Hawaii island
The Kohala Center now offers two programs for aspiring farmers and ranchers on Hawaii island: the Beginning Farmer-Rancher Development Program and GoFarm Hawaii.
The Kohala Center, a community research and education organization, said in a news release its Beginning Farmer-Rancher Development Program has graduated over 120 students since 2013.
Cohort seven of the beginning program starts on Feb. 4 in Honokaa, with sessions held every other Saturday through October from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Classes will meet primarily in Honokaa but will rotate between training sites in Hawi, Kailua-Kona and Kau to encourage participation from multiple regions of Hawaii island, the news release said.
“The program provides 188 hours of coursework, on-farm demonstrations, workshops, field trips, and online resources covering topics such as soil fertility management, tropical crop production, livestock production, business planning and financing, and agricultural product marketing,” according to the release.
Tuition is $250 and scholarship assistance is available. Students who complete it are eligible for assistance with farm leases and start-up capital. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the County of Hawaii Department of Research and Development are sponsors.
GoFarm Hawaii will offer classroom instruction, tours of local farms, and hands-on experience in small-scale farming at the Kohala Center’s demonstration farm in Honokaa. An “AgCurious” introductory session is the first of three phases, and is followed by four AgXposure site visits. AgXposure participants may then apply to AgSchool, an intensive, hands-on, four-month farmer training program.
Applicants interested in GoFarm at The Kohala Center are encouraged to attend the AgCurious session on Jan. 12 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the North Hawaii Education and Research Center in Honokaa. AgCurious and AgXposure are free, while AgSchool is $20 per session, and there are 13 sessions. To apply, email Derrick Ki-yabu at derrick@gofarmhawaii.org.
More information is available at kohalacenter.org/farmertraining.
