#agriculture

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.

Over the past 20 years, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources has transferred 19,000 acres of land to the state Department of Agriculture and another 19,000 acres to the DOA’s Agribusiness Development Corporation.

Hawai‘i Island Coalition was named a finalist for the Biden Administration’s Build Back Better Regional Challenge and will receive $500,000 to further develop a proposal for between $25 million and $100 million in potential future grant funding.

Those interested in attending can join the Zoom meeting using the link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86770661312.

Recently elected Lt. Gov. Joshua Green, M.D. will deliver the keynote address at the 2018 University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Fall Commencement.

Gov. David Ige is in Washington, D.C. attending the National Governors Association’s Winter Meeting.

The Hawai‘i Technology Development Corporation has announced the 2018 AGathon, Hawai‘i‘s agriculture-tech hackathon.

Students participate in taste testings to create an experimental school menu that includes more local produce