Tag: maui

July 30, 2007 Uncategorized Post a Comment

Decisions made with sustainability in mind

The Hot Seat
The Honolulu Advertiser

From politicians to newsmakers to everyday people in the news ? Editorial and Opinion Editor Jeanne Mariani-Belding puts them in the Hot Seat, and lets you ask the questions. So get ready. Let the conversation begin.
Reach Jeanne at jmbelding@honoluluadvertiser.com.

Posted on: July 30, 2007 at 12:02:58 pm

Now on the Hot Seat: Maui Land & Pineapple Co.?s CEO David Cole

Welcome to The Hot Seat! Joining me today is Maui Land & Pineapple Co.?s chairman, president and CEO David Cole.

The closure Maui Land and Pineapple?s canning operation in June marked the end of an era; it was the last canning operation of its kind in the United States. And, as David notes in his commentary in Sunday?s Advertiser, it was also a rite a passage for so many of us here in Hawaii.

David joins us live and will take your questions on his company and the future of agriculture in Hawaii.

With that, let?s chat.

[first question]

Christopher: Can you please explain why Maui Land and Pineapple continues to be a member of the LURF Foundation? Maui Land and Pineapple purports to hold the values of “malama ‘aina, ecology and creating holistic communities.”

With these guiding principles, I have difficulty seeing the association with LURF, which has quietly lobbied against most of the grassroots sustainability issues that have ever come up.

Perhaps with your company’s leadership, you could take LURF in a more modern 21st-century direction?

David Cole: The Land Use Research Foundation has been around since the late ’70s. In recent years, LURF’s focus has become more development-related, although the organization also works with other organizations, such as the Urban Land Institute, Hawai’i Economic Association and the Hawai’i Farm Bureau Federation. One of the goals of LURF is to protect the rights of landowners who are also developers.

As we understand it, LURF has not lobbied, quietly or otherwise, against sustainability issues. In fact, LURF Executive Director David Arakawa has taken a position that is very supportive of sustainability initiatives.

If this not the case, perhaps we should be more engaged in a leadership mode and concentrate more effort another organization?

[last question]

IslandBiz: Aloha, David. I want to say thanks for doing the Hot Seat and talking story with us. I read the article on you recently in Hawaii Business.

Tell us one thing about you that has not been written about that might be surprising, something that would give insight into what kind of a guy you are. Make it a good one!

David Cole: Greetings Islandbiz. My campaign poster for VP of the Associated Students of the University of Hawaii (ASUH) back in the 70’s showed me naked on horseback with the slogan “nothing to hide.”

There you have it!!

CLICK HERE to view the full “Hot Seat” conversation

July 22, 2007 General Ag News and Notes Post a Comment

Hawaii Crop Weather Weekly Report

Here is the PDF file for the *Hawaii Crop Weather* (crop progress and condition) Report for the week ending *July 22, 2007*

current_hi072207.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. Sunny, warm days aided orchard progress. Disease incidences were minimized by routine spraying. Bunchy Top disease incidences remained isolated in the Puna and Kona areas. Growers were replanting in the Keaau area. Oahu orchards were in fair to good condition. Fields in windward areas remained in fair condition. A seasonal upswing kept leeward and central Oahu fields in active harvest with heavy supplies. Irrigation remained at heavy levels during the week because of dry conditions. Kauai?s orchards were in good condition. The slightly cooler weather and rains provided good soil moisture which benefited most orchards.

Papayas

Orchards in the lower Puna areas of the Big Island made good progress. Mostly sunny and dry weather during the work week reduced soil moisture levels. Increased moisture from the passing storm system helped boost soil moisture. On Oahu, fruit development and ripening were aided by increased day length and mostly sunny conditions. Mealy bugs were mostly under control while Ring Spot virus lowered harvesting in some fields. Orchards on Kauai continued to make fair to good progress during the week. Pickings were at light to moderate levels from several small fields. Spraying to contain the insect population was slowed as the winds and rains picked up.

Vegetables

Head Cabbage

The Big Island?s Waimea crop was in fair to good condition. Heavy irrigation was required for normal crop progress. Routine spraying minimized insect and disease incidences. New plantings made steady progress. The Volcano crop made slower progress. Maui?s crop continued to show fair and steady progress. Increased irrigation was essential for steady growth and development as well as maintaining quality heads. Farmers were minimizing losses from damage by insects by maintaining a steady and effective spraying program. Insect pressure was a concern, but it has been kept under control. Overall, the head cabbage crop was in fair to good condition. On Oahu, some fields were abandoned to control the increasing pressure from a Diamondback moth infestation.

Dry Onions

Maui?s dry onion crop remained in fair condition. The prolonged hot and dry growing conditions have made it very challenging growers to maintain steady growth and development. Increased irrigation has helped some fields, but older fields have already achieved their potential yield. Most of these mature fields will have a greater percentage of medium bulbs. Overall, the dry onion crop was in fair condition.

Sweet Corn

On Oahu, harvesting was expected to be active with heavy supplies reaching the market. Some reports of light worm damage remained during the week. Isolated windward fields experienced some growing problems and lower than expected yields. Sweet corn plantings in windward areas of the Big Island were in generally good to fair condition. Weather conditions were favorable for crop development. Other Crops

Ginger Root

The Big Island crop made good progress during the week. Soil moisture was adequate and replenished over the weekend by Cosme?s rain. Sunny and warm weather throughout most of the week benefited root development.

July 16, 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 *July 15, 2007*

current_hi071607.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. Warm days and adequate soil moisture benefited crop and fruit development. Field activities such as spraying, removal of leaves and lateral suckers were active. Black Leaf Streak disease incidences were observed in some fields. Oahu orchards were in fair to good condition. Windward fields remained in fair condition. A seasonal upswing kept leeward and central fields in active harvest. Irrigation levels were heavy. Orchards on Kauai were in good to fair condition. The dry weather and controlled irrigation benefited most orchards.

Papayas

On the Big Island, light showers, warm temperatures, and sunny periods benefited fruit development. Younger fields made good growth in the Kapoho area. Fallowed fields in the Opihikao area were being prepared for new plantings. Field operations such as spraying for weeds and disease control, leaf trimming, harvesting were active during the week. Flowering and fruit set were generally good. On Oahu, fruit development and ripening were good due to increased day length and sunny conditions. Mealy bugs were mostly under control while Ring Spot virus lowered production in some fields. Orchards on Kauai continued to make fair to good progress. Spraying to contain insect populations was stepped up during calm weather to contain the increased infestations.

Vegetables

Head Cabbage

In the Big Island?s Lalamilo area, warm temperatures were not favorable for good head development. Warm days combined with irrigation contributed to an increase in disease incidence. New plantings made steady progress with heavy irrigation. Maui?s crop made steady progress despite the hot growing conditions. Increased irrigation was necessary and so far producers have made efficient use of water. Some fields were showing signs of increased stress especially those in the lower elevation areas. Insect pressure has increased slightly, but so far damage has continued to be minimal due to close monitoring and timely spraying by farmers. There have been reports of some losses due to wildlife feeding. Some fields on Oahu were abandoned to control the increasing pressure from the Diamondback moth infestation.

Dry Onions

Maui?s onion crop continued to make fair progress. Warm growing conditions were taking a toll on the crop. Older fields were struggling to develop good bulb size. In some fields, the heat stress has caused the plant to stop growing. Increased irrigation was helpful for some younger fields, but older fields have many factors to consider.

Sweet Corn

Weather conditions in windward sections of the Big Island were generally good for crop progress. On Oahu, harvesting was light after the holiday in July. However, supplies were heavy and new fields coming into production were making good progress. Light worm damage occurred during the week. Isolated fields in windward areas experienced growing problems and lower yields are anticipated from those fields.

July 10, 2007 General Ag News and Notes Post a Comment

HC&S Field and Factory Tour

Bob Coffey of the MCA asked that I forward this to all of you.

Jan McEwen


Aloha All:

At the June Maui Coffee Assn Mtg a member recommended the HC&S Field and Factory tour to the group. The day long tours are for Maui residents and are the best ( if not only ) way to see their operations inside and out, and get a chance to speak with some of their managers. The tours are free and they give you great lunch ( and t-shirt? )but you need to make reservations. Upcoming tour dates are: Saturdays: July 21, August 18, Sept 22, and October 20. Wednesday dates are August 8, Sept 12, and October 10.

Contact info:
1. www.alexanderbaldwin.com/hcstour

2. or call toll -free 1-877-864-4400

3. Laurie Chang at lchang@abinc.com

It’s a day well spent.

Bob Coffey

July 10, 2007 General Ag News and Notes Post a Comment

HC&S Field and Factory Tour

Bob Coffey of the MCA asked that I forward this to all of you.

Jan McEwen


Aloha All:

At the June Maui Coffee Assn Mtg a member recommended the HC&S Field and Factory tour to the group. The day long tours are for Maui residents and are the best ( if not only ) way to see their operations inside and out, and get a chance to speak with some of their managers. The tours are free and they give you great lunch ( and t-shirt? )but you need to make reservations. Upcoming tour dates are: Saturdays: July 21, August 18, Sept 22, and October 20. Wednesday dates are August 8, Sept 12, and October 10.

Contact info:
1. www.alexanderbaldwin.com/hcstour

2. or call toll -free 1-877-864-4400

3. Laurie Chang at lchang@abinc.com

It’s a day well spent.

Bob Coffey

July 8, 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 *July 8, 2007*

current_hi070807.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 Hawaii island were in fair to good condition. Warm temperatures and good soil moisture were ideal for growth. Field activities remained normal. Banana Bunchy Top virus incidences remained isolated in the Puna and Kona areas. Oahu orchards were in fair to good condition. Fields in windward Oahu remained in fair condition. Leeward and central area fields were experiencing a seasonal upswing. Irrigation levels were at heavy levels during the week because of the dry weather. Kauai?s orchards were in good to fair condition.

Papayas
Orchards in the Puna area of the Big Island were in fair to good condition. Warm, humid conditions with abundant sun boost growth in most orchards. Soil moisture was adequate, and field activities continued on a normal schedule. New plantings made good progress. On Oahu, fruit development and ripening were good with the increased day length and sunny and dry weather conditions. Mealy bugs were mostly under control while Ring Spot virus kept lowered production in some fields. Orchards on Kauai continued to make fair to good progress during the week. Spraying to contain the insect population was stepped up during periods of calm weather to contain an increase in infestation.

Vegetables

Chinese Cabbage
The Big Island?s Waimea crop continued to make steady progress. Irrigation was regular and heavy to maintain crop progress in the Puukapu and Lalamilo farm lots. Conditions in the Volcano area were ideal for crop development.

Head Cabbage
The Big Island?s Waimea crop was in generally good condition. Heavy irrigation was required to keep crop progress normal. The Volcano crop improved as soil moisture was adequate and days were sunny. On Oahu, some fields were abandoned to control the increasing pressure from the diamondback moth infestation.

Semi-head (Manoa) Lettuce
On Oahu, planting remained steady, however, crop progress was slowed by the high temperatures and drying winds. Moderate to heavy insect infestation and some disease damage continued to lower yields. Spraying to control insects remained active. Planting on Kauai remained light but steady with fair plant progress.

Dry Onions
Maui?s crop was being challenged by continuous dry and warm conditions. The lack of rainfall has eliminated the threat of rot, but the overall dry conditions were detrimental for crop progress. Bulb size has decreased. The overall crop was in fair condition.

Sweet Corn
Fields in the windward areas of the Big Island benefited from passing showers and sunny conditions. Seedling growth was steady and rapid. Planting and harvesting were steady. On Oahu, favorable weather conditions allowed the plants to make good progress with heavy supplies available from central Oahu fields. There were some reports of light worm damage during the week. Isolated windward fields experienced some growing problems which were expected to slow harvesting.