Many Hawaii agriculture producers we speak with feel stressed and a bit confused by the workings of politics and the bills in the legislature. They want to see important changes happen, but are unclear what agriculture-related bills may be in session, or how individuals can be more involved to help things change. In this episode we speak with Hunter Heaivilin, Hawaii Farmers Union’s Advocacy Director and founder of Supersistence to try to get a handle on the state of things in early 2026 and what folks can do to help impact the changes they want to see.

Brought to you by University of Hawaii College of Tropical Ag. and Human Resilience (CTAHR), and the Seeds of Well-being (SOW) Project. This podcast is supported by the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN) grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture and Hawaii Department of Agriculture.

Resources:

• Supersistence
• Hawaii Farmers Union United (HFU) 
• Hawaii agriculture bill tracking and legislative progress
• National Healthy Soils Policy Network
• Our podcast with NRCS
• Our podcast with Hawaii Ulu Co-op

Find out more about us:

• Seeds Of Wellbeing website
• Seeds of Wellbeing Resource Hub
• All the SOW links

Spend enough time around Hawaii farmers and ranchers and you’ll soon hear the name of the Federal agency Natural Resources Conservation Service (or NRCS). You may hear the word "conservation' and not necessarily think that they help agriculture producers, but if you have spoken with NRCS, or to folks that have worked with them, you will wonder why you haven’t reached out to them sooner! To better understand NRCS and what they can do to help, we speak with the Director for all of the Pacific Islands Area, J.B. Martin, and NRCS Outreach Coordinator, Jolene Lau, as well as two Hawaii agriculture producers that have been working with NRCS. 

Brought to you by University of Hawaii College of Tropical Ag. and Human Resilience (CTAHR), and the Seeds of Well-being (SOW) Project. This podcast is supported by the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN) grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture and Hawaii Department of Agriculture.

Resources:

• NRCS Pacific Islands Area Office Home Page 
• NRCS Pacific Islands Area Office Staff
• Farm Bill Updates
• June 2025 article about NRCS staff cuts
• Apply by January 15th reminder

Find out more about us:

• Seeds Of Wellbeing website
• Seeds of Wellbeing Resource Hub
• All the SOW links

Who knew that the Hawaii Department of Health had a veterinarian on staff?! We didn’t until we met Hawaii DOH’s one and only Public Health Veterinarian at a Hawaii Island conference in Kona. From speaking with her, it seems that’s true for a lot of folks in Hawaii, so in this episode we share our talk with recent Hawaii transplant, Ariella Barry, who was hired by the state DOH to fill a 20 year vacancy, and just in time to lend a hand during the 2025 Federal Government shutdown. We spoke with her during that Federal shutdown.

Brought to you by University of Hawaii College of Tropical Ag. and Human Resilience (CTAHR), and the Seeds of Well-being (SOW) Project. This podcast is supported by the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN) grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture and Hawaii Department of Agriculture.

Resources:

• Hawaii Department of Health 
• Veterinary Emergency + Referral Center (VERC)
• One Health
• Avian Influenza at duck sanctuary
• Podcast with Jeff Corle
• Hawaii Humane Society (for grief support groups)
• To reach Ariella, call the DOH Disease Reporting Line: 808-586-4586 and ask for the veterinarian on staff.

Find out more about us:

• Seeds Of Wellbeing website
• Seeds of Wellbeing Resource Hub
• All the SOW links

Every day, hundreds of people drive to the very end of the road out of Honokaʻa on the northeast corner of Hawaii island to peer into Waipio valley from the lookout. They see that many signs warn to do the right thing, or “be pono,” and show respect by heeding the “Road Closed, Local Traffic Only” signs and keeping their vehicles out of the valley. So most wonder what happens in Waipio valley. One sign shares that Waipio valley has a thousand-year taro (kalo in Hawaiian) farming tradition. Kalo is used to produce one of the more popular indigenous foods on the islands, poi. Kalo was once a staple of the Hawaiian diet and poi is still quite popular on the islands. You can find fresh poi from Waipio valley in the local grocery stores and even at Costco. But how is poi made and who in Waipio valley is still making it? In this episode we speak with Kahealani from Mokuwai Piko Poi, Inc. whose family has been making and selling Waipio poi since the 1970s.

Brought to you by University of Hawaii College of Tropical Ag. and Human Resilience (CTAHR), and the Seeds of Well-being (SOW) Project. This podcast is supported by the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN) grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture and Hawaii Department of Agriculture.

Resources:

• Mokuwai Piko Poi on Instagram
• 2023 Hawaii Public Radio podcast about Waipio valley 
• Glossary of Taro (kalo) words and translation 
• UH GoFarm’s many programs for growing farmers

Find out more about us:

• Seeds Of Wellbeing website
• Seeds of Wellbeing Resource Hub
• All the SOW links

We listen to and discuss dairy farmer Jeff Corle’s song “Empty Barn” and speak with him about this song he wrote when he was "at the bottom." We find out how it helped his mental health, and what happened when it went somewhat viral and the reactions from others started to pour in. We also speak with some agriculture producers that heard Jeff’s song and they share what this song has meant to them. 

Brought to you by University of Hawaii College of Tropical Ag. and Human Resilience (CTAHR), and the Seeds of Well-being (SOW) Project. This podcast is supported by the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN) grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture and Hawaii Department of Agriculture.

Resources:

• Empty Barn video 
• Abby Wiedmeyer’s article about Jeff 
• Julie’s Zajac’s farm 
• Denny Hutchison’s work in the ag community 
• Brené Brown
• Jeff’s website
• Jeff’s YouTube channel 
• Jeff’s Tiktok 
• Jeff’s Instagram 
• Seeds of Wellbeing’s Hawaii Ag Mentors 
• Seeds of Wellbeing “Cool Mind” eBooks 

Find out more about us:

• Seeds Of Wellbeing website
• Seeds of Wellbeing Resource Hub
• All the SOW links

In this episode, we explore topics like natural lifemanship, heart math and coherence with Paige Deponte, Founder and Executive Director of The Spirit Horse Ranch on Maui. Paige discovered and learned these techniques to help manage her own trauma, and so now trained on them and teaches others how they can see their benefits, and uses her horses as part of the process. We discuss these techniques in detail and how they may be of help to  anyone that has experienced trauma.

Brought to you by University of Hawaii College of Tropical Ag. and Human Resilience (CTAHR), and the Seeds of Well-being (SOW) Project. This podcast is supported by the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN) grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture and Hawaii Department of Agriculture.

Resources:

• The Spirit Horse Ranch
• Natural Lifemanship
• More about Heart Math and Horses
• Heart Math program website
• Heart Math App Paige mentions
• Make a donation to The Spirit Horse Ranch 

Find out more about us:

• Seeds Of Wellbeing website
• Seeds of Wellbeing Resource Hub
• All the SOW links

In this episode we speak with folks from the Hawaii County Department of Finance, Property Tax Administration office, about recent changes to Hawaii County’s property tax regulations and filing requirements that can allow agriculture producers to receive, or continue to receive, preferential property tax rates for their property on the Big Island of Hawaii. These changes have created quite a stir among agriculture producers so we wanted to get more information and some clarification about these changes.

Brought to you by University of Hawaii College of Tropical Ag. and Human Resilience (CTAHR), and the Seeds of Well-being (SOW) Project. This podcast is supported by the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN) grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture and Hawaii Department of Agriculture.

Resources:

• County of Hawaii Property Tax website 
• County Agriculture Program FAQs
• County Agriculture Requirements & Benefits
• County Agriculture Use Values
• County Rules and Regulations details
• Our podcast with Senator Tim Richards
• Lisa’s contact information: [email protected]
• Keita’s contact information: [email protected]

Find out more about us:

• Seeds Of Wellbeing website
• Seeds of Wellbeing Resource Hub
• All the SOW links

By all accounts, Green Point Nurseries on the Big Island of Hawaii is a success story, so we decided to pay them a visit. In this episode, we talk about how this family, now in its third generation of cut flower production, has gotten through the hurdles of family succession, shifting markets, and growing pains that any agriculture producer will experience over many decades of growing and selling in, and from Hawaii.

Brought to you by University of Hawaii College of Tropical Ag. and Human Resilience (CTAHR), and the Seeds of Well-being (SOW) Project. This podcast is supported by the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN) grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture and Hawaii Department of Agriculture.

Resources:

• Green Point Nurseries 
• UH Tadashi Higaki’s publication with Donald Watson “Anthurium Culture in Hawaii” 
• Hawaii Floriculture Nursery Association (HEFNA)
• Podcast with CTAHR Dean Greywall 
• Dr. Tessie Amore 
• Lava eruption in Kapoho

Find out more about us:

• Seeds Of Wellbeing website
• Seeds of Wellbeing Resource Hub
• All the SOW links

In this episode we speak with Susan Collins, owner of Bird and Bee Hawai‘i on the Big Island of Hawai‘i. As you will hear, Susan has gone to great lengths to educate folks about bees, bee keeping, and legislation related to bees in Hawaii. We talked about how she got here, where things are going, and then heard a very recent update related to colony collapse on the mainland, and the impact of government cutbacks, DOGE (the US Department of Government Efficiency) and the spending freezes implemented by the Trump administration.

Brought to you by University of Hawaii College of Tropical Ag. and Human Resources (CTAHR), and the Seeds of Well-being (SOW) Project. This podcast is supported by the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN) grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture and Hawaii Department of Agriculture.

Resources:

• Bird & Bee Hawaiʻi 
• Richard Spiegel Course
• Crops that rely on pollinators
• Hoʻola Farms Programs for Veterans 
• Hawaii County “Bee Bill” 144 
• World Bee Day 2025 in Hilo  
• Our earlier podcast with another bee keeper

Find out more about us:

• Seeds Of Wellbeing website
• Seeds of Wellbeing Resource Hub
• All the SOW links

When we attended the 2024 Hawaii Agriculture Conference on Oahu, we noticed that the name Agricultural Leadership Foundation of Hawai‘i figured prominently, so we decided to find out more about it. In this episode we speak with Board President Diane Ley about the history and vision of ALFHawaiʻi, how and why ALFH started and continues the Hawaiʻi Ag Conference, and details about their 14 month Agriculture Leadership Program from Diane but also from Molly Mamaril, a recent graduate we spoke with at the Conference.

Brought to you by University of Hawaii College of Tropical Ag. and Human Resources (CTAHR), and the Seeds of Well-being (SOW) Project. This podcast is supported by the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN) grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture and Hawaii Department of Agriculture.

Resources:

• Agricultural Leadership Foundation of Hawaiʻi
• Hawai’i Agriculture Conference
• ALFH’s Agriculture Leadership Program 
• Hawaii Farm Bureau
• Hawai’i Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) 2023 
• The impact of The Jones Act on Hawai’i shipping logistics 
• Future Farmers of America
• GoFarm Hawaii 
• Molly’s Oahu Economic Development Board “Above the Sides” Podcast 
• Greenpoint Nursery
• Our podcast with Tim Richards 

Find out more about us:

• Seeds Of Wellbeing website
• Seeds of Wellbeing Resource Hub
• All the SOW links