News & Notes

Livestock feed program helps commercial operations

The Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture will be holding informational meetings around the state to inform livestock farming operations about the state’s new Livestock Feed Reimbursement Program. The program was developed to implement Act 221, which appropriated a total of $3 million over two years to help revitalize Hawai‘i’s livestock industry, which is struggling with the high cost of livestock feed imported from the Mainland. By assisting the livestock industry with feed costs, the program will also help Hawai‘i livestock farmers remain competitive with Mainland producers and contribute to Hawai‘i’s food security, according to the state Agriculture Department. An informational meeting will be held at 9 a.m. Wednesday in Lihu‘e at the HDOA Office conference room, 4398A Pua Loke St.

Under the program, qualified dairy, cattle, hog and poultry farms may apply for up to 60 percent of the farm’s feed expense. Special forms and documentation are required in order for the reimbursement for feed costs incurred after July 1, 2007. Reimbursements may not exceed a total of $250,000 per qualified producer per year.

In order for a farm to qualify for the reimbursement program, the farm must be in the business of producing: milk from a herd of not less than 350 cows; poultry from a flock of not less than 3,000 birds; pork from a herd of not less than 50 sows; or beef producers who finish at least 100 head annually.

The program will reimburse qualified farms according to the following formula: 40 percent of the feed costs incurred for milk production; 60 percent of the feed costs incurred for production of poultry products; 50 percent of the feed costs incurred for pigs raised in Hawai‘i and slaughtered for local consumption; or 50 percent of the feed costs for beef cattle raised in Hawai‘i and slaughtered in Hawai‘i for local consumption.

More information is available at http://www.hawaii.gov/hdoa/add/add_md/LFRP/LFRP.

Visitor expenditures increase

$4.8 million in September

According to the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, visitor expenditures for the month of September increased .5 percent or $4.8 million ahead of last September to $927.1 million. Expenditures for the first nine months of 2007 totaled $9.2 billion, an increase of .6 percent or $58.1 million over the same period last year. The average daily visitor spending for September rose from $188 per person to $194 per person; for the first nine months of 2007, spending also rose 2.6 percent to $180 per person.

For the month of September, total arrivals declined 1.2 percent to 552,742 visitors. This decrease combined with a shorter average length of stay (down from 8.77 days to 8.63 days in September 2007) resulted in a 2.8 percent decrease in total visitor days.

Visitors from the U.S. East (up 2.6 percent) and Canada (up 9.5 percent) in September increased, but arrivals from U.S. West (down 5.8 percent) and Japan (down 2.7 percent) were lower compared to the same month last year.

Through September 2007, total visitor days decreased 1.9 percent compared to year-to-date 2006, while total arrivals dipped 1 percent. Among the top four visitor markets, visitors from the U.S. West and Canada increased but arrivals from Japan and the U.S. East were lower compared to the first nine months of 2006.

Vendor opportunity at Po‘ipu Craft Fair

Island crafters and artisans will have the opportunity to offer their wares at the upcoming annual Holiday Craft Fair at National Tropical Botanical Gardens’ Bill and Jean Lane Visitor Center, across from Spouting Horn. The craft fair will be held outdoors on Sunday, Dec. 2, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on the lawn fronting the building.

Vendors can rent space under a tent for a nominal fee. To apply for a spot, fill out an application and leave a product sample at the visitor center during business hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. For more information, call 742-2433 or contact Jayme Grzebik at jgrz@ntbg.org or 742-2623.

Mahina Mermaid relocates to Kalaheo

Mahina Mermaid clothing and gifts opened in Kalaheo on Halloween. The store offers a unique selection of fun and feminine women’s clothing at affordable prices.

Owner Cheryl Martin fell in love with Kaua‘i while on vacation in 2005 and moved here eight months later. Martin’s background includes almost 17 years with Costco Wholesale and aims to provide affordable shopping for the women of Kaua‘i.

The store originally opened in Hanapepe in August 2006. Martin hopes the relocation will offer more exposure.

Mahina Mermaid is located west of the Kalaheo Café in the yellow house shared with RE/MAX Realty. Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. Call 332-0009 for more information.

Digital arts and licensing seminar Nov. 16

The Kaua‘i Small Business Development Center will present a seminar, “Digital Arts and Licensing,” from 9 a.m. to noon on Nov. 16 at the Kauai Veterans Center.

The workshop is geared toward musicians, writers, Web site and game designers, photographers, video and other visual artists, and managers.

Topics to be discussed include intellectual property, licensing copyrights and patents for visual arts, music and software, and information on digital rights management, which is a new and evolving tool for administration of licenses of digital arts products.

Presenter George Darby is a technology, intellectual property and registered patent attorney based in Mililani, with practices in Hawai‘i, Japan and the Mainland. His legal clientele includes performing artists, recording companies, and music publishers.

Free, 15-minute, one-on-one consultations will follow the seminar. Only four consultation slots are available and will be assigned at the seminar. Registration costs $30. The deadline to register is Friday.

For more information, call 246-1748 or visit www.hawaii-sbdc.org.