The Independent Voice
Newsletter of the Kona Coffee Farmers Association
November 2023
PO Box 5436 Kailua Kona Hawaii 96745 USA
www.konacoffeefarmers.org info@konacoffeefarmers.org
Contents
Message from President Petersen
51% Labeling Sign Up Reminder
Product Labeling Background Information
Priaxor “Emergency Permit” Restrictions Removed
LFA Support from the Hawaii Ant Lab
The New Education Page on the KCA Website
Hawai’i Ag Mediation Program Expands Services
Kona Coffee Cultural Festival
Green Coffee Summit Dec. 5/6 – free
Holualoa Coffee & Art Stroll
What Impacts Your Coffee More than your Coffee Maker
Used Coffee Grounds May be Harmful to your Plants
El Niño Active
Salute to Business Member – Dovetail Gallery and Design
Editor – Clare Wilson
Message from President Petersen
Aloha Coffee Farmers,
Last week your Association had a well-attended gathering at Kahaluu State Park in the early evening. Those who were there enjoyed the live music, fellowship, and good food during a little break in the picking season. Farmers that I visited talked about abundant cherries, tolerating CLR with a curiosity about a resurgence of twig borer beetle.
As a group we also discussed the planned actions by Guild Consulting of Honolulu to complete the study funded by the legislature to assess the effects of a proposed 51% minimum Kona coffee in retail blends Consumer Protection Law. The consulting firm has started their work by soliciting farmers to sign in at a webpage. The webpage can be accessed at the following QR code where you will answer a few questions on how you can be contacted for participation in focus groups discussions. I hope our members and nonmember farmers respond to this call for data collection for the 51% Blend Study by signing up to participate.
Last month our Education Committee sponsored a webinar about crop insurance. It was a good meeting with great information. This was their third event this year (Good job Education Committee). When you go to the Coffee and Art Stroll on November 4 in Holualoa, stop in and say Aloha to our members working at the booth.
Lastly, I would like to ask everyone to think about what role they would like to play in the Association. We will be having our Annual Meeting later in the winter and will be looking for new Board members to elect at that time. Please get yourself on the ballot. The board is made up of great people and you can join us.
Have a Wonderful Thanksgiving and a successful end to your picking season.
Mahalo nui loa!
Mark Petersen
Reminder: Sign up to Participate in the 51% Label Study
Please take 2 minutes to sign up with GUILD Consulting so our farmer voices are heard as they develop the 51% Labeling Study. Use the QR code in Mark Peterson’s letter above or click on this link: https://tinyurl.com/4usvfek9
Some Background Information Related to the Labeling Study
Economic Impact Studies:
The United Nations’ Food & Agriculture Organization study, “Strengthening Sustainable Food Systems Through Geographic Indications”, that incudes that Hawaii origin brands, like Kona coffee do “not enjoy any strong protection of its name” and as a result “downstream stakeholders [rather than farmers] reap the economic benefits of the fame of Kona”, pp 83-90. Here is the link — https://tinyurl.com/yuu4yuky
The study entitled “Economic Effects of Blending Kona Coffee” by resource economist Marvin Feldman that finds that millions of dollars are collectively lost each year by coffee farmers because of the marketing of 10% Kona blends. This study was cited as a resource I the UN/FAO study. The Feldman study can be reviewed by doing a web search for “Economic Effects of Blending Kona CoffeeFinal5”
The 2020 DBET/HDOA sponsored study entitled “The Estimated Economic Impact of Hawaii Place-Based Marketing by Firms Without Material Ties to the State of Hawai’i” https://files.hawaii.gov/
Actions Taken by Other States:
For decades, Idaho law has required use of the name “Idaho” on potato labels only when 100% of the contents are Idaho-grown potatoes; Georgia has required 100% for Vidalia Onion labels; Vermont has required 100% for Vermont maple syrup; and California law requires 75% minimum origin content to use the words “Napa” or “Sonoma” in the trade names on bottles of wine. Why have these states continued these origin protections for many years? What economic impact do they see from these legal requirements on agricultural producers in their states?
Other Articles
The San Francisco Chronicle article concerning “How US Businesses are Cashing in on the ‘Made in Hawaii’ Label” at the expense of local producers and consumers.”
https://www.sfgate.com/hawaii/
~Submitted by Bruce Corker
Priaxor “Emergency Permit” Restrictions Removed
In CLR news, the USEPA has approved the Priaxor fungicide for regular use on coffee, and removed the “emergency permit” restrictions, effective November 1. Growers may now spray without the requirement to notify HDOA before each spray. The post-spray recordkeeping burden has also eased. Please note that the 45-day preharvest window, twice-a-year limit, and 25-foot property line buffer still applies.
To catch Dr. Melissa Johnson’s discussion on the different fungicide products for CLR (including Priaxor), please check out her webinar to KCFA on Youtube. The chemical control section starts at roughly minute 28. Priaxor shows strong control of CLR, however it is a strong fungicide that requires appropriate protective equipment.
As with all products, please follow the label. More information and the updated labels can be found at https://hdoa.hawaii.gov/pi/
LFA Support from the Hawaii Ant Lab
No matter what situation you are in (Little Fire Ants everywhere, or none yet in sight) there’s something you can do to protect your farm from these invasive pests! The Hawaii Ant Lab offers FREE site visits to farmers in need. We help you develop a management plan and give training in surveying, prevention, treatment and monitoring. Free test kits also available on our website.
Sign up today. Call 808-315-5656 or email info@littlefireants.com
Check Out the New Education Page on the KCFA Website
Next time you’re online, log in to your KCFA account and navigate to the NEW “Education” page under the “Farmers Resources” tab!
In the works is another section devoted to coffee equipment and coffee-related services.
We would love to hear what you think! Please email your feedback, suggestions, and other great resources to info@konacoffeefarmers.org.
Mahalo,
KCFA Education Committee
Hawai’i Agricultural Mediation Program Expands Services
The Hawaiʻi Agricultural Mediation Program (HIAMP) today announced that farmers in the state of Hawaiʻi can now access free mediation services for a broader range of agricultural issues. Since 2012, HIAMP has helped farmers resolve disputes confidentially and for free. Now, with support from the USDA and the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture, HIAMP is expanding its services to include mediation for issues related to assessments, contracts, cooperatives, farm management, labeling, labor, and water.
“Farmers in these situations may find it difficult to resolve these issues by themselves. Whether it’s a situation involving water, an employee’s housing or pay, or a dispute with a governing agency about the language used on their products, both sides often try everything to fix the problem on their own but aren’t able to make the progress hoped for,” HIAMP mediator Steve Bess said. “It’s amazing how effective mediation can be in helping to find mutually acceptable solutions.”
Mediation is a voluntary and confidential process where an impartial person (mediator) helps parties explore their options and negotiate agreements. Recent HIAMP data show success rates of over 80 percent when mediation is tried before resorting to arbitration, litigation, or some other dispute resolution method.
HIAMP offers on-site mediation sessions and teleconferencing sessions so that everyone has access to this service no matter where they live. Bess says issues are typically resolved or improved dramatically within one to three meetings.
The complete list of agricultural issues eligible for free mediation now includes assessments, contracts, debt issues, disputes involving cooperatives, crop insurance, credit counseling, farm loans, family farm transitions, farm management, farmer-neighbor disputes, labor issues, labeling, land and equipment leases, organic certification, pesticide issues, USDA farm and conservation programs, USDA rural development loans, water disputes, and wetlands determinations.
For more information or to sign up for free mediation with HIAMP, visit www.HIAMP.org. You can fill out an online request form or contact Matt Strassberg at matts@emcenter.org.
More info: https://konacoffeefarmers.org/
Green Coffee Summit on Dec. 5/6 – free
Green Coffee Summit is a unique virtual platform that offers invaluable insights into the world of coffee production, trade, and value discovery. In an ever-evolving landscape, staying ahead of the curve with current developments in the industry is essential, and attendees can look forward to expert discussions on production forecasts, market trends, and the ever-changing legislative landscape.
https://www.comunicaffe.com/
“MILAN – The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) announces the third edition of Green Coffee Summit, the free-to-attend event consisting of two days of presentations, lectures, and panel discussions. This virtual event will take place on December 5 and 6, 2023 and feature live content focused on providing reliable, actionable knowledge about specialty coffee markets for producers, traders, and green coffee buyers alike.
Holualoa Coffee & Art Stroll
Presented by KCFA and the Holualoa Village Ohana
The 1 Thing That Impacts Your Coffee’s Quality More than Your Coffee Maker
How to choose the best bean grinder, because there are a whole lot of options out there.
https://www.huffpost.com/
“Even amateur coffee drinkers have heard about the importance of bean freshness when it comes to making a cup of java at home. But not many people talk about the value of grinders.
Why Used Coffee Grounds may be doing Your Plants More Harm than Good
(may need subscription, sorry)
We are often told to add used coffee grounds to garden soil to perk up plants. But the science doesn’t support this, says James Wong
https://www.newscientist.com/
“WANDERING around an achingly cool San Francisco coffee shop a few years ago, I was fascinated to see huge, open-topped barrels filled with used coffee grounds and a sign saying they were free for customers to scoop into recycled bags and take home to perk up their plants. I realized that we had reached peak hipster.
Indeed, the claim that coffee waste dramatically boosts plant growth has been a staple of organic gardening books since at least the 1970s, and seems to be seeing a modern renaissance. Proponents everywhere wax lyrical about how the spent grounds are not only rich …”
El Niño Active, Positive Indian Ocean Dipole Strengthens
Broadscale pressure and cloud patterns over the Pacific reflect El Niño. Trade wind strength over the past fortnight has been weaker than average in the western Pacific but is close to normal elsewhere
https://www.comunicaffe.com/
The confirmation of an established El Niño increases the likelihood that the event will be sustained through the austral summer period
“MELBOURNE, Australia – An El Niño and a positive IOD are underway. According to the latest Climate Driver Update releasded by the Bureaus of Meteorology of the Australian Government, oceanic indicators firmly exhibit an El Niño state. Central and eastern Pacific sea surface temperatures (SSTs) continue to exceed El Niño thresholds. Models indicate further warming of the central to eastern Pacific is likely.
Broadscale pressure and cloud patterns over the Pacific reflect El Niño. Trade wind strength over the past fortnight has been weaker than average in the western Pacific but is close to normal elsewhere…”
Salute to Business Member – Dovetail Gallery & Design
The Dovetail is one of the highest quality art galleries on the island. Contemporary fine art pieces, bowls, jewelry, lamps, ceramic bowls, oil paintings and hand-carved furniture are featured in this inviting Holualoa gallery. Art aficionados will appreciate the hand-carved furniture, lamps, and bowls by Gerald Ben, sculpture and ceramics by David Kuraoka and Sam Rosen to name a few. For those that truly appreciate museum-quality visionary design, this gallery has everything for the discerning shopper, designer or architect who wants to bring “Aloha” home.
Location
76-5942 Mamalahoa Hwy, Holualoa, HI
(808) 322-4046
Hours
Tuesday-Saturday
11am – 4pm
KCFA
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Suggestion Box
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