Tag: Vegetables

May 2, 2007 General Ag News and Notes, Papaya, Vegtables

Hawaii Weekly Crop Weather Report

Here is the PDF file for the *Hawaii Crop Weather* (crop progress and condition) Report for the week ending April 29, 2007

current_hi-050107.pdf

Please visit http://www.nass.usda.gov/hi/ for more information.USDA NASS Hawaii Field Office
1421 South King Street
Honolulu, HI 96814-2512

Agricultural Highlights

Fruits

Banana
Soil moisture in windward areas of the Big Island was high and the crop was in generally good condition. Mostly sunny days, following wet weather early in the week, were beneficial for fruit development and orchard condition.

Banana
Bunchy Top virus incidences remain isolated in the Puna and Kona areas. Oahu banana orchards were in fair to good condition. Fields in windward areas were in fair condition. Banana Bunchy Top virus continued to adversely affect production. Leeward and central Oahu fields made fair to good progress. Rouging and spraying for insect infestation was stepped up and has helped slow Banana Bunchy Top infections in the area. Irrigation levels were at moderate to heavy levels due to the windy and dry weather. Fruit development and ripening continued to improve due to mostly sunny skies and the longer daylight hours.

Papaya
Orchards on Hawaii Island were in fair to good condition. Showers increased soil moisture to satisfactory levels in most orchards. Active flowering occurred in most fields. Orchards on Kauai made fair to good progress during the week. Spraying to contain insects was on a regular schedule.

Vegetables

Chinese Cabbage
The Big Island?s Waimea crop continued to make steady progress. Planting was very active in selected fields. Irrigation was necessary due to dry and windy conditions. Excessive weeds were noticed in many fields. Quality of harvested heads was fair to good.

Head Cabbage
The Big Island?s Waimea crop was in generally good condition. Light insect damage was noticed on outer leaves. Irrigation kept crop progress normal. Crop progress in the Volcano area was slow due to wet conditions. On Oahu, increasing diamond back moth infestation was stemmed with increasing control measures. New plantings were in good to fair condition.

Sweet Corn
Planting and field prep were ongoing in the windward side of the Big Island. Frequent showers and warm temperatures boosted growth. Overall, the crop was making good progress with younger plantings making steady progress. Central Oahu fields made good progress having benefited from sunny skies, dry conditions, and warmer temperatures during the week. Light worm infestation was mostly under control. Windward area fields also made good progress.

Cucumbers
Harvesting is expected to pickup on Oahu fields as new plantings come into active harvest. Wind damage and scarring of fruits were light in exposed areas. Irrigation levels were heavy due to the dry weather.

Dry Onions
On Maui, growth and development of plantings have been very good. Fields, at all stages of development, were in good condition. Maturing fields are expected to have good yields and quality. Average bulb size is also anticipated to increase. Younger, newly-planted, fields also faired well during the week.

April 28, 2007 General Ag News and Notes, Vegtables

*Monthly* *Hawaii Vegetables* Report

Here is the PDF file for the *Monthly* *Hawaii Vegetables* Report

monveg1042707.pdf

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

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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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*Monthly* *Hawaii Vegetables* Report reports are available on our website http://www.nass.usda.gov/hi/ 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.

Production Generally Above Year Ago

Chinese cabbage production in March totaled 642,000 pounds, increases of 10 percent and 14 percent from the February 2007 and March 2006, respectively. Improved yields resulted in the higher production. In general, weather conditions were beneficial for crop development and kept crops in fair to good condition.

Head cabbage growers produced a total of 1.4 million pounds in March. This was an increase of 49 percent and 10 percent from last month and the previous year, respectively. Favorable weather conditions helped to increase yields and offset the decline in acreage for harvest. Insect infestations were kept under control with regular spraying. The crop was in good condition.

Sweet Corn growers produced an estimated 209,000 pounds in March, this was 63 percent and 248 percent above last month and a year ago, respectively. This increase was the result of improved yields and an increase in acreage for harvest. Favorable weather conditions helped to boost ear development and size, maintaining the crop in good condition.

Cucumber production during March increased 7 percent and 13 percent from February 2007 and March 2006 to 366,000 pounds. The crop harvested during the month was in fair condition. However, improved weather during March has helped the newer crop vines, flowers, and fruit sets.

Tomato production totaled 1.1 million pounds in March, a 13 percent and 10 percent increase over the previous month and a year earlier, respectively. The tomato crop was in fair to good condition.

April 1, 2007 General Ag News and Notes, Ginger Root, Papaya, Vegtables

HAWAII CROP WEATHER

Here is the PDF file for the *Hawaii Crop Weather* (crop progress and condition) Report for the week ending *April 1, 2007*

current_hi040107.pdf

Please visit http://www.nass.usda.gov/hi/ for more information.USDA NASS Hawaii Field Office
1421 South King Street
Honolulu, HI 96814-2512

Agricultural Highlights

Fruits
Banana
Orchards in eastern sections of Hawaii Island had adequate moisture. Spraying was required to minimize disease damage. Banana Bunchy Top virus damage was still localized in the Puna and Kona areas. Oahu orchards were in good to fair condition. Fields in windward Oahu made fair progress with light to moderate harvesting. Leeward and central Oahu fields remained in fair to good condition. Irrigation was at moderate to heavy levels. Fruit development and ripening continued to improve during the week with the favorable weather conditions. Kauai?s orchards were in fair to good condition.
Papaya
Papaya orchards in the lower Puna area of the Big Island were in fair to good condition. Spraying for disease and weed control was active during the week. Young papaya fields in the lower Kapoho area made steady progress. Fruit quality and yields were improving. Orchards on Kauai made fair to good progress during the week. Spraying to contain insect infestation and disease infestation remained slow in rainy areas.
Vegetables
Chinese Cabbage
The Big Island?s crop was making good progress with heavy irrigation. Light disease incidence was noticed on the wrapper leaves. Head quality and yields were generally good. New plantings made good growth.
Head Cabbage
On Hawaii Island, the Waimea crop made good progress with irrigation. Selective spraying was minimizing insect and disease damage. New plantings increased in the Lalamilo area and were making good progress. Maui?s crop was reported to be showing steady increased growth due to the warming conditions and longer day length. Rainfall received a couple of week ago increased the overall ground moisture and some producers may reduce irrigation for the week. Some areas reported that the increase moisture has increased incidences of rot. While there has been some loss due to the rot, overall production is not expected to be significantly affected. Overall the crop was in generally fair condition. On Oahu, new plants were in good condition. Insect infestation remained light to moderate.
Sweet Corn
Sunny, dry, and warm weather allowed plants to make good progress in central Oahu fields. Windward fields made fair to good progress, slightly slowed with the overcast skies and intermittent rains. Big Island plantings had adequate oil moisture and the crop was making steady progress. Overall, the crop condition was in fair condition.
Cucumbers
New plantings on Oahu made good progress during the week as the warmer and sunnier weather conditions were favorable for most fields located in the central part of the island. Flower and fruit set was good during the week.
Semi-head (Manoa) Lettuce
The dry weather and higher temperatures have caused an increase in insect infestation and light damage to Oahu?s Manoa lettuce crop. Spraying to control insects was active.
Dry Onions
The crop on Maui benefited from this week?s sunny weather and in generally fair condition. Average bulb size was larger, although there were some losses due to quality defects in development as a result of cooler conditions during the previous months. Overall, producers are expecting increased improvement in the condition of the dry onion crop. Yields are expected to increase and losses from defects are expected to decrease as growing conditions continue to improve.
Miscellaneous
Ginger Root
Most growers have finished harvest for the season. Planting and field preparation for next season?s crop was active in east Hawaii sections.

March 19, 2007 General Ag News and Notes, Papaya, Vegtables

Hawaii Crop Weather

Here is the PDF file for the *Hawaii Crop Weather* (crop progress and condition) Report for the week ending *March 18, 2007*

current_hi031907.pdf

Please visit http://www.nass.usda.gov/hi/ for more information.USDA NASS Hawaii Field Office
1421 South King Street
Honolulu, HI 96814-2512

Agricultural Highlights

Fruits

Banana
Orchards in eastern sections of Hawaii County made good growth. Showers on Wednesday and Thursday helped to keep soil moisture adequate. Regular spraying minimized disease and insect damage. Banana Bunchy Top incidences remained isolated in the Puna and Kona areas. Oahu orchards were in fair to good condition. Fields in windward Oahu made fair to good progress with light to moderate harvesting. Leeward and central fields remained in fair to good condition. Irrigation levels were at moderate levels during the week. Fruit development and ripening continued to improve during the week with the increasing day length and beneficial sunny skies. Kauai?s orchards were in fair to good condition. Crop progress remained steady and made good recovery from previous wind damage.

Papaya
Warmer temperatures and sunny periods are benefiting orchard progress in the lower Puna areas of the Big Island. Soil moisture was adequate. Regular spraying was necessary to minimize disease damage. Mature trees in the Kapoho and Opihikao area have medium sized fruits and full fruit columns. Good weather conditions were encouraging good flower and fruit set. Growers are replanting in the lower Kapoho area. Orchards on Kauai made fair to good progress during the week. Rains and overcast skies slowed crop progress during the week. Sprayings to contain insect infestation was delayed, but are expected to be stepped-up as soon as the fields dry.

Vegetables

Head Cabbage
Big Island growers were harvesting medium to large heads. Head quality was generally good. Tall weeds were observed in the Puukapu fields. New plantings made steady progress in Lalamilo. Heavy irrigation was required. Selective spraying minimized damage from disease and insects. On Oahu, new fields were in good condition. Insect infestations remained under control and head quality was good. On Maui, weather conditions hampered field activities for most operations. Some plantings were delayed due to wet ground conditions. Producers may be able to get on schedule later in the month depending on future weather conditions. The crop was in fair condition during the past couple of weeks.

Dry Onions
Maui?s crop showed some improvement in growth and development during the past month, but with the recent weather may increase the chances of loss due to rain damage and disease from wet field conditions. The effect of this week?s rains on mature fields is uncertain, and the rains could also affect production from fields in the developing stages. Currently, crop conditions range from marginally fair to fair condition depending on the location of the field.

March 3, 2005 General Ag News and Notes, Organic Ag Post a Comment

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Local food ‘greener than organic’

Local food ‘greener than organic’
Organic apples, BBC
Food should come from within your area, the report says
Local food is usually more “green” than organic food, according to a report published in the journal Food Policy.

The authors say organic farming is also valuable, but people can help the environment even more by buying food from within a 20km (12-mile) radius.

The team calculated a shopping basket’s hidden costs, which mount up as produce is transported over big distances. The study found “road miles” account for proportionately more environmental damage than “air miles”.

Therefore, the researchers’ message to consumers is this: it is not good enough to buy food from within the UK – it is better if it comes from within your area, too.

A big city like London could be provided with a lot more seasonal vegetables from local farms
Co-author Professor Tim Lang
However, they admit that consumers are prevented from “doing the right thing” because of inadequate labelling.

“The most political act we do on a daily basis is to eat, as our actions affect farms, landscapes and food businesses,” said co-author Professor Jules Pretty, from the University of Essex, UK.

“Food miles are more significant than we previously thought, and much now needs to be done to encourage local production and consumption of food.”

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