Month: January 2011

January 2, 2011 General Ag News and Notes Post a Comment

4 Hawaii land trusts merge, form statewide group

Four land conservation trusts from across Hawaii are merging to create a statewide organization dedicated to protecting land from development.

The Hawaiian Islands Land Trust officially begins operation on New Year’s Day.

It’s being formed by the merger of the Kauai Public Land Trust, Oahu Land Trust, Maui Coastal Land Trust and Hawaii Island Land Trust.

The groups said in a statement Friday the merger puts them in a better position to attract broad financial support and save more land.

The headquarters of the combined origination will initially be based on Maui. Existing offices will be maintained on Oahu, Kauai and Hawaii islands.

All employees are being retained, giving the combined group a staff of ten.

4 Hawaii land trusts merge, form statewide group – Hawaii News – Staradvertiser.com

January 1, 2011 General Ag News and Notes Post a Comment

Top 10 Leisure Services Stocks of the Week: MLP, PRXI, LONG, STNR, FUN, RDI, TZOO, BWL.A, ISCA, LTM – China Analyst

Below are the top 10 best-performing Leisure Services stocks for the past week. One Chinese company (LONG) is on the list.

Maui Land & Pineapple Co. (NYSE:MLP) is the 1st best-performing stock last week in this segment of the market. It was up 19.14% for the past week. Its price percentage change is -10.27% year-to-date.

Top
10 Leisure Services Stocks of the Week: MLP, PRXI, LONG, STNR, FUN,
RDI, TZOO, BWL.A, ISCA, LTM (Jan 01, 2011) – China Analyst

January 1, 2011 General Ag News and Notes Post a Comment

Rare panda cow born on farm near Campion – Reporter-Herald, Loveland, Colo.

By Tom Hacker

It is safe to say that Ben is the last miniature panda cow born anywhere in 2010.

In fact, he has few peers, being a calf and one of only 24 of the scarce breed in the world.

At just after 8 a.m. Friday, on a farm east of Campion, Ben entered the world after mother Bella, a lowline Angus cow, spent a zero-degree night in labor in her stall.

Two hours later, still wet and shivering, the tiny calf snuggled against his diminutive mother.

“We’ll get him bundled up pretty soon,” said Chris Jessen, who has miniature donkeys, other miniature cattle breeds and even a wallaby — a miniature kangaroo — on his hobby farm.

“We’ve got a regular petting zoo, here,” wife Pam Jessen said.

It could have been even more so, with the Jessens having explored the idea of raising reindeer, and even camels, on their acreage.

Ben’s namesake is Chris Jessen’s brother, also born on New Year’s Eve.

“He was the first person I called this morning,” he said.

The miniature panda cow is the result of 44 years of genetic manipulation by Richard Gradwohl, a farmer in Covington, Wash., about 20 miles southeast of Seattle.

A white belt encircling the animal’s midsection, and the white face with black ovals around the eyes, give the cow an appearance that is very much panda-like.

“We had a Chinese delegation visit our farm, and they were fascinated,” Gradwohl said in a telephone interview Friday. “They want them in China, so we’re going to be exporting.”

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