News

MCFB E-Newsletter ~ October 2020

Surfing Goat Dairy Opens Due to Strong Support for GOat Fund Me Like many in the agricultural community, Surfing Goat Dairy was hit hard financially by the Covid-19 lockdown. Facing mounting bills and decreased business, dairy owners Thomas and Eva Kafsack were forced to closed their Omaopio operation for the last several months. The solution? They put their goats up for “adoption.” But not really. The Kafsacks launched a creative online campaign they called GOat Fund Me, asking community members to “adopt” one of the dairy’s 100 goats for five years for $1,000. Only about three weeks into the fundraising… Read More »MCFB E-Newsletter ~ October 2020

8 Reasons why Farmers Voted No to Proposed County Department of Agriculture

As we shared in the last issue, voters in Maui County will soon receive their ballots. Among their many choices on the ballot will be a Charter Amendment question: “Shall the Charter be amended, effective July 1, 2022, to establish a Department of Agriculture to develop a sustainable regional agricultural system for Maui County?” On the surface it may sound harmless, but there is a lot behind the simple question that should cause you to strongly consider voting NO. During the first week of September, you, our members, were polled to determine how you felt about the proposal to create… Read More »8 Reasons why Farmers Voted No to Proposed County Department of Agriculture

MCFB E-Newsletter ~ September 2020

Farmers Say No to Proposed County Department of Agriculture As we shared in the last issue, voters in Maui County will soon receive their ballots. Among their many choices on the ballot will be a Charter Amendment question: “Shall the Charter be amended, effective July 1, 2022, to establish a Department of Agriculture to develop a sustainable regional agricultural system for Maui County?” On the surface it may sound harmless, but there is a lot behind the simple question that should cause you to strongly consider voting NO. During the first week of September, you, our members, were polled to… Read More »MCFB E-Newsletter ~ September 2020

MCFB E-Newsletter ~ August 2020

MCFB’s Livestock Producer Assistance Program Helps Ranchers MCFB received $15,000 and committed the funds to extend our Farm Product Purchase Program (FPPP), an initiative to purchase produce and proteins from local farms and ranches and distribute to communities in need. At the time of the donation, MCFB’s program had purchased and distributed 678,954 pounds of food and was working with 22 Maui farms. “We are so grateful for First Hawaiian Bank Foundation’s generous donation to the Maui County Farm Bureau,” said Teena Rasmussen, MCFB board president. “This is truly one of the most difficult times to be farming. This gesture… Read More »MCFB E-Newsletter ~ August 2020

Press

First Hawaiian Bank donates $40,000 as part of its “Aloha for Hawaii” campaign Courtesy: First Hawaiian Bank HONOLULU (KHON2) — On August 14, First Hawaiian Bank (FHB) announced the “Aloha for Hawaii” campaign has donated $40,000 to Hawaii non-profits as part of the fund’s$1 million donation to assist communities impacted by COVID-19.  The “Aloha for Hawaii” initiative generated one million restaurant takeout or delivery orders made by FHB credit and debit card holders. This campaign, which was anticipated to take three months to achieve, raised $1 million in just eight weeks. With these funds, the “Aloha for Hawaii” campaign delivered widespread… Read More »Press

MCFB E-Newsletter ~ July 2020

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 another 10 weeks. In total, the program now exceeds $530,000. The additional funds include an agreement to purchase $75,000 of beef. The funding comes from CARES ACT money that the county received. This is great news for our production farmers and ranchers who have been able to keep their farms going due to these purchases. Commercial farmers and ranchers who have produce and beef available are welcome to join this program. Membership in MCFB is… Read More »MCFB E-Newsletter ~ July 2020

MCFB E-Newsletter ~ June 2020

Since the onset of COVID-19, Maui County Farm Bureau has been working hard to ensure that our members are supported, and that Maui’s ag industry remains viable. When the hotels and restaurants were closed and the visitors left, our farmers were left with thousands of pounds of produce in the fields with no place to sell them. Years of marketing work, building relationships with chefs and developing the Farm to Table movement that had yielded such success for our farms, vanished. The MCFB board of directors along with Hawaii Farm Bureau sprang into action to assist. Through grants from the… Read More »MCFB E-Newsletter ~ June 2020

Maui County Farm Bureau Calls on Community to Help Keep Ag Industry Viable During Covid -19.

Maui Ag Fest & 4-H Livestock Fair 2020 Cancelled – Relief Programs Added. In this unprecedented time of crisis, the Maui County Farm Bureau (MCFB) is announcing its recent decision to cancel the 2020 Maui Ag Fest & 4-H Livestock Fair that was to take place on Sat., May 30. The decision follows the announcement from the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture, which suspended all 4H activities for the remainder of the season. “We are saddened to have to make this announcement, but out of an abundance of caution and uncertainty about when we will be able to… Read More »Maui County Farm Bureau Calls on Community to Help Keep Ag Industry Viable During Covid -19.

Farm Produce Purchase Program

Through our grant with the County of Maui and the help of the Mayor’s office and the Office of Economic Development we are excited to announce a new program that starts today: the “Farm Product Purchase Program”. I want to thank Mayor Victorino and his team for expediting the steps necessary to get this program rolled out quickly. The Maui County Farm Bureau will be purchasing produce and fruit from farmers throughout Maui island and the County of Maui will be distributing it to residents in need. This program will be providing our farmers much needed cash to keep their… Read More »Farm Produce Purchase Program