The annual charts have been updated also.
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Maui Land and Pineapple (MLP)
Alexander and Baldwin (ALEX)
Monsanto (MON)
Continue reading ‘Hawaii and Related Agriculture Daily Charts for the week ending 07-31-09′
Monthly Archive for July, 2009
As Hawaii’s agricultural industry continues to decline, a sub-industry is growing in size and work force.
The state’s seed crop industry hit $146 million in value for the 2007-2008 season, surpassing pineapple and sugar, crops that were once Hawaii’s agricultural staples.
The seed crop industry’s value has grown at an average annual rate of 33 percent over the past five years. It makes up about 30 percent of the total value of all crops produced in Hawaii, according to the Hawaii Crop Improvement Association.
The trade group commissioned a study earlier this month to gauge the economic impact of Hawaii’s seed crop industry. The Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation performed the study using data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Seed crops take root in Hawaii’s ag industry – Pacific Business News (Honolulu):
There is a place for GMO. Check out this article from the “Wired Blog.” It makes a very lucid argument for the necessity of genetically engineered crops in sustainable agriculture.
Sustainably Engineered Organic
- By Bruce Sterling
- July 30, 2009
…checklist for truly sustainable agriculture in a global context. It must:
Provide abundant safe and nutritious food…. Reduce environmentally harmful inputs…. Reduce energy use and greenhouse gases…. Foster soil fertility…. Enhance crop genetic diversity…. Maintain the economic viability of farming communities…. Protect biodiversity…. and improve the lives of the poor and malnourished. (He pointed out that 24,000 a day die of malnutrition worldwide, and about 1 billion are undernourished.)
…But organic has limitations, he said. There are some pests, diseases, and stresses it can’t handle. Its yield ranges from 45% to 97% of conventional ag yield. It is often too expensive for low-income customers. At present it is a niche player in US agriculture, representing only 3.5%, with a slow growth rate suggesting it will always be a niche player.
Genetically engineered crops could carry organic farming much further toward fulfilling all the goals of sustainable agriculture, Raoul said, but it was prohibited as a technique for organic farmers in the standards and regulations set by the federal government in 2000.
Horticultural supplies for Hawaii's golf courses, resorts, landscapers, nurseries, and farms.
Hawaii Grower Products
400 Lehuakona St
Kahului, HI 96732
fax : 808 871 5432
email : info@hawaiigrowerproducts.com
Call HGP on Maui NOW at 877-6636 for more details.
Uaka Kava of Hilo Hawaii have recently restocked ‘Awa (Kava Kava) powder they make from the dried fresh root of the Mahakea variety grown on the Big Island. This powder is for sale on their website:
http://www.mauikava.com
There still continues to be a shortage of fresh root due to the disruption in planting caused by BfArM (German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices) erroneously linking fresh ‘Awa root to liver damage in 2001. This was subsequently disproved by UH Scientists:
A team of University of Hawai’i scientists may have solved the mystery of why some Europeans who used products containing kava extract suffered severe liver damage, prompting a number of nations to ban sales of the herbal supplement.
Read Complete Honolulu Advertiser article . . .
There have actually been reports of health benefits from using ‘Awa root:
American Association for Cancer Research
Fiji Times
When the supply is normal Uka Kava makes dried fresh root powder processed from these varieties:
‘Awa Hanakapi ‘ai
‘Awa Hiwa
‘Awa Honokane Iki
‘Awa Kumakua
‘Awa Mahakea
‘Awa Mapulehu
‘Awa Pana’ewa
‘Awa Mo’i
‘Awa Nene
‘Awa ‘Opihikao
‘Awa Papa ‘Ele’ele
‘Awa Papa Kea
‘Awa Papa’ Ele’ele Pu’upu’u
During fresh root shortages Uka Kava offers their “Hang Loose Instant Kawa” product which many people prefer anyway due to ease of preparation.
Uka Kava also has a Woodworking Division which produces bowls and other objects made from exotic local woods such as Koa, Milo, Pride of India (China berry), and Norfolk pine.
The $USD chart has been added to Hawaii Agriculture financial tracking for both Weekly and Annual due to it’s inverse relationship with DBA
by David Manger | 24 Jul 09
MORNINGSTAR®
Last Harvest? Click for larger image.
… Losses in the agriculture business continue to hinder overall profitability, despite multiple cost-reduction efforts. As a result, management plans to make an announcement regarding the future of the segment by year-end. Given its unprofitable nature, we would prefer A&B to exit the business all together and focus resources elsewhere. Nevertheless, we remain encouraged by the firm’s strong financial position and expect it to bolster its land holdings at current prices.
Click to read complete story . . .
Copyright © 2009 Morningstar Research Inc. All rights reserved.
Maui Land and Pineapple (MLP)
Alexander and Baldwin (ALEX)
Monsanto (MON)
Continue reading ‘Hawaii and Related Agriculture Daily Charts for the week ending 07-24-09′
Pauwela Cannery
It's very hard to communicate how big this machine actually is.
The industrial uses are limitless, “Do you need a part for your yacht, race car, telescope or nuclear submarine?” The machine has digital probes which can scan almost any shape to the highest tolerances. And it is in the Pauwela Cannery on West Kuiaha!
The software simply works off an Excel Spreadsheet
By Brian Orelli
Sometimes you need a little help from a friend — even if that friend is also a competitor.
Monsanto (NYSE: MON) and Dow Chemical (NYSE: DOW) certainly couldn’t have developed a seed with such blockbuster potential so quickly without each others’ help. The two announced yesterday that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) had completed the authorization process for their SmartStax seed, which combines eight different traits into one corn seed.
The eight combined traits will increase yields by 2% to 4% compared to the triple-stacked standard, but the biggest advantage to farmers will come from changes by the government.
Farmers are required to plant a certain percent of their acreage with seeds that don’t have insect resistance — it’s called a refuge, but "sacrificial lamb" might be more appropriate. The point of the refuge is to avoid selecting for insects that are resistant to the trait. Since SmartStax contains multiple disease-resistant traits, it’s less likely that insects will become resistant, so farmers will be able to decrease the required refuge from 20% to 5% in the corn belt and from 50% to 20% in the cotton belt. Increasing the acreage planted with higher-yielding disease-resistant corn should boost the farm’s yield by an additional 3% to 6%, for a total potential increase of 5% to 10%.
Monsanto and Dow will market the seed under their own brand names and pay royalties to each other for the shared traits. The friendly competition should make for an interesting rivalry, but in any case the new seed, which should launch next year, should compete well against rivals Syngenta (NYSE: SYT) and DuPont (NYSE: DD). In fact, the companies are planning to make it the largest biotech corn seed launch ever.
Who knows — maybe they’ll send the first ears to Joe Cocker.
By SCOTT STODDARD,
INVESTOR’S BUSINESS DAILY
Click for Larger Image
James Dole was 22 when he set out for Hawaii in 1899.
He had little experience in business or farming.
In his arsenal were an agriculture degree from Harvard, a modest sum of cash and hopes of prospering from the territory’s efforts to diversify its sugar-dependent economy.
But his arrival at Honolulu in November that year wasn’t auspicious.
Attempts by farmers to grow coffee beans, rubber, vegetables and fruit had failed, and the town was placed in quarantine for six months due to bubonic plague. Dole waited out the plague at the home of his cousin Sanford Dole, who was soon to become Hawaii’s first governor.
By August 1900, James was ready to act. He bought a 64-acre farm in Wahiawa, near Honolulu.
And he tried growing crops before settling on the fruit that would make him famous: pineapple.
“After some experimentation, I concluded that the land was better adapted to pineapples than to peas, pigs or potatoes,” he said in the Harvard class of 1899’s 25th reunion report in 1924.
His Hawaiian Pineapple Co. was incorporated in December 1901.
Dole’s bold aim: Sell pineapples to every store in America.
At the time, few Americans were familiar with pineapples. The fruit was delicate and difficult to ship from the tropical areas where they grew. Efforts to distribute pineapples in cans had also failed.
“Back at the turn of the century it wasn’t a product that many people had tasted,” Dole spokesman Marty Ordman told IBD. “Jim Dole was really the one that brought it to the masses.”
But success didn’t come easy.
Maui Land and Pineapple (MLP)
Alexander and Baldwin (ALEX)
Monsanto (MON)
Continue reading ‘Weekly Hawaii and Related Agriculture Daily Charts for the week ending 07-17-09′
Hana Highway Fruit Market-Haiku Maui
Creative entrepreneurial efforts deliver Maui Agricultural products directly into the hands of the neighborhood community and also tourists traveling to Hana. In addition to traditional items such as Maui Gold Pineapple, banana, and avocado the Hana Highway Fruit Market provides exotic fare such as loquat and lychee.
Hawaii State-wide Assessment of Forest Conditions Trends
The Hawaii SWARS team will be hosting a session at the Hawaii Conservation Conference
2009 Hawaii Conservation Conference
July 28-30, 2009
Hawai‘i Convention Center
Honolulu, HI
More info . . .
Here is the PDF file for the Hawaii’s Seed Crop Industry: Current and Potential Economic and Fiscal Contributions report.
Please visit the website for more information: http://www.nass.usda.gov/hi/
Hawaii’s Seed Crop Industry
————————————————————-
Contact Information:
Mark E. Hudson, Director
USDA NASS Hawaii Field Office
1421 South King Street
Honolulu, HI 96814-2512
Office: (808) 973-9588 / (800) 804-9514
Fax: (808) 973-2909
The research objective of this study is to update our 2006 study of the Hawaii seed crop industry’s economic and fiscal contributions to the State of Hawaii. To this end we have provided:
• Background information about the technology used by the industry locally and internationally,
• Details of Hawaii’s seed crop industry with comparisons to other Hawaii sectors and subsectors,
• The economic contributions of the seed crop industry.
Our primary research conclusion is that Hawaii’s seed crop industry makes significant ever increasing economic and fiscal contributions to the state’s economy generally, and most particularly simultaneous contributions to the agriculture, life sciences and high technology subsectors. In so doing, the Hawaii seed crop industry generates various positive externalities to the state, the value of which has not been assessed in this study. Seed crop industry economic contributions to the state should continue to increase given anticipated industry investments in Hawaii, which will assist achievement not only of economic policy objectives but other objectives as well, the various positive side effects of this industry operating in Hawaii.
Continue reading ‘Hawaii’s Seed Crop Industry: Current and Potential Economic and Fiscal Contributions’
Here is the PDF file for the Hawaii Macadamia Nuts (Final Season Estimates) Report.
Wailuku Maui Macadamia Nut field after switch from Sugar Cane May 1979-Click for larger image
Please visit the website for more information: http://www.nass.usda.gov/hi/
————————————————————-
Contact Information:
Mark E. Hudson, Director
USDA NASS Hawaii Field Office
1421 South King Street
Honolulu, HI 96814-2512
Office: (808) 973-9588 / (800) 804-9514
Fax: (808) 973-2909
————————————————————-
“HAWAII MACADAMIA NUTS” reports are available on our website and also PRINTED twice a year. Subscriptions for PRINTED copies are free to those persons who report agricultural data to NASS (upon request) and available for $2 per year to all others.
Utilized production from Hawaii’s 2008-09 macadamia nut harvest is estimated at 50.0 million pounds (net, wet-in-shell basis) according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Hawaii Field Office. The estimate for 2008-09 represents a 9.0 million pound or 22 percent increase from last season.
Season Overview
Timely showers and an increased demand for inshell nuts contributed to this season’s higher output. Processors noted some improvement in the quality of nuts delivered this season. On the other hand, growers did report the prolonged dry conditions, pests, pigs, and volcanic haze adversely affected orchards and harvesting. Others mentioned it was economically unfeasible to pick their crop and may switch to other commodities or temporarily stop farming.
Harvested Acreage Unchanged, Yields Up
For the 2008-09 season, growers harvested an estimated 15,000 acres and remained unchanged for the past three seasons. Statewide, there were 17,000 acres in crop and an estimated 1.2 million macadamia nut trees.
Yields averaged 3,330 pounds per acre (net, wet-inshell basis) for the 2008-09 season, or 600 pounds more per acre than the previous season. Average moisture content for this season’s entire crop was 20.5 percent compared with 21.3 percent for the 2007-08 crop.
Farm Value Increases
The farm price for macadamia nuts averaged 67.0 cents per pound (net, wet-in-shell basis) for 2008-09 season, up 7.0 cents from the 2007-08 average. Farm value is estimated at $33.5 million (net, wet-in-shell basis) for this crop season, a 36 percent increase from last season due to a larger harvest and higher farm price.
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