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: Lisa.Miura@hawaiicounty.gov
• Keita’s contact information: Keita.Jo@hawaiicounty.gov

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

We hope you enjoy this rebroadcast of an earlier, "Voices from the Field" podcast. In this episode, we speak with the Reppun brothers on Oahu about some of the struggles they have faced, and solutions they have either found or invented, over the 50 years they have been farming.

Want to learn more about them? Watch a "Mālama the Farmer" video here: https://youtu.be/z7vTrNfJcvM

This podcast is brought to you by University of Hawaii College of Tropical Ag. and Human Resources, and the Seeds of Wellbeing or 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.

We are between podcast seasons, so while we work on new episodes, we are uploading this popular previous podcast for your listening enjoyment, and in case you missed it. Mahalo!

We are between podcast seasons, so while we work on new episodes, we are uploading a popular previous podcast for your listening enjoyment, and in case you missed it. Mahalo!

Find out more about us:

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