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| Paniolo action at Na`alehu Rodeo Grounds yesterday raised funds for Ka`u High's eight-man football team. Photo by Kupono Palakiko Leffew |
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| Ka`u residents learned about healthy soils at a workshop Friday. |
One of the overarching messages was that each area to be farmed can benefit from careful planning and that Soil & Water Conservation District can help. Presenters talked about programs that can reimburse farmers for much of the cost of cover crops. A program to “renew the best, motivate the rest,” helps to reimburse those who succeed with good farm practices.
Programs that provide funding require farmers to either own or have long enough leases on land to guarantee time to produce their farm products, and landowners have to sign off on such funding.
Many services provided by numerous state and federal agencies were described. These include grading and irrigation planning, soil analysis and financial advice.
Brenda Iokepa-Moses, chair of Ka`u Soil & Water Conservation District, presented speakers: USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service soil scientist Amy Koch, NCRS Hilo Field Office conservationist Kori Hisashima, NCRS county resource conservationist Carolyn Wong, Ka`u Ocean Vista Coffee Estate farmer John Ah San, Universy of Hawai`i assistant extension agent Andrea Kawabata; Kuahiwi rancher Michelle Galimba and soil conservationist and engineer for SWCD Amelia Drury.
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Programs that provide funding require farmers to either own or have long enough leases on land to guarantee time to produce their farm products, and landowners have to sign off on such funding.
Many services provided by numerous state and federal agencies were described. These include grading and irrigation planning, soil analysis and financial advice.
Brenda Iokepa-Moses, chair of Ka`u Soil & Water Conservation District, presented speakers: USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service soil scientist Amy Koch, NCRS Hilo Field Office conservationist Kori Hisashima, NCRS county resource conservationist Carolyn Wong, Ka`u Ocean Vista Coffee Estate farmer John Ah San, Universy of Hawai`i assistant extension agent Andrea Kawabata; Kuahiwi rancher Michelle Galimba and soil conservationist and engineer for SWCD Amelia Drury.
To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.
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| Richard Ha |
“THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS WE CAN LEARN from the hurricane we just went through,” said state Board of Agriculture member Richard Ha on his blog at hahaha.hamakuasprings.com.
“People saw what needed to be done on the ground, and they just did it. Trees needed to be cut, so they cut them. Neighbors needed food and ice, so people got them food and ice. People saw the situations that were problems, and they took care of them.
Ha said the Center for Food Safety and EarthJustice, the legal arm of the Sierra Club, are “fighting against farmers” by helping defendants in the lawsuit that plaintiffs brought against the county regarding its ban of genetically modified crops.
“We have been dragged into a battle, and all we want to do is get back to providing food for people. We’re farmers. We want to grow things and feed people. We don’t want to be involved in lawsuits and philosophical battles. …
‘We farmers are asking for clarity on this anti-GMO bill. We’re saying tell us what the rules are so we can go back to farming. But those two are fighting against us, so we can’t do that.
Ha compares people’s actions after the storm to what farmers want to do now. “It’s as if after the hurricane they said, ‘Yeah, we see all the albizia trees are down, but we want you to focus on something that’s happening in the Midwest, or in India. ...’
“People saw what needed to be done on the ground, and they just did it. Trees needed to be cut, so they cut them. Neighbors needed food and ice, so people got them food and ice. People saw the situations that were problems, and they took care of them.
Ha said the Center for Food Safety and EarthJustice, the legal arm of the Sierra Club, are “fighting against farmers” by helping defendants in the lawsuit that plaintiffs brought against the county regarding its ban of genetically modified crops.
“We have been dragged into a battle, and all we want to do is get back to providing food for people. We’re farmers. We want to grow things and feed people. We don’t want to be involved in lawsuits and philosophical battles. …
‘We farmers are asking for clarity on this anti-GMO bill. We’re saying tell us what the rules are so we can go back to farming. But those two are fighting against us, so we can’t do that.
Ha compares people’s actions after the storm to what farmers want to do now. “It’s as if after the hurricane they said, ‘Yeah, we see all the albizia trees are down, but we want you to focus on something that’s happening in the Midwest, or in India. ...’
“Or it’s like they were saying, ‘Yeah, we see all the trees down, but you can’t use chainsaws because they’re dangerous. You’ve got to use axes because they’re natural.’
“We’re saying, ‘Look, we’ve got to use chainsaws. We’ve got to help people.’
“We’re saying, ‘Look, we’ve got to use chainsaws. We’ve got to help people.’
“It’s really that simple. We farmers are spending too much time on all that other stuff, and we really just want to get back to farming.
“When the Association of Counties asked me to talk about climate change and how the farmer looks at it, I quoted Neil DeGrasse Tyson. He talks about climate change being the guy and his dog walking down the beach. The man walking straight down the beach is the climate, and the dog running back and forth is the weather.
“The climate is the policy kind of stuff, and hopefully the climate people make the right decisions.
“We farmers deal with the weather. If there’s a storm, or an insect, we deal with it. We’ve got to concentrate on growing food. Otherwise, we end up trying to make policy, and we’re not scientists. We’re farmers.
“We just want to get back to farming.”
“When the Association of Counties asked me to talk about climate change and how the farmer looks at it, I quoted Neil DeGrasse Tyson. He talks about climate change being the guy and his dog walking down the beach. The man walking straight down the beach is the climate, and the dog running back and forth is the weather.
“The climate is the policy kind of stuff, and hopefully the climate people make the right decisions.
“We farmers deal with the weather. If there’s a storm, or an insect, we deal with it. We’ve got to concentrate on growing food. Otherwise, we end up trying to make policy, and we’re not scientists. We’re farmers.
“We just want to get back to farming.”
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| Ka`u High Trojans sold pink T-shirts at the rodeo to raise funds. Photo by Kupono Palakiko Leffew |
KA`U TROJAN AND RODEO FANS filled Na`alehu Rodeo Grounds yesterday to raise money for eight-man high school football. Pink T-shirts promoted Ka`u High School football, which will take the team off-island this season, flying to Maui and Moloka`i. The team and its coach, Kainoa Ke, ran a food booth, and the team sold shirts.
Here are the winners in the rodeo competition:
Here are the winners in the rodeo competition:
- Dummy Roping, four years old and under - Blayne DeMattos; five to eight years of age - Austin Costa Lorenzo;
- Goat Undecorating, four and under - Blayne DeMattos; five to eight - Clancy Aku;
- Po`o Wai U - Bronson Branco;
- Double Mugging - Bronson Branco and Kalai Nobriga;
- Team 90’s - Danny Joseph and Mike Smith;
- Calf Roping - Kalai Nobriga;
- Youth Barrels - Kale Onaka;
- Wahine Breakaway - Nahe Nobriga;
- Kane Wahine Dally - Danny and Daphne Joseph;
- Open Dally - Brian DeMattos and Mike Smith;
- Kane Wahine Ribbon - Nahe and Kalai Nobriga; and
- Wahine Mugging - Nahe Nobriga and Macey Loando.
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| Pink Trojan Rodeo shirts raise money for football. Photo by Julia Neal |
KA`U FOOD PANTRY, INC. distributes food to the needy of Ka`u this coming Tuesday and the last Tuesday of each month at Ocean View Community Center from 12 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Its mission is to provide each family with three days of food. Most of the food comes from Food Basket of Hawai`i, Inc. in Kona. Ka`u Food Basket pays them a small handling fee for the food they provide.
“We have had as much as 4,000 pounds of food to distribute, and even then we sometimes run out before everyone can be helped,” said board member Dallas Decker. “We operate with a small corp of volunteers – nobody is paid to serve.
“But we do need to pay for food. We need about $600 per month to cover the cost of acquiring and transporting food, paying rent, buying bags and boxes and other supplies.” That’s not very much considering that the Food Basket gives three or four days of food to as many as 350 people.
President Judy Samuel oversees the operation of shopping, transporting, organizing and distributing food each month with her group of very dedicated volunteers. Other board members are Karen Pucci, Ric Stark, Allison Gusman, Allan Humble, Lynne Kreinberg and the Rev. Dallas Decker. Samuel may be reached at 808-979-6502.
Contributions to the nonprofit are tax deductible and may be sent to PO Box 7105, Ocean View, HI 96737. All contributions are greatly appreciated and promptly acknowledged.
“But we do need to pay for food. We need about $600 per month to cover the cost of acquiring and transporting food, paying rent, buying bags and boxes and other supplies.” That’s not very much considering that the Food Basket gives three or four days of food to as many as 350 people.
President Judy Samuel oversees the operation of shopping, transporting, organizing and distributing food each month with her group of very dedicated volunteers. Other board members are Karen Pucci, Ric Stark, Allison Gusman, Allan Humble, Lynne Kreinberg and the Rev. Dallas Decker. Samuel may be reached at 808-979-6502.
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| Ka`u Food Pantry distributes food on the last Tuesday of each month at Ocean View Community Center. |
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HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK WAIVES ENTRY FEES tomorrow to celebrate National Park Service’s 98th birthday.
A schedule of free ranger-led programs and guided hikes will be posted outside Kilauea Visitor Center and the Jaggar Museum by 9:30 a.m. Visitors can enjoy programs including Explore the Summit – a one-hour walk from the Kilauea Visitor Center to the edge of Kilauea caldera, and Life on the Edge, a 20-minute talk about the current eruption from Halema`uma`u Crater given daily at Jaggar Museum overlook.
See nps.gov/havo for more information.
TEANA KAHOOHANOHANO DEMONSTRATES HOW `OHE (bamboo) are carved into designs and how they are used during an `ohe kapala demonstration on Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center lanai in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.
‘Ohe kapala, or bamboo stamps, were used to present many unique designs for traditional Hawaiian kapa. Today, these designs are being used as patterns on all types of fabric.
There will be samples and a hands-on opportunity to learn about this distinctive art form. The program is part of the park’s ongoing `Ike Hana No`eau: Experience the Skillful Work workshops. Free; park entrance fees apply.
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.
TEANA KAHOOHANOHANO DEMONSTRATES HOW `OHE (bamboo) are carved into designs and how they are used during an `ohe kapala demonstration on Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center lanai in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.
‘Ohe kapala, or bamboo stamps, were used to present many unique designs for traditional Hawaiian kapa. Today, these designs are being used as patterns on all types of fabric.
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| Teana Kahoohanohano demonstrates `ohe kapala Wednesday. Photo from NPS |
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.
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| See kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.swf. |