Department of Agriculture

More than $3.5 million will be available for small-scale food production in Hawaiʻi. The money will be distributed through the Micro-Grant for Food Security Program, a federal program meant to increase local food production and improve food production.

The state Department of Agriculture found two coconut rhinoceros beetles near Līhu‘e Airport on Kauaʻi last week. This is the first time the beetles have been detected outside of Oʻahu.

A non-venomous female gopher snake was found in Pukalani Monday afternoon. The snake, which is an illegal and invasive animal in Hawaiʻi, was taken away from the scene and euthanized by state Department of Agriculture inspectors later that day.

The state Department of Agriculture is requesting proposals to study the economic impact of changing Hawaiʻi coffee labeling requirements. The report would study the changes in the industry if the minimum requirements are increased to 51% and 100%.

As the focus this week turns to the Merrie Monarch Festival in Hilo, state agriculture officials are reminding people not to transport ʻōhiʻa lei off the Big Island due to the threat of rapid ʻōhiʻa death.

Lawmakers in Washington are currently working to pass a new federal farm bill. The legislation is both a financial plan and the country's vision for the future of food production. HPR's Savannah Harriman-Pote spoke with advocates who want to make sure Native Hawaiians are part of that vision.

The governor's appointees to lead the state Department of Agriculture received a crucial vote of confidence from the Hawaiʻi Senate on Monday. HPR's Savannah Harriman-Pote has more.

Hawaiʻi’s ranchers say they cannot continue to watch pasture land reduced year after year under state land leases that are not managed by the Department of Agriculture. A priority is to have some 100,000 acres of public pasture and farmland transferred from the DLNR. The Conversation's Catherine Cruz spoke with local ranchers about the state of the industry.

A new pilot program seeks to launch a digital version of the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture declaration form that arriving passengers are supposed to fill out. HPR's Savannah Harriman-Pote wanted to know if that means people will start actually filling them out.

The Hawaiʻi Interagency Biosecurity Plan tackles invasive species before and after they enter the islands. State legislators got an update of the plan during an informational briefing this week.