May 2019 – The Independent Voice

Tomorrow Selection Workshop 9 am

The Independent Voice
“Best Agricultural Newsletter in Hawaii”
Newsletter of the Kona Coffee Farmers Association
May 2019
PO Box 5436 Kailua Kona Hawaii 96745 USA
www.konacoffeefarmers.org info@konacoffeefarmers.org

Contents
Open Letter to the Governor
Coffee Leaf Rust
PBARC Staffers Certified to Q-Grade
Coffee Butter
Kamehameha Schools Cesspool Inspections
Coffee Donations Needed
Update Your Farmer Listing on the Website
New Tee Shirts for KCFA
Food Safety: Where Do You Stand?
Marketing Tactics
Post a Classified Ad on KCFA Website
Beyond Pesticides & AOPA Meetings Report
Recipe: Mango Chutney
Editor – Clare Wilson

Open Letter to the Governor

On March 24, 2019, the open letter linked below was sent to Governor David Ige expressing concern that his Hawaii Department of Agriculture had joined with the 10% coffee blenders in seeking to avoid the 51% blend minimum in House Bill 144. This bill had been favorably passed by two House committees and the full House of Representatives, but HB 144 was effectively killed in the Senate when the Agriculture and Environment Committee—at the suggestion of HDOA testimony—used a “gut and replace” maneuver to take out the 51% minimum and replace it with 3 years of “study”—essentially a stall tactic. Despite an overwhelming majority of written testimony from farmers, consumer groups, and others asking that the provisions of the House version be restored, HB 144 was subsequently killed by a vote to “defer” from the Senate Consumer Protection and Health Committee on April 2.
With the successes in the House and strong support from our Hawaii County legislators this year, we will be back next Legislative Session seeking reform of the 10% blend law. For far too long, Hawaii has been the only state in the US and the only region in the world to authorize the use of the name of one of its heritage agricultural crops on packages with only 10% genuine contents.
To read the March 24 letter, click here. To date, there has been no response from the Governor.
–Submitted by Bruce Corker

Coffee Leaf Rust

There is an interesting, detailed article about Leaf Rust in coffee at PerfectDailyGrind.com .

Here are some excerpts:
“Anyone who works in coffee production is likely familiar with the threat of coffee leaf rust. Devastating outbreaks of the fungus have made headlines in recent years. World Coffee Research reports that an epidemic that started in the 2011/2012 harvest season caused 70% devastation in Central America, with over US $3 billion in damages and lost income.
“Infection with coffee leaf rust not only affects the price of coffee, but has the potential to bankrupt small estates. An ill-timed outbreak can place already vulnerable workers in absolute poverty and destroy communities.
“So, how can you protect your farm from coffee leaf rust? Read on to learn about some good practices for monitoring and prevention, with insights from other producers.”
For the entire article, follow this link: https://www.perfectdailygrind.com/2019/04/how-to-monitor-for-prevent-coffee-leaf-rust/
Per Chet – “I suspect that like CBB it’s not a matter of IF but When!?”
–Submitted by Chet Gardiner

PBARC Focusing on Coffee Quality

Our island’s USDA researchers have taken a positive “next step” in their research. Two of the PBARC staff have gotten Q-Grader certified and the Hilo facility is installing a Q-Grade cupping room. All research activities around coffee will include harvesting, grading and roasting the beans with the final step in the cupping room. Going forward, growers can expect to know whether a USDA-recommended activity will
increase or decrease yield and what effect it will have on the final cupping quality. We applaud PBARC efforts to make our coffee better at every stage.
–Submitted by Suzanne Shriner

Nudge, world’s first coffee butter, wins Best New Food Product at Sca Expo
“…People are hungry for a new way to enjoy their coffee, and we are absolutely elated that nudge.™ Coffee Butter™ captured the attention and taste buds of the judges at the expo,” said David Burke, chief executive officer of Tierra Nueva. “Produced with our innovative whole bean coffee technology, a serving of nudge.™ Coffee Butter™ has 40mg of caffeine, uses 20 whole coffee beans, and is free of nuts and chocolate. When it launches in June, nudge.™ is poised to shake up the $3 billion U.S. nut-butter food category, which has seen little innovation or growth.”…
Follow the link to read the article: https://www.comunicaffe.com/nudge-worlds-first-coffee-butter-wins-best-new-food-product-at-sca-expo/
–Submitted by Cecelia Smith

Kamehameha Schools Cesspool Inspections

On behalf of our members who received the cesspool inspection letter from Kamehameha Schools, KCFA reached out to KS. This was their response:

Mahalo for your e-mail about the large capacity cesspools. As you know, lessees were notified that inspections will be conducted to determine which properties have large capacity cesspools (LCC). The inspections started earlier this month. If an inspection determines that there is no LCC (see March 19th letter for definitions), no further action by the lessee will be necessary. For properties that are found to have LCCs, the Asset Managers will be contacting the lessees after the inspections.
Until the results of the inspection are known, the Asset Managers don’t have any additional information for the lessees.

If individual lessees have questions about their particular parcel(s),
South Kona lessees may contact Ashley at 322-5306 or asobrey@ksbe.edu
and North Kona lessees may contact Perry Kealoha at 322-5310 or
pekealoh@ksbe.edu.
Mahalo,
Ashley and Jeri
–Submitted by Suzanne Shriner

KCFA Booth at “Slow Foods” Needs Coffee Donations

Aloha KCFA members! We are preparing to take a taste of Aloha to Denver, Colorado again this year and we need your help.
We will once again be participating in Slow Foods Denver in July. Last year this event was attended by over 24,000 people! We offer samples of 100% Kona coffee to event attendees who have never tasted anything but 10% Kona blends. It is always fun to watch their reaction to their first taste of real Kona!
Our main mission at this event is to educate consumers on the Mainland about how much counterfeit Kona coffee is sold and that 90% of a 10% Kona blend is not even grown in Hawaii! We encouraged them to visit KCFA website and buy farm direct from our members if they wanted to be sure they were getting true 100% Kona.
To help fund this trip we also sell 8 oz and 16 oz bags of 100% Kona Coffee with our KCFA label on each bag so we are not supporting just a couple of our members farms but all your farms. But to make this happen we are asking for a donation of green coffee to roast. Any amount is fine. We know that many of you are very low on coffee this year so even a donation of one or two pounds will help. Of course, if you have no coffee to donate you can always help out with a few dollars. Help with labeling and bagging is always appreciated as well.
Please contact Kay Dixon by email: kdixon7577@gmail.com or by phone: 808 785-6556 to arrange drop off or pick up of any and all donations.
Mahalo in advance for all of your help!
–Submitted by Kay Dixon

Update Your Farmer Listing on the Website

credit: smithfarms photo

When looking through all the “Buy from Farmer” listings on the KCFA website and there are 128 of them, make yours stand out with a photo. Update your offerings! The KCFA seal is the default you will see if you haven’t put a photo in your listing. A farm photo or a label image stands out with color and liveliness. Any photo will make your showing better. Look through the listings for yourselves here:

How to do it? Log in to your KCFA account with your Username/Password. Scroll down the Welcome page and in the far-right hand column is another LogIn- saying <Welcome Jane S.> and under that is: <Update Farm Info & Photos> click that and you get to your listing. At the top of that page is <Update Your Farm Info> <Photos>. To add a photo, click on <Photos> and proceed. Only JPEGS are allowed. You are now on your way! Questions? Email: info@KonaCoffeeFarmers.org
–Submitted by Cecelia Smith

New Tee Shirts for KFCA

artist Annie Oliverio back of Tee shirt with her design

The winner of our tee shirt design contest is Annie Oliverio, seen above modeling the ladies’ style. The men’s style is in gray. She lives in Oklahoma, and works for Susan Van Ordern’s coffee farm from time to time. We love the design – thanks Annie!
Available in our KCFA Store, very soon 18$ each- email here if you want to order now-limited supply-of course.
–Submitted by Cecelia Smith

Food Safety: Where Do You Stand?

Do you roast and pack your own coffee? Do you also pack any other items such as macadamias or avocados? Food Safety is a complicated issue at the moment. Acronyms such as FSMA, GAP, and HACCP need to be understood by every vertically-integrated grower. While some don’t apply to coffee (FSMA specifically exempts coffee), GAP or HACCP might apply to you. If you pack other products, or sell to companies that require a Food Safety Plan, you will want to attend the CTAHR training course on Friday, June 7th.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/produce-safety-alliance-grower-training-kona-tickets-61137123783
–Submitted by Suzanne Shriner

Marketing Tactics

Marketing tactics for Hawai‘i County small businesses and organizations
Presented by The Kohala Center in collaboration with GoFarm Hawai‘i, Mā‘ona Community Garden, and Hawai‘i Farmers Union United North Kohala chapter
Saturday, May 4 • 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
Mā‘ona Community Garden, 84-5097 Keala O Keawe Rd, Captain Cook, Hawai‘i Island (map)
Sunday, May 5 • 1–4 p.m.
The Barn at Kohala Village HUB, 55-514 Hāwī Rd, Hāwī, Hawai‘i Island (map)
Learn how to market your products at this workshop presented by Pomai Weigert, AgBusiness marketing consultant with GoFarm Hawai‘i. The workshop will focus on goal setting, how to identify sales targets, and practical tips and resources for sharpening your business strategy for marketing. There is no cost to attend; however, pre-registration is requested in advance online. Contact The Kohala Center at 808-887-6411 with questions. Workshops are presented with funding support from the County of Hawai‘i, USDA Rural Development, and USDA Program 2501.
»Register online

Beyond Pesticides & AOPA Meetings Report

As a Board of Directors’ member of Beyond Pesticides (www.beyondpesticides.org), it was my honor to attend the annual National Pesticides Forum in New York City in early April. The Forum was well attended (around 200 people), and well received by the city, including New York Parks, Grounds and Health professional groups. The final session was the movie, Ground War, after which a panel spoke about the consequences of Roundup use. On that panel was Dewayne “Lee” Johnson, a California groundskeeper who sued Monsanto for giving him Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and was subsequently awarded $289M. Mr. Johnson made the trip to NY from California despite the fact that cancer has taken a serious toll on his body, and he is covered in lesions.

Related to coffee, this is an important landmark case, since many Kona coffee farms continue or allow use of Roundup, and the liability of the manufacturer is likely only the first stage of the process. In said association, it is my hope to be able to bring Mr. Johnson to Hawaii to share his experiences with our home, where Roundup used directly impacts the marine ecosystem and the broader environment, affecting neighbors health and soils as well… Any interest in said topics can be directed to me, as the Chair of the KCFA Organic Committee (colemel2@gmail.com).

From NY, my efforts took me to Washington, DC where the annual membership meeting of American Origin Products Association (AOPA — www.aop-us.org/ was held on April 8 at the offices of the National Human Services Assembly, located at 14th and L (three blocks from the White House). While attendance was not as high as hoped, important role players were there, including Rex Stults of Napa Valley Vintners and Emily Rampone who is a Senator Sanders Agricultural Policy Advisor. The Director of oriGIn, who sponsored the meeting, participated in order to update regarding international law developments that affect AOPA products. One significant statement was that the US truly needs an active lobbying arm for AOPA needs to be included in political agreements/arrangements.

During our discussions, AOPA members heard from the Executive Director of Beyond Pesticides, Jay Feldman, who brings in over $1million annually to finance their non-profit efforts (note very little or none from US government grants) regarding fundraising strategies and best approaches. We further were joined by Alexis Baden-Mayer, Political Director of the Organic Consumers Association, who was able to share her long experience working in DC to influence legislators to pay attention to what we all (since we all are consumers) should recognize as consumer demands. Food & Water Watch, another very active national-scale non-profit, also had a staff member join us for lunch.

Members of AOPA prioritized pursuing funding through national programs focused on rural sustainability and small-scale agricultural programs. We concluded that we must focus on fund raising, and to seek partners who would work with us organizationally. In order to work with consumer outreach groups and other like-minded non-profits in the agricultural spectrum of products and crops that can be characterized as American Distinctive Products around the US (like Kona coffee, Napa wine, etc.), AOPA will spend the immediate future by updating the strategic plan for AOPA, and then taking that plan while following up on foundation references for support to get the group best established as a strong partner with groups such as oriGIn. We intend to further discuss how to achieve an active lobbying component, without established financial support in place, and we will explore options as they develop.

On my final day in Washington, DC, it was possible to have a meeting with James Chang, Policy Advisor to Senator Schatz, as well as a Legislative Fellow, Chris Thaxton. It was possible to thank the efforts of Senator Schatz regarding efforts to outlaw chlorpyrifos, and further to seek organic representation at the Hawaii Department of Agriculture level. Further, it was good to remind Mr. Chang of the place of Kona coffee within AOPA and thus into the international realm regarding support for Hawaii product protection. It was encouraged that more Congressional representatives take proactive steps to set standards that support the whole agricultural community and how it fits within the broader context of safe environments for both humans and all species, both in Hawaii and nationally. As with the AOPA and the Beyond Pesticides meetings, it was a reminder that building and maintaining relationships is a critical component for being heard and being listened to, and that we all must continue to work in partnership with other groups (including congressional representatives) that have shared goals and are willing to listen to our perspectives.
–Submitted by Colehour Bondera

Recipe: Mango Chutney
Posted before, but now that mango season is fast approaching, a repeat.
Serve alongside curry. or…cover a room temperature block of cream cheese with chutney and serve with crackers.

PUNA’S MANGO CHUTNEY RECIPE
13 pounds sliced half-ripe “common” mangoes – Ed note: one five-gallon bucket of whole mangoes
6T Hawaiian salt
4T finely chopped garlic
6T finely chopped ginger
2 qt. white vinegar
13 pounds sugar – half white & half brown
1-pound currants
3 pounds seedless golden raisins
4T small red Hawaiian chili peppers – seed and mince
Slice mangoes thin and in long strips. Put salt on the sliced mangoes and let stand in icebox overnight. Cook garlic and ginger in a little water and put in icebox overnight.
In the morning, drain liquid from mangoes. Bring vinegar and sugar to a boil – add raisins, currants, garlic, and ginger and boil one hour. Then add drained mangoes and chili peppers and cook until mangoes are clear. Ed note: takes about 5.5 hours
NEED: 30-40 Eight-ounce Jars or 25 Pint jars per batch. Put in when chutney and sterilized jars are hot and cover immediately. Store in cool dark place for several months.
HINTS:“Common” mangoes are the very best because they are fibrous and “maintain their slices” during the long cooking time. Other kinds of mangoes turn to mush. Slice thinly. Gather and peel the mangoes one day, and then cook the next.
Puna was my grandmother and was well known in Honolulu for having the best Mango Chutney.
–submitted by Cecelia Smith

Recipes Wanted! If any of you have coffee recipes that you would like to share, please submit them to the editor: clare@huahuafarm.com

LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK! >> Write to us. We welcome Letters to the Editor up to 150 words. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length. Include your name and email address >> Email: info@KonaCoffeeFarmers.org with SUBJECT: Commentary.