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  • 05 Nov 2021 10:41 AM | Alla Kostenko (Administrator)

    NIFA’s Community Food Projects Competitive Grants Program (CFPCGP) is soliciting applications to fund two types of grants. The types are entitled (1) Community Food Projects (CFP) and (2) Planning Projects (PP). The purpose of the CFP is to support the development of projects with a one-time infusion of federal dollars to make such projects self-sustaining. CFPs are designed to create community-based food projects with objectives, activities and outcomes that are in alignment with Community Food Projects Competitive Grants Program (CFPCGP) primary goals. The purpose of a Planning Project (PP) is to complete a plan toward the improvement of community food security in keeping with the primary goals of the CFPCGP. Projects and plans are to focus on a defined community and describe in detail the activities and outcomes of the plan or project.

    Learn More or Apply for Grant

  • 02 Nov 2021 10:04 PM | Alla Kostenko (Administrator)

    Dear colleagues,

    The World Intellectual Property Association (WIPO at https://www.wipo.int) is hosting its first Asia/Pacific virtual conference dedicated to coffee production on November 10th and 11th. The program is two half-days of short lecture and panel sessions, featuring coffee and intellectual property experts who will address a broad range of strategies, opportunities, and challenges creating value in coffee production and trade using intellectual property tools. A copy of the conference program and short introduction to the speakers is attached. 

    Registration is free and all are welcome to attend, so please feel free to distribute this announcement. Please write or call anytime at +1 (808) 990-8717 with any questions. We hope to see you there!

    Sincerely,

    Andrew

    Details:

    Day 1: https://wipo-int.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ET6DVCqfTN64QzbBfO3ZHA

    November 10, 08:00 - 11:00 GMT +7 (Cambodia/Jakarta/Laos/Thailand/Vietnam / ICT)

    Nov. 9 - 17:00 GMT -8 (Los Angeles / US PST)

    Nov. 9 - 20:00 GMT -5 (New York / US EST)

    Nov. 10 - 03:00 GMT +1 (Geneva / CET)

    Nov. 10 - 10:00 GMT +9 (Japan/Korea/Timor-Leste)

    Nov. 10 - 11:00 GMT +10 (Port Moresby/Brisbane)

    Nov. 10 - Noon GMT +11 (Sydney / AEDT)

    Nov. 10 - 14:00 GMT +13 (Auckland)

    Day 2: https://wipo-int.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_VtCETNP_RCidC8kOLair7Q

    November 11, 14:00 - 17:00 GMT +7 (Cambodia/Jakarta/Laos/Thailand/Vietnam / ICT)

    Nov. 10 - 23:00 GMT -8 (Los Angeles / US PST)

    Nov. 11 - 02:00 GMT -5 (New York / US EST)

    Nov. 11 - 08:00 GMT +1 (Geneva / CET)

    Nov. 11 - 16:00 GMT +9 (Japan/Korea/Timor-Leste)

    Nov. 10 - 11:00 GMT +10 (Port Moresby/Brisbane)

    Nov. 11 - 18:00 GMT +11 (Sydney / AEDT)

    Nov. 11 - 20:00 GMT +13 (Auckland)

    Event Summary: 

    Regional Conference on Adding Value to Coffee Production with Intellectual Property

    The world runs on coffee and worldwide consumption is expected to keep growing. Coffee is one of the most important global commodities with raw material trade valued over US $102 billion in 2019, with an economic impact of more than $200 billion in the United States alone.

    Worldwide, the coffee industry provides livelihood to some 125 million people, among which twenty-five million smallholder farmers producing 80 percent of the world’s production. Coffee grows mainly in the tropics and trades internationally in US dollars, making it an important and sustainable export contributing significantly to the GDP of many developing countries.

    The global market for coffee consumption has matured in recent decades, creating niche segments offering price premiums for uniquely desirable characteristics. Terroir, good agricultural practices, certifications, branding, trademarks, geographic indications, traceability systems, and unique patented processes all contribute to value addition in a thriving differentiated, or specialty, segment of the coffee trade.

    APAC coffee policy has historically prioritized productivity improvements to gain market share, with less emphasis on differentiation to increase value. In recent years, this has led to an under-representation of APAC coffees in the highest value and fastest-growing consumer markets. Furthermore, concentration on high volume commodity exports places millions of regional smallholder producers at a disadvantage in direct competition with comparatively few large and efficient coffee agribusinesses exporters in Brazil, the world's largest coffee producer.

    The panel will present thought-provoking ideas, strategies, and case studies from around the world. Participants will leave these sessions with a better understanding of global coffee market dynamics and how to better position themselves to take advantage of emerging opportunities and earn more from coffee production using intellectual property. Participants will have the opportunity to engage the experts after the conference and explore possible initiatives with WIPO.

    Moderator: Andrew Hetzel

    Speakers:

    Andrew Ong, Director, Division for Asia and Pacific, WIPO

    Carsten Fink, Chief Economist, IP and Innovation Ecosystems Sector, WIPO

    Luis Samper, International Consultant, 4.0 Brands

    Blanca Castro, Chapter Relations Director, International Women's Coffee Alliance

    Darrin Daniel, Executive Director, Alliance for Coffee Excellence

    Mario Fernandez-Alduenda, Technical Officer, Specialty Coffee Association

    Molly Harriss Olsen, CEO, Fairtrade Australia and New Zealand

    Pacita Juan, Co-Chair, Philippine Coffee Board

    Sara Morrocchi, Founder and Consultant, VUNA Origin Consulting

    Stephen Hurst, Managing Director and Founder, Mercanta

    Kraig Kraft, Asia & Africa Director, World Coffee Research

    Stephane Passeri, Geographical Indications Expert and Consultant to FAO

    Giulio Zanetti, IP Attorney, Adjunct Professor, and Consultant to WIPO

    --

    Andrew Hetzel (he/him/his)

    Coffee Market and Value Chain Specialist

    US: +1 (808) 445-9670 | AU: +61 3 9016 0478 (no SMS) | in Hawaii (GMT-10)

    https://www.CoffeeStrategies.com

  • 29 Oct 2021 10:28 PM | Alla Kostenko (Administrator)


    image001.png


    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    October 28, 2021


    MEDIA CONTACT: Martha Spieker (Hirono) 202-365-7943


    Hawaii Congressional Delegation Announces $6 Million Grant to Address Coffee Leaf Rust 

    Funding supports research to combat devastating fungus threatening coffee industry

     

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senators Mazie K. Hirono and Brian Schatz and Representatives Ed Case and Kai Kahele announced $6,007,090 in funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) grants program to the Synergistic Hawaii Agriculture Council (SHAC) to address Coffee Leaf Rust (CLR). 

     

    This four-year grant will support a coordinated approach to addressing CLR across various entities, including the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Daniel K. Inouye U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center (DKI-US-PBARC), the ARS Tropical Agriculture Research Station (TARS) in Puerto Rico, University of Hawaii, University of Puerto Rico, as well as Purdue University and Michigan State University. The five main objectives of this grant include breeding rust-resistant varieties of coffee, surveying spread and identifying field management options for farmers to use to protect existing coffee trees, identifying fungicides or biological control methods to combat CLR, genomic work on CLR, and economic analyses of domestically grown coffee.

     

    “Over the past year our more than 1,400 coffee growers in Hawaii have been dealing with one of the greatest threats to their industry,” Senator Hirono said. “This funding will help bring together leading experts in coffee research to protect one of our most iconic crops, so coffee can continue contributing to our local economy and culture.”

     

    “This new federal funding is an important step supporting our coffee growers against Coffee Leaf Rust,” said Senator Schatz. “By developing rust-resistant coffee varieties and researching the disease to better combat it, we’ll be able to protect and maintain the unique quality of Hawaii coffee. This is great news for our state.”

     

    “This is very welcome news especially coming on the heels of the sobering discovery this summer that coffee leaf rust has spread to all the major islands in the State of Hawaii," said Congressman Case. "As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I have worked to secure millions of dollars in federal research funding for Hawaii’s tropical specialty crops like coffee and macadamia nut, and while our funding has helped mitigate the effects of the macadamia felted coccid, coffee berry borer and coffee leaf rust, current law limits the scope of federal research dollars. The members of our Hawaii Congressional delegation last month introduced bicameral legislation to continue to battle these agricultural pests to greatly enhance our ability to fund much more comprehensive coffee as well as macadamia nut research to preserve and grow these invaluable industries.”

     

    “The success of Hawaii’s coffee industry has been a priority of mine since my tenure in the State Senate, and now as a U.S. Congressman. Our coffee industry circulates more than $200 million annually in the local economy creating business and job opportunities back home,” Congressman Kahele said. “I applaud the team of dedicated scientists, farmers, project managers and others who crafted the award-winning Specialty Crop Research Initiative application and send my thanks to Suzanne Shriner, Executive Director of the Synergistic Hawaii Agriculture Council, for her leadership in securing federal dollars to address the coffee leaf rust.”

     

    Synergistic Hawaii Agriculture Council Director Suzanne Shriner said, "Many of us depend on our morning cup of coffee to start the day. But for the growers of Hawaii and Puerto Rico, coffee is much more than a drink, it's a part of the culture and a significant economic driver. The recent arrival of the deadly Coffee Leaf Rust fungus has the potential to devastate the industry.  The NIFA grant will fund a consortium of scientists and address the problem on the ground for farmers in both regions. Research will focus on immediate solutions for growers affected by CLR, through field management of the disease. In addition, the grant will fund long-term breeding of trees resistant to CLR, focusing on quality in the cup to meet the high standard of Kona and Hawaiian coffees. In addition, expansion of genomic research will assist the global coffee industry in understanding and combating the fungus. Finally, economic analyses of all activities will help our growers, large and small, determine which solutions are best for their farms. SHAC is looking forward to collaborating with the scientists of USDA, University of Hawaii, Purdue, University of Puerto Rico and Michigan State University. We believe this team is uniquely capable of answering the challenging questions that this disease raises."

     

    CLR is a devastating fungus that up until last year was present in every coffee growing region of the world except Hawaii. It was first detected in Hawaii in October 2020 and its presence has since been confirmed on all main Hawaiian Islands. Spread of the fungus is difficult to control and if left untreated can result in more than 70 percent yield loss.

     

    Upon learning of detection of CLR in Hawaii last year, Senator Hirono, Senator Schatz, and Rep. Case sent a letterto then-USDA Secretary Perdue alerting him to the situation and requesting swift federal assistance with early detection and rapid response. In addition, the Hawaii delegation introduced the Coffee Plant Health Initiative Amendments Act earlier this year that would expand research funding to address all current and emerging threats to coffee plant health, including CLR.  

     

    ###

  • 23 Oct 2021 5:23 PM | Alla Kostenko (Administrator)

    As part of the Hawaii Department of Agriculture’s ongoing efforts to facilitate the purchase of locally produced food by State institutions, HDOA invites local agricultural producers to share product availability information with HDOA and our and our state-operated institutional partners (i.e. schools, hospitals, prisons). CLICK HERE or use the link below to update information on your current and upcoming stocks of local agricultural products. There is an option to select no change from last response for those who regularly reply to HDOA’s inquiries. If you check this box, your most recent response will be submitted to state agencies, and you may forgo completing the rest of the form (but please do remember to include your contact information and use the button at the bottom to submit your form). As always, feel free to share the link with any local agricultural producers or agricultural organizations who you think might be interested in sharing information. Thank you for your responses!  

    HDOA Agricultural Producer Inquiry Form: https://hdoa.hawaii.gov/f2sform/

    Responses to the inquiry are optional. Use the linked form to provide information to State institutions on available products, upcoming harvests, and any existing surpluses that need to be brought to market quickly. Responses will be sent to food procurement personnel in the Hawaii Department of Education (DOE), the Hawaii Department of Public Safety (PSD), and within the Hawaii Department of Health (DOH), and Hawaii Health Systems Corporation (HHSC) to inform those institutions’ menu and purchase planning decisions.

    D. Heath Williams
    Special Assistant to the Chairperson
    Hawaii Department of Agriculture

  • 21 Oct 2021 12:48 PM | Alla Kostenko (Administrator)

    Aloha Coffee Farmers, While you're busy with harvest and figuring out how to manage Coffee Leaf Rust, I'd like to update you on our new CLR Subsidy. The program is not set up yet, but will be able to reimburse receipts (at the 50% rate) on the Hawaii Dept of Agriculture list that you purchased from 7/1/2020 - 6/30/2021. If you did not purchase any CLR products during this Reimbursement Period, please apply now to get your BotaniGard and Mycotrol receipts for CBB control reimbursed at the 50% rate. You can start the online application here. Or print the application and email it to HDOA.CBB@hawaii.gov with your receipts. Or call 808-323-7578 to request an application by mail. -Melanie Bondera CBB-CLR Subsidy Program Coordinator

    Melanie Bondera
    CBB Subsidy Program 
    Hawaii Department of Agriculture
    Phone: 808-323-7578

    Mailing address:
    P.O. Box 226
    Captain Cook, HI 96704

  • 11 Oct 2021 11:12 AM | Alla Kostenko (Administrator)

    WASHINGTON, Oct 6, 2021 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is rolling out a new insurance option specifically for agricultural producers with small farms who sell locally. The new Micro Farm policy simplifies record keeping and covers post-production costs like washing and value-added products. 

    USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) created this new policy based on research directed by the 2018 Farm Bill, and it includes feedback from producers who grow for their local communities. The policy will be available beginning with the 2022 crop year. 

    “We are excited to offer this new coverage for producers who work to provide their communities with fresh and healthy food,” said RMA Acting Administrator Richard Flournoy. “USDA is focused on supporting local and regional food systems, and this new crop insurance policy is designed with this important sector of agriculture in mind.” 

    The new policy is offered through Whole-Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) and it has distinct provisions that can provide more access to the program, including: 

    • No expense or individual commodity reporting needed, simplifying the recordkeeping requirements for producers
    • Revenue from post-production costs, such as washing and packaging commodities and value-added products, are considered allowable revenue 

    The Micro Farm policy is available to producers who have a farm operation that earns an average allowable revenue of $100,000 or less, or for carryover insureds, an average allowable revenue of $125,000 or less. RMA’s research showed that 85% of producers who sell locally reported they made less than $75,000 in gross sales. See the full report

    The Micro Farm policy builds on other RMA efforts to better serve specialty and organic crop growers. This includes WFRP, which provides coverage for producers with larger operations that may not be eligible for Micro Farm. RMA recently made improvements to WFRP as part of a broader set of new policies and expanded policies to assist specialty crop and organic producers.  

    The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation approved the Micro Farm policy in late September, and additional details will be provided later this fall. 

    More Information 

    Crop insurance is sold and delivered solely through private crop insurance agents. A list of crop insurance agents is available at all USDA Service Centers and online at the RMA Agent Locator. Learn more about crop insurance and the modern farm safety net at rma.usda.gov

    USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov

  • 06 Oct 2021 1:45 PM | Alla Kostenko (Administrator)

    You may watch Coffee Crop Insurance Presentations by following this link.

  • 06 Oct 2021 1:35 PM | Alla Kostenko (Administrator)

    The USDA will be opening the application portal at 1:00pm EST for its Pandemic Response and Safety (PRS) Grant Program. The PRS program is funded at $650 million to aid specialty crop producers and processors, other select producers, meat and other processors, distributors, and farmers markets to respond to coronavirus, including for measures to protect workers against novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID–19).

    Eligible Applicants: 

    • Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
    • Small businesses
    • Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education

    Applicants will be required to obtain a DUNS Number from Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) prior to applying for this program. D&B has created a custom landing page to streamline this process. 

    Visit the application website (https://usda-prs.grantsolutions.gov/) for more information.

    Important Dates:
    Application Period Opens: October 6, 2021
    Application Period Closes: 11:59 PM Eastern Time on November 22, 2021

    Links: 

    https://sustainableagriculture.net/blog/covid-relief-funding-soon-available-for-farmers-markets-processors-and-underserved-farmers/

    https://www.ams.usda.gov/content/usda-pandemic-response-and-safety-grant-program-will-accept-applications-starting-october

    https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=335320

    Portal link: https://usda-prs.grantsolutions.gov/usda

    You might find helpful, the USDA AMS YouTube videos with step-by-step instructions explaining the application process: https://www.youtube.com/user/USDAAMS. Please do share the link and information previously sent with your members, networks, and others who would benefit.

    Dave K. Chun
    Senior Policy Advisor
    Congressman Kaialiʻi Kahele (HI-
    02)
    1205 Longworth House Office Building 202-225-4906

  • 15 Sep 2021 1:20 PM | Alla Kostenko (Administrator)

    Coffee Plant Health Initiative Amendments Act
    Sending Office: Honorable Kaiali'i Kahele
    Sent By: Dave.Chun@mail.house.gov


    Dear Colleagues:


    Please join us in cosponsoring the Coffee Plant Health Initiative Amendments Act (CPHIAA), a bill to address emerging threats to the U.S. domestic coffee industry. The legislation broadens the Coffee Plant Health Initiative (CPHI) to manage all coffee tree pests such as the coffee leaf rust, coffee leaf miner, and coffee wilt. The CPHI, included in the 2014 farm bill, unfortunately was specific only to the coffee berry borer and thus excluded other plant pest research under the CPHI’s narrow scope.


    The CPHIAA would permit research and extension grants for purposes of:


    • Developing and disseminating science-based tools and treatments to combat plant pests and noxious weeds that impact coffee plants

    • Establishing an areawide integrated pest management program in areas affected by invasive plant pests or noxious weeds
    • Surveying and collecting data on coffee plant production and health
    • Investigating coffee plant biology, immunology, ecology, genomics, and bioinformatics
    • Researching factors that may contribute to or be associated with coffee plant immune systems, including
    • Sublethal effects of insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides on beneficial insects and plants
    • Development of mitigative and preventative measures to improve habitat conservation and best management practices

    For additional information or to cosponsor the CPHIAA, please contact Dave (Kahele) at Dave.Chun@mail.house.gov or Mitch (Case) at Mitch.Heidenreich@mail.house.gov.


    Kaiali’i Kahele                            Ed Case
    Member of Congress              Member of Congress

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