#agriculture

The coconut rhinoceros beetle has been found in several locations on Hawai‘i Island. The insect damages and kills coconut and oil palms.

With the growing concerns about the use of herbicides and other toxic treatments to kill weeds, Steve Hambly of Hilo is hoping to encourage property owners to use the safer method of steam.

The 12th annual Big Island Chocolate Festival aims to advance Hawaiʻi’s cacao industry, while the 4th annual Hilo Chocolate Festival highlights local grown and made cacao and chocolate.

The Kona Beekeeping Legacy Project was spearheaded by Leandra Rouse, who started the project as a way to pay tribute to her father and celebrate his 75th birthday, Gus, who raised queen bees in South Kona for nearly four decades at Kona Queen Bees.

7-bill package championed by the caucus of 42 Democrats covers critical issues the state faces such as housing, homelessness, agriculture and biosecurity, economic development and public safety.

Experts from across the state will be answering questions regarding Hawaiʻi agriculture and environmental issues during the combined plant sale and ōhiʻa festival this Sunday.

The Hāmākua Agricultural Cooperative, formed in 1994 to help displaced sugar workers and their families, provided information about new opportunities at the Hāmākua County Fair.

Navy & NASA personnel held scoping sessions across Kaua‘i last week, to gather comments that will shape an environmental impact statement.

The bill commits nearly $20 million to Hawai‘i Department of Education to assist in the administration and implementation of their Biosecurity Program, including 44 new positions.

The sixth-generation resident of Hāmākua and her husband Bodhi own Sugar Hill Farmstead in Honomū.

On March 7, House Bill 2298 passed the House with amendments and was referred to the Commerce and Consumer Protection and Judiciary Senate committees for a hearing.

The Committee on Ways and Means continues to support bills that aid the people of Maui, and the survivors and victims of the August 2023 wildfire.

House Bill No. 2329 allocates $150,000 to establish a one-year pilot program to reduce the population of rose-ringed parakeets on the Garden Isle.

The 1,000-acre cacao and coffee farm nestled about 5 miles above Hilo, just a 10 minute drive up Aumauulu Road from downtown, on the gentle slopes of Mauna Kea on the Big Island, invites guests to experience the entire process from tree to tasty treat.

This move comes in response to deceptive labeling concerns and a recent report from the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture, which offered clear economic justification for the Legislature to increase the minimum content required for a product to bear the Kona name on its packaging.

Sen. Ronald Kouchi or Kaua’i, who has led the chamber since 2015, conveyed a message of interconnectedness and collaboration necessary to tackle the issues facing the state during this session and beyond.

The gift from Edmund C. Olson Trust 2 creates a two-year scholarship, with preference for students from the Kaʻū District on Hawaiʻi Island.

The Hilo Orchid Show Gala Preview Party — a “fun”-raiser that kicks off the Annual Orchid Show and Sale in Hilo and raises funds for peace and agriculture — will be held on July 27 at the Edith Kanaka’ole Stadium.

Certified Master Gardener Tom Timmons will bring his knowledge and wit to Big Island now readers with a new biweekly column that launches Feb. 11.

This year, the Hawaiʻi State Capitol is open to the pubic and in-person public sessions for the first time since COVID-19 led to social distancing.