A free 58-page guide entitled, Adding Value to Locally Grown Crops in Hawai'i: A Guide for Small Farm Enterprise Innovation is now available. Because of the high cost of labor, land, and materials in Hawai'i, family farms are only economically sustainable if they can produce high-quality products that are valued above cheap imports. This guide helps growers add value to all aspects of their farm enterprise and offers resources for further developing their strategies. "If you cherish the farming lifestyle and want to keep farming, you have to make your farm profitable. This guide goes a long way towards showing how to escape from the fatal trap of commoditization by adding value for the consumer," observes Dr. Kent Fleming, an extension economist who has developed numerous cost-of-production spreadsheets for the University of Hawai'i and other organizations worldwide.
The guide was authored by Craig Elevitch and Ken Love with input from agricultural professionals statewide. Elevitch is an agroforestry educator whose most recent book Specialty Crops for Pacific Islands (2011) provides insights into sustainable cultivation and processing techniques for local and export markets with an emphasis on production methods, postharvest processing, and marketing. Love, widely known as a passionate advocate for the innovative small farm, is co-owner of Love Family Farms in Kona, Hawai'i, which produces a range of value-added products including jams, jellies, dried fruits, and coffee.
"Adding value is an essential component of small farm sustainability," says Love, who has extensive experience working with farm enterprises. "There are many different ways to add value in growing, processing, and marketing products. This guide is about finding ways of adding value to your operation that are best suited for you and that are ultimately profitable."
The publication was produced with funds from the State of Hawai'i Department of Agriculture, the Agribusiness Incubator Program of the University of Hawai'i, and the County of Hawai'i Department of Research and Development. The guide is available as a free download and a limited number of free hard copies will be available throughout Hawai'i. Distribution locations and a link to download the free guide are listed at www.valueadded.info.

The 23rd Annual Hawaii Tropical Fruit GRowers meeting will be held from September 26th through October 4th, starting on Oahu, then continuing on the three main neighbor islands.  Hawai'i Island dates are October 1st and 2nd. For complete information with schedule and registration links, Click Here.

Are you looking to diversify and reduce your farming risks? Come and learn about Fruit Flies, Banana Moth and Korean Natural Farming (KNF). Hawaii has 4 major types of fruit flies that attack various fruit and vegetable crops. Each requires different treatment methods. Dr. Roger Vargas, research entomologist from USDA-ARS PBARC-Hilo, will demonstrate fruit fly identification and the various methods of control including the use of SPLAT. Banana moth caterpillars are a pest of many tropical plants including coffee, banana, dragonfruit, palms and dracaenas. Banana moth damage appears to be increasing. Dr. Mark Wright of UHM-CTAHR will talk about how to identify banana moth, their host plants, and methods of control. KNF incorporates the use of indigenous micro-organisms (IMO) and has been used to help control odors of pig farming wastes as well as improve plant growth of vegetables and tree crops. Drake Weinert will present on KNF and demonstrate the creation of two key components of KNF – fermented plant juice and lactic acid bacteria. Saturday, April 27, 2013. 8:45 am – 4:30 pm (registration starts at 8:15 am)UHM-CTAHR, Kona Research Station, 79-7381 Mamalahoa Highway, Kealakekua. Call Gina at 322-4892 to RSVP or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

HOLUALOA, HAWAI'I - A workshop entitled "Value-Added Innovation for Hawai'i Growers: Making the Family Farm Profitable" will help growers hone their skills at adding value to their products and services. The free workshop will be held on March 20th in Hilo, March 21st in Kona, March 27th on Kaua'i, March 28th on O'ahu, and March 29th on Maui.

Competing with cheap imported agricultural goods, many Hawai'i farms have a difficult time selling their products profitably as raw commodities. The workshop will show how Hawai'i farm enterprises can differentiate their products to become more profitable, and therefore viable businesses.