#USDA

The program reimburses farmers and ranchers in Hawaiʻi, Alaska and other insular areas for transportation costs of supplies like feed, fertilizer and equipment parts.

US Rep. Jill Tokuda has requested the USDA to urgently re-hire animal and plan inspection and quarantine workers, after about 200 were terminated last month.

The National Veterinary Services Laboratories confirmed highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a wild duck on Oʻahu’s North Shore. USDA-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services reports that the bird, a hybrid duck (part mallard), was among 10 wild bird samples collected from the North Shore. This is the second confirmed incidence of avian influenza in Hawai‘i after the virus was confirmed at bird sanctuary in Wahiawā on Nov. 15, 2024.

The US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), launched a collection of interactive maps to allow data users to access key Census of Agriculture information. The Census of Agriculture, taken only once every five years, is a complete count of US farms and ranches and the people who operate them.

Summer EBT, also called SUN Bucks, is a new and permanent program to provide benefits to households with school-aged children to purchase food during the summer. Households will receive $177 for each qualifying child, to be spent during the summer months.

For the first time since 2014, Hawaiʻi Foodbank has released a comprehensive report detailing the state of food insecurity across Hawaiʻi.

Hawaiʻi Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke and Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture Chairperson Sharon Hurd last week led some of Hawaiʻi’s agricultural leaders in a first-ever Hawaiʻi delegation to the United States Department of Agriculture.

To account for the higher cost of food in the state, children in Hawai‘i will receive $59 per month, compared to $40 per month in the continental United States for meal benefits, starting this summer.

A year ago today, nearly 700 gallons of diesel fuel spilled at the Maui Space Surveillance Complex at Haleakalā’s summit. Since then Air Force reports its officials have worked with the Maui community and Native Hawaiian organizations to remediate the site.

In the aftermath of Maui’s Lahaina wildfire, the University of Hawai‘i will use $519,000 in USDA grants to fund research projects that aim to reinforce Hawai‘i’s agriculture against disasters and address the health risks of toxic chromium.

As Hawaiʻi grapples with a surge in wildfires threatening communities and ecosystems, bipartisan efforts are underway to introduce legislation to tackle prevention and preparedness.

Maui Food Technology Center will hold a virtual Food Labeling Workshop on Nov. 14 at 10 a.m. for people interested in learning the latest about food labeling, regulatory requirements and how your efforts can be a game changer.

Three Soil & Water Conservation Districts and the County of Maui are working with the federal Emergency Watershed Protection Program to quickly address widescale environmental damage caused by the August wildfires.

The grants, made possible through the Micro-Grants for Food Security Program, will provide support for small-scale gardening, herding, and livestock operations to increase the quantity and quality of locally-grown food in communities experiencing food insecurity.

The US Department of Agriculture has awarded $42.6 million in grants to nine entities in Hawaiʻi to plant and maintain trees, combat extreme heat and improve access to green space in communities statewide.

As fire containment efforts continue in Hawaiʻi, FEMA is working with its federal partners to provide immediate relief and lend support to the state-led and locally executed mission on the ground.

The Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture is inviting public comments until August 11 for the US Department of Agriculture Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program, which aims to strengthen the stateʻs food supply chain.

The rate increase for the federal child nutrition programs is expected to bring in an additional estimated $8 million a year to Hawai‘i.

The US Department of Agriculture this week announced that Hawaiʻi’s reimbursement rates for school lunch and other federal child nutrition programs will be increased by 13%.

The UH Maui College program, Ike Kupuna: Integrating Traditional Knowledge into Natural Resource Sciences, combines modern and traditional methods in order to effectively manage Maui’s natural resources and increase participation amongst the Native Hawaiian community.