Tag Archive for 'avocado'

Tropical Gardening – Vitamins abound

Published on January 16, 2012 in General Ag News and Notes.


Tropical Gardening — Vitamins abound
Sunday, January 15 2:10 am

Lucky we live Hawaii, but we can learn a lot from gardeners on other tropical islands. Right now, we are in the Dominican Republic working with farmers on a project sponsored by the Florida Association for Volunteer Action in the Caribbean and the Americas, or FAVACA.

Voltaire Moise, who is from Haiti, is working on the uses of edible crops while I work on some of the production problems. Like the folks in the Dominican Republic, we in Hawaii can grow almost anything. We have many climates, depending on elevation and whether you are on the rain-swept eastern side or the dryer leeward part of the island.

Below 2,000 feet we grow the tropicals and above we can grow the warm, temperate and even cool season crops. Tropical fruits are the favorite for most, since they are varied and unusual.

Many of these fruits are high in vitamins, minerals and energy.

So instead of popping vitamin pills every day, we should consider fruit. Those vitamin pills on your shelf, besides being pretty expensive items, are not nearly as palatable and eye appealing as fresh fruit — especially when it is grown in your own backyard. Continue reading ‘Tropical Gardening – Vitamins abound’

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Cold puts cloud over summer’s fruit crops

Published on December 16, 2011 in General Ag News and Notes.


While Sydneysiders have been grumbling about the cold start to summer and constantly overcast days, farmers on the central and mid-north coast are also being affected by the gloomy skies, which they say has stunted summer fruit production.

“It’s hard to grow things without sunshine,” said chairman of the Central Coast Horticulture branch of the NSW Farmers Association, Timothy Kemp.

“The amount of consistent cloudy days we have had, especially during flowering, has had a huge impact – it is no good for summer fruit, particularly stone fruit and avocado.”
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He estimates “at least” a 50 per cent downturn in produce from the region.

“The production of nectarines and peaches has slowed right down, and the stone fruit season is staring to wind up so it’s too late for the sun to come out now.”

Robyn and Henry Willner have grown and sold avocados at Bobs Farm at Port Stephen’s for about 10 years, but said they could not remember a season this overcast and wet.

“We’re bracing ourselves for a decline in fruit production next season,” Mrs Willner said.

“Because there is no sun, the bees haven’t been coming out to pollinate the blossoms on our trees.

“Next year, we’ll see the impact of what the cold and wet weather has really done to us.”

Adding to the farmers’ woes is that people have been slow to buy the fruit that is available, Mr Kemp said.

“People aren’t eating it, no one wants to eat fruit when it is cool,” he said. Continue reading ‘Cold puts cloud over summer’s fruit crops’

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Food sustainability: a Kona-vore’s dilemma

Published on November 28, 2010 in General Ag News and Notes and Sustainability.


by Diana Duff
Special To West Hawaii Today

Those of us in attendance at the November Kona Town Meeting on food sustainability were not surprised to see Ken Love as one of the speakers. A vigilant supporter of “buying local” and a long-time champion of growing exotic fruit for local consumption, his low blood pressure was obviously raised as he talked about the charade he finds in some local stores. Sellers anxious to join the “buy local” campaign are sometimes stretching the limits and confusing consumers who really want to eat food grown as close to home as possible.

Ken’s main prop was a box of “Hawaii Ginger” with “Produce of China” in smaller type on the same box. “So, is this local produce?” he asked. A resounding “no” echoed through the Makaeo Events Pavilion.

Ken advised those present to look for the COOL, or Country of Origin Label, stickers on produce. These can help you choose fruit and vegetables grown in locations that match your buying preferences. If you don’t see the stickers, ask for them.

Research shows that consumers often prefer locally grown produce, but they can be confused if produce is labeled incorrectly or not at all. Shoppers looking for local products are often deceived by misleading signage. Locally grown crops need to be marked clearly and correctly. “Hawaii Grown” stickers could really help. Continue reading ‘Food sustainability: a Kona-vore’s dilemma’

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Establishing a foundation for avocado self-sufficiency – The Maui News

Published on May 17, 2010 in General Ag News and Notes and Sustainability.

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Hawaii is a net importer of avocados, although the trees grow luxuriantly in many of our islands’ microclimates. In season, the Saturday farmers market at Eddie Tam in Makawao presents many varieties, from big, fat, light green and smooth to small, dark and nubbly.

Now the UH College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, the Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers Association and the Kona Kohala Chefs Association are uniting to establish a foundation for self-sufficiency in the fruit.

"We’re looking for a few great avocados from seedlings and unknown grafted trees to be evaluated by horticulturists and chefs," said Ken Love, HTFG executive director. "Chosen fruit will be propagated and planted at the UH experiment station in Kainaliu (on the Big Island) and protected so future generations will have access to it."

Continue reading ‘Establishing a foundation for avocado self-sufficiency – The Maui News’

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The bees and the trees (and tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, mac nuts…) | Hawaii 24/7

Published on October 2, 2009 in General Ag News and Notes.

The bees and the trees (and tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, mac nuts…)

Special to Hawaii247 by Andrea Dean/Volcano Island Honey

Do you know that one-third of all the food you eat is pollinated by bees?

The decimation of bee colonies is a threat to food production in Hawaii. In Hawaii we do not have the disappearance of bees (Colony Collapse Disorder or CCD), but we now have the devastating and aptly named varroa destructor, commonly known as the varroa mite.

The varroa mite is a parasite that attacks honey bee adults, larvae, and pupae. The varroa mite has been know to destroy up to 90 percent of wild hives and beekeepers can easily lose all or a majority of their managed hives.

Until recently, Hawaii and Australia were the only remaining varroa free places in the world. The varroa mite was found on Oahu in 2007, unfortunately this did not result in quick and aggressive action by the private or government sector. As a result, the mite has now been found in hives on the Big Island.

Continue reading ‘The bees and the trees (and tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, mac nuts…) | Hawaii 24/7′

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Calavo Growers to Present at Canaccord Adams ‘Healthy Living’ Investment Conference – Yahoo! Finance

Published on September 16, 2009 in General Ag News and Notes.

Updated Investor Presentation Posted on Company Web Site

SANTA PAULA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Calavo Growers, Inc. (Nasdaq:CVGW-News), a global leader in avocado marketing and an expanding provider of other fresh perishable produce items, today announced that will be among 24 presenting companies at the Canaccord Adams Healthy Living Investment Conference on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009, in Boston. Michael Lippold, Director of Strategic Development, will make a company presentation.

The company also disclosed that an updated investor presentation was posted on its web site, which will be used at the Canaccord and other impending financial community meetings. The presentation is available at www.calavo.com under the "Investor Relations" section.[Calavo_investor_presentation]

About Calavo Growers, Inc.

Calavo Growers, Inc. is the worldwide leader in the procurement and marketing of fresh avocados and other perishable foods, as well as the manufacturing and distribution of processed avocado products. Founded in 1924, Calavo’s expertise in marketing and distributing avocados, processed avocados, and other perishable products enables it to serve food distributors, produce wholesalers, supermarkets and restaurants on a global basis. Continue reading ‘Calavo Growers to Present at Canaccord Adams ‘Healthy Living’ Investment Conference – Yahoo! Finance’

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Calavo says 3Q profit jumps on higher sales – Yahoo! Finance

Published on September 3, 2009 in General Ag News and Notes and Pineapple.

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SANTA PAULA, Calif. (AP) — Avocado distributor Calavo Growers Inc. said Thursday its third-quarter profit jumped 77 percent as sales rose by a double-digit percentage and gross margins improved.

The Santa Paula, Calif.-based company earned $2.5 million, or 17 cents per share, in the three months that ended July 31, up from $1.4 million, or 10 cents per share, a year earlier.

Revenue rose 10 percent to $106.3 million from $96.9 million.

Calavo said its total gross margin as a percentage of net sales rose to 9.3 percent from 7.9 percent a year ago.

Its shares rose 83 cents, or 4.8 percent, to $18.02 in morning trading Thursday.

Calavo says 3Q profit jumps on higher sales – Yahoo! Finance

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Fruit Fly Quarantine Near to Area ChinoHills.com

Published on August 21, 2009 in General Ag News and Notes.

The Oriental Fruit Fly

The adult Oriental fruit fly is somewhat larger than a housefly, about 8 mm in length. The body color is variable but generally bright yellow with a dark "T" shaped marking on the abdomen. The wings are clear. The female has a pointed slender ovipositor to deposit eggs under the skin of host fruit. Eggs are minute cylinders laid in batches. The maggots (larvae) are creamy-white, legless, and may attain a length of 10 mm inside host fruit.

The Oriental fruit fly has been established in Hawaii since 1946 where it is a major pest of agriculture, particularly on mangoes, avocados and papayas. Maggots have been found in over 125 kinds of fruit and vegetables in Hawaii alone. A great number of crops in California are threatened by the introduction of this pest, including pears, plums, cherries, peaches, apricots, figs, citrus, tomatoes and avocados. It has been estimated that the cost of not eradicating Oriental fruit fly in California would range from $44 to $176 million in crop losses, additional pesticide use, and quarantine requirements.

Females lay eggs in groups of three to 30 under the skin of host fruits; the female can lay more than 1,000 eggs in her lifetime. Maggots tunnel through the fruit feeding on the pulp, shed their skins twice, and emerge through exit holes in approximately 10 days.

The larvae drop from the fruit and burrow two three cm into the soil to pupate. In 10 to 12 days, adults emerge from these puparia. The newly emerged adult females need eight to 12 days to mature sexually prior to egg laying. Breeding is continuous, with several annual generations. Adults live 90 days on the average and feed on honeydew, decaying fruit, plant nectar, bird dung and other substances. The adult is a strong flyer, recorded to travel 30 miles in search of food and sites to lay eggs. This ability allows the fly to infest new areas very quickly.

In excess of 230 fruits and vegetables have been attacked. Fruit that has been attacked may be unfit to eat as larvae tunnel through the flesh as they feed. Decay organisms enter, leaving the interior of the fruit a rotten mass.

Continue reading ‘Fruit Fly Quarantine Near to Area ChinoHills.com’

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Hana Highway Fruit Market

Published on July 16, 2009 in Faces in Agriculture.

Hana Highway Fruit Market-Haiku Maui

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.

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Hawaii Avocado Report.

Published on July 9, 2009 in General Ag News and Notes.

Here is the PDF file for the Hawaii Avocado Report.

Click for complete Avocado Report

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
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Hawaii avocado production declines 14 percent

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Hawaii avocado production is estimated at 1.0 million pounds for the 2008/09 season, down 14 percent from the previous season. A 6 percent decline in harvested acreage to 330 acres and a 9 percent drop in average yields to 3,000 pounds per acre contributed to the overall lower harvest.

Avocado growers noted that uneven rains and the overall dry weather were major factors for the lowering yields during the 2008/09 season.

Farm price reaches record high

Hawaii avocado growers received an average a record high 73.0 cents per pound for the 2008 harvest, 7 percent higher than the previous season’s average farm price of 68.0 cents per pound.

California’s harvest lowest since 1979/80 season

California, which produces almost 78 percent of the U.S. total, suffered its lowest avocado harvest in 29 seasons (see next page). California’s 2008/09 harvest was hurt by record high heat last June which damaged the fruit that was beginning to mature on trees. Average farm prices, however, rose to a sixseason high of $2,000 per ton.

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