That Which Feeds Us
Kanekoa Kukea-Shultz exists in a world of dichotomy. He is a farmer and an intellectual.
Agriculture
Hawaii Farming's Uncertain Future
Hawaii's farmers can't catch a break. Rat lungworm has accelerated difficult changes in local farming. One local leader predicts a quarter of Hawaii’s produce farms will be out of business in a few years. They are already battered by high…
107 Years of Eggs on Oahu
Fourth-generation chicken farmer Chris Peterson inspects eggs over the candler, part of a machine that checks egg fertility and shell quality. The machine is crucial in handling the around 6,800 eggs per day from over 7,000 chickens at Petersons' Upland…
The Future of Farming
Imagine a world in which robots, drones and artificial intelligence plant, monitor, harvest, and deliver your food. This may sound like science fiction, but it is, in fact, the emerging reality in farming. “We’re seeing robots that can plant, water…
Not Your Father's Stock
Three Big Island breeders have welcomed 14 new alpacas to their pastures, part of what they say is a small but growing market in the state for the South American animals that resemble miniature llamas. Big…
The Need for Feed
The high cost of animal feed has long hindered the meat, poultry, dairy and seafood industries in the Islands, but local efforts on several fronts aim to reduce those expenses. Shipping feed from the Mainland costs about $150 to $200…
Budding Industry
Sixteen years ago, Hawaii legalized medical marijuana but never made it easy for qualified patients to obtain it. That’s about to change: Eight companies are preparing to open stores statewide that will sell state-tested and regulated medical marijuana for roughly…
Farmers Find Paradise
Life and business partners Scott Buske and Megan Collins have adventurous souls that led them to an overgrown orchard on the Big Island and a whole series of tasty foods they are selling to locals and the world. “I always…
Data-Driven Farming
Inspiration: Farmers told Vincent Kimura they needed an affordable way to protect their crops and increase their yields. Once he had an idea to address that problem, he teamed with Ryan Ozawa, Isar Mostafanezhad and Justin Hedani to create the…
