final-hawaii-farmers-union-155134

STATEWIDE: FREE HFUF TOPP Educational Webinar Series

Wed, 27 May 2026 03:11:00 GMT

HFUF TOPP Educational Webinar Series
Reserve Your Spot Today!
Wednesday, May 27th | 5:00 PM HST

Through our support series, you can join as a farm mentee, get paired with an experienced farm mentor, and become eligible for a paid cash stipend while you learn how to transition your farm to become certified organic. This program connects you with practical tools, expert guidance, and real solutions to strengthen your farm and keep Hawaiʻi organic agriculture thriving. Don’t miss this opportunity to access resources designed to help you succeed. Brought to you by Hawaii Farmers Union Foundation

Webinar Series #9 | Beyond Organic: What "Real Organic" Actually Means

Not sure what it means to go beyond the USDA organic label or how it applies to your farm? Join us for an introduction to the Real Organic Project and how its standards support soil-based organic farming and strengthen trust in the marketplace.

Featuring Alexa Schieferecke, Certification Manager with the Real Organic Project, with Organic TA Specialist Maile Woodhall available for Q&A.

Register Here Via Zoom | Free and open to Members and Non-Members.

With aloha,
Organic TA Specialist - Maile Woodhall
Hawaii Farmers Union Foundation
Questions: toppta@hfuu.org

Help shape the future of organic certification in Hawaiʻi (10-min survey)

Wed, 27 May 2026 03:08:12 GMT

Hawaiʻi Farmers Union Foundation, in partnership with the USDA Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP), is conducting a short survey on organic certification in Hawaiʻi.

Whether you are currently certified, previously certified, or considering organic certification, your experience matters. Your responses will directly inform policy recommendations to the USDA National Organic Program and shape future support for Hawaiʻi's organic farming community.

Take the survey (10–15 minutes):
https://hawaiifarmersurvey.com

The survey covers:

Your experience with organic certification (or interest in it)

Barriers, challenges, and what would help

Certifier satisfaction and support programs

Your ideas for improving organic certification in Hawaiʻi

All responses are confidential. You may respond anonymously or provide your email for a follow-up conversation.

Results will be shared publicly through the Hawaiʻi Organic Industry Observatory:
https://hawaiifarmersurvey.com/observatory/

Mahalo nui loa for your time and input.

Hawaiʻi Farmers Union Foundation
USDA Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP)
hfuu@hfuu.org

STATEWIDE | HFU Food Safety FREE Live Webinar: Post-Storm Food Safety - What Farmers Need to Know

Wed, 27 May 2026 03:03:46 GMT

Thursday, June 4, 2026
5:00 PM HST
Online via Zoom
Register for FREE: bit.ly/HFUFS

STATEWIDE | HFU Food Safety FREE Live Webinar:
Post-Storm Food Safety - What Farmers Need to Know

Thursday, June 4, 2026
5:00 PM HST
Online via Zoom
Register for FREE: bit.ly/HFUFS

Storm events can pose serious risks to crop safety and farm operations. Join us for a free webinar covering key post-storm food safety considerations, including how to:

• Assess crop exposure
• Determine what can and cannot be harvested for consumption
• Apply best practices for handling storm-affected fields
• Understand important regulatory and health guidelines

Hosted by Hawaiʻi Farmers Union x North Shore EVP. This session is designed to help farmers protect their customers, their land, and their livelihoods. The webinar will also include a live Q&A session with Lisa Rhoden, Executive Director of Hawaiʻi GroupGAP, and Christian Zuckerman, HFU Vice President, HFUF CFO, HFU Waianae Chapter President, HFU Transition to Organic Technical Specialist.

O'AHU | FREE Pro Bono Legal Clinic for North Shore Farmers, Ranchers, Agricultural Landowners, and Others Affected by the Kona Low Storms

Wed, 27 May 2026 02:59:13 GMT

Saturday, May 30, 2026
8:00 AM – 1:00 PM HST
LDS Church — 66-842 Kaukonahua Rd, Waialua, HI 96791
Register for FREE: bit.ly/NSPROBONO

O'AHU | FREE Pro Bono Legal Clinic for North Shore Farmers,

Ranchers, Agricultural Landowners, and Others Affected by the Kona Low Storms

Saturday, May 30, 2026
8:00 AM – 1:00 PM HST
LDS Church — 66-842 Kaukonahua Rd, Waialua, HI 96791
Register for FREE: bit.ly/NSPROBONO

Free in-person legal assistance is available for individuals impacted by the Kona Low storms

offered by Hawai'i Farmers Union and Durrett Lang Morse, LLLP Attorneys at Law.

Participants can receive support related to:

• USDA program applications and disaster relief funding
• Insurance claims
• Housing and lender concerns
• Legal document replacement, title, and lease issues

Please register in advance to reserve a time slot for free legal counsel and assistance.

HFU Maui Haleakalā Chapter Community Meeting + Locavore Potluck Tuesday, May 26th, North Shore Maui

Fri, 22 May 2026 08:09:09 GMT

Open to the public • Family friendly • No RSVP required

Aloha Maui Community,

What if we could strengthen plant and soil health without relying on imported, fossil-fuel-dependent fertilizers? Learn about the Johnson-Su Bioreactor — a static, aerated composting system that produces a biologically rich, fungal-forward compost inoculant designed to rebuild soil vitality and improve nutrient cycling using locally available organic materials in Hawaiʻi.

You’re invited to join the Hawaiʻi Farmers Union Haleakalā Chapter for our monthly community meeting & locavore potluck, featuring a special educational talk story: A New Path to Plant & Soil Health with No Imported Fertilizers with Char O’Brien, co-founder of Soil Thrive Hawai'i and Food Security Hawai'i .

HFU Maui Haleakalā Chapter

Community Meeting + Locavore Potluck

Tuesday, May 26th, North Shore Maui

6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Pā'ia Heritage Hall, 401 Baldwin Ave, Pā'ia, HI 96779

Enjoy:

Community networking
Hawaiʻi Farmers Union Haleakalā Chapter updates
Free abundance table plant + seed swap (If you have organically grown saved seeds to share, please bring them in an envelope labeled with type of plant and location where grown.)
Educational speaker presentation following the 6:00 PM locavore potluck
This is a zero-waste event | Bring your own plate, cup, utensils and a dish to share for the potluck if you can.

Suggested potluck contributions:

Active HFU members who bring a dish: Free
Active HFU members without a dish: $5
Non-members who bring a dish: $10
Non-members without a dish: $15

You don’t have to be a farmer to join and support the Farmers Union.

Not a member yet? Sign up on-site!

Mason Scharer, HFU Haleakala Chapter President

haleakala@hfuu.org

Maui Producer Impact & Support Survey

duda@neonone.com — Fri, 18 Aug 2023 12:01:20 GMT

The Hawaiʻi Farmers Union (HFU) encourages all food producers impacted by fire, severe winds, and loss of markets due to the 2023 Maui fire and disaster to complete the Maui Producer Impact & Support Survey. This survey will help HFU and partners identify potential federal and private funding resources and provide direct support specific to your needs to aid in recovery.

This survey will take 5-10 minutes to complete. Please share this survey with all impacted food producers you know.

Questions? Contact Hunter Heaivilin, HFU Advocacy Director: (808) 391-8687 or mauiresponse@hfuu.org. To complete the survey via phone, please contact Amanda Shaw, Oʻahu Agriculture and Conservation Association: (808) 429-5310.

Note to producers: This survey is for all impacted producers, whether or not you are an HFU member. Our team will be in contact with you within a week, once you complete the survey. As soon as it is safe to do so, please document and take clear photos of any damage.

USDA Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP) in Hawaiʻi Launch!

duda@neonone.com — Sun, 21 May 2023 12:33:27 GMT

The Hawaiʻi Farmers Union (HFUU.org) is excited to announce the launch of the USDA Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP) in Hawaiʻi. The HFU, along with other Hawaiʻi collaborating organizations including the University of Hawaiʻi, is partnering with California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) to help Hawaiʻi farmers who are interested in exploring transitioning to a certified organic farming operation!

Are you interested in exploring how to transition to organic farming? As a farmer considering beginning the journey of transitioning to certified organic, it can be a daunting undertaking. The goal of this program is to help make the transition as smooth as possible by providing resources and easy to follow steps to becoming certified organic, one-on-one mentoring and guidance of the certification process, and assistance in sourcing and switching to approved farm inputs. Our program will start-off on the islands of Oʻahu and Kauaʻi and will begin outreach to the other islands as well. As the program gains momentum, we will be adding participants from all islands to the program! If you are interested please contact Christian Zuckerman, Project Coordinator at OrganicTransitions@hfuu.org.

Are you interested in being a mentor for farmers interested in organic farming? We are not only looking for farm partners for this program but also individuals who wish to become a mentor. Mentors should have three-years of experience operating a certified organic farm and have a passion for expanding organic farming in Hawaiʻi. Mentors will be working closely with the farm participants and HFU to support them in the transition to organic.

We respect that farming is difficult work no matter what your management practices are, and we will work to meet farmers where they are to assuage their fears and get them the necessary tools, resources, and markets to succeed in the transition.

Can’t wait for your island to be eligible? Are you ready to start the transition now? Feel free to reach out and we can see if we can work with you!