Learn About Herbal Medicine From Big Island’s Barefoot Doctors

Attend individual classes or work towards a Herbalist Certification by attending the Barefoot Doctors’ Academy’s program on Herbal Medicine!

When: Fall 2007 Semester: September 13th thru Dec. 13th, 2007
Where: Mostly in Kapa’au, Hawai’i (North Kohala of the Big Island) Dates & Location Subject to Change–Check web-site http://www.barefootdoctorsacademy.com for updates & details.
Investment: Thurs. night classes $20. Saturday walks & workshops vary reasonably. Only $250. for entire semester!

This semester’s instructors include Jim Berg, M.D., Kathie Pomeroy, N.D., Mark Melton, L.Ac., Dee Anne Domnick, L.M., and more!

For more information, check on-line at: http://www.barefootdoctorsacademy.com
To register, please contact DeeAnne at 808-987-7008
OR register at our table under the Banyon tree in Hawi on Saturday am, Sept. 8th, 2007.

This semester’s classes include:

Introduction to Herbal Medicine & Barefoot Doctoring
7pm, Thurs., Sept.13, 2007 at Walker Hall, Kapa’au, Hawai’i
Fundamental Causes of Disease from a Variety of Perspectives &
Understanding the Internal Organs from Many Perspectives
9am, Sat., Sept. 15, 2007 at Walker Hall, Kapa’au, Hawai’i
Therapeutic Qualities of Plants
7pm, Thurs., Sept. 20, 2007 at Walker Hall, Kapa’au, Hawai’i
Botany: Introduction to Plant Anatomy & Plant Families
7pm, Thurs., Sept. 27, 2007 at Walker Hall, Kapa’au, Hawai’i
Pharmacognosy & the Chemistry of Natural Substances
7pm, Thurs., Oct. 11, 2007 at Walker Hall, Kapa’au, Hawai’i
Diaphoretics, Expectorants, Mucostatics & Lung Qi Tonics
7pm, Thurs. Oct. 18, 2007 at Walker Hall, Kapa’au, Hawai’i
Diuretics & Kidney Tonics
7pm, Thurs. Oct. 25, 2007 at Walker Hall, Kapa’au, Hawai’i
Herb Walk & Local Plant Uses
9am, Sat., Oct. 27, 2007 at Konea O Kukui Garden (Gulch above Keokea Beach Park)
Hawai’i Healing Gardens Statewide Festival
Friday, Nov. 2, 2007 Keauhou Outrigger Botanical Symposium & Health Expo
Sat., Nov. 3, 2007 at Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden, Kona
Herbs & Formulas for the Liver, Gallbladder & Digestion
7pm, Thurs., Nov. 8, 2007 at Walker Hall, Kapa’au, Hawai’i
The Fundamental Oriental Herbal Pharmacopeias
7pm, Thurs., Nov. 15, 2007 at Walker Hall, Kapa’au, Hawai’i
Qi Tonics & Blood Builders
7pm, Thurs., Nov. 29, 2007 at Walker Hall, Kapa’au, Hawai’i
Herbs & Tonics for the Heart & Vascular System
7pm, Thurs., Dec. 6, 2007 at Walker Hall, Kapa’au, Hawai’i
Making Compresses, Fomentations, Poultices & Liniments
Tincture & Salve-Making Workshop
9am, Sat., 12-8-07 at Intergenerational Center, Kamehameha Park Kapa’au, HI
Ethical Wildcrafting & Sustainability
7pm, Thurs., Dec.13, 2007 at Walker Hall, Kapa’au, Hawai’i

To register, contact DeeAnne at 808-987-7008

Important Coffee Briefing with Senator Ron Menor

When: Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2007 1-3 p.m

Where: Aloha Theater – Kainaliu

Why: Let Senator Menor hear your thoughts about GMO coffee being field trialed or planted in Hawaii.

Background: HB1577, which bans field trials and outdoor plantings of GMO coffee in Hawaii, passed the Hawaii House of Representatives in March 2007. During the 2008 session, it may have a chance to be heard by the Senate, if Senator Menor can understand the wishes of the coffee industry, the urgency and necessity of this bill, and will schedule a hearing in the 2008 session.

Urgent and necessary because we are not dealing with a theoretical or distant future situation. John Stiles of Integrated Coffee Technologies testified before the State House CPC committee in Feb ’07, that he will have coffee seedlings ready for field trialing in 12-18 months and wants to plant them in Hawaii.

It is vital that we have the show of support for this bill. Senator Menor must understand that the Hawaii Coffee industry has been united on this issue for five years. What unites the coffee groups is the simple fact that no-one wants to buy GMO coffee. GMO coffee is NOT categorized as a “specialty coffee” by the Specialty Coffee Association of America.

Supporting organizations are:

Hawaii Coffee Association
Kona Coffee Council
Kona Coffee Farmers’ Association
Kona Pacific Farmers’ Cooperative
Hawaii Organic Farmers’ Association
Kona Farmers’ Alliance
HawaiiSEED Barefoot Doctors’ Academy
…and more

September 4th is your chance to have your voice heard in Kona. If you cannot attend please mail letters to his office at the Capitol

Sen. Ron Menor
415 South Beretania St Room208
Honolulu, HI 96813 Or email at:

senmenor@capitol.hawaii.gov <mailto:senmenor@capitol.hawaii.gov>

Come and support coffee’s future on September 4th, 2007. Call 808-328-8888 for more info.

USDA DESIGNATES ALL HAWAII COUNTIES A PRIMARY NATURAL DISASTER AREA

Honolulu, Hawaii, July 31, 2007 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture designated Hawaii, Honolulu, Kauai and Maui Counties as primary natural disaster areas due to losses caused by drought that began on January 1, 2007 and is ongoing.

All Hawaii Counties were designated a natural disaster area on July 27, making all qualified farm operators in the designated area eligible for low interest Emergency Loans from USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), provided eligibility requirements are met. Farmers have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for loans to help cover part of their actual losses. FSA will consider each loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability. FSA has a variety of programs, in addition to the Emergency Loan program, to help eligible farmers recover from adversity.

USDA has also made other programs available to assist farmers such as the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP).

Interested farmers may contact their local USDA Farm Service Agency for further information on eligibility requirements and application procedures for these and other programs. Additional information on Emergency Loans is also available online at:
<http://www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/webapp?area=home&subject=fmlp&topic=efl&gt; .

Hawaii County FSA Office
PO Box 845 Hilo, HI 96721—-Phone:(808) 933-8381 Ext. 2 Fax:(808) 933-8345

Honolulu County FSA Office
99-193 Aiea Heights Drive, Suite 114 Aiea, HI 96701—-Phone:(808) 483-8600 Ext. 2 Fax:(808) 483-8615

Kauai County FSA Office
4334 Rice Street, Room 103 Lihue, HI 96766—-Phone:(808) 245-9014 Ext. 2 Fax:(808) 246-4639

Maui County FSA Office
210 Imi Kala Street, Suite 207 Wailuku, HI 96793—-Phone:(808) 244-3100 Ext. 2 Fax:(808) 242-7005

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or a part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Tropical Fruit Industry Expanding in Hawaii

By Karin Stanton
Associated Press

KAILUA, KONA, Hawai’i — Even though Hawai’i tropical fruit growers are challenged by inconsistent supplies and lower-priced Asian imports, specialty fruits such as lychee and rambutan have become a multimillion-dollar industry.

On the Big Island, thousands of exotic fruit trees are being planted each year, and as they mature, production is expected to increase. As Hawai’i’s pineapple production falls off, exotic fruits have become more common.

“The tropical fruit industry is strong and growing,” said Bob Hamilton, a top Big Island fruit grower. “We have good support. We’re improving and learning how to get better.”

While the state’s reputation for fabulous fruit is solid, it may face competition from cheaper foreign imports under a change in the law later this year.

Hamilton and his wife, Susi, have nearly three decades of experience in growing a variety of fruits, including avocado, citrus fruits, rambutan, longan, lychee and starfruit trees that are now being planted around the island.

Each year, the couple sells 50,000 to 60,000 trees for planting, including more than 6,000 rambutan, longan and lychee trees, to Hawai’i farmers through Plant It Hawaii.

“Those are all out there somewhere,” said Susi Hamilton.

“Sure, we have a real high standard,” Bob Hamilton said. “We continually try to help people grow fruit. I want everyone to be successful.”

Hamilton, formerly a custom homebuilder, started his Plant It Hawaii fruit tree nursery in 1979, launched Hula Brothers growing and packing company in 1987, and helped set up the Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers cooperative in 1991.

The co-op has grown from seven farms in 1991 to more than 40 today. It helps export and market as much as 85 percent of the state’s tropical fruit to the Mainland.

Hawai’i’s growers of tropical specialty fruit sold an estimated 1.5 million pounds of fruit in 2005, the latest year covered by the National Agricultural Statistics Service. Compared with 2004, higher output was registered for lychee, rambutan and longan, among other fruits.

Farmers, predominantly on the Big Island, produced 400,000 pounds of lychee. Value of sales hit an all-time high of $2.7 million in 2005.

“Fruit from other regions of the world is nowhere near as good as Hawai’i’s,” Hamilton said. “We’ve been told that over and over. Hawai’i does have a good name in the fruit market.”

Lychee has been a major crop in China for 2,000 years and was introduced into Hawai’i in 1873 and later into Florida. It is slightly bigger than a walnut, with a red skin. It is easy to peel, revealing a firm, translucent, milky-white flesh.

It is typically harvested in June, July and August. This year’s crop was a little later than usual.

Longan fruit, known as “dragon’s eye,” is similar to lychee but smaller, rounder and smoother, with a more aromatic, spicy fruit. It can be harvested year-round.

The golf-ball-size rambutan has long, soft spines, and a sweet, crunchy and juicy flesh. Harvest time varies between October and March.

Although rambutan, longan and other fruits are exported by Hula Brothers and the growers’ co-op, lychee remains so popular in Hawai’i the Hamiltons cannot grow enough to export.

That is a common complaint from marketers on the Mainland.

“One of the problems for Mainland retailers is finding consistent supply for items that they’d like to feature and promote,” said Tom Tjerandsen, the California-based managing director of the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association.

“They have been tantalized by tropicals and are eager to offer them, but reluctant because the supply has been so tenuous,” he said.

Hawai’i farmers may face a new challenge when tropical fruits begin arriving from Thailand this year. A rule change approved last month will allow pineapple, rambutan, lychee, longan and other produce treated with irradiation to kill fruit flies and other pests to be sold in the United States.

Growers in Thailand receive an average of 9 cents a pound for rambutan, compared with about $2.50 a pound in Hawai’i.

Lychee can be held up as an example of a Hawai’i product that has great potential, said Kent Fleming, professor and extension economist for the University of Hawai’i College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources.

“It’s one of the few bright spots on the export scene,” Fleming said. “It’s a good product and it has good demand. And anytime we can market to the Mainland, it’s a good thing.”

Sustainable Agriculture Scholarship Program

Annie’s Homegrown, maker of natural and organic mac & cheese, and dedicated sustainability supporter, is now accepting applications for its new Sustainable Agriculture Scholarship Program.

The new program will award $50,000 to undergraduate and graduate students pursuing studies in sustainable and organic agriculture, including three $10,000 scholarships and eight $2,500 scholarships.

Annie’s believes healthy farms are the foundation for healthy foods (which help make healthy people!), so it is proud to support the next generation of sustainability stewards. Apply online at: http://www.annies.com/programs/sustainable_agriculture_scholarship.htm>http://www.annies.com/programs/sustainable_agriculture_scholarship.htm now through Sept. 30, 2007.

Final decisions will be made and winners announced by January 2008.

Essentials of Hawaiian Herbalism

August 11, 2007 Learn all you need to know to get started making your own sustainable medicines, fresh from the Earth. Learn how to make herbal tea, poultices, vinegar, herbal oil, tinctures and delicious culinary items. This class is being given at the Amy Greenwell Garden in Captain Cook. 9:00-noon; $20 if you’re not a member, $5 if you belong. Call 323-3318 to sign up.

Barbara J. Fahs, M.A., “The Healthful Herbalist” of Hawaii Island Journal

Hi`iaka’s Healing Herb Garden, LLC

Helping to Conserve and Educate about Threatened Hawaiian Medicinal Plants

HCR 2, Box 9620; Kea`au, HI 96749 (808) 966-6126 http://www.hiiakas.com

goddess@hiiakas.com

Evaluation of Hawai‘i Coffee Agroforestry Systems

New 2-year research project will study shade-grown coffee in Hawai‘i
The ecological and economic benefits of shade-grown coffee agroforestry systems have been recognized for many years throughout the tropics, but have been little studied in Hawai‘i. Over the past few years, innovative farmers in Kona and elsewhere in Hawai‘i have begun experimenting with shade-grown coffee. These farmers and others considering coffee agroforestry are in need of technical assistance based on research. This project will study twelve existing shade-grown coffee orchards and compare them with open-grown coffee based on five key indicators: soil organic matter, major insect pests, yield and bean quality, production costs and market values, and environmental conditions (shade levels, tree density, plant species present, etc.).

We expect that shadegrown coffee has potential for wider adoption, as a number of farmers have adopte this practice on their own during recent years. To date, no comprehensive studies have been carried out on shade-grown coffee in Hawai‘i to show its feasibility. The new information gathered by this project over a 2-year period will be made available to USDA personnel, university cooperative extension, farmers, and the general public so that they can make more informed decisions about shade-grown coffee. This project will also produce a publication showing the potential benefits and drawbacks of coffee agroforestry.

The $120,000 project has been sponsored by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Conservation Innovation Grant program and the County of Hawai‘i Department of Research and Development in partnership with the Big Island Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Council, with matching contributions from the project collaborators’ organizations. Project collaborators include the University of Hawai‘i’s Dr. Travis Idol, Dr. J. B. Friday, Virginia Easton Smith, and Dr. Mark Wright, and farmer representatives Melanie Bondera, Ken Sheppard, and Denver Leaman. The Big Island RC&D Council is a 501c3 non-profit corporation registered in the State of Hawai‘i. The RC&D Program is a public-private partnership administered by NRCS that assists individuals and organizations with grant acquisition and fiscal management for beneficial community projects.

For further information, please contact the project director Craig Elevitch, Permaent Agriculture Resources, PO Box 428, Holualoa, Hawaii 96725, Tel: 808-324-4427; Email: par@agroforestry.net

Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden Tour

Garden Tour–August 5th, 2007 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. The gardens are located in Captain Cook off Mamalahoa Highway, just South of Mile Marker 110.

A tour of the 15-acre garden of Native Hawaiian plants will be led by the Garden Director, Peter Van Dyke. Following the tour, there will be a no-host local-style lunch & discussion on invasive plants* at the Manago Hotel.

Bring friends! The event is free for HILA members & $5. for non-members. Call HILA at 323-9848 NOW to register for the event.

*”Plants in Question” list available in advance by request.

Save Seeds & Save Our World

The Fifth annual Hawai`i Island Seed Exchange (formerly Kona Seed Exchange) will take place at Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden in Kona on Saturday, 16 June, from 8:30 a.m. until 12:30 pm. The seed exchange is an opportunity for farmers, backyard gardeners and others to share seeds and cuttings of their favorite food crops, heirloom plants (old garden-grown varieties of fruits, vegetables, and ornamentals), native plants, and traditional Hawaiian crops. Besides the opportunity to exchange growing materials, there will be cultural and educational programs. Experts will give presentations on growing and saving plants. The presenters will be available all day for informal consultation.

The Seed Exchange is co-hosted by Amy Greenwell Garden, Hawai`i SEED, and the Know Your Farmer Alliance. Admission is free. For more information, call tel. # (808) 323-3318. The Garden is on the Big Island in Captain Cook, on the mauka side of Mamalahoa Highway, across from the Manago Hotel.

Sustainable Tropical Agriculture 294

 

June 12th-July 19th, 2007 University of Hawaii-Hilo is offering an experiential class this summer in diversified, organic, holistic agricultural practices with local experts Nancy Redfeather, Tracy Matfin, Craig Elevitch, Melanie & Colehour Bondera, Mike Brown, Geoff Rauch & more! The focus will be on practical solutions in organic farming with plenty of hands-on group projects and several field trips to working farms.

 

Topics to include: Bamboo Production/Marketing, Seed Saving, Growing Traditional Hawaiian Crops, Animal Husbandry, Organic Food Production, Soil Health/Compost/Compost Tea, Agroforestry/Diversity, Multiple Yealds/Niche Products, Myths of Industrial Agriculture, & Permaculture Principles & Techniques.

 

 

 

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8am-12noon June 12-July 19th, 2007

For information call Sarah Sullivan, 808-756-1269
UH admissions office: 808-974-7414

Join us for this hands-on course at UHH Panaewa Farm!