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Support the little farmers of Hawai'i!

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  • Support the little farmers of Hawai'i!

    I just came across a set of really interesting statistics about the number of farms in Hawai'i. The number has actually grown, but the size of each farm is much smaller (less than 10 acres each). Another interesting thing is most of the small farmers make less than $10,000 a year, and most are run by women.

    Whenever you can, please kokua and buy produce grown by the local farmers. You are helping to ensure that Hawai'i will not be totally without food if there was ever a catastrophe. And as long as the farms are producing food, they cannot be developed into condos or multimillion dollar houses.

    Miulang

    Here's another story about why it's good to buy food grown closer to home.
    Last edited by Miulang; June 8, 2005, 05:06 PM.
    "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

  • #2
    Re: Support the little farmers of Hawai'i!

    hi miulang,

    great suggestion. can you locate some web page that lists where these farms are or where they sell their stuff? don't know. maybe you just meant that in a general way? it'd be cool if we had more specific info, like here's a list of these small farms and where they sell their stuff. even better would be being able to buy stuff directly from them and avoid the rip off middle.

    thanks miulang for adding so many insightful articles.
    525,600 minutes, 525,000 moments so dear. 525,600 minutes - how do you measure, measure a year?

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    • #3
      Re: Support the little farmers of Hawai'i!

      I think the website hawaiiag.org is loaded with all kinds of good info. HFBF.org..the HI farm bureau..is another good site. Here are links for the farmers' markets found throughout Hawai'i. Patronizing Hawai'i's farmers' markets is a great way to buy local and fresh and support the smaller "truck" farmers found throughout Hawai'i.

      Farmers' Markets of Hawai'i

      Here's the Hawaii Farm Bureau's link:

      HFBF Farmers' Markets Link

      According to the HFBF link, there is a great farmers' market being held in Kailua (back yonder of the Long's in the parking garage) for those on the Windward side tonight!! Check it out!
      Last edited by Surfingfarmboy; June 9, 2005, 02:17 AM.

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      • #4
        Re: Support the little farmers of Hawai'i!

        There's one thing being a farmer then there's another thing owning a farm business on ag lands.

        I ran a small but very profitable farm business for a few months here in Kurtistown on the Big Island. Not a farmer but I did sell ti logs and cuttings across the mainland and around the world. I had an Ag license to sell plant material.

        Although practically 90% of my product came from other farmers, I was still considered a farmer. Virtually all of my plant material came from suppliers that dealt only in cash so there was no money trail so when I hear that farmers report incomes of $10,000...well I believe that's a bit understated.

        They have to report an income because of their GE license however reporting a whole lot more would also mean not qualifying for Title 1 entitlements such as WIC, Subsidized school lunches for their keiki and even Headstart enrollment. Here on the Big Island it's not good to brag about your earnings because you won't qualify for a lot of government freebies. Sad but true.

        I used to pay a guy over $800 a month for Plumeria tips for my business (all in cash) yet I knew he was on welfare, so was his kids. Another family of sisters wanted me to pay them separately every week they harvested Bamboo Orchid cuttings for me instead of one large payout every time.

        So on paper I made a lot of money but I had a hard time adjusting my gross for expenses because I couldn't justify it with no paper trail. I could have reported my expenses and literally have the IRS audit these suppliers of plumeria or bamboo orchid but then word spreads fast about your tactics and soon no one will supply you with product and you go out of business.

        That's what I learned about doing business here on the Big Island, you gotta play their game or you won't be playing at all. And in order to make a buck here, you gotta get into that team spirit!

        One guy takes the tax hit for the sake of keeping a cottage industry alive here and typically it's the new guy. It's known widely in these parts right up to state officials slacking policy to get the business to help out the other farmer. I could never run a business like the one I did here on the Big Island over on Oahu. Even the local post office will bend some major federal guidelines to keep your business profitable even though it means violating written federal policies. Cargo handlers, inspectors, the list goes on and on.

        Sounds illegal and in a way it is, but here that's the way some ag business is done and it's done so the small time farmer can feed his or her family. I tell you my eyes were opened big time when I got here.
        Life is what you make of it...so please read the instructions carefully.

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        • #5
          Re: Support the little farmers of Hawai'i!

          Originally posted by craigwatanabe
          I ran a small but very profitable farm business for a few months here in Kurtistown on the Big Island. Not a farmer but I did sell ti logs and cuttings across the mainland and around the world. I had an Ag license to sell plant material.
          Hey, I think I might have bought some of your ti logs! The last set I bought (one red, one green...) the red one I had to throw out (never did sprout), but the green one looks like it'll survive.

          Miulang
          "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

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          • #6
            Re: Support the little farmers of Hawai'i!

            What was the name? Mine isn't the Kini Popo ones.

            It's amazing how much of a profit you can make from something a lot of us homeowners simply cut up and toss out.

            I sold ti logs to a mainland supplier who then sold it on his website. I charged $0.02 per log and he would buy about 3000 a week.

            Our best products were sold to those shops in Waikiki and in some AAFES shops around the world. Undoubtedly the military contracts were the biggest. Funny though the Bird of Paradise seeds we sold worldwide was cheaper for us to get from the mainland rather than locally and that included shipping.

            Two other popular products sold were Plumeria logs and Bamboo Orchid cuttings. The Plumeria I purchased from local suppliers for $0.35 a log. After cleaning, treating for bugs (AG requirement) packaging and wholesaling to a distributor these logs could fetch upwards of $7.50 on the racks or up to $15 on EBAY. Amazing!

            The Bamboo Orchids I just harvest myself or when I was shorthanded, had them supplied from suppliers. In one hour of walking down any of the cinder side roads of Keaau I could harvest enough cuttings to make $1000 in retail sales. Typically we couldn't meet the demand and I didn't want to turn this small business into a headache so I got out and gave the new owner about $15,000 in receivables due the month she aquired the business from me.

            I hear she's doing very well.
            Life is what you make of it...so please read the instructions carefully.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Support the little farmers of Hawai'i!

              Every week my wife and I go to an open market to buy fresh local grown fruits and vegetables. Wednesday mornings between 8 and 9am. at The Old Stadium Park, used to be at the McCully Rec. Center. Lots of variety, so that there is really not too much fresh produce we need to get at the regular stores. And I know these open markets are happening all over the island. I agree it's best to support the local farmers. Good for you, Good for me.
              Life is either an adventure... or you're not doing it right!!!

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              • #8
                Re: Support the little farmers of Hawai'i!

                ...and there is alway Kona coffee blatant plug for my farm

                Kona Mist Coffee

                5lb Kona Mist® Estate Coffee(Free US Shipping) $92.47 Share with friends!

                My farm - Kona Mist Coffee

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                • #9
                  Re: Support the little farmers of Hawai'i!

                  Originally posted by DaveNSoKona
                  ...and there is alway Kona coffee blatant plug for my farm
                  Is your stuff 100% Kona coffee?

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                  • #10
                    Re: Support the little farmers of Hawai'i!

                    At the price he's charging, it better be 100% Kona! Starbucks charges about $36/lb for their Estate Kona, so buying from Dave is a bargain.

                    Miulang
                    "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Support the little farmers of Hawai'i!

                      Yes 100% Kona and farm direct

                      My farm - Kona Mist Coffee

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Support the little farmers of Hawai'i!

                        So Dave, you're the kind of reason to support people like you. You can't solicit on this board but we can inquire about how we can get your product right? You're not soliciting us.

                        I'd love to buy your coffee and I imagine others would too.
                        Life is what you make of it...so please read the instructions carefully.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Support the little farmers of Hawai'i!

                          See Dave? Maybe you won't have to leave paradise after all, if lotsa people from HT start buying their Kona direct from you!

                          Miulang
                          "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Support the little farmers of Hawai'i!

                            Thanks for your interest and yes, I make an effort not to SPAM in all arenas of the Internet and email. Apart from putting the link to Kona Mist Farm’s website at the bottom of posts, I am not sure what else I can do.

                            As far as the reason for leaving Hawaii, it is not an economic one. Otherwise I could just go out and get a second job (other than farming). My wife has “Island Fever” really bad and wants to move closer to her daughter in Oregon.

                            There is a joke among coffee farmers: Reportedly a haole coffee farmer said that he had started coffee farming with one million dollars and when that was gone he guessed he would have to quit. That is an exaggeration, but not by much, for starting a farm from scratch and buying the needed equipment to sell direct to the consumer. It depends on what scale of farming you are talking about of course.

                            It is very expensive to be a farmer in Hawaii. In many cases it doesn’t make economic sense to be a farmer in Hawaii. All supplies and equipment have to come from somewhere else and coffee farming in particular is equipment intensive, unless you just sell the raw coffee cherry to the coffee mills at .80-$.1.50 lbs. (it takes 8 lbs of coffee cherry to make 1lbs of roasted coffee) Pickers can cost 55 cents per pound for cherry so 4-5 dollars/lb of the retail price you pay is going to pickers. All Kona coffee is hand picked.

                            The remainder, after paying pickers, goes to buying fertilizer and water and labor to maintain the coffee fields. A coffee farmer (selling directly to the mill) can very easily end up in the red at the end of the year for an established coffee farm without adding in the initial cost of any equipment. Farm direct marketing to consumers and retail outlets does allow the farmer more of the pie, so to speak, but that takes a substantial initial investment in processing and roasting equipment.

                            So when you buy the cheep coffee in the grocery stores remember that big machines are used to harvest it and many of the South American coffee workers are getting a sub-subsistence wage. That is even truer for world Arabica varieties, which in most cases has to be hand picked. Conversely, when you see Kona Coffee in the stores at $20-25/lb, remember pickers in Hawaii make MUCH more than small coffee farmers around the world make.

                            The cost of Kona coffee isn’t entirely because it is considered a gourmet item.

                            If you are interested in supporting local (Kona) coffee farmers and buying direct:


                            Kona Coffee Council

                            My farm - Kona Mist Coffee

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Support the little farmers of Hawai'i!

                              Originally posted by DaveNSoKona
                              So when you buy the cheep coffee in the grocery stores remember that big machines are used to harvest it and many of the South American coffee workers are getting a sub-subsistence wage. That is even truer for world Arabica varieties, which in most cases has to be hand picked. Conversely, when you see Kona Coffee in the stores at $20-25/lb, remember pickers in Hawaii make MUCH more than small coffee farmers around the world make.

                              The cost of Kona coffee isn’t entirely because it is considered a gourmet item.

                              If you are interested in supporting local (Kona) coffee farmers and buying direct


                              excellent.

                              Comment

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