Sep 1, 2012
New growers are urgently needed to take the place of our aging farmers and Hawaii's public institutions and non profits are stepping up to provide beginners the resources they need to succeed. This special issue of HānaiʻAi takes a close look at beginning farmers and the programs that serve them. Our featured farmers this issue, Alex and Mimi Karp of Island Harvest Organics, are new farmers who are committed to being commercially successful and evironmentally responsible food producers in the State. Dr. Linda Cox provides business planning guidance that's good for all of us and particularly valuable to new farmers. Also, programs for new farmer training across the State are highlighted, and the Director of CTAHRʻs Agribusiness Incubator Program reports on a recent tour to visit similar programs in the Northeastern U.S. And, whether you are a new grower or a grizzled old timer, you'll enjoy our research and extension updates from CTAHR and NRCS, which highlight valuable strategies to maintain soil fertility, avoid soil erosion and control important weeds biologically.