Monthly Hawaii Vegtables

Intermittent periods of wet and windy weather interrupted a drier than normal
January. Sporadic periods of southwesterly winds and its associated
precipitation had interfered with the moderate to strong trade winds which
occurred during the first two-thirds of the month. At the end of the month, very
strong southwesterly winds also caused some crop damage. This drier than
normal weather pattern during the winter months resembles patterns
displayed in ?El-Nino like? conditions. Rainfall totals on the island of Kauai for
January were generally below 75 percent of normal. All leeward Oahu sites
and most windward sites recorded rainfall amounts below normal. The
exception occurred around the Punaluu Pump gage, which recorded abovenormal
rainfall due to the heavy rains and flash flooding associated with the
January 8 event. Conditions throughout Maui County were generally dry. The
Big Island of Hawaii experienced mixed conditions as rainfall amounts were
near to above normal levels along the southeasterly quadrant of the island,
while the remainder of the island was drier. This dry weather slowed crop
progress.

Expected vegetable acreage for harvest in February when compared with
acreage harvested in January are expected to increase for Chinese cabbage
(+9%), Head cabbage (+7%), dry onions (+67%), green onions (+60%),
and romaine (+40%), while decreases in harvested acreage are expected for
snap beans (-29%), mustard cabbage (-11%), and cucumbers (-3%). The
expected acreage for harvest for the remaining crops were unchanged.

Click the link below for the full PDF article:

monveg1.pdf

USDA NASS Hawaii Field Office
http://www.nass.usda.gov/hi/
1421 South King Street
Honolulu, HI 96814-2512
Office: (808) 973-9588 / (800) 804-9514
Fax: (808) 973-2909?

?

Bittenbender talk

Dr. Skip Bittenbender will be giving a talk on plant nutrients and pest
control on Saturday, March 3 and will start somewhere between 9:15 am and
9:30 am (depending how long it takes us to set up the room).? You’re welcome
to come a little earlier (say 8:45 – 9:00 am) and help us.

After his talk (which he estimates will last an hour), Skip will answer
questions.? You are welcome to bring questions, samples, etc.? After the
question and answer period, we will have a brown bag lunch period.? After
that, we’ll go down to a Coffee farm.? Carl Leix had started a pruning
demo under Skip’s guidance, and Gerry Ross and Janet Simpson have continued
it.? So Skip will talk about the pruning project (I believe we’re starting
the 3rd year into the project).? He’ll also show how to determine the age of
the lateral growth.? Again, this is a good opportunity for questions.? He
needs to leave by 5 pm for the airport.

If you’re planning on coming? please let me know (email: jmcewen@hawaii.edu
or phone: 244-3242), even if you were at the meeting last night please contact me for the location.?
Hope to see you there!

Jan McEwen
310 Kaahumanu Ave? Bldg 214
Kahului? HI?? 96732
(808) 244-3242
Maui Cooperative Extension Service
CTAHR / UH-Manoa

Regional Economic Development conference

?EVENT: Regional Economic Development conference
DATE: February 27-March 1, 2007
PLACE: Hilton Hawaiian Village in Honolulu, Hawai`i
HOSTED BY: the University of Hawai`i Pacific Business Center Program
You are invited to a regional economic development conference

“Sustainable Entrepreneurial Development in Urban and Rural Areas”

February 27-March 1, 2007
Hilton Hawaiian Village in Honolulu, Hawai`i

Learn from colleagues as they describe their successful projects in the area
of Sustainable Entrepreneurial Development in Urban and Rural Areas. Hear
from international speakers, federal funders and others for ideas about
approaches and collaborations that work.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Dr. Ernesto Sirolli, Founder, Chairman & CEO of the Sirolli
Institute (http://www.sirolli.com/), is a noted authority in the field of
sustainable economic development. Sirolli will be delivering the Wednesday
luncheon keynote speech as well as a hands-on workshop on Thursday morning.
He’ll be introducing his concept of “Enterprise Facilitation”– a
person-centered approach to community and economic development.

FEATURED SPEAKER: Mr. Richard Engelhardt, Regional Advisor for Culture in
Asia and the Pacific, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) will deliver the closing luncheon talk on the topic of
“Protecting Indigenous Cultures within a Tourism Environment”.

The agenda is on the conference website, located at:
http://www.pbcp-conference.org/index.php?id=414. We are still confirming
speakers, so check back often for updates!

To register for the conference, go to
http://www.pbcp-conference.org/index.php?id=427

For more information about the conference, please contact Dorothy Chen at
808-956-2495.

Please pass this information along to your colleagues.

Hawaii Pineapples

PINEAPPLE OUTPUT & VALUE DECLINE IN 2006

Hawaii pineapple utilization is estimated at 188,000 tons for 2006, declining 11 percent from the 2005 total of 212,000 tons, according to the USDA, NASS, Hawaii Field Office. Fresh sales pegged at 99,000 tons, falling 7 percent from the 2005 total of 106,000 tons. Processed utilization at 89,000 tons, dropped 16 percent below the 106,000 tons produced in 2005. Acreage totaled 13,900 acres, decreasing 100 acres from 2005.

The equivalent farm value for 2006 pineapple crop is estimated at $75.5 million, down 5 percent from $79.3 million in 2005. The farmgate price of pineapple utilized as processed fruit averaged $148 a ton, unchanged from a year ago. Fresh market sales averaged $630 a ton, 5 percent above the 2005 price.

A large operation made public its intentions to stop planting pineapples in Hawaii last February and had expected to continue until 2008 but ended its operation in 2006.

usda-hi-fruits

Here is the full *Hawaii Pineapples* Report–PDF file:

pine.pdf

Please visit the website for more information: http://www.nass.usda.gov/hi/

————————————————————-

USDA NASS
1421 South King Street
Honolulu, HI 96814-2512

Hawaii Monthly Livestock Review

December Egg Production Down 16 Percent From A Year Ago

Hawaii egg production totaled 7.4 million (20,556 cases) in December 2006, down 16 percent from December 2005. The average number of layers on hand during December 2006 was estimated at 409,000, down 2 percent from November and down 15 percent from December 2005. The average rate of lay during December 2006 was 1,809 per 100 layers (58.4 percent rate of lay), down 2 percent from December 2005.

Expected vegetable acreage for harvest in February when compared with acreage harvested in January are expected to increase for Chinese cabbage (+9%), Head cabbage (+7%), dry onions (+67%), green onions (+60%), and romaine (+40%), while decreases in harvested acreage are expected for snap beans (-29%), mustard cabbage (-11%), and cucumbers (-3%). The expected acreage for harvest for the remaining crops were unchanged.

Cattle Marketings In December Up 19 Percent From A Year Ago

Total cattle marketings for December 2006 is estimated at 6,900 head, up 19 percent from December 2005. Cumulative marketings for 2006 totaled 48,400 head, down 2 percent from 2005.

December exports up 24 percent from year ago

Exports of steers and heifers totaled 6,100 head in December 2006, up 24 percent from a year ago. A breakdown of the exports shows that steers accounted for 57 percent of December 2006?s total with 3,500 head. Cumulative exports of steers were up 4 percent in 2006 compared to 2005. Exports of heifers totaled 2,600 head in December 2006, up 86 percent from last December. Cumulative exports of heifers during 2006 were down 18 percent to 14,600 head compared to last year?s total of 17,800 head. ? Average live weight down 3 percent The average live weight of steers and heifers exported from Hawaii in December 2006 was 420 pounds, down 5 percent or 22 pounds from a year ago. The cumulative average live weight for 2006 was 426 pounds, down 3 percent from last year.

Click the link below for the full PDF article:

lvstk020807.pdf

USDA NASS Hawaii Field Office
http://www.nass.usda.gov/hi/
1421 South King Street
Honolulu, HI 96814-2512
Office: (808) 973-9588 / (800) 804-9514
Fax: (808) 973-2909