Hawaii Organic Farming Association

Creating a Sustainable Future for Hawaii

  • Tropical Fruit

Find Hawaii Organic Products & Producers

The Hawaii Organic Marketplace is the only resource that is organized by island. This helps everyone connect with producers of certified organic crops, livestock, and processed products across the Hawaiian Islands.

Organic Certification Cost Share Program NOTICE OF FUNDS AVAILABILITY

Deadline for getting your completed application for cost-share funding in to your FSA county office is October 31, 2020.

CHANGES for FY 2020-2023:
For Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 through 2023, FSA is revising the reimbursement amount to 50 percent of the certified organic operation’s eligible expenses, up to a maximum of $500 per scope. This change is due to the limited amount of funding available and will allow a larger number of certified organic operations to receive assistance. If additional funding is authorized at a later time, FSA may provide additional assistance to certified operations that have applied, not to exceed 75% of eligible costs, up to $750 per scope.

View the Organic Certification Cost Share Program Fact Sheet (August 10, 2020)
View the Organic Certification Cost Share Program Fact Sheet (August 10, 2020)

Formerly, eligible certified organic operations could receive reimbursement of 75% of eligible costs, up to a maximum payment of $750 per scope, which is the maximum allowed by law. In FY 2019 and prior years, funds were available to cover all applications; however, the amount of funding available will not cover expected participation levels in FY 2020.

Visit USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP) home page

Read the Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) published August 10, 2020 in the Federal Register Vol. 85, No. 154

HAWAII STATE ORGANIC FOODS PRODUCTION TAX CREDIT

To apply for the Organic Foods Production Tax Credit businesses must complete all parts of the Request for Certification of Organic Foods Production Costs form on company letterhead, and return the form to the Hawaii Department of Agriculture.

THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS MARCH 31 OF THE YEAR IN WHICH QUALIFIED EXPENSES WERE INCURRED BY THE TAXPAYER IN THE PREVIOUS TAXABLE YEAR. 

If the application is approved, HDOA will send a signed N-354 form to the applicant. This form must be attached to the taxpayer’s tax return when it is filed. Applications will be processed on a first come first served basis and will be time stamped upon receipt until the $2,000,000.00 cap is reached.

Organic Foods Production Tax Credit Information

What is HOFA?

hawaii organic farmer

The Hawaii Organic Farming Association is a non-profit organization that provides education about organic farming and sustainability in Hawaii. Our mission is to further organic and sustainable agriculture, land care, and lifestyles in Hawaii, thus giving meaning and life to our state motto: Ua mau ke ea o ka aina I ka pono “The Life of the Land is Perpetuated in Righteousness.”

Learn more about HOFA

Hawaii Organic Farming Association

Our Vision is to "Create a Sustainable Future for Hawaii"
Hawaii Organic Farming Association
Hawaii Organic Farming Association11 hours ago
Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers (HTFG) 30th annual Conference goes virtual with free public streaming.
Marking three decades of promoting sustainable fruit production in the Aloha State, the 30th Hawaii International Tropical Fruit Conference is available free to the public in a new virtual format. Tune in October 1 to a host of pre-recorded presentations by industry experts, as well as research updates and island chapter reports at https://tinyurl.com/HTFG2020. Also available via their website: www.HTFG.org
For additional info, contact Ken Love at kenlove@hawaiiantel.net or HTFG President Mark Suiso at suiso@aloha.net.
Marking its 31st year, HTFG was incorporated in 1989 to promote tropical fruit grown in Hawaii. It is a statewide association of tropical fruit growers, packers, distributors and hobbyists dedicated to tropical fruit research, education, marketing and promotion.
Hawaii Organic Farming Association
2020 Conference | HTFG
davedoucette.wixsite.com
   View on Facebook
Hawaii Organic Farming Association
Hawaii Organic Farming Association12 hours ago
Hold the guac. Researchers have successfully nailed down a process to freeze #avocado plant cuttings and revive them at a later date—a breakthrough that could preserve certain species of the fruit in the face of challenges like pests and disease. The undertaking involves cryopreservation, a decades-old technique that freezes organic material at temperatures frosty enough to pause all biochemical reactions. Cryopreservation has already been used to preserve other foods, including potatoes, apples, and bananas, and in health care settings, such as to preserve human eggs and sperm for in-vitro fertilization. Modern Farmer has the story.

https://modernfarmer.com/2020/09/we-can-now-cryogenically-freeze-avocados-for-future-generations/
Hawaii Organic Farming Association
We Can Now Cryogenically Freeze Avocados for Future Generations - Modern Farmer
No one loves avocados more than millennials. The health-conscious generation likes to smush the buttery, oblong fruit on toast at their boozy brunches.
modernfarmer.com
2    View on Facebook
Hawaii Organic Farming Association
Hawaii Organic Farming Association2 days ago
FALL 2020 NOSB MEETING: Oregon Tilth has prepared a list of hot topics for the upcoming National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) meeting to be held online on October 28-30, 2020. The NOSB is accepting written comments until October 1. This is also the cutoff date to register for an oral comment in-person or at one of two webinars in the week before the meeting (Tuesday, October 20, or Thursday, October 22, from 12:00 - 5:00pm EST).
HOT TOPICS
Crop and Livestock:
EPA List 4 Inerts
The NOP will collaborate with the EPA and NOSB to determine the best way to amend regulations to work with EPA’s new Safer Chemical Ingredient list for evaluating inert ingredients used in pesticides. This would replace the obsolete EPA List 4 currently on the National List.
Handling:
§205.606 Materials at risk for removal
Carnauba Wax: The Handling subcommittee seeks more information from stakeholders regarding the use of volatiles/solvents in the production of carnauba wax, availability of organic forms, and concerns about unlabeled used on produce.

Glycerin: The Handling subcommittee is considering glycerin's removal and requirement to use organic glycerin. Organic operations that rely on glycerin should provide comments.

Kelp: Reported abundant organic kelp availability puts 205.606 listed kelp under question for removal or update. The related discussion on requiring the use of only sustainably harvested Marine Materials may also affect the NOSB's decision.

Orange shellac: The NOSB is not in agreement on shellac's re-listing due to a lack of information on need. Commenters are pushing to require the labeling of produce with applied orange shellac.
Other materials for likely removal
Additionally, the following materials are reportedly readily available in organic form, and a majority of the handling subcommittee support removal:

• Cornstarch (Comments requested for any specific forms that can't be found organically)
• Sweet Potato starch
• Turkish Bay Leaves
• Whey protein concentrate
• Colors (Beet juice extract, Beta carotene extract, Black currant juice, Black/purple carrot juice, Blueberry juice, Carrot juice, Cherry juice, Grape juice, Grape Skin Extract, Paprika, Pumpkin juice, Red cabbage extract, Red radish, Saffron extract, Turmeric extract)
Learn more: https://www.ams.usda.gov/event/national-organic-standards-board-nosb-meeting-cedar-rapids-iowa
Hawaii Organic Farming Association
National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) Meeting - Virtual | Agricultural Marketing Service
The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites always use a .gov or .mil domain. Before sharing sensitive information online, make sure you’re on a .gov or .mil site by inspecting your browser’s address (or “location”) bar.
ams.usda.gov
   View on Facebook

organic farm

Effective August 1, 2011, HOFA no longer provides organic certification services.

Learn More about Organic Certification 

Follow Us on Social Media

Hawaii Organic Farming Association (HOFA)
PO Box 999
Captain Cook, HI 96704
avocado