Ka`u News Briefs Monday, Feb.17, 2014

Free entry into Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park continues today in celebration of Presidents Day Weekend, with a special dinner at
Kilauea Military Camp's Crater Rim Cafe tonight. Photo by ranger Steve Geiger of HVNP

WHALE COUNTING could become more sophisticated if methods using high-resolution satellite cameras and new software are used for Hawaiian waters. According to an article in Plos One, which publishes scientific papers, southern right whales in the Gulf of Nuevo of Argentina were recently counted through an automated system that takes photos of the ocean there. The article states, "Currently, such work is done through counts conducted from a shore position, from the deck of a ship or from a plane. But these are necessarily narrow in scope. An automated satellite search could cover a much larger area of ocean at a fraction of the cost." The study is led by the British Antarctic Survey and "is a proof of principle," said Peter Fretwell, according to the Plos One report. Fretwell noted that "as the resolution of the satellites increases and our image analysis improves, we should be able to monitor many more species and in other types of location. It should be possible to do total population counts and in the future track the trajectory of those populations."

Humpbacks breed, calve and nurse in Hawaiian waters each winter. Photo from NOAA

  The annual Hawai`i Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary Ocean Count was held along the shorelines throughout the state  on Jan. 25 with participants tallying humpback whale sightings and documenting surface behavior during the survey at 60 sites statewide. The next count is this Saturday, Feb. 22. To volunteer, visit http:sanctuaryoceancount.org or call 808-268-3087. 

      The sanctuary is administered by a partnership of NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and the State of Hawai`i's Department of Land & Natural Resources, to protect humpbacks and their Hawaiian waters habitat where they migrate each winter to mate, calve and nurse their young. See more at www.plosone.org.
      Also see http://hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

CLIMATE CHANGE is the subject of a treaty signed last week by the U.S. and China which could help reduce emissions from Chinese, Indian, Indonesian and other Asian coal burning plants, the emissions carried toward Hawai`i where they enter the ocean and increase the toxicity of marine life. Secretary of State John Carry said yesterday during his visit to Indonesia that climate change is perhaps the world’s “most fearsome” destructive weapon. He criticized skeptics of climate change for using shoddy science in order to put off reduction of green house gas emissions.
     According to an Associated Press story, "China and the United States are the biggest sources of emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases that cause the atmosphere to trap solar heat and alter the climate. Scientists say such changes are leading to drought, wildfires, rising sea levels, melting polar ice, plant and animal extinctions and other extreme conditions."

Emissions from rapidly developing industry in Asia contribute to climate change and acidify
the ocean, affecting marine life. 

    The AP report quoted Kerry's speech in Jakarta, where he said, "everyone and every country must take responsibility for the problem and act immediately.We simply don’t have time to let a few loud interest groups hijack the climate conversation.”
     “We should not allow a tiny minority of shoddy scientists and science and extreme ideologues to compete with scientific facts. Nor should we allow any room for those who think that the costs associated with doing the right thing outweigh the benefits.”

MULTIPLE LANGUAGES for drivers license tests will be available in Hawaiian throughout the state starting at the end of March. Languages for testing will be English, Hawaiian, Spanish, Chuukese, and Marshallese. Tagalog, Japanese, Mandarin, Korean, Vietnamese, Samoan and Tongan were previously offered but discontinued as exam questions changed. They will be reinstated, according to the state Department of Transportation, which was sued in federal court. Plaintiffs claim the State of Hawai`i discriminated against immigrants by only offering the test in English.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

KA`U COFFEE FESTIVAL has rolled out its 2014 schedule to celebrate the award-winning Ka`u Coffee brew,  May 2-11 with the Ka`u Coffee Ho‘olaule‘a and Ka`u Coffee College wrapping up ten days of activities. The festival is funded by the County of Hawai‘i Department of Research & Development, Hawai‘i Tourism Authority, Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture and the Edmund C. Olson Trust and other private and non-profit donors and volunteers.

     The organizing committee encourages visitors to come to Ka`u and stay, visit Ka‘u Coffee farms, and to enjoy Ka`u's scenic and historic beauty, including Punalu‘u Black Sand Beach, Honu‘apo fishponds, the cliffs of Ka Lae and Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Accommodations and participating farms are listed at www.kaucoffeefest.com.
  

More than a week of visiting farms, tasting coffee, enjoying local food and celebrating the Ka`u Coffee industry begins May 2.
Photo from www.kaucoffeefest.com

   The organizing committee and its chair Chris Manfredi have realeased the schedule:
Friday, May 2: 5:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. Pa‘ina & Open House at historic Pahala Plantation House includes music, hula with Halau Hula O Leionalani, food and house tours. Donations accepted for Miss Ka‘u Coffee Scholarship Fund. Corner of Maile and Pikake in Pahala. Hosted by Pahala Plantation Cottages, Ka‘u Chamber of Commerce and The Ka‘u Calendar newspaper. www.kaucoffeefest.com, www.pahalaplantationcottages.com. 808-928-9811.
Saturday, May 3: Taste Success: 4th Annual Ka‘u Farmers’ Table at Kalaekilohana Inn and Retreat features locally sourced fine dining, premium live entertainment, and has been sold out three years running. Advance only tickets are $75 at www.kau-hawaii.com.
Sunday, May 4: Triple C Recipe offers competition in cookies, candies and crackers at 12:00 noon, all made with provided Ka‘u coffee. Attendance and coffee tasting are free; find contest entry info at kaucoffeemill.com.

Miss Ka`u Coffee Tiare-Lee Shibuya invites everyone
to become involved in Ka`u Coffee Festival 2014.
Photo by Julia Neal

Sunday, May 4: Doors open 6 p.m. for the annual Miss Ka‘u Coffee Pageant at Ka‘u Coffee Mill. For more information visit www.KauCoffeeFest.com.
Wednesday May 7: Explore flume systems of the sugarcane era and development of hydroelectric power on a Ka‘u Mountain Water System in the Wood Valley rainforest 9 a.m.-2 p.m. $40 includes lunch. Limited to 30. Visit www.kaucoffeemill.com or phonea. 928-0550.
Friday, May 9: Enjoy Coffee & Cattle Day at Aikane Plantation Coffee farm at 10 a.m., where descendants of the first coffee farmer in Ka‘u explain how coffee is integrated into other agriculture. $25 fee includes an all-you can eat buffet. Visit www.aikaneplantation.com or phone 808-927-2252.
Friday, May 9: Observe the heavens from the summit of Makanau at Ka‘u Star Gazing, 5:30-10 p.m. $35 with refreshments. To sign up, see www.kaucoffeemill.com or call 808-928-0550.
Saturday, May 10: Ka‘u Coffee Festival Ho‘olaule‘a offers a full day of music, hula, food, local crafts, coffee tastings and farm/mill tours at Pahala Community Center. Festival entry is free; Ka‘u Coffee Experience with guided coffee tasting $5; farm tours $20. Call 929-9550 or visit www.KauCoffeeFest.com.
Sunday, May 11: Learn about the coffee industry at the Ka‘u Coffee College at Pahala Community Center. Free, donations appreciated. Farm/ mill tours continue. Call 929-9550 or visit www.KauCoffeeFest.com.
     Founded in coffee traditions hailing to the 1800s— the 21st century Ka‘u Coffee  industry was founded by former sugar workers who found their own farms, developed their own brands and markets and entered the specialty coffee market where they have won many awards.
     Ka‘u Coffee Festival vendor and sponsorship opportunities are available. For more information and festival updates, visit kaucoffeefest.com, follow Ka‘u Coffee Festival on Facebook and @kaucoffeefest on Twitter, or call 929-9550.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

KA`U RESIDENTS CAN PARTICIPATE in this week’s County Council meetings via videoconferencing at Ocean View Community Center.  Committees meet Tuesday: Agriculture, Water & Energy Sustainability at 8 a.m.; Public Safety & Mass Transit at 1 p.m.; Human Services & Social Services at 1:15 p.m.; Planning at 1:45 p.m.; Finance at 4 p.m. 

County Council resolutions and petitions call for keeping home rule for
each county regarding GMO regulations.

      The full Council meets Wednesday at 9 a.m. A resolution on the agenda requests the state Legislature to pass a bill that would provide counties with greater authority over agricultural matters, including regulation of the cultivation and development of genetically engineered crops and plants and associated pesticides. Kohala Council member Margaret Wille introduced the resolution following Hawai`i County’s approval of her bill banning GMOs, with some exemptions, and introduction of bills at the state Legislature that would restrict counties’ ability to adopt laws that are possibly in conflict with state and federal laws.
      Wille’s Resolution 272-14 reads, in part, “The Council is concerned that state Legislators have introduced legislation designed to eliminate county level authority (‘home rule’) over agricultural practices, even when certain practices may severely impact the health of neighboring residents and the unique and delicate ecosystems of each island." 

     The state legislation opposed by Wille is supported  by the Hawai`i Farm Bureau Federation and its president Chris Manfred, of Na`alehu, and was introduced by the Farm Bureau's legislator of the year, east Ka`u state Rep. Richard Onishi. 

      Agendas for all county council meetings are available at hawaiicounty.gov. To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

FREE ENTRANCE TO HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK continues today in celebration of Presidents Day weekend.

KILAUEA MILITARY CAMP’S CRATER RIM CAFE in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park offers Presidents Day Buffet today from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Menu includes pork pot roast, honey BBQ chicken and home-style meat loaf with corn on the cob, mashed potatoes, steamed rice, ice cream station and beverage. $15.25 adults; $8 children 6 – 11 years old. Open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. Call 967-8371 for more information.

SEE FEBRUARY’S ISSUE of The Ka`u Calendar newspaper online at kaucalendar.com.

SEE THE KA`U DIRECTORY 2014 For a page-turning version, seekaucalendar.com/Directory2014.swf. For a pdf version, see kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.pdf.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK. 

Ka`u News Briefs, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2014

The ukulele drew Trevor Taylor and Jamal Buyan to classes with Keoki Kahumoku in Ka`u and then to the Palace Theatre last fall
to perform with `ukulele recording artist Brittany Paiva, who also started her `ukulele career as a Kahumoku student.
 Photo by Julia Neal

THE `UKULELE may have a new tag line – the official state musical instrument of Hawai`i. A bill making its way through the state legislature recognizes what people worldwide already know. The `ukulele is integral to Hawaiian multiethnic culture. Only a few other states have officially honored instruments. In Kentucky it’s the Appalachian dulcimer. In Louisiana, it’s the squeeze box – the Cajun or diatonic accordion, Texas the guitar and Wisconsin the accordion. Arkansas, Oklahoma and South Dakota name the fiddle as their state instrument.

`Ukulele could become the official state instrument, like the dulcimer
in Kentucky and the squeeze box in Louisiana. Photo by Julia Neal

  The bill to honor the `ukulele notes cutbacks in music education funding and points to the `ukulele as an instrument to help save music in the schools. It also quotes the late Big Island famed musician Kindy Sproat who said, “One `ukulele and one soul can do a lot.”

    East Ka`u Rep. Richard Onishi is on the House Veterans, Military & International Affairs & Culture & the Arts Committee that is recommending passage of HB 27853, the `ukulele bill. During a hearing on Feb. 12, testimony came from `ukulele players and enthusiasts, including one Neighbor Island school teacher who leads an `ukulele band of middle school students who are able to travel to the mainland annually to share music and culture “as Ambassadors of Aloha.” Another testifier, Chris Kamaka, wrote his support and noted that the `Ukulele Hall of Fame, located on the East Coast, has been wanting to move the organization home to Hawai`i.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

CHALLENGER FOR THE U.S. SENATE SEAT, Colleen Hanabusa, leads in February polls released today by the Honolulu Star Advertiser and Hawai`i News Now. Hanabusa, who serves in the U.S. House of Representatives, has better recognition than other candidates and leads among likely-to-vote seniors, those of Japanese ancestry and union members, according to the poll conducted by Ward Research, Inc. Hanabusa faces incumbent Brian Schatz in the Democratic primary. Schatz was appointed to represent Hawai`i in the U.S. Senate by Gov. Neil Abercombie in December of 2012 after the death of longtime Sen. Daniel Inouye.    

U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz

U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa

  According to the Honolulu Advertiser story, the poll found that “a quarter of voters interviewed did not know enough about Schatz to form an opinion about the senator.
     “Hanabusa was at 48 percent and Schatz was at 40 percent in the poll of Democratic primary voters. Eleven percent were undecided,” the Advertiser reported. The poll showed that “Hanabusa also had a 62 percent favorable rating, the second highest — behind U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard — of all the politicians tested.
     “Schatz's favorable rating was 51 percent. More importantly, 13 percent of voters had never heard of the senator, while 12 percent had heard of him but did not know enough to draw a conclusion.”
     The story noted that Schatz “has a fundraising advantage over Hanabusa. Strategically, the young senator may have to use the campaign money soon to better define himself for voters before Hanabusa has the chance to write the narrative.”
    The Schatz campaign conducted its own poll showing Schatz with a small edge over Hanabusa in late January. "Elections aren't decided in February, though, and we know this is going to be a hard campaign," Schatz said.
     See more at www.staradvertiser.com and www.hawaiinewsnow.com
     The primary election is Saturday, Aug. 9 and the General Election is Tuesday, Nov. 4. Those wanting to run for local office from County Council to state legislature and congress, can pick up papers at the County Clerk’s office through June 3. 

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

HOPING TO FIND HER BELONGINGS, Trudi Grentz, victim of a robbery on South Point Road, is hoping that someone may have clues to their location. During an interview yesterday, Grentz reviewed the incident. She said she was working at Paradise Meadows farm on Jan. 26 at 9 a.m. putting out the signs for the agrotourism establishment.

      A man and woman, whom she says were unknown to her, drove by in a small white car, turned their car around and drove up to her when she was placing two signs on the South Point side of Paradise Meadows driveway. Grentz said the woman emerged from the car, raised a hatchet and warned Grentz to get away from her own car. Grentz said she asked her "What's wrong with you?" and that the woman “had the hatchet raised and was waiving it around and told me to get away from my car again. She started to swing at me with the hatchet and I blocked it and took it away from her, and threw it into the bushes on the other side of the road." Grentz said the woman jumped into the drivers seat of Grentz’s convertible. Grentz reached in and shut the car off, but unable to retrieve the keys. While she was struggling, the woman’s companion “grabbed my bag with my wallet, laptop, cell pone and jewelry making supplies” and “he drove away."
     Grentz said she was assisted by a neighbor and the owners of Paradise Meadows, but the woman assailant  “took off over the top of the wall, barefoot, and disappeared into the brush." 

Grentz said she was helped by Paradise Farm owners and neighbors after being
attacked when putting up signs along South Point Road. Photo by Julia Neal

     Police arrived and took statements from witnesses, including descriptions of the woman's  many tatooos, Grentz said. Within a few hours police presented Grentz with a lineup of photos, from which she was able to pick out the woman, who was arrested the next day and remains in jail. Grentz said that her assailant told police that her accomplice "made her do it." He was also arrested after the police presented Grentz with a photo lineup. He too remains in jail and is suspected of robbing a fisherman on South Point Road the same day of the Grentz incident, she said. The two in custody are from Ocean View.
    Grentz said that she hopes that anyone with any information on the possible location of her belongings that were stolen will call the Ka`u Police Department. Grents, who came from a small town in Washington state, said she has never before been a crime victim or been afraid. She is a property owner in Ka`u who hopes to someday build a house, but said, "Now I am leery and I hope that it passes." She said that until the incident she felt safe in Ka`u and had been welcomed to work and live here "by many nice people."
    She said she is particularly interested in recovering her laptop and the feathers she uses to make jewelry, the feathers collected from the farm where she works and out in the wild. To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

FREE ENTRANCE TO HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK is today and during tomorrow's holiday to honor Presidents Day Weekend.

KILAUEA MILITARY CAMP offers a President's Day Buffet at Crater Rim Cafe from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. 967-8371.

            

Ka`u News Briefs, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2014

A snoozing sow at a Korean Natural Farming pig operation on the Big Island at Hubbles Hog Heaven.
Photo from Hubbles Hog Heaven

LEGISLATION FOR LABELS on GMO foods and cell phones passed out of the state Senate Health Committee this week, according to its chair, west Ka`u senator and physician Josh Green. SB 2571 SD1 would require all new and used cellular telephones sold or leased by a retailer in Hawai`i to bear this label:
     "To reduce exposure to radiation that may be hazardous to your health, please follow the enclosed product safety guidelines.....” The bill would require the warning label be "conspicuous, legible, non-removable and printed in bold lettering, and affixed to the front and back of all cellular telephone packaging."

A poster about cell phones in San Francisco,
where there is also debate about warnings.

     The senator stated: “We need to make sure cell phones are as safe as possible to use and that consumers are clearly informed that over-exposure to radiation from cell phones can be harmful to your health. Cell phones are an almost universally used tool and are here to stay, which makes it even more important that they are used safely and that consumers are aware of the potential hazards. The cell phone manufacturers themselves include legal disclaimers and health warnings buried deep in the packaging and instructional materials of their products, and in the phone software menus themselves. This measure is intended to clearly inform consumers of the health warnings that are buried in cell phone product safety guidelines.”
     The cell phone bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Consumer Protection, which has not yet scheduled it for a hearing. See http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=2571&year=2014 

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

LABELING FOOD FROM GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS would be required by SB 2521. Also championed by Sen. Josh Green, it would mandate the labeling for raw agricultural commodities, processed food, and seed or seed stock, that have been genetically engineered.
     “The people of Hawai`i have a right to know what is in the food they eat,” Green said. “If the people want a label informing them that there are GMOs in foods, then the legislature should follow their will and pass a simple but effective labeling system.” The bill was passed on Feb. 13 in a hearing of the Senate Committee on Health. It was referred to the Senate Committees on Consumer Protection and Ways and Means, which are yet to schedule hearings. See
http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=2521 

    Chris Manfredi, of Na`alehu, a coffee broker and land manager, who recently became President of the Hawai`i Farm Bureau Federation, testified that the Hawai`i Farm Bureau "strongly opposes SB 2521." He said, "We strongly believe that food labeling should be regulated at a federal level." Manfredi also stated: "There are no credible studies, much less a consensus among researchers and the medical community, that crops produced with GMO technology are unsafe. In fact the opposite is true. Independent reviews of thousands of studies have to come to the consensus conclusion that GMO crops are safe."

    Green disagrees with Manfredi's opposition to labeling and is joined by another physician, Dr. Richard Creagan, who represents west Ka`u in the state House of Representatives, owns a farm in Ka`u, and is a member of Hawai`i Farmers Union United. Creagan said this morning that "People will not agree on safety of GMOs because there is a range of GMOs and many studies to be done. However, the right to know is important. If you are worried about what's in your food it is going to have a negative effect on your health. The only way to allay suspicions it to label what is in the food. The Europeans have done this," noted Creagan.

     However, the state Department of Health does not want to be involved in regulating GMO labeling. Gary Gill, Deputy Director of Evironmental Health for the State of Hawai`i, testified that the department "does not object in principle to a labeling policy to enhance public awareness of the absence or presence of genetiacally engineered food or food ingredients in Hawai`i markets. However, the Department is not in a position to enforce such legislation because practical and legally defensable anyalytical methods to detect any and all genetic modifications do not exist."  The testimony from the state Department of Health also states that "Currently, there is no conclusive scientific evidence of negative health effects associatied with the consumption of genetically engineered food or food products as determined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. As such we do not believe such labeling is a health issue and thus do not support any such program being assigned to the Department to administer."

     Hawai`i Farmers Union United wrote to the legislature "in strong support of SB 2521" requiring GMO food labeling. The Farmers Union testimony noted that many of its thousands of farmers across the country grow GMO foods but the organization supports labeling. "The public has come out in record numbers for local GMO bills on both Kaua`i and Big Island. This is just another sign that the public wants the lawmakers of our state to give us, at the very least, this tool so that we can make informed decisions as consumers," states Hawai`i Farmers Union testimony.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

DR. LINDA ROSEN is the new chief of the state Department of Health, appointed yesterday by Gov. Neil Abercrombie, following the death of Director Loretta Fuddy in December. Fuddy died of a cardiac arrhythmia while awaiting an ocean rescue after an airplane accident in waters off Moloka`i. She was was well known for her advocacy for health care for the poor and her support for the Ka`u Local Consortium, which helps childbearing teens and women, under the guidance of Donna Kekoa and other volunteers. 

Dr. Linda Rosen was named Director of Health yesterday by Gov. Neil Abercrombie
Photo from governor.hawaii.gov

     Fuddy’s replacement is a pediatrician and medical school professor, and serves as chief of the state Emergency Medical Services and Injury Prevention System Branch. Rosen is expected to be confirmed by the state Senate soon, according to Senate Health Committee chair and west Ka`u’s Sen. Josh Green. Green spoke to the Honolulu Star Advertiser on Friday about  Rosen. "We have a close working relationship, and I have a lot of respect for Dr. Rosen. Linda's done an exceptional job developing our trauma system and is a strong physician leader."
   In Abercrombie’s statement, the governor noted that Rosen has more than 30 years in medicine, including administrative positions for more than a decade. “I have full confidence that Linda will continue the significant progress realized under late Director Loretta Fuddy for the remainder of her term." 

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

PIGS GROWN WITH THE NATURAL KOREAN method of managing waste with IMOs – indigenous micorganisms, and a deep waste litter system, “are less susceptible to disease and personal injury” and show higher daily average weight gain, according to a University of Hawai`i report covered in a recent Megan Moseley story in Hawai`i Tribune Herald. The story says that the “Korean-based method of managing animal waste is improving hog farming conditions and garnering support on Hawaii Island.” The story quotes Hawai`i County research and development deputy director Donn Mende saying, “There seems to be a growing interest in natural farming.”
     There are more than 40 Korean Natural Farming piggeries in Hawai`i and some of them allow farm tours, such as Hubbles Hog Heaven in east Hawai`i. See http://hubbleshogheaven.blogspot.com

Lack of odor is a benefit of raising pigs with IMOs. Photo from Hubbles Hog Heaven

    The Tribune Herald story quotes U.H. East Hawai`i agricultural extension agent Michael Duponte. After visiting Sim Mook Kang’s farm in Mountain View, Dupont told the reporter, “When I walked in – I couldn’t believe what I saw – no smell, no flies.” The reporter notes that Kang put IMOs into use for the first time in the U.S. in 2009.
     The writer explains that the “lack of smell that’s typically associated with pig waste can be attributed to the use of the indigenous microorganisms or IMOs. Farmers who follow the Korean Natural Farming method incorporate IMOs into the soil that end up breaking down the animal waste naturally.”
     In his report, DuPonte, explains that through the Korean Natural Farming method, the deep green waste litter system also uses “strategic solar positioning and natural ventilation for drying and cooling.”
     The Moseley story also covers a U.S. Department of Agriculture document’s explanation of four types of IMOs. “IMO 1 are organisms that have been gathered by exposing sterile, fresh-cooked rice substrate to good fertile soil from the local garden, farm field and humus from under trees and bushes. Mature IMO 1 is bound together with fungal mycelia and also contains a variety of bacteria and other microorganisms. IMO 2 involves IMO 1 organisms along with the rice substrate, which has been mixed with an equal weight of brown sugar, mashed to a paste and allowed to ferment under a porous cover for at least a week. IMO 3 involves completed IMO 2 that has been diluted with water and optional nutrients and used to moisten rice or wheat bran, followed by fermentation to multiply the IMO 2 organisms. The fermentation lasts a week or more depending on conditions. IMO 4 is IMO 3 that has been mixed with an equal weight of good rock-free native topsoil and allowed to continue fermentation until activity subsides.”
     The Tribune Herald story reports DuPonte saying that the Kang farm “has had no need to add additional IMO’s since it started that practice and that there is no runoff or need to clean the piggery.”
     See more at hawaiitribune-herald.com and at hubbelshogheaven.blogspot.com. Also see https://www.facebook.com/CGNFHawaii.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

PEOPLE & LANDS OF KAHUKU is a a guided, 2.5 -mile hike at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park's Kahuku Unit tomorrow at 9:30 a.m.. Call 985-6011. 

FREE ENTRANCE TO HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK continues today through Monday in celebration of President's Day weekend.

PRESIDENTS DAY BUFFET will be offered Monday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Kilauea Military Camp's Crater Rim Cafe. 967-8371.

SEE THE DIRECTORY 2014 ONLINE. For a page-turning version, seekaucalendar.com/Directory2014.swf. For a pdf version, see kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.pdf.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.