Month: February 2010

February 17, 2010 General Ag News and Notes Post a Comment

AGRICULTURE SECRETARY VILSACK ANNOUNCES FUNDING ASSISTANCE TO HELP RURAL BUSINESSES

Guaranteed Loans Provided Through Recovery Act Funds Help Local Businesses and Supports the Nation’s Renewable Energy Strategy

WASHINGTON, February 16, 2010 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced $144 million in loan guarantees to assist 54 rural businesses through funding made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The funding is authorized through USDA Rural Development’s Business and Industry Guaranteed Loan Program. The program received $1.57 billion through the Act to help rural businesses stimulate economic development.

"A number of the Recovery Act projects announced today support the President’s comprehensive energy strategy announced earlier this month," said Vilsack. "Advancing biomass and biofuel production holds the potential to create green jobs, which is one of the many ways the Obama Administration and USDA are working to rebuild and revitalize rural America."

For example, in Hilo, Hawaii, Big Island Biodiesel, LLC, has been selected to receive a $5,000,000 loan guarantee through First Hawaiian Bank in Kahului to construct a $10 million, 2.64 million gallon per year biodiesel production plant in Keaau. The feedstock for this biodiesel plant will primarily be used cooking oil, and potentially jatropha and algae. More than one million gallons of used cooking oil and grease-trap oil will be diverted from Maui, Oahu, and Hawaii County landfills to produce the biodiesel. Hawaii has established an Alternative Fuel Standard (AFS) with the goal of providing 10 percent of highway fuel demand from alternate fuels by 2010, 15 percent by 2015, and 20 percent by 2020.

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February 17, 2010 General Ag News and Notes, Vegtables Post a Comment

Whole Foods Market Kahului Purchasing From More Than 60 Maui Producers | The Honolulu Advertiser

honadv

Continuing upon its commitment to providing customers with the highest-quality natural and organic products while supporting the local communities in which it works, Whole Foods Market Kahului will offer products from over 140 local producers, 60 of whom are based on Maui. The new Maui producers brought on to supply the Kahului store bring the total of local vendors whose products Whole Foods Market offers in Hawai’i to more than 205.

Please Click Here to Purchase Maui Gold Pineapples Online.

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!!!

"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.

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February 16, 2010 General Ag News and Notes Post a Comment

Case will chair Exclusive Resorts board – Pacific Business News

Exclusive Resorts announced Tuesday that AOL co-founder Steve Case has become chairman of its board of directors.

Case also will lead a $20 million round of new equity financing for the luxury destination club.

Case, who has served on Exclusive Resorts’ board since investing in the company in 2003, acquired majority ownership in 2004.

Exclusive Resorts has more than 3,000 members and a real estate portfolio valued at more than $1 billion. The Denver-based club was founded in 2002.

Case grew up in Honolulu and graduated from Punahou School. He is the majority shareholder of Maui Land & Pineapple Co. (NYSE: MLP) and serves on its board of directors.

Case also owns Grove Farm, one of Kauai’s largest private landowners, and is chairman and CEO of Revolution, a market investment firm.

Case will chair Exclusive Resorts board – Pacific Business News (Honolulu):

February 15, 2010 General Ag News and Notes Post a Comment

Pineapple production to increase – FBCL

Monday, February 15, 2010

Research currently carried out at the Seaqaqa Research Station in Vanua Levu is aimed at increasing pineapple production there.

Acting Director for the Research Division Miliakere Nawaikula says they have already identified the best practices of pineapple farming and are currently trialing these methods.

Nawaikula says collated and recording data from those trials will assist them to increase pineapple production in the Seaqaqa area.
Farmers in the Northern Division are also urged to seek assistance and advise from the various Ministry of Agriculture offices in the North.

FBCL – News

February 15, 2010 General Ag News and Notes, Maui Gold Pineapple 1 Comment

Bushmania: Maui Pineapple Company

This is a sad news post, along with a little walk down memory lane.

First of all, for those of you who don’t know, I spent many summers in Hawaii growing up, while my dad worked for a group called Youth Developmental Enterprises (YDE).

YDE would bring boys from the US mainland over to pick pineapples in Hawaii, on Lanai at first, and then on to Maui. Initially, YDE worked with Dole, but later began working with Maui Pineapple Company, now known as Maui Land & Pineapple.

My mom heard a rumor that Maui Pineapple Company was shutting down at the beginning of 2010! Just an FYI – YDE stopped working with them several years ago.


CLICK HERE for larger image

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February 14, 2010 Agricultural Equipment, General Ag News and Notes Post a Comment

KIA‘I MOKU: New technology pivotal amid fight against invasive weeds – Mauinews.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Visitor’s Information – The Maui News

maui-news-ad

Invasive-weed infestations within Maui County are literally a growing problem. Despite the tough economic recession, invasive species prevention and mitigation programs remain a necessity for conserving our natural and agricultural resources. We need to look back only a few months ago to remember the show of local support for our Hawaii Department of Agriculture inspectors. While some positions were retained, Maui still must deal with the losses of important HDOA positions. Despite these setbacks, our local ranchers and natural area managers remain steadfast to continue the fight against these detrimental weed infestations, simply out of necessity.

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February 14, 2010 General Ag News and Notes Post a Comment

Farmers Concerned After Coqui Frogs are Discovered in Waimanalo – KHON2.com

For years, coqui frogs have wreaked havoc on the Big Island, keeping many residents awake at night.

And they’ve also popped up in some communities on Oahu, most recently in Waimanalo.

The coqui frogs are no stranger to the islands, but with the recent layoffs of inspectors at the Department of Agriculture, officials fear the invasion could get worse.

Imagine trying to sleep with this noise outside your home.

"If you go at night anywhere from Hilo out to Volcano and Volcano is at 4,000 feet above sea level the noise is deafening and it’s not a very pleasant experience," said Senator Clayton Hee.

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February 14, 2010 General Ag News and Notes, Maui Gold Pineapple Post a Comment

Community Pineapple Harvest—Volunteers Needed

Community Pineapple Harvest—Volunteers Needed

Pineapples are ripening in the former Maui Land & Pineapple Company fields but, due to layoffs, are going unharvested. The new owners, Haliimaile Pineapple Company has offered to let volunteers for Maui non-profit Waste Not Want Not pick the fruit for the Maui community. The crop will be distributed to the Maui Food Bank and other community service organizations.

Volunteers are needed to pick the pineapples for 3 hours on Mondays and Thursdays. To volunteer, Call James Mylenek at 874-8038 or email him at james@wastenotwantnot.org or go to the Waste Not Want Not website and click on Volunteer tab. James will then contact you with details about dates, times and locations.

Maui Land and Pineapple went out of business, Haliimaile Pineapple Company organization has hired back 65 workers but doesn’t have enough staff to pick the ripe pineapples. Instead of plowing under, agreed to let volunteers pick the fruit.

Waste Not Want Not gathers fruits and vegetables that would otherwise go unharvested and delivers them to food banks and other places that serve meals to the hungry. You can also help them win $250,000 to get unused fruit from the backyards of Hawai’i to the needy in the ‘Pepsi Refresh Project’.

Community Pineapple Harvest—Volunteers Needed

February 13, 2010 General Ag News and Notes Post a Comment

Health Care Reform – Patient Delivery and Care Delivery

Amazing seems a most appropriate word to describe the financing and delivery of health care services in the United States of America.
James L. McGee, CEBS--On Health Care Reform

An improved patient delivery system is a necessary pre-condition for affordable and quality health care.

What do I mean by a “patient delivery system”?

Understanding  patient delivery system means recognizing that people without health insurance do not receive treatment until they are in an immediate life-threatening situation.

I cannot back this up with a scientific study, only my daily experience.  But that experience contradicts an oft cited myth that no one who needs health care is turned away.  One of the most common reason that people call our office is because something happened to their health insurance that lead to a denial of treatment.

It may be as simple as the doctor calling the wrong number or it may be that the member has failed to pay their share of their health insurance premium.  But the reasons don’t make the stories any the less heart breaking.

Please Click Here to Read the Complete Article by Jim McGee » The Amazing Maze of US Health Care » Health Care Reform – Patient Delivery and Care Delivery