When Waimanalo farmer Dean Okimoto saw the storm images on weather radar heading for Hawaii on Monday and Tuesday, he harvested as much of his tender baby lettuce as he could. By Wednesday much of his 12-acre farm was underwater.
The heavy storms that mainly inundated Oahu and Kauai this week flooded roads, streams, some homes — and a fair share of farms.
Okimoto’s ‘Nalo Farms was particularly hard hit.
"Basically it’s gone," Okimoto said of his microgreens.
A large corner of ‘Nalo Farms looked like a lake Wednesday, with water waist-high in the worst places. Even fields not submerged got so much rain that the greens are waterlogged and will need to be tilled under. Okimoto’s 24 employees had no work Thursday and Friday because of the situation.
Okimoto said Friday that it will take one day for his fields to dry enough to start replanting, but that it will take three to four weeks before any new greens are ready for harvest.
That means his product won’t be available to restaurants for that long, and longer for supermarkets and farmers markets.
Okimoto estimated his losses at $50,000 and perhaps closer to $80,000.
Janelle Saneishi, spokeswoman for the state Department of Agriculture, said farm damage reports are expected to come in especially from Kauai, but it could be days or weeks after the storm before an official assessment is made.
The federal Farm Service Agency typically checks farms to assess damage, and administers disaster assistance programs.
Some farms in places hit hardest by rain suffered few ill effects.
"We got hit (by thunderstorms), but our property drains out really well," said Glenn Martinez, owner of the organic Waimanalo farm Olomana Gardens.
Kevin Vaccarello, a partner in Palaka Moon Farm, also in Waimanalo, said his leafy greens are grown in raised beds and aquaponic systems and were spared damage.
Forecasters expect a deep upper-level trough to keep the weather unsettled through Saturday, leading to improving conditions Sunday, though rain is still in the forecast.
