Thieves strike 2 Oahu farms

Published on March 22, 2011 in Agricultural Equipment and General Ag News and Notes.

Oahu growers have been hit by thieves seeking pricey ornamental plants as well as pots, tools and other gear.

Over the weekend, thieves took more than $15,000 worth of farm equipment and a truck from a taro restoration project in the Heeia wetlands.

Mahealani Cypher, spokeswoman for the nonprofit organization Kako‘o ‘Oiwi, said yesterday that two chain saws, eight weed whackers, two water pumps, tools and a 20-by-20-foot tent were stolen sometime late Saturday night or early Sunday morning.

Last week, Glenn’s Flowers and Plants on Mokulama Street in Waimanalo lost 70 Raphis indoor palms valued at $14,000.

The nursery lost 37 plants that were growing in 3-gallon pots, nine palms in 5-gallon pots and 24 palms in 7-gallon pots. All of the plants were housed in a greenhouse.

In Kaneohe, workers arriving at the 400-acre site at 11 a.m. Sunday discovered the security gate off Kamehameha Highway was broken, Cypher said. The thieves also used blowtorches to open locked containers. A donated green Chevy pickup truck is also missing, Continue reading ‘Thieves strike 2 Oahu farms’

Spraying Pa’ia with 2,4-D – Is it safe?

Published on November 29, 2010 in Agricultural Equipment, General Ag News and Notes and Sugar Cane.

Early on Saturday, October 23 a blue helicopter with large spray wings attached sprayed the edges of the canefields in Pa‘ia. There were strong and variable winds and the spray blew directly into many nearby residences. Pa‘ia houses emptied as families stepped outside to gawk in awe as the flying sprayer made pass after pass along the canefields at the edge of town.

Moon Over Haleakala inquired of HC&S as to what was being sprayed so close to homes, children and old people – and why?

A&B spokesperson Meredith Ching was kind enough to find out what was going on and to send the Moon a detailed account of the spraying that day. Her full account and a sample of scientific controversy surrounding 2,4-D is on page 14. Our photo gallery of the spraying, and the links to internet sites describing the ongoing controversy surrounding health risks and the approvals for such wide use of 2,4-D are available at our website, mauimoonnews.com.

Below is Moon Over Haleakala staffer Madeline Ziecker’s personal account of events that Saturday morning. Continue reading ‘Spraying Pa’ia with 2,4-D – Is it safe?’

Tractors Are Vintage, but Ready for Dirty Work

Published on October 29, 2010 in Agricultural Equipment, Farm Machinery and General Ag News and Notes.

By BARRIE ALAN PETERSON
FROM Pebble Beach, Calif., to Greenwich, Conn., and at dozens of picturesque settings in between, shows for vintage vehicles offer enthusiasts the opportunity to rub elbows with historic machinery in country-club surroundings.

Not every gathering needs to be a concours d’élégance where white-gloved judges probe the undersides of pristine Duesenbergs in search of a historically incorrect hose clamp, however. A decidedly more populist show was the 21st Red Power Roundup, which attracted an estimated 25,000 people last June to the LaPorte County Fairgrounds in northwest Indiana to see some 2,000 tractors and trucks made by International Harvester.

One of more than 1,400 antique tractor events across North America in 2010 listed by Farm Collector magazine, it is considered by many in the hobby to be the World Series of farm tractor meets, a heartland counterpoint to blazer-and-ascot antique car events and casual suburban cruise nights.

To a casual spectator, the rows of gleaming red International tractors represent the steady progress of industry in modernizing crop production, but to the shrinking number of Americans rooted in farming, they represent a heroic era. From the early 20th century, tractors pulled plows and cultivating equipment, powered grain combines and hay balers, eventually hauling crops to the barn or to an elevator in town. They enabled American farmers to feed the world. Continue reading ‘Tractors Are Vintage, but Ready for Dirty Work’

Amid mounting safety concerns, technology helps track food from farm to table

Published on October 3, 2010 in Agricultural Equipment, General Ag News and Notes and Vegtables.

Recalls push more companies to adopt digital tools that can prevent or contain the harm caused by contaminated food.

By P.J. Huffstutter, Los Angeles Times

Reporting from San Jose — Inside a Silicon Valley company’s windowless vault, massive servers silently monitor millions of heads of lettuce, from the time they are plucked from the dirt to the moment the bagged salad is scanned at the grocery checkout counter.
That trail can be traced in seconds, thanks to tiny high-tech labels, software programs and hand-held hardware gear. Such tools make it easier for farmers to locate possible problems — a leaky fertilizer bin, an unexpected pathogen in the water, unwashed hands on a factory floor — and more quickly halt the spread of contaminated food.

This Dole Food Co. project and similar efforts being launched across the country represent a fundamental shift in the way that food is tracked from field to table. The change is slow but steady as a number of industry leaders and smaller players adopt these tools. Continue reading ‘Amid mounting safety concerns, technology helps track food from farm to table’

Business Briefs – Hawaii Business – Star Bulletin

Published on March 25, 2010 in Agricultural Equipment, Farm Machinery, General Ag News and Notes and Haliimaile Pineapple.

Maui Pine auction has good prices

KAHULUI » Maui Land & Pineapple Co. auctioned off a $23 million fresh fruit processing line for just $125,000.

Company President Ryan Churchill didn’t expect many bidders for the equipment because it is so specialized.

The auction held Tuesday at the Maui Beach Hotel drew more than 300 bargain hunters, with many more bidders online.

Maui Pine held the auction to sell off warehouses full of equipment after closing Maui’s last pineapple plantation late last year.

The company already has sold or leased some of its land and equipment to Haliimaile Pineapple Co. Haliimaile is trying to revive pineapple on a smaller scale.

Business Briefs – Hawaii Business – Starbulletin.com

Last pieces of Maui Pine sold at auction – The Maui News

Published on March 24, 2010 in Agricultural Equipment, Farm Machinery, General Ag News and Notes, Haliimaile Pineapple, Maui Gold Pineapple and Pineapple.

Going, going — now it’s gone
KAHULUI – The $23 million fresh fruit processing line that three years ago was supposed to represent the new future of Maui Pineapple Co. was auctioned Tuesday for $125,000.

"It’s so specialized," said Maui Land & Pineapple Co. President Ryan Churchill, noting that there weren’t likely to be a lot of buyers for the equipment.

More than 300 bargain hunters and looky-loos crowded the Elleaire Ballroom at the Maui Beach Hotel for an all-day extravaganza of hope that kept three auctioneers chattering in relays, as many more bidders were online, following the action from around the world.

ML&P closed down its Maui Pine subsidiary at the end of last year, selling or leasing some of its land and equipment to Haliimaile Pineapple Co. But the unwanted leftovers went on the block Monday, ranging from wrecked golf carts to never-used office equipment to a generating station that could power a city of 50,000.

It was a day when the complete newbie could go head to head with the experienced auction-goer and come away a winner.

Like Becky Woods, chief executive officer of Maui Economic Concerns of the Community, which runs Ka Hale A Ke Ola and other island homeless shelters. She noticed pictures of golf carts on the front page of The Maui News on Tuesday morning and decided to check it out.

Continue reading ‘Last pieces of Maui Pine sold at auction – The Maui News’

Great American Group(R)* Contracted to Manage Auction of Excess Assets of Maui Pineapple Company

Published on March 15, 2010 in Agricultural Equipment, Farm Machinery, General Ag News and Notes, Haliimaile Pineapple, Maui Gold Pineapple and Pineapple.

WOODLAND HILLS, CA–(Marketwire – March 15, 2010) – Great American Group, Inc. (OTCBB: GAMR), a leading provider of asset disposition, valuation and appraisal services, announced they have been contracted to auction excess assets no longer required for the ongoing needs of Maui Pineapple Company.
The auction will take place on Tuesday, March 23rd, starting at 10:00 a.m. HT (Hawaii Time). Live simultaneous bidding will occur onsite and online. The sale will offer assets and equipment from three separate facilities and will include Processing & Cannery Equipment, Construction/Agriculture/Harvesting Machinery, Power Plant Generators, Trucks & Trailers, Facility Equipment, Machine Shop, Distribution and Warehouse Equipment, and much more! For detailed descriptions of all items available visit www.greatamerican.com or call 1-800-45GREAT.

Continue reading ‘Great American Group(R)* Contracted to Manage Auction of Excess Assets of Maui Pineapple Company’

Pineapple Plant Auction

Published on March 13, 2010 in Agricultural Equipment, Agriculture Grants, Farm Machinery, General Ag News and Notes and Haliimaile Pineapple.

Public Auction: Pineapple Plant of excess equipment no longer needed for current operations
Auction Date: Tuesday, March 23 at 10am – at Maui Beach Hotel in Kahului Maui

Previews/inspection on Monday, March 22, 9am – 4pm (at 3 locations or by appointment)

- 120 Kane Street, Kahului, 870 Haliimaile Rd. Makawao, 4900 L. Honoapiilani Hwy, Honolua Baseyard

Items for auction: Pineapple Processing & Cannery, Agriculture Equipment, Power Plant Generators, Trucks & Trailers, Facility Equipment, Machine Shop, Lab & R&D Equipment, Distribution Warehouse.

Auction information at www.greatamerican.com or 818-884-3747 ext. 1330

Continue reading ‘Pineapple Plant Auction’

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

Published on February 14, 2010 in Agricultural Equipment, Farm Machinery, General Ag News and Notes and Invasive Species.

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.

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

ML&P stock investor taking over Kapalua Farms

Published on January 30, 2010 in Agricultural Equipment, Farm Machinery, General Ag News and Notes, Haliimaile Pineapple, Organic Ag, Pineapple, Sustainability and Vegtables.

By HARRY EAGAR, Staff Writer
Pierre Omidyar, who invested in Maui Land & Pineapple Co. stock when the company was being pushed in a greener direction, is now supporting a for-profit/charitable combination that is taking over ML&P’s Kapalua Farms, one of the largest organic farms in the state.

Since ML&P also closed its Maui Pineapple Co. subsidiary, then leased much of its land and equipment to the upstart Haliimaile Pineapple Co. this month, the handover takes ML&P completely out of agriculture.

On Friday, Ulupono Sustainable Agriculture Development LLC, a subsidiary of the Ulupono Initiative, announced it would be assuming operations of Kapalua Farms, which not only supplies vegetables and eggs to ML&P’s Kapalua Resort but also conducts research into new methods of producing food on Maui. Ulupono Initiative is a Hawaii-focused social investment organization founded in June with backing from Omidyar and his wife, Pam. He was a founder of eBay, and they now live in Hawaii.

Warren Haruki, chairman and interim chief executive officer of ML&P, said, "We are pleased to partner with Ulupono Sustainable Agriculture Development as they assume operations of Kapalua Farms. Our desire was to find an operational partner that would be able to continue organic farming operations and to maintain Kapalua Farms as a community resource, employer and provider."

Continue reading ‘ML&P stock investor taking over Kapalua Farms’

Pine land to cost $420K a year | The Honolulu Advertiser

Published on January 9, 2010 in Agricultural Equipment, Agriculture Grants, Farm Machinery, General Ag News and Notes, Haliimaile Pineapple and Pineapple.

By Rick Daysog
Advertiser Staff Writer
A group that plans to restore pineapple growing on Maui will pay $420,000 a year to lease agricultural lands held by Maui Land & Pineapple Co.

Haliimaile Pineapple Co. also will pay $680,000 to purchase ML&P’s farm equipment, supplies and customer lists, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

ML&P announced in November that it was shutting down pineapple operations after nearly 100 years of plantation-scale farming on the Valley Isle. The company harvested its final crop last month and laid off 206 workers.

But Haliimaile — whose principals include former ML&P executives Doug MacCluer and Ed Chenchin and Ulupalakua Ranch owner Pardee Erdman — said last week they plan restore pineapple farming on 950 acres of ML&P’s 3,000-acre pineapple operations .

The new company said it also will take over ML&P’s Maui Gold brand and will hire back 66 displaced pineapple workers.

Continue reading ‘Pine land to cost $420K a year | The Honolulu Advertiser’

Maui Pine was at a discount – Hawaii Business – Starbulletin

Published on January 8, 2010 in Agricultural Equipment, Farm Machinery, General Ag News and Notes, Haliimaile Pineapple and Pineapple.

A pineapple startup bought equipment from the shuttered Valley Isle operation for $680,000

By Dave Segal
Haliimaile Pineapple Co., the startup that is resurrecting the pineapple industry on Maui, purchased Maui Pineapple Co.’s operating equipment, materials, supplies and customer lists for a discounted price of $680,000, and also agreed to other financial terms to keep the agricultural business alive on the Valley Isle.

Financially ailing Maui Land & Pineapple Co., which sold its pineapple operations to Haliimaile Pineapple last month as part of a broad-based restructuring, said in a regulatory filing yesterday that the net book value (assets minus liabilities) of the equipment and other items—which are due to be paid by Haliimaile Pineapple over five years—was about $3 million.

Continue reading ‘Maui Pine was at a discount – Hawaii Business – Starbulletin’