#sharon Hurd

The state Board of Land and Natural Resources on Friday unanimously rejected a proposal to put a 30-year East Maui commercial water license up for public auction, while separately voting to advance a court-ordered contested-case hearing over revocable permits held by Mahi Pono and East Maui Irrigation Co.

As migratory birds begin their seasonal return to Hawaiʻi, the Hawaiʻi Department of Health and Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity are reminding residents, particularly people who keep backyard poultry or other birds, to take precautions to reduce the risk of avian influenza and other infectious diseases.

Lāna‘i will have another opportunity to safely dispose of unwanted pesticides next month as the Pesticides Branch of the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity continues its second annual statewide Pesticide Disposal Program for commercial users of pesticides. The program provides safe disposal of canceled, suspended, unwanted or unlabeled pesticides free of charge. This program […]

The Senate Committee on Ways and Means received an update from the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity on efforts to bolster Hawaiʻi’s biosecurity network to protect local agriculture, people and natural resources from pests and invasive species.

A massive fumigation removed 144 tons of potential breeding sites for the invasive coconut rhinoceros beetle, marking a significant step in preventing its establishment on Hawai‘i Island.

Gov. Josh Green has signed several bills to strengthen the state’s resilience against biosecurity threats and protect against invasive species, pests and diseases, and that support Hawai‘i agriculture. The governor signed into law Act 236 on June 27, which among other provisions, renames the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture as the Department of Agriculture & Biosecurity […]

Twenty-four Hawaiʻi businesses were given reimbursements from the ag department for collecting and transporting compost within the state this past fiscal year.

More than 20 leaders from Hawaiʻi’s agriculture and business sectors recently completed the second annual Hawaiʻi-USDA Policy Summit in Washington, D.C., highlighting local priorities and challenges directly to federal officials.

The Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture is accepting applications for the Compost Reimbursement Program for Fiscal Year 2025, which may reimburse agricultural producers for the cost of purchasing compost, including transportation costs.

Illegal and harmful marine aquarium species are being set loose on Hawai‘i’s reefs, according to the state departments of Agriculture and Land and Natural Resources. And, the threat of non-native species to nearshore ecosystems has led to the launch of the “Don’t Let It Loose” campaign.

The Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture has established a new interim rule to help stop the movement of the coconut rhinoceros beetle from designated beetle-infested areas to non-infested areas in the state.

Hawai‘i has been awarded $524,773 by the US Department of Agriculture under its 2024 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. Through this grant program, the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture will fund nine projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crop products and create new market opportunities for the state’s specialty crop producers.

Record funding for biosecurity measures approved by the state legislature this year will expand the state’s efforts to stop the spread of invasive species such as little fire ants, the coconut rhinoceros beetle and coqui frogs, the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture (HDOA) announced Monday.

The Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture (HDOA) has awarded grants for community-based management of coconut rhinoceros beetles (CRB) on O‘ahu, and to support green waste management on the islands of Kaua‘i, Maui, and O‘ahu. Awards for the two grant programs totaled about $293,000.

Honolulu police officers came across a live, non-venomous ball python in a Waipahu home on Saturday morning, while conducting a wellness check for a man who passed away, according to the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture.

An interim rule has been established by the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture to restrict the movement of plants infested with little fire ants. The action comes after more reports of the invasive species of ants in windward O‘ahu.

The Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture has opened a grant program to support the establishment and expansion of food hubs in Hawai‘i. Proposals for the Food Hub Pilot Program are now being accepted for grants between $50,000 and $250,000 aimed at increasing the capacity of food hubs, which are centrally located facilities where food products may be aggregated, stored, processed, and marketed.

Skunks are prohibited in Hawai’i. They are avid egg-eaters and would pose a threat to Hawai‘i’s native ground-nesting birds if they become established. 

Governor Josh Green, M.D. today announced 17 more appointments as part of his second round of nominees. The appointments are for positions of Director and/or Deputy Director and other appointed positions for state departments.