July 12, 2023 • 19 mins
We hope you enjoy this rebroadcast of an earlier, and our first, "Voices from the Field" podcast. In this episode, we hear from agriculture producers about ʻonipaʻa, and ways they address the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of Hawaiʻi agriculture production
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 a popular previous podcast for your listening enjoyment, and in case you missed it. Mahalo!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jim (00:08):
Welcome to a Seeds Of Wellbeing "Voices from the
field" podcast featuring voicesof Hawaii agriculture producers
for Hawaii agricultureproducers. These podcasts are
made possible by a grant fromthe University of Hawaii College
of Tropical Agriculture andHuman Resources, also known as
CTAHR. And the Seeds OfWellbeing or SOW project and is
supported by a grant from the USDepartment of Agriculture,
(00:31):
National Institute of Food andAgriculture and the Hawaii
Department of Agriculture.
People decide to enter intoagriculture in Hawaii for a
variety of reasons. But it isclear from our conversations
with ag producers throughout thestate that it requires having
certain qualities to both reducestress and be successful. Let's
listen to one voice from thefield.
Britton (00:54):
I've been a ag producer for about 18 years on the Big
Island. And more recently, inthe past two and a half years
I've been an ag educator andbeginner farmer trainer. Also
been involved as a foundingmember of the Hawaii Seed
Growers Network as a seedsmanand a seed grower. We
(01:17):
experienced very difficultweather, and we lost crops on a
few occasions, and we were verysuccessful other occasions. In
those times of losing crops, theHawaiian man, we were leasing
the land from from a Hawaiianfamily. And he saw our crop just
(01:40):
get destroyed by wind and rain.
And we're talking about 10s of1000s of dollars right before
the holiday season. Our entirefamily income, we had four
children. And he just shared oneword. And it's this word,
onipaa.
Jim (01:59):
We just heard from an ag producer and educator on the Big
Island of Hawaii. So what isonipaa? As with many Hawaiian
words, it can mean differentthings. So let's hear from Kumu
Shan Chun from the island ofKawai, to learn more.
Sean (02:14):
So I was with the University of Hawaii for a
while. I mean, the the realm ofculture, Hawaiian culture. So
Iʻm a cultural specialists invarious things. So I've also
worked with DLNR as ahorticulturalist in the past
too. When you talk about onipaait has many meanings. So a lot
of people hear it or see it onyou know, logos or, or things
(02:39):
like that. Yeah. But mainly whatit means is to be consistent or
steadfast. Yeah? Paa is to besolid or stuck, you know, in
your way. And so when you whenyou do things, when you when you
talk about onipaa there's a lotof meanings to it, but the main
(03:01):
thing is that you're you'recontinuous and steadfast and
consistent. That's that's themeaning that I like to give on
the far.
Jim (03:11):
Next, let's hear from a Molokai farmer and CTAHR
extension agent about traits hebelieves lead to successful
farming.
Glenn (03:19):
I'm a county extension agent on the island of Molokai,
I've been in this position nowfor 40 years. I've worked in a
lot of these areas, aquaculture,floral, nursery, livestock, row
crops, seed production. And Ithink you have to really work at
(03:43):
keeping a balanced mind. Andsome farmers just totally
stressed out when something'shappened. Some farmers like are
like, it's like water on a duck.
It just rolls off their back andhe said, you know, learn from
experience. So there's reallydifferent types of people, some
of which should not be infarming because they cannot
(04:07):
handle the stress.
Sean (04:11):
It's like what do you do when when things change quickly
and drastically? You're not usedto it, you know, there's no
social contact, loss of income,you know, people struggled
through so many things. Yeah,you know. And so, you know, you
can either have choices, Yeah?
And you know, you can in, in thearts and stuff we you know, we
(04:34):
call it koho ia you makechoices. And you know, you can
either turn and run and go in adifferent direction or you can
kind of be onipaa and just besteadfast and look forward to
opportunities and changing andgo at the times, Yeah? You know,
so a lot of times, you know, weget stuck into the thing is that
(04:56):
you know, this was this way andI cannot no longer do it that
way. But in reality, you know,being steadfast doesn't a lot of
times doesn't mean continuing inthe same method, it also means
to look for opportunities and,and be strong and steadfast in
what you need to be doing andget done. So, you know, there's
(05:18):
there's a lot of things I lookat for opportunities, rather
than looking back and, you know,trying to find things that we
cannot change sometimes. Yeah,so they're thereʻs, I mean,
everybody can, whatever that is,everybody can find their own
story.
Jim (05:37):
And finally, we add the voices of a couple that moved to
the Big Island of Hawaii fromOahu, to begin farming, and they
share what they have learned.
Camren (05:45):
We are right now primarily in livestock.
Kekoa (05:48):
I grew up on Oahu, and it's really different here
dealing with the just theclimate itself and having a lot
of expectations going into thisthat were not, were not met, in
terms of like the quality of thesoil that we're working with, or
(06:08):
the the prevalence of certaindiseases, parasites, things that
we don't have on Oahu, where Igrew up, it really does cause
kind of a emotional productivityburnout, that makes it an extra
chore to continue to maintainthis lifestyle. Soil quality is
(06:32):
a is definitely a struggle.
Because the it's so volcanichere, soil is almost non
existent, we have to eitherpurchase a lot of the
fertilizers and additives thatwe that we need, or have to make
it ourselves, which is a timeconsuming process to compost and
(06:53):
to create the amount that weneed to grow crops. That's
gonna, that takes a long time,and for the amount of turnover
that we have with organic waste,it's not something that's
sustainable with just what weproduce.
Jim (07:10):
Now let's continue to listen to the voices of these ag
producers and key informants asthey discuss qualities and
philosophies that keep them andother Hawaii farmers and
ranchers focused and steadfast.
Britton (07:22):
To be a farmer, you got to have some thick skin. And you
got to be able to lose an entirecrop. And then go plant it
again. And you might even loseit again. And you need to go do
it again. And each time you doit, you might do it a little
differently, you'll you likelyhave learned something. So
(07:45):
dealing with these stressors ona land from a land based
perspective, you will, farmerswill fail. Crops will fail. And
you're gonna have to farmerswill have to make a choice
whether they want to, you know,hang up the farm belt and pick
up, you know, the computer hator a different career, or
(08:09):
they're going to have to go backout and say, hey, you know, I'm
going to, I'm going to I'm goingto do this, again, I'm going to
try this a little different, orI'm going to try this different
crop because things are comingdifferent. I also believe that
that resiliency that farmers cancreate is a certain Renaissance
back to crops that, that areincredibly successful here.
Sean (08:32):
I think itʻs mindset and understanding and the willing
to, to let go the old and thenlook into things in a different
perspective. You know, soinstead of instead of sitting on
the problem, you want to thinkof what solutions and and reach
out to others too and lookwhat's happening around you. I
(08:56):
think being innovative, andthinking things from a different
perspective and being beingwilling to change a kind of get
out of the comfort zone, I thinkis helpful.
Camren (09:08):
For me, one of the primary things that I've done to
address the lack of soil is togive up on growing plants for
now. And I have, you know, hedoes a lot more plant stuff. I'm
focusing mainly on thelivestock. And so our property
being super rocky, andinterestingly enough, maybe
having more nutrition in itsomehow than some of the other
(09:30):
lots. Our goats do really wellwith a minimum amount of inputs.
So I'm thinking that that is adirection that I want to move in
more as the goat farmers in ourarea get older and start to not
want to keep bucks anymore, I'mkind of the person collecting
the genetics, the bucks. So wehave one really good dairy buck
who was rented out multipletimes this year, and is already
(09:51):
on reserve for multiple peoplefor next year. And then there's
a buckling that we'll be gettinghere in a few weeks who you know
is barely four months old, and Ialready have people asking me if
they can rent him when he's oldenough, because really good,
like meat and dairy geneticsthere. And so, you know, part of
it is sometimes just acceptingthat the thing you're wanting to
(10:14):
do isn't super feasible and thenfiguring out what is possible
with the land that you have. Andthat fills a need in the
community, and for us right now,in our local area, keeping bucks
is fulfilling that need,
Jim (10:26):
We now hear their thoughts on what is often described as a
spiritual connection to theland.
Sean (10:32):
Learning and understanding that. Yes, yes, as a traditional
Hawaiian practice, we'reconnected to the land, and with
that comes a certain level ofspirituality. And so with that,
comes along with understandingthat we have a responsibility
(10:54):
to, to the land, and to theenvironment.
Britton (10:58):
I think that the teaching that we get from a
number of different culturesthroughout the world, this
understanding that the land isactually the highest chief. If a
farmer can approach thelandscape with that mindset,
that's a that is a spiritualmindset. For the farmer, it
(11:22):
humbles you, and helps youunderstand that you're actually
not totally in control, the landwill often show you because it
is the highest chief, thelandʻll, show you this grows,
well, this doesn't. This is howthe water moves, don't try to do
it this way. This is how to,this is how to till your field,
don't till it this way. This iswhen to till your field, don't
(11:43):
tell it this way. I think in ain a spiritual or emotional way,
we have to sit with the landdifferently, not as "we are the
stewards of the land," right?
But the land is actuallystewarding us. And that's a huge
psychological shift, by shiftingthat consciousness of like, oh,
(12:05):
we're stewarding the land,because that's what it comes
down to is we end up having totrust the land, that the land
will take care of us, but wehave to pay attention.
Sean (12:16):
And so what I saying is, you know, you need to look deep
within yourself, whether it'sthrough meditation or prayer, or
finding ways and means to, todelve deeper into finding,
finding the answers. Yeah.
Britton (12:34):
And that spiritual connection will create
resilience in failure, becauseit is bound to happen. And it
doesn't mean you need to quit.
Sean (12:45):
I think farmers are just special people. Yeah, they have
something innate in them thatthat makes it a love. You know,
and a passion to do that.
Because I've known and seen alot of people, you know, they
want to farm and do thesethings. But you know, as soon as
they start they find a lot, thisis hard work. Yeah. Or there's a
(13:07):
lot more problems that come up.
So you know, the ones that thathave been around and are doing
it. You know, it's definitelycommendable because it's not an
easy life.
Glenn (13:22):
It's not only the psychological stuff, is the
physical stuff. It's the mentalstuff. And it's the spiritual
stuff is this whole thing thatyou got to address every single
one of them you know, and, andfarming is a independent
business. You know, it's likethese mini corporations all over
(13:43):
the place.
Britton (13:44):
You know, it's tough, managing our families, managing
our finances, managing thisworld that we live in taxes, all
the all the actual, all thestuff that you have to manage as
a farmer being an entrepreneur,running a business, managing
accounts, managing produce,cleaning produce, new rules,
regulations, steadfast.
Jim (14:04):
Next, we hear about growing taro, also known as kalo, on the
Hawaiian Islands.
Sean (14:10):
I definitely admire taro farmers, but if you're familiar
with Kawai on how it floods andthe damage that they receive
during the flooding it'sdefinitely devastating. And to
think that your crops you'vebeen growing for months and
months just wiped out overnightand then to think you're not
(14:33):
going to get another crop in thenext you know, year after after
that devastation. You know, itshows you something about
determination and and you know,onipaa, yeah to be steadfast and
just they just continue youknow, and especially because of
what what taro stands for, youknow, kalo is the staple of life
(14:57):
yeah, staff of life forHawaiians and you know, I can
only imagine what goes throughtheir mind. But the next day
they're out there, cleaning upand starting all over again. And
I just think that's amazing. Ithink a normal person would go
well, that there you go, that'sit.
Kekoa (15:15):
My family has grown kalo, we, our our loi has existed
since time immemorial. And nowit's, we do tropical flowers up
there, but the loi is stillthere. And so, kalo to me, not
only is something that keeps meconnected to my ancestors, but
it's also a way to justperpetuate the legacy of our
(15:37):
family.
Sean (15:39):
And even you know, I have a good friend that has a fairly
large banana farm and admiringtoo, because there's a lot of
competition coming in, but yethe still manages. And I think
when you when you talk aboutonipaa, and having that drive,
and that, you know, thatsteadfastness and that
(16:03):
consistency. You know, thosethose come to mind,
automatically. And I admirethem. Because it's it's not a
definitely not an easy thing todo. You know seeing everything
wiped out like that.
Camren (16:18):
And it's about adapting and not trying to hang on too
hard to your original plan. Ithink if you try and fight, you
know, people always say, youknow, you got to listen to the
land, the land will tell youwhat to do. And I didn't quite
understand what that meant whenI first moved here, but now
like, I totally get it, youknow, we're like, oh, we're
gonna grow fruits andvegetables. Yeah, no, that's not
happening.
Glenn (16:39):
And you need to balance these things out. I mean, if you
if you have a balance betweenbad and good, I mean, you kind
of like, even keel. So I thinkyou need to seek out the
positive stresses and you got tokind of minimize the negatives a
lot of times. And so a lot hasto do with your mind and how you
(17:00):
think. Some people have a shortterm focus, some people have
more of a long term focus, and along term focus, you can weather
the storms and the short termfocused, you just totally freak
it out half the time.
Jim (17:15):
We want to thank all our ag producers throughout the
islands, but especially those weheard from on this podcast for
discussing ways they address thephysical, mental, emotional and
spiritual aspects of Hawaii agproduction.
Sean (17:28):
Thank your farmers, support your farmers, you know,
it's not it's not easy. Ifanybody ever tried to grow their
own fruit or food, they knowthat it takes time and money and
you know, take something fromseed to you know, to the market
is time consuming. And you know,just just just a simple
(17:54):
appreciation and support.
Supporting is what will make itgo wrong.
Britton (18:01):
Encourage all of our all my fellow farmers and
producers out there you know,onipaa steadfast.
Jim (18:18):
Thank you for listening to the Seeds Of Wellbeing "Voices
from the field" podcastfeaturing the perspectives of ag
producers throughout theHawaiian Islands. If you have
found it helpful, please followlike and share this episode. If
you have ideas about how we canmake it better, please let us
know in the comments, or use thelink on our website. Mahalo.
Welcome to a Seeds Of Wellbeing "Voices from the
field" podcast featuring voicesof Hawaii agriculture producers
for Hawaii agricultureproducers. These podcasts are
made possible by a grant fromthe University of Hawaii College
of Tropical Agriculture andHuman Resources, also known as
CTAHR. And the Seeds OfWellbeing or SOW project and is
supported by a grant from the USDepartment of Agriculture,
(00:31):
National Institute of Food andAgriculture and the Hawaii
Department of Agriculture.
People decide to enter intoagriculture in Hawaii for a
variety of reasons. But it isclear from our conversations
with ag producers throughout thestate that it requires having
certain qualities to both reducestress and be successful. Let's
listen to one voice from thefield.
Britton (00:54):
I've been a ag producer for about 18 years on the Big
Island. And more recently, inthe past two and a half years
I've been an ag educator andbeginner farmer trainer. Also
been involved as a foundingmember of the Hawaii Seed
Growers Network as a seedsmanand a seed grower. We
(01:17):
experienced very difficultweather, and we lost crops on a
few occasions, and we were verysuccessful other occasions. In
those times of losing crops, theHawaiian man, we were leasing
the land from from a Hawaiianfamily. And he saw our crop just
(01:40):
get destroyed by wind and rain.
And we're talking about 10s of1000s of dollars right before
the holiday season. Our entirefamily income, we had four
children. And he just shared oneword. And it's this word,
onipaa.
Jim (01:59):
We just heard from an ag producer and educator on the Big
Island of Hawaii. So what isonipaa? As with many Hawaiian
words, it can mean differentthings. So let's hear from Kumu
Shan Chun from the island ofKawai, to learn more.
Sean (02:14):
So I was with the University of Hawaii for a
while. I mean, the the realm ofculture, Hawaiian culture. So
Iʻm a cultural specialists invarious things. So I've also
worked with DLNR as ahorticulturalist in the past
too. When you talk about onipaait has many meanings. So a lot
of people hear it or see it onyou know, logos or, or things
(02:39):
like that. Yeah. But mainly whatit means is to be consistent or
steadfast. Yeah? Paa is to besolid or stuck, you know, in
your way. And so when you whenyou do things, when you when you
talk about onipaa there's a lotof meanings to it, but the main
(03:01):
thing is that you're you'recontinuous and steadfast and
consistent. That's that's themeaning that I like to give on
the far.
Jim (03:11):
Next, let's hear from a Molokai farmer and CTAHR
extension agent about traits hebelieves lead to successful
farming.
Glenn (03:19):
I'm a county extension agent on the island of Molokai,
I've been in this position nowfor 40 years. I've worked in a
lot of these areas, aquaculture,floral, nursery, livestock, row
crops, seed production. And Ithink you have to really work at
(03:43):
keeping a balanced mind. Andsome farmers just totally
stressed out when something'shappened. Some farmers like are
like, it's like water on a duck.
It just rolls off their back andhe said, you know, learn from
experience. So there's reallydifferent types of people, some
of which should not be infarming because they cannot
(04:07):
handle the stress.
Sean (04:11):
It's like what do you do when when things change quickly
and drastically? You're not usedto it, you know, there's no
social contact, loss of income,you know, people struggled
through so many things. Yeah,you know. And so, you know, you
can either have choices, Yeah?
And you know, you can in, in thearts and stuff we you know, we
(04:34):
call it koho ia you makechoices. And you know, you can
either turn and run and go in adifferent direction or you can
kind of be onipaa and just besteadfast and look forward to
opportunities and changing andgo at the times, Yeah? You know,
so a lot of times, you know, weget stuck into the thing is that
(04:56):
you know, this was this way andI cannot no longer do it that
way. But in reality, you know,being steadfast doesn't a lot of
times doesn't mean continuing inthe same method, it also means
to look for opportunities and,and be strong and steadfast in
what you need to be doing andget done. So, you know, there's
(05:18):
there's a lot of things I lookat for opportunities, rather
than looking back and, you know,trying to find things that we
cannot change sometimes. Yeah,so they're thereʻs, I mean,
everybody can, whatever that is,everybody can find their own
story.
Jim (05:37):
And finally, we add the voices of a couple that moved to
the Big Island of Hawaii fromOahu, to begin farming, and they
share what they have learned.
Camren (05:45):
We are right now primarily in livestock.
Kekoa (05:48):
I grew up on Oahu, and it's really different here
dealing with the just theclimate itself and having a lot
of expectations going into thisthat were not, were not met, in
terms of like the quality of thesoil that we're working with, or
(06:08):
the the prevalence of certaindiseases, parasites, things that
we don't have on Oahu, where Igrew up, it really does cause
kind of a emotional productivityburnout, that makes it an extra
chore to continue to maintainthis lifestyle. Soil quality is
(06:32):
a is definitely a struggle.
Because the it's so volcanichere, soil is almost non
existent, we have to eitherpurchase a lot of the
fertilizers and additives thatwe that we need, or have to make
it ourselves, which is a timeconsuming process to compost and
(06:53):
to create the amount that weneed to grow crops. That's
gonna, that takes a long time,and for the amount of turnover
that we have with organic waste,it's not something that's
sustainable with just what weproduce.
Jim (07:10):
Now let's continue to listen to the voices of these ag
producers and key informants asthey discuss qualities and
philosophies that keep them andother Hawaii farmers and
ranchers focused and steadfast.
Britton (07:22):
To be a farmer, you got to have some thick skin. And you
got to be able to lose an entirecrop. And then go plant it
again. And you might even loseit again. And you need to go do
it again. And each time you doit, you might do it a little
differently, you'll you likelyhave learned something. So
(07:45):
dealing with these stressors ona land from a land based
perspective, you will, farmerswill fail. Crops will fail. And
you're gonna have to farmerswill have to make a choice
whether they want to, you know,hang up the farm belt and pick
up, you know, the computer hator a different career, or
(08:09):
they're going to have to go backout and say, hey, you know, I'm
going to, I'm going to I'm goingto do this, again, I'm going to
try this a little different, orI'm going to try this different
crop because things are comingdifferent. I also believe that
that resiliency that farmers cancreate is a certain Renaissance
back to crops that, that areincredibly successful here.
Sean (08:32):
I think itʻs mindset and understanding and the willing
to, to let go the old and thenlook into things in a different
perspective. You know, soinstead of instead of sitting on
the problem, you want to thinkof what solutions and and reach
out to others too and lookwhat's happening around you. I
(08:56):
think being innovative, andthinking things from a different
perspective and being beingwilling to change a kind of get
out of the comfort zone, I thinkis helpful.
Camren (09:08):
For me, one of the primary things that I've done to
address the lack of soil is togive up on growing plants for
now. And I have, you know, hedoes a lot more plant stuff. I'm
focusing mainly on thelivestock. And so our property
being super rocky, andinterestingly enough, maybe
having more nutrition in itsomehow than some of the other
(09:30):
lots. Our goats do really wellwith a minimum amount of inputs.
So I'm thinking that that is adirection that I want to move in
more as the goat farmers in ourarea get older and start to not
want to keep bucks anymore, I'mkind of the person collecting
the genetics, the bucks. So wehave one really good dairy buck
who was rented out multipletimes this year, and is already
(09:51):
on reserve for multiple peoplefor next year. And then there's
a buckling that we'll be gettinghere in a few weeks who you know
is barely four months old, and Ialready have people asking me if
they can rent him when he's oldenough, because really good,
like meat and dairy geneticsthere. And so, you know, part of
it is sometimes just acceptingthat the thing you're wanting to
(10:14):
do isn't super feasible and thenfiguring out what is possible
with the land that you have. Andthat fills a need in the
community, and for us right now,in our local area, keeping bucks
is fulfilling that need,
Jim (10:26):
We now hear their thoughts on what is often described as a
spiritual connection to theland.
Sean (10:32):
Learning and understanding that. Yes, yes, as a traditional
Hawaiian practice, we'reconnected to the land, and with
that comes a certain level ofspirituality. And so with that,
comes along with understandingthat we have a responsibility
(10:54):
to, to the land, and to theenvironment.
Britton (10:58):
I think that the teaching that we get from a
number of different culturesthroughout the world, this
understanding that the land isactually the highest chief. If a
farmer can approach thelandscape with that mindset,
that's a that is a spiritualmindset. For the farmer, it
(11:22):
humbles you, and helps youunderstand that you're actually
not totally in control, the landwill often show you because it
is the highest chief, thelandʻll, show you this grows,
well, this doesn't. This is howthe water moves, don't try to do
it this way. This is how to,this is how to till your field,
don't till it this way. This iswhen to till your field, don't
(11:43):
tell it this way. I think in ain a spiritual or emotional way,
we have to sit with the landdifferently, not as "we are the
stewards of the land," right?
But the land is actuallystewarding us. And that's a huge
psychological shift, by shiftingthat consciousness of like, oh,
(12:05):
we're stewarding the land,because that's what it comes
down to is we end up having totrust the land, that the land
will take care of us, but wehave to pay attention.
Sean (12:16):
And so what I saying is, you know, you need to look deep
within yourself, whether it'sthrough meditation or prayer, or
finding ways and means to, todelve deeper into finding,
finding the answers. Yeah.
Britton (12:34):
And that spiritual connection will create
resilience in failure, becauseit is bound to happen. And it
doesn't mean you need to quit.
Sean (12:45):
I think farmers are just special people. Yeah, they have
something innate in them thatthat makes it a love. You know,
and a passion to do that.
Because I've known and seen alot of people, you know, they
want to farm and do thesethings. But you know, as soon as
they start they find a lot, thisis hard work. Yeah. Or there's a
(13:07):
lot more problems that come up.
So you know, the ones that thathave been around and are doing
it. You know, it's definitelycommendable because it's not an
easy life.
Glenn (13:22):
It's not only the psychological stuff, is the
physical stuff. It's the mentalstuff. And it's the spiritual
stuff is this whole thing thatyou got to address every single
one of them you know, and, andfarming is a independent
business. You know, it's likethese mini corporations all over
(13:43):
the place.
Britton (13:44):
You know, it's tough, managing our families, managing
our finances, managing thisworld that we live in taxes, all
the all the actual, all thestuff that you have to manage as
a farmer being an entrepreneur,running a business, managing
accounts, managing produce,cleaning produce, new rules,
regulations, steadfast.
Jim (14:04):
Next, we hear about growing taro, also known as kalo, on the
Hawaiian Islands.
Sean (14:10):
I definitely admire taro farmers, but if you're familiar
with Kawai on how it floods andthe damage that they receive
during the flooding it'sdefinitely devastating. And to
think that your crops you'vebeen growing for months and
months just wiped out overnightand then to think you're not
(14:33):
going to get another crop in thenext you know, year after after
that devastation. You know, itshows you something about
determination and and you know,onipaa, yeah to be steadfast and
just they just continue youknow, and especially because of
what what taro stands for, youknow, kalo is the staple of life
(14:57):
yeah, staff of life forHawaiians and you know, I can
only imagine what goes throughtheir mind. But the next day
they're out there, cleaning upand starting all over again. And
I just think that's amazing. Ithink a normal person would go
well, that there you go, that'sit.
Kekoa (15:15):
My family has grown kalo, we, our our loi has existed
since time immemorial. And nowit's, we do tropical flowers up
there, but the loi is stillthere. And so, kalo to me, not
only is something that keeps meconnected to my ancestors, but
it's also a way to justperpetuate the legacy of our
(15:37):
family.
Sean (15:39):
And even you know, I have a good friend that has a fairly
large banana farm and admiringtoo, because there's a lot of
competition coming in, but yethe still manages. And I think
when you when you talk aboutonipaa, and having that drive,
and that, you know, thatsteadfastness and that
(16:03):
consistency. You know, thosethose come to mind,
automatically. And I admirethem. Because it's it's not a
definitely not an easy thing todo. You know seeing everything
wiped out like that.
Camren (16:18):
And it's about adapting and not trying to hang on too
hard to your original plan. Ithink if you try and fight, you
know, people always say, youknow, you got to listen to the
land, the land will tell youwhat to do. And I didn't quite
understand what that meant whenI first moved here, but now
like, I totally get it, youknow, we're like, oh, we're
gonna grow fruits andvegetables. Yeah, no, that's not
happening.
Glenn (16:39):
And you need to balance these things out. I mean, if you
if you have a balance betweenbad and good, I mean, you kind
of like, even keel. So I thinkyou need to seek out the
positive stresses and you got tokind of minimize the negatives a
lot of times. And so a lot hasto do with your mind and how you
(17:00):
think. Some people have a shortterm focus, some people have
more of a long term focus, and along term focus, you can weather
the storms and the short termfocused, you just totally freak
it out half the time.
Jim (17:15):
We want to thank all our ag producers throughout the
islands, but especially those weheard from on this podcast for
discussing ways they address thephysical, mental, emotional and
spiritual aspects of Hawaii agproduction.
Sean (17:28):
Thank your farmers, support your farmers, you know,
it's not it's not easy. Ifanybody ever tried to grow their
own fruit or food, they knowthat it takes time and money and
you know, take something fromseed to you know, to the market
is time consuming. And you know,just just just a simple
(17:54):
appreciation and support.
Supporting is what will make itgo wrong.
Britton (18:01):
Encourage all of our all my fellow farmers and
producers out there you know,onipaa steadfast.
Jim (18:18):
Thank you for listening to the Seeds Of Wellbeing "Voices
from the field" podcastfeaturing the perspectives of ag
producers throughout theHawaiian Islands. If you have
found it helpful, please followlike and share this episode. If
you have ideas about how we canmake it better, please let us
know in the comments, or use thelink on our website. Mahalo.
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