Category: Papaya

October 30, 2007 Disaster Preparedness, Flowers & Nursery, General Ag News and Notes, Ginger Root, Orchids, Papaya, Persimmon, Vegtables, Watermelon Post a Comment

Disaster Preparedness

Disaster Preparedness
How Prepared is Your Farming Operation?

Maui Extension Office
Monday, November 26, 2007
11 am ? 1:30 pm

Natural disasters, such as droughts, floods, wild fires, hurricanes, pests, and diseases, can cause excessive economic damage to agricultural production. In addition to crop damage, disasters can also affect farm buildings, machinery, animals, irrigation, family members and employees. Disasters along with marketing difficulties can lead to serious downturns in your farm income.

How prepared are you? This workshop is designed to provide you with information on:
1) preparing your operation for a natural disaster and
2) available and affordable crop insurance programs that minimize risk associated with economic losses.
Note: Now that the “Adjusted Gross Revenue” (AGR) insurance is available for 2008, in effect all Hawaii crops can be insured to some degree ? not just bananas, coffee, papayas, macnuts & nursery.

Speakers:
? USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) administers and oversees farm commodity, credit, conservation, disaster and loan programs. These programs are designed to improve the economic stability of the agricultural industry and to help farmers adjust production to meet demand.

? USDA Risk Management Agency Western Regional Office, Davis. USDA RMA helps producers manage their business risks through effective, market-based risk management solutions.

? John Nelson from the Western Center for Risk Management Education (Washington State University) on the new Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) Insurance.

? Dr. Mike Fanning, Executive Vice President, AgriLogic, is a specialist in Agri-Terroism, crop insurance, farm policy analysis, and individual farm risk management.

? Dr. Kent Fleming, an agricultural economist with the University of Hawaii’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR), is an Extension Farm Management Specialist with a focus on risk management education.

The workshop is FREE and lunch (sandwiches or bentos and drinks) will be provided. For more information, visit the website http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/agrisk/ You may also contact Kent Fleming @ 989-3416 or fleming@hawaii.edu or Jan McEwen @ 244-3242 or jmcewen@hawaii.edu

Please call the Maui Extension Office at 244-3242 by November 21, 2007 to register for this seminar.

September 24, 2007 Ginger Root, Papaya, Persimmon, Vegtables Post a Comment

Hawaii Weekly Crop Weather Report

Here is the PDF file for the *Hawaii Crop Weather* (crop progress and condition) Report for the week ending *September 23, 2007*.

current_hi092307.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

Agricultural Highlights

Fruits

Bananas
Orchards in eastern sections of the Big Island were in generally good condition. Favorable showers provided good moisture. Spraying and leaf trimming helped to minimize Black Leaf Streak disease incidences. Bunchy Top incidences remained localized in the Puna and Kona districts. Oahu orchards were in fair to good condition. Leeward and central Oahu fields were in good condition with heavy to moderate supplies for the market. Heavy irrigation continued as the fields remained dry. Windward fields were in fair to good condition with light to moderate supplies. Overall harvesting on Oahu was expected to be at moderate to heavy levels as the shorter day length and slightly cooler temperatures have slowed ripening. Kauai?s orchards were in fair to good condition. Spraying for insect infestation was on a regular schedule.

Papayas
Orchards in the lower Puna area of Hawaii County were in good to fair condition. Ample soil moisture and sunny periods helped to boost flowering and fruit development. Field activities such as spraying for disease control and fertilizing were active. Young and new orchards made steady progress. On Oahu, some orchards were re-worked for future harvest after being damaged by a wildfire. In other areas, fruit development and ripening were fair to good with the high temperatures slowing crop progress. Ring spot virus and wild pig damage in some fields lowered yields. Orchards on Kauai continued to make good to fair progress during the week. Pickings were at moderate levels from several fields in harvest with some new fields in active harvest boosting available supplies.

Vegetables

Head Cabbage
The Big Island?s Waimea crop made good progress with heavy irrigation. Young plantings made steady growth. Light production was expected from Volcano fields. Supplies were mainly for the local markets. On Maui, insect pressure in most of the major growing areas has decreased and damage also declined. Weather conditions have cooled and producers noted that this was beneficial for the crop. Relief from the hot daytime temperatures and the cool evening temperatures allowed some improvement in the quality of the crop. Growth and development was steady, but may soon begin to show signs of slowing down as day length begins to shorten. Planting has been steady and production was expected to stay at current levels. The head cabbage crop was in fair to good condition.

Sweet corn
Windward and central Oahu fields continued to make good progress with the sunny, dry weather and heavy irrigation. Areas affected by water use restrictions have cut back on planting activities and have experienced decreased yields. The Big Island?s young corn crop continued to make good progress. Harvesting was active and supplies were for local sales.

Other Crops

Coffee
On Kauai, orchards were in good condition with active harvesting anticipated to continue. Sunny days and moderate trade winds kept fields in good condition for harvesting. Rainfall has been light and reservoir levels continued to decrease causing some concern.

Ginger root
The Big Island?s crop made good growth during the week. Very damp conditions, however, slowed fieldwork.

Persimmon
Maui?s persimmon crop was in good condition. There were some reports of deer entering the field, but so far damage has been minimal. Insect pressure has also been minimal. At the current rate of development, the crop is expected to reach maturity in October with harvesting to begin shortly there after.

September 20, 2007 Papaya Post a Comment

HAWAII FRUITS ANNUAL SUMMARY

Here is the PDF file for the HAWAII FRUITS ANNUAL SUMMARY Report.

fruit102007.pdf

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
————————————————————-

2006 HAWAII FRUIT OUTPUT AND VALUE DECLINE

Hawaii fruit growers harvested 435.2 million pounds of fruit for fresh and processed utilization in 2006, an 11 percent decline from the previous year, according to the USDA, NASS, Hawaii Field Office. Total value fell 3 percent to $101.7 million, with guava, lemon, papaya, pineapple, and the tropical specialty group recording declines in value of sales. Fruit acreage totaled 19,740 acres, a 2 percent decrease from 2005. Harvested area decreased 6 percent to 4,090 acres. Almost continuous rainfall from late February through March contributed to losses in some crops due to soil erosion, flooding, disease outbreaks, and fruit and tree losses. The lengthy rainy period slowed fruit maturation in some crops.

Pineapple, still Hawaii?s largest fruit commodity, represented 70 percent of total fruit acreage and 74 percent of the total fruit value. Total utilized pineapple production fell 11 percent to 376 million pounds. Since records were kept by the Hawaii Field Office, 2006 was the first year fresh market utilization outweighed processed utilization. Also establishing a record was the average farm price. In late 2006, operations ended prematurely for one major company which had previously announced their phase-out of pineapple production.

The state?s papaya producers devoted 2,095 acres toward papaya production, a decrease of 13 percent from the previous year. Harvested area totaled 1,530 acres, 3 percent more than 2005. Papaya output declined 13 percent to 28.7 million pounds while value of sales dropped 2 percent to $11.0 million.

Total banana acreage rose 5 percent in 2006 while harvested acreage increased 2 percent to 1,000 acres. Utilized production was pegged at 20.0 million pounds, 4 percent less than 2005. However, higher average prices helped push total value of sales to $9.8 million, 7 percent higher than the previous year.

Total guava production area declined 14 percent to 575 acres in 2006 while area harvested declined 41 percent to 365 acres. Value of sales declined 7 percent to $1.1 million. Hawaii?s guavas, which are mainly for the processed market, recorded a 2 percent increase in price. However, this was not enough to offset the 9 percent lower output.

Area devoted to tropical specialty fruit totaled 1,240 acres in 2006, 2 percent less than 2005. Area harvested totaled 690 acres, 5 percent lower than the previous year. Hawaii?s growers of tropical specialty fruit produced and sold an estimated 1.45 million pounds of fruit in 2006, relatively unchanged from 2005. Compared with 2005, higher output was registered for longan, lychee, mango, and persimmon. Value of sales was pegged at $2.6 million in 2006, 4 percent lower than 2005.

September 18, 2007 General Ag News and Notes, Papaya Post a Comment

Hawaii Papayas Report

Here is the PDF file for the Hawaii Papayas Report.

papaya100107.pdf

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
————————————————————-

“HAWAII PAPAYAS” reports are available on our website and also PRINTED monthly. Subscriptions for PRINTED copies are free to those persons who report agricultural data to NASS (upon request) and available for $4 per year to all others.

AUGUST FRESH PAPAYA HIGHER

Hawaii fresh papaya utilization is estimated at 2.4 million pounds for August 2007, up 1 percent from July 2007 and 9 percent higher than August 2006. Year-to-date sales totaled 17.8 million pounds, 5 percent above the comparable period last year.

August weather was mainly sunny with occasional showers benefiting orchard growth and development. Irrigation was stepped up to replenish soil moisture levels. Spraying to control insects and diseases was ongoing. In preparation of Hurricane Flosse?s strong winds, growers trimmed leaves from mature trees to prevent uprooting. Fortunately, it was downgraded to a tropical storm and passed with no damage to orchards. Newly planted acreage made favorable progress. Maturing fields were in the flowering and fruiting stages.

Papaya growers are expected to receive an estimated 40.0 cents per pound for fresh fruit in August, 15 percent (7.0 cents) less than July 2007 and 17 percent (8.1 cents) below August a year ago.

Papaya Acreage Survey 2007 Results

In August 2007, there were 125 farms reported on Hawaii County, unchanged from August 2006. The county still accounts for the majority of the State?s total papaya acreage and bearing acreage. Honolulu/Kauai/Maui County reported 53 growers compared to 45 growers a year ago.

Some growers commented on the challenges of growing papayas with continuous dry weather and the lack of natural rainfall, fire damage, and problems with insects, diseases, and wild pigs. Others had marketing and economic issues with low prices and the increasing cost of returns to maintain healthy papaya orchards. These concerns were influencing their decisions on whether to continue growing papayas. Some orchards reported doing well with no major incidences.

State 2007 Variety Summary

In August 2000, Rainbow and Kapoho ranked as the top two varieties Statewide with 42 and 37 percent, respectively. Over the years, a higher percentage of Rainbow has been planted. In August 2007, Rainbow and Kapoho accounted for 68 and 17 percent, respectively. Sunrise variety represented 8 percent of the acreage grown followed by ?Other? varieties making up 7 percent.

In August 2007, Rainbow represented 62 percent of the bearing acreage Statewide compared to 57 percent in August 2006. Kapoho comprised of 22 percent of the bearing acreage compared to 27 percent a year ago. Sunrise and ?Other? varieties contributed 8 percent each to the bearing acreage.

In August 2000, Hawaii County had 2,050 acres planted in papayas, Kapoho (49 percent), Rainbow (45 percent), and ?Other? varieties (6 percent). Annual survey indications show there has been a trend in growing more Rainbow. In August 2007, Rainbow acreage distribution accounted for 75 percent, Kapoho 19 percent, and ?Other? varieties 6 percent.

September 9, 2007 Ginger Root, Papaya, Vegtables Post a Comment

Hawaii Weekly Crop Weather Report

Here is the PDF file for the Hawaii Crop Weather (crop progress and condition) Report for the week ending September 9, 2007.

current_hi090907.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

Agricultural Highlights

Fruits

Bananas
Orchards located in the windward areas of the Big Island were in generally good condition. Adequate soil moisture combined with sunny and warm days provided good conditions for orchard progress. Young plantings in the Pepeekeo and Keaau areas made good progress. Spraying was required to minimize Black Leaf Streak disease incidences. Oahu orchards were in fair to good condition. Leeward and central Oahu fields remained in active harvest with heavy supplies. Heavy irrigation continued as fields remained dry. Orchards on Kauai were in fair to good condition. Spraying for insect infestation was on a regular schedule.

Papayas
Orchards in the lower Puna district of the Big Island made good progress during the week. Sunny days and adequate soil moisture were beneficial. Seedlings sprouted from newly planted fields in Pohoiki. Spraying for disease and weed control was on going. Overall harvesting on Oahu was reduced by fire damaged fields that were in active harvest. In other areas, fruit development and ripening were fair to good. High temperatures slowed crop progress. Mealy bugs were mostly under control while ring spot virus and wild pig damage continued to lower harvesting in some fields. Kauai?s orchards continued to make good to fair progress during the week. Pickings were at moderate levels from several fields in harvest. New fields entering active harvest provided a boost to available supplies.

Vegetables

Head Cabbage
The Big Island?s Waimea crop was in generally good condition. Medium-sized heads were harvested. Heavy irrigation was maintaining normal crop progress. The Volcano crop was in fair condition as dry conditions and cooler temperatures slowed the progress of non-irrigated plantings. Volcano supplies were for the local markets. Maui?s crop continued to make relatively steady progress. Evening temperatures have been notably cooler in the Kula area. Insect pressure continued range from high to moderate, with most operations being able to manage insect damage. However, some operations have reported a high amount of losses due to insect damage over the past couple of weeks. Overall, the Maui head cabbage crop was in fair condition.

Dry Onion
On Maui, most fields have been planted for the fall harvest and are reportedly doing well. A few additional fields may be planted this month for the late fall/early winter harvest. Overall the dry onion crop was in fair condition.

Sweet Corn
Windward and central Oahu fields continued to make good progress. Sunny and dry weather during the week proved improved growing and field conditions. Areas affected by water use restrictions have resulted in a cutback on planting activities and have experienced decreased yields. Big Island plantings made good progress due to adequate soil moisture and sunny weather. Harvest was active and crop quality was generally good.

Other Crops

Coffee
Coffee harvesting was in progress in the Kona districts of the Big Island. Orchards on Kauai were in good condition with increased harvesting forecast to continue this coming week as fruit ripening was steady. Sunny days and light to moderate winds have kept fields dry allowing for good harvesting. Rains at the upper elevations during the weekend boosted reservoir levels which allowed adequate irrigation for all trees.

Ginger root
The young ginger crop on the Big Island made favorable progress during the week. Sunny weather and adequate soil moisture benefited root development.

August 26, 2007 General Ag News and Notes, Papaya, Vegtables Post a Comment

Hawaii Weekly Crop Weather Report

Here is the PDF file for the *Hawaii Crop Weather* (crop progress and condition) Report for the week ending* August 26, 2007*.

current_hi082607.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

Agricultural Highlights

Fruits

Bananas
Orchards in windward areas of the Big Island made good progress. Soil moisture was adequate. Warm sunny conditions provided a boost to growth of both young and established mats. Fields in windward Oahu remained in fair condition maintaining light to moderate harvesting. Leeward and central fields were in active harvest with heavy supplies. Irrigation was being maintained at a heavy rate. On Kauai, orchards were in fair to good condition. Spraying for insect infestation was on a regular schedule.

Papayas
Orchards in the lower areas of the Big Island?s Puna District experienced ideal conditions for crop progress. Light showers mixed with mostly sunny skies and warm temperatures boosted growth of young orchards and kept flowering steady in mature orchards. Overall fruit development was good. On Oahu, fruit development and ripening were fair to good with the warm temperatures slowing crop progress. Mealy bugs were mostly under control while Ring Spot virus and wild pig damage lowered harvesting in some fields. Last week?s wildfire on Oahu?s North Shore caused some orchards to burn as well as damaging some irrigation systems. Orchards on Kauai continued to make fair to good progress during the week. Pickings were at moderate levels from several fields with some new fields boosting available supplies. Vegetables

Chinese Cabbage
The Waimea crop on the Big Island was in fair to good condition. Dry conditions in Lalamilo required heavy irrigation for normal crop progress. Disease and insect damage were generally light. Warm temperatures boosted weed populations in any fields.

Head Cabbage
Heavy irrigation was needed for Waimea farms on the Big Island. Spray schedules kept insect pressure down. Overall crop conditions were fair to good condition. The Volcano crop showed improvement due to added soil moisture and sunny skies.

Sweet Corn
Windward Oahu fields made good progress with the sunny and dry weather during the week. Harvesting was very active with increasing pickings. Restricted water use has slowed plantings and production in fields dependent on reservoirs. Central Oahu crops were in fair to good condition with light corn ear worm problems. Showers in eastern sections of Hawaii Island kept soil moisture adequate and improved germination rates. Sunny skies helped boost plant growth and ear development.

Other Crops

Coffee
Big Island orchards in the Puna and Kona Districts generally received adequate rainfall for cherry development and flowering. Ka`u orchards were drier but made fair progress. Kauai orchards were in good condition with harvesting slated to begin this coming week. Sunny days and drying winds have increased irrigation needs. Water supplies were adequate for current irrigation needs. Of growing concern are decreasing reservoir levels while rainfall has been too light to sustain or raise the levels.