smith (smithjos@hawaii.edu) to order a copy (checks payable to RCUH 02425). Limited supply available.

October 2011

Hawaii Organic Farmers Association Meeting

Friday, October 21, 2011
Komohana Research and Extension Center ~ Hilo

The fall issue of HānaiʻAi, CTAHR’s sustainable agriculture newsletter  is available, with articles on Seed Saving in Hawai‘i, biochar research, and a feature on Rusty's Hawaiian in Ka'u, Big Island.