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Native Hawaiian Farmers Funding Assistance

Native Hawaiian Farmers Encouraged to Apply for Renter and Homebuyer Programs

Wailuku, Maui, HI (July 27, 2021) – Hawaiian Community Assets (HCA) is aiming to fill a critical need in the community with a new financial assistance program for Native Hawaiian farmworkers. Farmers are encouraged to apply and receive practical help in a variety of areas. Among other possible benefits, applicants to the program may: get help to qualify for rental and mortgage loans; access loans up to $100,000 for home buying costs (income and other program restrictions apply); qualify for up to $11,500 in grant funds for home purchase; and learn about HCA’s grants for first month’s rent/deposit up to… Read More »Native Hawaiian Farmers Encouraged to Apply for Renter and Homebuyer Programs

Grown on Maui Farmers' Market Fruit & Vegetables

MCFB Receives Continued funding for Farm Produce Purchases

Maui County Farm Bureau is pleased to announce that the County of Maui has extended COVID-19 pandemic relief funding to keep MCFB’s Farm Product Purchase Program (FPPP) going for through September 30. In total, the program now exceeds $530,000. Commercial farmers who have produce available are welcome to join this program. Membership in MCFB is not a requirement. Weekly produce orders are taken on Thursdays and produce delivery is scheduled on Tuesdays from 7 am – 12 pm. To participate, call Heidi Watanabe, FPPP produce coordinator, (808) 357-8593.

Maui County Farm Bureau Presents ‘Ag in the Classroom’ Video & Activity Booklet

KULA, Maui, HI (May 12, 2021) – Until regulations allow more than 1,200 second-graders to pile onto school buses and head Upcountry again, Maui County Farm Bureau is pleased to provide a virtual version of its popular “Agriculture in the Classroom” (AIC) program. The new video and activity booklet feature lessons from local farmers, ranchers and agriculture educators. Since 2006, MCFB’s AIC program has been sharing knowledge about local agriculture with students, both in their classrooms and on an annual field trip Upcountry to the heart of Maui’s ag community at Haleakala Ranch. With current conditions in 2021, a different… Read More »Maui County Farm Bureau Presents ‘Ag in the Classroom’ Video & Activity Booklet

Maui County Farm Bureau Hosts “Cooking Hawaiian Style”

“Cooking Hawaiian Style,” a locally produced television show, set up its outdoor kitchen at Kula Country Farms and Kaonoulu Ranch on the Valley Isle this week. The backdrop chosen by show director/partner Ruben Carrillo was one of Maui’s most picturesque—and most vulnerable—features: crop and ranch lands. Vast working, green space stretches from upper Kula past the Kula Ag Park in Pūlehu and Ōmaʻopio down to the central valley, which was once filled with sugarcane and is now being planted with a range of agricultural crops by Mahi Pono. Framing the shot is the southern coastline to the left and the… Read More »Maui County Farm Bureau Hosts “Cooking Hawaiian Style”

105 Small Farms in Maui County Awarded Micro Grants

Maui County’s $2.5 million Agricultural Micro Grants Program, administered by Maui Economic Opportunity, purchased tractors, chippers and other supplies; put up fencing and sheds; and established an online presence for 105 small farms in the county. MEO Business Center Director David Daly said today that his team is working on putting the finishing touches on the last couple of grants. The Agricultural Micro Grants Program was established to allow small Maui County farms to receive grants of up to $25,000 to directly increase the availability of local produce, livestock, poultry and farm products while increasing agricultural capacity, productivity, name… Read More »105 Small Farms in Maui County Awarded Micro Grants

Emergency Assistance Program Established for Moloka‘i and Maui Ag Operations Suffering Losses due to Excess Deer Population.

The Hawai`i Department of Agriculture (HDOA) has opened an emergency assistance program for farming and ranching operations on Moloka`i and Maui that have suffered losses due to excessive deer populations. HDOA has committed a total of $200,000 for this relief program through the Agricultural Development and Food Security Special Fund. Qualified agricultural and livestock operations on Moloka‘i and Maui may apply for up to $10,000 in assistance via the state’s procurement platform at: https://hands.ehawaii.gov/hands/opportunities/opportunity-details/19971. The application deadline is noon on March 8, 2021. On Jan. 26, 2021, Gov. David Ige issued an emergency proclamation declaring the County of Maui a… Read More »Emergency Assistance Program Established for Moloka‘i and Maui Ag Operations Suffering Losses due to Excess Deer Population.