The County of Hawai‘i has scheduled Community Information Sessions to be held around the island.  Through the informational sessions, we are sharing what our County Departments are accomplishing and additional community programs that are available to community members.  Hawaiian Electric and Hawai‘i Energy will present ways to reduce your energy use and the Office of Housing & Community Development will be sharing information on financial resources and support services available to eligible households.  

You can attend the event in person or join thru the Zoom link below.  The Zoom link is good for all of the Community Information Sessions.

We will continue to use COVID safety protocols, such as social distancing and sanitizing.

The remaining schedule is:

April 20^th, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm, Captain Cook – Yano Hall, 82-6156 Māmalahoa Hwy, Captain Cook

April 27^th, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm, Kapa‘au – Kohala Intergenerational Center, 54-382 Kamehameha Park Road, Kapa‘au

April 28^th, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm, Pāhala Community Center, 96-1149 Kamani St., Pāhala

May 11, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm, Waikoloa Village Association – Banquet Room, 68-1792 Melia St., Waikoloa

May 18^th, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm, Waimea Community Center, 65-1260 Kawaihae Road, Waimea

May 24^th, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm, Kea‘au High School Cafeteria, 16-725 Kea‘au-Pāhoa Road, Kea‘au

R&D County of Hawaii is inviting you to a scheduled ZoomGov meeting.

Topic: County of Hawaii Community Information Session

Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime

Join ZoomGov Meeting

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Meeting ID: 160 055 4683

Passcode: 845228

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Glenn T. Sako
Agriculture Specialist
Hawaii County Research and Development
25 Aupuni St., Room 1301
Hilo, HI  96720
Direct line:  808-961-8811
Fax:  808-935-1205
Email:  Glenn.Sako@hawaiicounty.gov
Hawaii County is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer

Coffee Leaf Miner discovered in two Florida Counties

It’s no secret that we’re in a challenging labor market. Local employers have shared with us that hiring and retaining good employees has been difficult. Unfortunately, this reality presents a major obstacle for businesses looking to bounce back to pre-pandemic levels.

Some local small businesses have found that working with an HR partner has made all the difference in helping them hire and retain. We’ve seen proof of this success across our own clients, with the average ProService client being 11% larger in headcount than they were prior to the pandemic. 

That said, I wanted to share a guide that shows exactly how HR partners can help and the benefits they provide to local businesses: Should you keep HR in-house? Or outsource it?

If you’d like a 1:1 consultation to learn specifically how ProService can assist your business, I’d be happy to set that up for you. Feel free to respond to this email with the best time and number for me to reach out. P.S. In case you haven’t heard, we’re hosting a webinar on Wednesday, March 23rd from 2-3 p.m. with local experts who will be sharing tips and ticks on the topic of hiring/recruiting. Click here to learn more and register! 

Jody from ProService

Business Development Specialist

ProService Hawaii | ProService.com 
6600 Kalanianaole Hwy., Honolulu, HI 
aloha@proservice.com | Direct: 808-468-6764

Click here to schedule your business consult.

Original Source

Got pilikia (trouble) with the community about your farm? Try this.

Many people are generations removed from growing food for a living. They haven’t had a farmer in their family in decades and don’t understand some of the basic farming practices.  Despite recent efforts to grow more good locally, Hawaii still imports more than 90 percent of its food from off island. This makes it difficult for people to get to know farmers and the challenges they face, which can lead to misunderstandings or even conflict. Perhaps a neighbor has asked about how you fertilize your crops or control pests on your land. You may have received a complaint about noise or smells associated with your operations. Or you may have been criticized about how you care for your animals.  Farmers can be hesitant to engage with neighbors or community members about these issues because they fear the situation might blow up, making things worse. Mediators can work with farmers to help address right-to-farm issues like these, but you also can learn how to talk about your farming practices so that your neighbor feels heard, possibly resolving things on your own.

How to defuse a tense conversation

1. Listen and Ask Questions Before you share any facts, help the person feel heard and show you understand their concern. “I haven’t heard that before, where did you get that information? Can you tell me more about why this is important to you? Have you experienced this firsthand?” 2. Restate What They Said People like to know that you understand them. Let them know by repeating what they shared.  "It sounds like you’re concerned about water contamination from the pigs and the health of your family” 3. Make a Connection Shared values are three to five times more important to building trust than focusing on one version of the facts. Find a connection, for example, the health of your family, your love of hunting, land stewardship, or protecting water quality. “We share your goal of protecting the land for future generations. We use the least amount of chemicals possible to control any pests.” 4. Acknowledge Them

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NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS SERVICE (NASS) Pacific Region Coffee Production - Released January 21, 2022

Click here for a USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service report release.

Place Your Order for Free At-Home COVID-19 Tests

Residential households in the U.S. can order one set of #4 free at-home tests from USPS.com. Here’s what you need to know about your order:

• Limit of one order per residential address
• One order includes #4 individual rapid antigen COVID-19 tests
• Orders will ship free starting in late January

Order Here

This year HCA participated in the 2021 Taiwan Coffee & Tea Show. Click here to see the report prepared by the Bearing Corp.

The event was successful  and re-starts some potential momentum in the Taiwan market for 2022.

They  also created a video with highlights of the event, which you can see here.