Tag: heavy rains

August 11, 2009 General Ag News and Notes Post a Comment

Storm Felicia Menaces Hawaii Sugar, Coffee Areas – Food Industry News

 

Storm Felicia Menaces Hawaii Sugar, Coffee Areas

Source: Reuters
11/08/2009

New York, Aug 10 – Tropical storm Felicia is churning toward the Hawaiian islands on Monday and may threaten the sugar and coffee farms in the area.

The National Weather Service said in a statement that Maui, one of two areas growing sugar in the state, faces the threat of heavy rains and floods.

The other sugar growing area on Kauai and the Big Island of Hawaii may also be targeted by Felicia.

The Big Island is the only producer of Kona coffee prized by the specialty coffee market and connoisseurs around the world.

According to the U.S. Agriculture Department’s monthly supply/demand report, Hawaii is seen producing 160,000 short tons of sugar in 2009/10, down from last season’s 200,000 short tons.

Sugar industry analysts said any downfall in Hawaii’s output as a result of storms would come at a time when the United States would need to import sugar in the spring of 2010 to meet a domestic shortfall.

There are about 600 Kona coffee farms in Hawaii that produces about 2.0 to 3.0 million pounds of coffee per season.

Storm Felicia Menaces Hawaii Sugar, Coffee Areas – Food Industry News

February 4, 2008 General Ag News and Notes, Papaya, Vegtables

Hawaii Crop Weather Weekly Report

Here is the PDF file for the Hawaii Crop Weather (crop progress and condition) Report for the week ending February 3, 2008.

current_hi020508.pdf

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

USDA NASS Hawaii Field Office
1421 South King Street
Honolulu, HI 96814-2512
1-800- 804-9514 February 3, 2008

“HAWAII CROP WEATHER” reports are available on our website and also PRINTED weekly. Subscriptions for PRINTED copies are free to those persons who report agricultural data to NASS, upon request and available for $20 per year to all others.

Agricultural Highlights

Fruits

Bananas
On the Big Island, mostly cloudy and rain-filled days slowed growth and fruit development during the week. The reduced sunlight also kept temperatures on the cool side. Incidences of Banana Bunchy Top virus remain isolated in the Puna and Kona areas. Overall, orchards in eastern sections of Hawaii County were in generally good condition. Oahu?s banana orchards were in fair condition. Fields in the leeward and central areas of Oahu made fair to good progress. Windward Oahu fields were in fair condition as cloudy conditions and cooler temperatures continued to slow crop progress and reduce yields. Kauai?s orchards were in fair condition. Harvesting was anticipated to remain steady during the coming weeks. Stripped leaves, as well as cooler temperatures and overcast skies, continued to slow crop development and fruit ripening.

Papayas
Cool, wet conditions slowed orchard growth and fruit development on the Big Island. Orchards in the Puna district remained in fair to good condition. New seedlings established quickly with the high rainfall. Active flowering was evident in most fields, but the heavy rains made fieldwork difficult. Spraying will have to be maintained once the weather clears. Orchards on Oahu were in fair to poor condition. Spraying to control disease and insect infestations remained steady. Kauai?s orchards made fair progress during the week. Acreage for harvest is relatively small, and overall pickings are forecast to remain light. Spraying for disease control was delayed because of inclement weather conditions.

Vegetables

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February 28, 2007 General Ag News and Notes, Vegtables

Hawaii Taro

Hawaii taro production is estimated at 4.5 million pounds in 2006, up 5
percent from 2005?s revised estimate of 4.3 million pounds. Farm prices
increased 6 percent to an average of 57 cents per pound, and value of
sales was estimated at $2.6 million, up 10 percent from 2005.
Weather and pests continue to hamper growers
Taro production was once again hampered by a combination of wet weather
and pests during 2006. The year began drier than normal, but quickly turned
very wet. Heavy rains started to saturate parts of the State by the second
half of January. The northern islands recorded heavy rainfall during
February with record amounts and flooding affecting most the State during
March. The beginning of April finally marked the end of six weeks of heavy
rainfall. The remainder of the year was a mix of drier than normal weather
and occasional periods of heavy rains. Pests also continued to pose a
problem for taro growers. Reports of apple snail (Pomacea canaliculata)
infestations and losses varied from light to heavy. Taro Pocket Rot (TPR), a
disease that forms pockets of rotting tissue in the corm, also continued to
result in some losses.

Click Below for complete pdf report

Hawaii Taro

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

February 22, 2007 General Ag News and Notes

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?

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