The 2010 ABN Hawaii AgVenture Tour kicked off last week as The ABN’s Andy Vance and Lindsay Hill are in Hawaii for a nearly two week excursion with ABN listeners. As we tell them of the snow and cold temperatures here in Ohio, they are filling us in on the beautiful scenery and interesting Ag-related events they are taking part in. You can follow all of their explorations by becoming a fan of The ABN on Facebook! We will have updates here on Ohio’s Homepage for Agriculture as well, so keep checking back!
SAN DIEGO, Feb. 22 /PRNewswire/ — SG Biofuels, a sustainable plant oil company specializing in the development of Jatropha as a low-cost, sustainable source of oil, today announced the launch of JMax 100, a proprietary cultivar of Jatropha optimized for growing conditions in Guatemala with yields 100 percent greater than existing varieties.
JMax 100 is the first elite cultivar developed through the company’s JMax Jatropha Optimization Platform. The platform provides growers and plantation developers with access to the highest yielding and most profitable Jatropha in the world, the sequenced genome and advanced biotech and synthetic biology tools to develop cultivars specifically optimized for their unique growing conditions.
"The yields and profitability of JMax100 and the JMax platform far exceed what is currently available through existing varieties of Jatropha," said Kirk Haney, President and Chief Executive Officer of SG Biofuels. "In Guatemala, we have utilized the world’s largest library of Jatropha genetic material and our advanced genetic program to enable exponential increases in productivity and profitability, and establish Jatropha as a large-scale sustainable energy crop."
WAIALUA (HawaiiNewsNow) – As the state’s agriculture industry goes through some sour times, a relatively new crop is hoping to sweeten things up. Sugar and pineapple were once the staple crops of Hawaii’s plantation era, but with these industries practically extinct, Hawaii’s ag lands are now returning to a new era of small farms.
An exciting new crop may be the sweet savior to Hawaii’s lagging ag industry. State ag leaders say they aren’t just looking to one crop to replace both sugar and pineapple.
Instead, they’re hoping a variety of crops, including another sweet tasting one will take the lead and help the state’s ag industry grow to new heights.
Hawaii is the only state in the U.S. where chocolate can grow. That’s because it only flourishes in areas close to the equator. So it made sense for Dole Foods to try it out.
Maui Land and Pineapple (MLP) 02-19-2010 14.02% GAIN from the open on the 12th to the close on the 19th open 3.28 02/12/2010 close 3.74 02/19/2010
activity on the 19th was extraordinary
On Thursday, the Land Use Commission will hold another public hearing on Castle & Cooke’s plans to build a new “community” on 768 acres between Waipio and Mililani. The Koa Ridge project, which includes two schools, a medical complex, a 150-room hotel and nearly half a million square feet of commercial space, relies on the LUC’s approval, and on its willingness to take the land out of agricultural zoning.
The Sierra Club and other environmental and agricultural advocates say that Koa Ridge would deprive Oahu of some of its very best agricultural land and that the project contributes to urban sprawl.
We didn’t have a reporter at the first hearing last month. The Advertiser reported that public testimony showed strong support for the project, with only one person speaking out in opposition. According to that report, most area residents who testified expressed hope that Koa Ridge might keep housing costs down for middle class families.
That’s an important goal, but doesn’t it seem like there are other ways to achieve it? At a time when so much energy is going into rethinking agricultural production and making farming viable on this island again, taking prime ag land out of production–forever–seems like a step in the wrong direction.
State Land Use Commission Meeting, 235 S. Beretania St, Thu 2/18, 9am, 587-3822
KAANAPALI — For those of us who remember what West Maui used to look like, it’s a cold reality check. Gone are the sugar cane fields that seemed to stretch for miles coloring the landscape with their vibrant hues of green. With the recent phasing out of pineapple in West Maui, it too was another blow to our island’s agricultural roots.
The truth is what was once the “traditional” farm is no longer a viable option for many plantations due to an unstable economy, rising operating costs and global competition. But another solution is offering hope to West Maui’s agriculture woes in the form of Ka‘anapali Coffee Farms — a “new family farm” concept that not only offers a viable option, but a promising one at that.
Thanks to a dynamic collaboration between Kaanapali Land Management Corp. and MauiGrown Coffee Inc., this true agricultural community now melds the best of both worlds — spectacular home sites with a working coffee plantation.
Maui Media toured the new Whole Foods Market in Kahului today that will become the chain’s first Maui store when it officially opens on February 24th. The 26,366 square-foot store will offer an array of natural and organic health and body care products. The inventory includes products from 44 local farmers, 29 of which are Maui based. The vendor list is even larger with more than 200 Hawaii vendors being used to stock shelves, 60 of whom are locally based Maui producers.
This is the sweetest, best tasting, Pineapple in the world.
Grown on Maui by Hali'imaile Pineapple Co.
Please buy this product!!! PRIDE IN ISLAND!!!
Local products include orchids by Fragrant Orchids of Maui, jams and jellies by SoMoor, kombucha by Maui Kombucha and more.
“Whole Foods Market celebrates the great variety of local businesses and farms in Hawai`i that grow and make wonderful food, drink and body care products. We are delighted to continue to expand our selection of special local products for our shoppers’ enjoyment,” said Claire Sullivan, Whole Foods Market’s vendor and community relations coordinator.
“Opening our first Maui store presents a particularly exciting opportunity to support and highlight Maui producers, especially those in the farming and ranching community who contribute to the unique beauty and agricultural character of this island.” added Sullivan.
The 2010 ABN Hawaii AgVenture Tour kicked off last week as The ABN’s Andy Vance and Lindsay Hill are in Hawaii for a nearly two week excursion with ABN listeners. As we tell them of the snow and cold temperatures here in Ohio, they are filling us in on the beautiful scenery and interesting Ag-related events they are taking part in. You can follow all of their explorations by becoming a fan of The ABN on Facebook! We will have updates here on Ohio’s Homepage for Agriculture as well, so keep checking back!
