Monthly Archive for January, 2011

Maui Land & Pineapple loses management of golf course and may lay off workers

Published on January 31, 2011 in General Ag News and Notes and Golf.


The owner of the two Kapalua Resort golf courses on Maui won’t retain Maui Land & Pineapple Co. to manage the facilities after March 31.

Maui Land notified employees last week that they may be terminated as part of the change, though Maui Land said in a statement today that it hasn’t determined how many employees will lose their jobs.

Troon Golf of Scottsdale, Ariz., will assume management of the Kapalua Bay Golf Course and Plantation Course.

Maui Land, in an effort to raise cash and pay down debt, sold both courses over the last two years to an affiliate of Japan-based retailer Fast Retailing Co. Ltd. with agreements to lease back and manage the properties until March 31

Maui Land & Pineapple loses management of golf course and may lay off workers – Hawaii News – Staradvertiser.com

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Haliimaile Pineapple topic of Rotary talk

Published on January 22, 2011 in General Ag News and Notes, Haliimaile Pineapple and Maui Gold Pineapple.


KIHEI – Doug Schenk, a director of the Haliimaile Pineapple Co., will speak at the 7:30 a.m. meeting Wednesday of the Rotary Club of Kihei Sunrise.

He will discuss the “rebirth” of pineapple on the Valley Isle. As a locally owned and operated successor to Maui Pineapple Co., Haliimaile Pineapple Co. is trying to fill the void left by Maui Pine, which closed in 2009, a release said.

The breakfast meeting convenes at the Five Palms restaurant at the Mana Kai Maui Resort in Kihei. The cost of breakfast is $17. The meeting is open to the public.

For more information, call President Ed Corbett at 264-3468 or see www.kiheirotary.org.

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No. 690: The Ginaca Machine

Published on January 17, 2011 in General Ag News and Notes and Pineapple.


by John H. Lienhard

Today, a machine keeps a gentle land from being gobbled up — but only for a while. The University of Houston’s College of Engineering presents this series about the machines that make our civilization run, and the people whose ingenuity created them.

In 1951, a young woman took me to a fancy luau at the University of Oregon. It was peculiar culture shock for me. Half the college students from Hawaii studied in Oregon. My left-brain focus was ill-fitted to the easy-going rhythm of the event. I still had much to learn.

Ukeleles and steel guitars nattered on cheerfully in 8/8 time. Everyone wore shorts or muumuus. And the food! It was roast pork and pineapple — poi washed down with pineapple — pineapple juice and gin. I never saw so much pineapple.

Less than sixty years before, Queen Liliuokalani had ruled Hawaii. She was a poet and composer, but not much of a manager. Hawaiian and American members of the so-called Annexation Club managed to depose her and ask the United States to annex Hawaii.

Hawaii became a U.S. Territory in 1900. The mainland was a huge market for her pineapples and sugar. She became a market for our manufactured goods.

Now think about the armor-plated pineapple. A skilled operator, with coring and slicing machinery, could cut up 10 or 15 a minute. Pineapple canning was absolutely limited by the rate a human could core, peel, juice, and slice a pineapple. And then, all the juice near the skin was wasted. Continue reading ‘No. 690: The Ginaca Machine’

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Dying for Discovery

Published on January 17, 2011 in General Ag News and Notes.


Almost 20 years ago now, in western Ecuador, I traveled with a team of extraordinary biologists studying a remnant of forest as it was being hacked down around us. Al Gentry, a gangling figure in a grimy T-shirt and jeans frayed from chronic tree climbing, was a botanist whose strategy toward all hazards was to pretend that they didn’t exist. At one point, a tree came crashing down beside him after he lost his footing on a slope. Still on his back, he reached out for an orchid growing on the trunk and said, “Oh, that’s Gongora,” as casually as if he had just spotted an old friend on a city street.

The team’s birder, Ted Parker, specialized in identifying bird species by sound alone. He started his work day before dawn, standing in the rain under a faded umbrella, his sneakers sunk to their high-tops in mud, whispering into a microcassette recorder about what he was hearing: “Scarlet-rumped cacique … a fasciated antshrike … two more pairs of Myrmeciza immaculata counter-singing. Dysithamnus puncticeps chorus, male and female …” Continue reading ‘Dying for Discovery’

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Police search for missing hunter

Published on January 17, 2011 in General Ag News and Notes and Hunting.


Honolulu police and fellow pig hunters are looking for a missing man in Waianae Valley.

Police said 37-year-old Thomas Kalama Jr., an avid hunter, was last seen on Jan. 11 at 4 p.m. at his home in Waianae.

Family members found Kalama Jr.’s 1983 Toyota pickup yesterday at 1 p.m. parked at the end of Waianae Valley Road.

Anyone with information on Kalama Jr. is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 955-8300.

Police search for missing hunter – Hawaii News – Staradvertiser.com

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Seed capital: a third of Hawaii farm revenue

Published on January 15, 2011 in GMO, General Ag News and Notes, Seed Crops and Seed Industry.


By Howard Dicus

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Hawaii grows more corn for seed than for eating, and the seed industry is the new sugar for Hawaii, accounting for more than a third of all farmgate revenue in the islands.

All four of the nation’s largest seed manufacturers have substantial farming operations in Hawaii now, including farms on Molokai, Kauai, Oahu and Maui. The vast majority of seed produced is corn, driven in part by farmers growing corn for ethanol on the mainland, but diversification into other seeds is under way.

Using figures from 2009 for a report released Tuesday, the National Agriculture Statistics Service and the Hawaii Department of Agriculture reported that seed farms account for more than $222 million of the more than $627 million in statewide farmgate revenue.

Total revenue is up 4% from the year before, and also represents 37% more milk farm revenue as the dairy industry regroups on the Big Island, along with smaller rebounding in cattle operations and improved revenues for bananas, basil, sweet potatoes, head cabbage and other crops.

Drought, which has been a problem for local cattle operations since 2009, caused lower revenues that year in the flower and nursery industry, which had been the largest chunk of Hawaii diversified agriculture before the advent of the local seed industry. Continue reading ‘Seed capital: a third of Hawaii farm revenue’

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Scope of isle farm labor abuse case widens

Published on January 15, 2011 in General Ag News and Notes, Haliimaile Pineapple, Maui Gold Pineapple and Pineapple.


The exploitation of impoverished Thai farm workers by a Los Angeles-based labor contractor went on for longer than federal prosecutors had previously disclosed and involved more workers and more growers in more states, including Del Monte and Aloun Farms on Oahu and a macadamia nut farm on the Big Island, according to a federal indictment unsealed yesterday.

The indictment, an update to one returned last September, adds more charges of forced labor and related offenses against labor contractor Global Horizons Manpower Inc. owner Mordechai Yosef Orian and five alleged co-conspirators, officers in his company and recruiters in Thailand. The new indictment adds two more Global Horizons officers as defendants.

Aloun Farms owners Alec and Mike Sou are facing separate federal forced-labor charges for actions unrelated to Global Horizons.

Last September’s indictment said Orian, 45, an Israeli national, and his co-conspirators exploited about 400 Thai workers in forced-labor conditions from May 2004 to September 2005. It named only one property where the workers were allegedly confined and forced to work, the valley isle’s now-defunct Maui Pineapple Farm. Continue reading ‘Scope of isle farm labor abuse case widens’

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Big Island prosecutor Kimura announces retirement

Published on January 12, 2011 in General Ag News and Notes.


Hawaii County Prosecutor Jay Kimura today announced he is retiring on April 1, in the middle of his four-year elected term.

First Deputy Charlene Iboshi will serve the remainder of Kimura’s term, under succession prescribed under the county charter.

Kimura has been the county prosecutor since 1992, winning five consecutive elections. He began his career as a deputy prosecutor in 1979. He is native of Lihue, Kauai, and served in the Army in Vietnam from 1969 to 1971.

Big Island prosecutor Kimura announces retirement – Hawaii News – Staradvertiser.com

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Rambutan is packed with vitamin C and sweet-tart tasty in winter

Published on January 12, 2011 in General Ag News and Notes.


While it’s been grown in Hawaii for at least a decade, rambutan is still somewhat new to the islands. It’s a fruit that’s related to the lychee, distinguished by its oval shape and red rind covered in hairlike bristles.

The fruit comes from the Malay peninsula, and its name is derived from the Malay word “rambut,” which means hair.

Rambutan season is during the winter months, a nice counterpoint to the summer lychee season. The flesh is white, translucent and grapelike in flavor, perhaps not as juicy as a lychee, but certainly reminiscent of its sweet-tart flavor.

Rambutan are grown mostly on the Big Island, and much of it is exported to ethnic markets on the West Coast. Look for rambutan at farmers markets and Chinatown stores. As trees have matured in recent years, the fruit has become more delicious.

To eat a rambutan, use a small knife to cut through its equator and remove the spiny shell. Just pop it into your mouth and discard the seed. This fruit is a good source of vitamin C and refreshingly delicious.

Rambutan is packed with vitamin C and sweet-tart tasty in winter – Hawaii Features – Staradvertiser.com

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Island Kitsch: Pineapple Fields Forever

Published on January 10, 2011 in General Ag News and Notes, Haliimaile Pineapple, Maui Gold Pineapple and Pineapple.

What would Hawaii be without pineapple?

Recently I picked up a copy of Hawai’i Magazine while I had some time to kill. It had an article about the Hali’imaile Pineapple Company, Ltd. saving pineapple production on the island of Maui. For most people, this would be of passing interest. For me, it was like Christmas all over again.

I’ve worked the pineapple fields of Maui Land and Pine. I still remember where I was when I learned that the company was ceasing its pineapple operation. It was a very sad day. Hawaii and pineapple are forever associated with a really special time in my life. As I get older, I recognize that while some things may not be 100% perfect for the bottom line, they are worth preserving to maintain our connection to our roots. Hawaii pineapple is one of those worthy endeavors. Continue reading ‘Island Kitsch: Pineapple Fields Forever’

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Recent rainfall eases drought

Published on January 8, 2011 in General Ag News and Notes and Water.


Downpours have ended drought conditions on Oahu and Kauai, but the suffering continues for farmers and ranchers on other islands

Oahu and Kauai are no longer officially in drought conditions after last month’s heavy rain, the National Weather Service said.

But farmers and ranchers are still suffering, especially those on Maui, Molokai and the Big Island, where some ranchers are reportedly still hauling water to support their livestock.

National Weather Service hydrologist Kevin Kodama said “conditions on the leeward side of the Big Island, which is a dry area normally, improved slightly.”

However, last month’s rainfall “was not enough since it occurred over a short period of time,” too short to eliminate the drought conditions there.

The report issued by the Weather Service is just one of several steps that must be met before the emergency drought declaration issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture is lifted. The emergency declaration, which made farmers and ranchers eligible for emergency loans and other payments, was issued for the Big Island in 2006, Maui and Molokai in 2007 and Kauai and Oahu last January.

“It’s good news,” said Diane Ley, state executive director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency.

However, it will be several years before the state’s pasture lands recover from the past four years of drought conditions. Continue reading ‘Recent rainfall eases drought’

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Lanai wind farm term agreement negotiated

Published on January 8, 2011 in Alternative Energy and General Ag News and Notes.


Hawaiian Electric Co. and Castle & Cooke Resorts officials contend that Lanai residents could see some benefits ranging from lower electric rates and guaranteed employment to hunting access and water rights as part of agreements they reached Friday on pricing terms for a Lanai wind farm.

But at least some Lanai residents say the agreement isn’t fair and would turn the island into “an industrial park” to provide electricity for Oahu.

The proposed wind farm by Interisland Wind would transmit as much as 400 megawatts of electricity to Oahu via an undersea cable from wind farms on Lanai and Molokai.

Friday’s agreements were for the Lanai facilities, not those proposed for Molokai, the companies said in a joint announcement.

“Castle & Cooke and Hawaiian Electric recognize that, while the electricity will be transmitted to Oahu, the impact of construction and operation of the wind farm will be felt on Lanai, including on cultural and recreational resources, plants and wildlife, and the people of the small island community,” the announcement said. “Therefore, a community benefits package for Lanai is appropriate.”

State Sen. J. Kalani English, whose 6th Senate District includes Lanai, Molokai, East Maui and Upcountry, said the proposal by the companies is “a good starting point.” Continue reading ‘Lanai wind farm term agreement negotiated’

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Hawaii County Prosecutors Quit

Published on January 7, 2011 in General Ag News and Notes.


Friends for Justice learned today that 5 employees in the Hawaii county prosecutors office resigned on or around January 4th.

East Hawaii has 24 prosecutors.

Information is scarce, and no one is talking, but we have reason to believe the majority of resignations may have all been out of the East Hawaii office in Hilo. This corresponds with Hawaii county prosecutor Jay Kimura’s brother Lloyd Kimura pleading guilty to nine counts of bank and mail fraud and theft in a 24 year ponzi scheme involving 50 clients and the theft of over 20 million dollars. That story like this one got no coverage in the local Hawaii county newspapers.

Friends for Justice was in court in Hilo Thursday January 6th in Judge Hara’s court supporting Reverend Nancy Harris’s religious marijuana case. The prosecutor in that case Rick Damerville made reference to an event in the prosecutors office on January 4th in response to the judges inquiry about scheduling a trial date for Reverend Harris. The defendant in the case made inquiries, because her trial was delayed until July and was told Damerville was staying because of an unexpected mass exodus from Jay Kimura’s office. The prosecutor in Rev. Harris’s case (Damerville) had been scheduled to retire in the near future but said he would be staying on indefinitely.

The widespread corruption in Hawaii county government and Mr. Kimura’s refusal to pursue those cases as well as the dead ends in other high profile murder cases like Peter “boy” Kema Jr, and Clayton Larry Alani, may have been too much for some of the employees in the office. Continue reading ‘Hawaii County Prosecutors Quit’

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Big Island company inks deal to provide biofuel

Published on January 7, 2011 in Alternative Energy, Biofuels and General Ag News and Notes.


HONOLULU (AP) – Crops grown on the Big Island will be converted into liquid fuel as part of a deal between Hawaiian Electric Co. and renewable energy company Aina Koa Pono.

The agreement is the first in Hawaii to produce enough biofuel for use in power plants, where it will be converted to electricity.

By 2015, the 13,000-acre energy farm is projected to produce about 16 percent of the Big Island’s energy supply.

Power users on Oahu, Maui and the Big Island would pay about one-third of a cent per kilowatt hour extra to fund the accord, or about $1.86 per month for a typical residential consumer.

The cost hike would have to be approved by state regulators.

The deal is part of the state’s goal to get 40 percent of its energy from renewables by 2030

Big Island company inks deal to provide biofuel – Mauinews.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Visitor’s Information – The Maui News

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Pineapples and Mainland travel – FlyerTalk Forums

Published on January 7, 2011 in General Ag News and Notes, Haliimaile Pineapple, Maui Gold Pineapple and Pineapple.

We always check 3-6 in our luggage. When I tell the ag inspectors that I have pineapples in my luggage and ask if they want to see them, they always say don’t bother. The pineapples have always made the trip back fine.

Easy to buy the Maui Golds at Costco – usually around $3 each. Just remember the extra weight in your luggage – one of our suitcases with the pineapples weighed in at 55 pounds. When I told the agent the pineapples put us over, she just laughed and put an overweight sticker on the bag. No extra fees.

May be a pain – but I don’t know anyone who doesn’t appreciate a pineapple brought back from Hawaii!

Pineapples and Mainland travel – FlyerTalk Forums

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Maui man pleads guilty to Ponzi scheme

Published on January 5, 2011 in General Ag News and Notes.


A Maui man who previously pleaded guilty to violating state financial securities laws in connection with his operation of a multi-million-dollar Ponzi scheme pleaded guilty in federal court this morning to mail fraud and bank fraud.

As part of his agreement with the federal prosecutor, Lloyd Y. Kimura, 61, of Wailuku, was to turn himself in this afternoon pending sentencing in June.

Kimura pleaded guilty today to four counts of mail fraud, two counts of bank fraud and three counts of theft of employee pension benefits.

“I took money from people I knew and did not pay them back,” he said.

Kimura faces maximum 20-year prison terms for the mail fraud and bank fraud and five-year prison terms for the theft when a federal judge sentences him in June. He faces a mandatory 20-year prison term for securities fraud when a state judge sentences him next month.

State and federal prosecutors have agreed that Kimura will serve his state and federal sentences at the same time in federal prison.

Kimura has agreed that the people who “invested” money with him lost between $7 million and $20 million.

His lawyer, Philip Lowenthal, said the U.S. Bankruptcy Court is doing the accounting to determine exactly how much each investor lost and expects to have a total figure by this summer. Continue reading ‘Maui man pleads guilty to Ponzi scheme’

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