Food Safety Certification

We Grow Our Own

Richard Ha writes:

Our banana farm and the packing house had their annual Food Safety inspections Monday. We are waiting on a lab analysis of our irrigation water and some residue tests of our bananas, but I’m confident we will pass.

We look forward to these Food Safety inspections because we always learn about trends in the industry. Then we expend a lot of effort to make sure we keep ahead of the curve. We strive to be good partners with our customers, so we try to make sure their future concerns are taken care of ahead of time. We want them to feel confident that we are on top of things and that we will do everything possible to ensure there will be no surprises.

For the first time, we sense a real crisis brewing in the leafy green vegetable industry. Many businesses were hurt badly during the recent spinach/E. coli problem. And now there is a lot of hand-wringing about what to do next and how to do it.

We saw this coming more than two years ago, and set out at that time to put ourselves in a position of safety—for ourselves, and for our customers. That is why we do hydroponic vegetable production: we believe this is the best system for us to ensure that we have the safest lettuces, green onions, herbs and watercress.

Our leafy greens are all grown indoors, so they are protected from the rain. We do not grow in soil or in compost because that can be a source of E. coli contamination. We use county water for any spraying we do. And we test our irrigation water for E. coli every month.

After our inspection Monday, I thought to myself that this is a “new day” in agriculture. I felt there was something going on that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

Then Tracy told me about her lunch at Café Pesto. She, Kimo and Craig Bowden of Davis Fresh Technologies (the Food Safety Certification company) were preparing to order when they overheard a conversation at the next table. The customer asked where the spinach was grown, and said that if it came from California he didn’t want it.

That’s when it came to me. There is a crisis and it’s due to industrial agriculture.

Consumers can no longer be sure what farmer grew any particular crop. There is hardly a multi-national banana company out there with a third-party Food Safety Certification. This is because their fruit might be branded by a poor farmer barely making ends meet who is packing the bananas in a tub of river water and then driving it down to the docks. No one knows, because it all ends up under one large brand; one name. Same with lettuce and spinach grown under the large brands. Consumers don’t know the farmer.

So let me just reassure you by saying it straight out: We are the farmer who affixes that Hamakua Springs sticker. We grow every single piece of produce we sell!

Losing Weight

Christmas Cookies

Richard Ha writes:

The cookies and holiday leftovers are gone now, and my weight is up to 204.5 lbs. Over the holidays, I gained more than five pounds.

But there is no sense in beating myself up about it. Instead, I am refocusing my efforts.

I plan to lose a half-pound per week until I weigh 190 pounds. This should take me 29 weeks, meaning I should be at 190 lbs. on July 29, 2007. If I get ahead of schedule, which I suspect might happen, I’ll just shorten the target date.

My other new effort is that I plan to follow Leslie’s weight loss plan. She eats three normal meals and two pre-planned snacks in between. The key to her success is that she does not eat anything after the last meal; “not even a grape.”

Because I know that I am not that disciplined, I need a safety valve. That safety valve is an occasional “fast.” When I become more than half a pound behind schedule, I’ll fast between 3 p.m. and 10 a.m. the following morning. I’ll eat a controlled snack at 10 a.m. and resume my normal eating schedule at noon. I’m fasting right now.

To put everything into perspective, I started to exercise and lose weight back in May when I noticed I was having a hard time straightening up after sitting for a while. I was starting to take on an old person’s gait. I knew I needed to do physical exercise and lose weight or I would be taking the long downhill slide.

My resting heart rate at that point was in the mid-70s. Now it’s in the mid 50s. A lower resting heart rate is an indicator of physical conditioning. This tells me that though I’m overweight, I am in pretty good cardiovascular shape.

I plan to use this format to report my progress from week to week:

Weight on Jan 07, 2007: 204.5
Weight today:x
Scheduled weight:x

Pounds ahead (behind) schedule:x

Resting heart rate today: x

Community, Water

Water Works

Richard Ha writes:

Our farm is neighbors with Andrade Camp, a small neighborhood whose residents are working to transition from its private water system, developed in the sugar plantation era, to a modern municipal system.

It’s a complicated effort that brings together the residents’ Representative to the legislature, the County Board of Water Supply, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the County Research and Development Department, the County Planning Dept and Senator Inouye’s office.

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I’ve been very impressed with how these government agencies, and especially Representative Dwight Takamine, Board of Water Supply manager Milton Pavao and USDA’s Ted Matsuo, work in the best interest of the people. It gives a person renewed faith in government.

Andrade Camp consists of approximately 20 sugar plantation-style homes located 11 miles north of Hilo, mauka of Highway 19. The houses, built by the Hilo Coast Processing Company, are owned by former company employees. Today most of the residents are in their late 70s or even in their 80s. They are accustomed to the sugar plantation taking care of their needs.

We at the farm got involved because our neighbors, the residents of Andrade Camp, are members of the previous generation who helped make Hawaii what it is today. They are uncomplaining and trust that someone is going to do the right thing. It is the least we can do.

A few years back, when C. Brewer sold all of their former sugar lands, they informed Andrade Camp residents they would need to take over the private water system and start paying the county for their water use. We helped the residents form an association which could bill each household for its water usage. The association is given a bill based on the reading from the county’s master meter. Residents are then billed by the association based on their individual meter reading.

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The water system was originally served by a pipeline that went down to the Pepe’ekeo sugar mill, and residents were charged a flat rate for their water use. They paid $8 per month, and the sugar company took care of all maintenance. Just prior to leaving, the sugar company replaced all the old lines with a plastic 2-inch pipe that passed by each house, and new water meters were installed at each house, which made it possible to determine how much water each house uses.

Several years ago, Dwight Takamine held a series of information gathering meetings with all the interested parties, and the process to upgrade the water system began. A budget was developed, and then the plan to upgrade the system was brought before the Board of Water Supply for approval and funding. The project was approved for funding and the formal process began. A contractor was hired to develop the plan and submit the application to the Department of Agriculture for grant approval. It is going through the process right now.

It is heartwarming to see how all the parties involved are doing everything they can to help the residents of Andrade Camp. I wish everyone could see their government in action as I am seeing it. It would make them feel good.

Bike, Losing Weight

Face Plants

1 Comment

Richard Ha writes:

One last holiday meal to go, and then it’s back to serious weight losing. Besides the usual holiday parties, we have had several birthday parties, a wedding and a homecoming from Iraq. I gained a lot of weight. I am now 202.7 pounds.

I’ve been coming to the conclusion that calorie intake is more effective than exercise when trying to lose weight. I’ve decided to use the plan that has worked so well for Leslie, with one modification–cutting out an occasional evening meal.

Leslie eats three normal meals and two controlled-calorie snacks in between, and that’s all. The key to her success seems to be that she does not eat anything after the evening meal–not even a grape, she says. She gets results with very little exercising. This takes more discipline than I have.

My brother Kenneth told me he has been able to maintain low body fat over the years by cutting out an occasional evening meal. He otherwise eats three large meals daily.

I hadn’t considered that, but I fasted before seeing the doctor this past Friday and it was fairly easy to do. That will give me a safety valve when I drift a little from Leslie’s routine.

My new plan is to eat 2000 calories per day broken up into three meals and two controlled-calorie snacks. If I start to gain more than a half pound or hit a plateau, I’ll cut out an entire evening meal.

Last week I wrote that Chris Seymour, the owner of Hilo Bike Hub, was going to take me, my son Brian and Rodrigo Romo on a tour of the Kulani mountain bike trails.

We were really fortunate to have Chris take us on the Kulani Trail ride Tuesday. He is a different class of bike rider from the average person. He just participated in a “from the ocean to the top of the mountain” bike ride. As in, put your toes in the ocean at Hilo Bay and then ride nonstop to the top of Mauna Kea.

He showed us how to navigate the trails on our own. It may have been 10 years since I was on those trails last, and it’s really confusing in there. It all started coming back. Now I can go back again without getting lost.

I went over the handlebars three times, Brian got lost in the forest and Rodrigo did a “face plant” on a log crossing. I had forgotten how much fun mountain biking was.

We parked at the quarry, where mountain bike riders and illegal target shooters uneasily share parking. We rode around the block and entered the “Criterium Trail.” I remember having a conversation with someone once about this trail being down range and running across the target range’s line of sight. I think we agreed that it might be below the crest of the hill. Whatever we discussed, I decided I was going to ride with my head low, just in case.

On the gravel road around the block, I came across a diagonal eucalyptus branch about 3 inches in diameter. I made sure that my front tire hit it square and not on an angle, and Chris nodded approvingly. But I was uneasy because I did not lift my front wheel enough. I was leaning too far forward and did not coordinate the front wheel lift, the power stroke and the unweighting of the back tire. Then we came upon a steep rutted downhill and I wondered if I was going too fast or too slow. The disc brakes were working really well. Too well—I was locking up my front and back wheels with one finger and a light touch.

I saw Chris and Rodrigo enter the “Criterium Trail” and they disappeared. As soon as I entered it, memories started coming back. Stay loose and hit the roots square or they’ll just suck your front wheel out from under. Why am I drifting off the trail for no reason at all? Hold the brakes, go easy on the front brake or you’re going over the handlebar. Watch out for those rocks—some look solid enough to roll over but some are loose. While I was concentrating on those things the trails drifted off to the right.

Then it occurred to me that I need to be loose on the bike. One needs to change the center of gravity on the bike so you can react quickly. This means you cannot just sit on the seat and expect to get through without something bad happening.

Uh oh. Here comes some rocks and a big root running diagonally down the trail and then the trail jogs to the left and drops off downhill real quickly, and on the bottom is a big root going straight across the trail. Information overload. I’m out of position on the bike—leaning too far forward while going downhill approaching the root. I know I need to unload the front of the bike so I can clear the root.

But too many things are going on and next thing I know I’m over the handlebar and on my back with the bike on top of me. Brian is asking me if I’m all right. I think that he is following to babysit me. I hate that.

I flip the bike on top of me one more time and make my way out of the trail, where the guys are waiting. My heart rate hit 166. I’m not exhausted, but I decide to go back to the truck so I don’t hold them back.

Soon Chris and Rodrigo ride up, looking for Brian. They can’t find him. Eventually Brian shows up and Chris suggests we ride the roads. As we ride along, Chris points out trails that Brian and Rodrigo can take, which will meet up with us further ahead.

He shows us a log crossing where there are two log obstacles to cross. The second one has a ramp up and over it. But you need to make the first log under control in order to ride up and over the ramp on the second.

Chris and Rodrigo make it over nicely the first few times. I take off, but flip over the handlebars again. Not hurt, I decide to go easy.

Rodrigo is an aggressive rider. On his fourth time over, he charges the first log and clears it easily and then gets over the second log with some speed, but his front tire falls off the plank and he crashes head first and is lying under his bike face down. Chris tells him to lay there and not to try to get up too quickly.

Rodrigo is fine. Chris says, “That’s why they call it a face plant.” Rodrigo has paid his dues. He left some skin in the Kulani Trails.

After that we head back up the road and Brian and Rodrigo duck in and out of trails and we all take the last one that ends up back at the quarry. It took 90 minutes over all. For me, it was an occasional really high heart rate and lots of cruising in between. The others spent more time in the actual trails. My heart rate spiked up over 160 five times and hit 172. I am actually in better shape than when I first tried the Kulani Trails many years ago. This will be lots of fun, especially when I reach a lower body weight.

Rodrigo is probably thinking of how he’s going to successfully ride and clear the log obstacles next time. Me? I’m thinking of how I’m going to run or carry my bike over them without losing too much time.

Alan Wong, Community, Contest

Partnerships

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Richard Ha writes:

Sometimes Hawaii Community College is overlooked in favor of the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, but it shouldn’t be. The school gives students some excellent opportunities not otherwise available here.

My son Brian took the community college’s carpentry and electrician courses and now he’s an Apache helicopter pilot. The machine he flies costs more than our entire farm.

Several years ago I mentioned to Allan Okuda, director of the Community College’s food service program, that we were starting hydroponic vegetable production and wanted to do something with his culinary program. He was very receptive to the idea.

The Hamakua Springs Tomato Recipe Contest is our first opportunity to work with the culinary school. When I called Allan Okuda about doing something with them re: the tomato recipe contest, he said he’d been waiting for us to get back in touch. He liked the idea of having the program’s students prepare the recipes for final judging. Students will get the opportunity to use the skills they have learned to prepare the recipes for judging, he said.

Foodland Super Markets helped to make this event a reality by publicizing the Hamakua Springs Tomato Recipe Contest in their mailouts, as well as with point of purchase instructions next to their tomato displays.

As an added bonus, internationally renowned chef Alan Wong, who often visits us at Hamakua Springs and who treats us farmers like his partners, said he’d be happy to talk to some of the food service students.

In addition to being an internationally acclaimed chef, Alan Wong is a teacher at heart. He makes people comfortable and he also makes everything seem possible. I truly believe that for some of the students it could be a pivotal moment in their lives.

I asked Allan Okuda if he would select a few students to meet with Chef Alan, and he was happy to do it. He thinks this will be a unique opportunity for students to meet one of the best chefs in the world.

In Hilo, the “culinary backwoods” where we live, we will be so happy to help bring something like this about.

Current Affairs

Black and White and Read All Over

Richard Ha writes:

Yesterday’s Honolulu Advertiser had this headline on its front page: “FDA Lacks Crop Safety Research, Expert Says.”

The article stated that in spite of recurring incidents of microbial contamination of leafy vegetables, the FDA still hasn’t done the basic research necessary to identify solutions to the problem. It said the FDA hopes state authorities will take the lead in preventing disease outbreak.

This is not a new situation. When we started looking into diversifying our farm nearly five years ago, we knew that microbial contamination was a serious and gowing problem.

We also knew then that E. coli 157:H7 was associated with cattle manure. And that a major pathway through which E. coli can spread is water.

Knowing this, we did not wait. We put into place preventative measures necessary to prevent the contamination of vegetables by the virulent strain E. coli 157:H7.

First, we decided to grow hydroponically, because this method of growing gives us the best opportunity to avoid microbial contamination.

We became food safety certified because food safety certification organizations address microbial contamination issues. Every time we change the water we use to grow our lettuces, we test it for E. coli. We make sure that the spray water and the processing water is County-standard water.

We decided not to grow organically because of the risk associated with composting manure.

We fenced our reservoirs and water storage areas so that animals cannot contaminate our water.

We did not wait for the FDA to issue instructions about microbial contamination. Instead we did what we had to do in order to insure that our vegetables would be safe. That was five years ago. We’re glad that we chose to grow our vegetables hydroponically.

Also in yesterday’s Advertiser was a Viewpoint article, on the editorial page, by Waimea chef Peter Merriman. He writes about Sustainable Farming Vital For Health of Isles. He also wrote that, “Support for produce cultivated in Hawaii benefits everyone.”

Peter writes that “sustainable farming is vital for the health of the islands. It helps perpetuate Hawaii’s agriculture heritage. In addition to self sufficiency and food security, farming adds cultural depth to our communities and ensures a rewarding lifestyle for our agricultural workers.”

Thanks to Peter, and the rest of the Hawaii Regional Cuisine Chefs, for showing that there is added value in growing fresher, higher-quality crops for Hawai‘i’s people.

Losing Weight

New Plan

Richard Ha writes:

I’m trying to avoid gaining too much weight over the holiday period. But there is just too much good food to avoid it all, and I’m not going to fight it.

Last week I mentioned that Leslie has been very successful with her eating plan. She eats a normal breakfast and lunch, and a pre-planned snack at 10 and 3. Then after a reasonable dinner she does not eat any more—“not even a grape.”

I’m going to follow her plan. To determine how many calories I need to maintain my weight I used an online calorie calculator. For me, approximately 2000 calories is how much I need to eat each day to maintain my present weight.

To lose weight, I need to either eat less or exercise more. My plan is to enjoy 2000 calories per day and then lose weight by exercising.

My son Brian just came back from a year in Iraq. On Tuesday, Chris Seymour, who owns the Hilo Bike Hub, is taking Brian, Rodrigo Romo and myself on a ride on the Kulani mountain bike trails. We’re all looking forward to this ride. And it fits right into my new weight loss plan.

And now I’m going to open a couple gifts and get ready to eat my reasonable Christmas dinner. A very happy holidays to you all.

Community, Tomatoes

A Shiny Red Tomato For The Teacher

1 Comment

Richard Ha writes:

Our philosophy of sustainable farming means we are always concerned about our workers, our community and the environment.

An example of this is when we sometimes have unexpected spikes in production of our hydroponic tomatoes. We asked ourselves, What should we do when this occurs? And we came to the conclusion that we wanted to support our community. But how?

We thought about teachers, and the important role they play in our community.

So we planned what we would do when the inevitable spike in tomato production occurred. Depending on the number of tomatoes we had available, we would find a school with a similar number of teachers. But we wanted to go a step further. We didn’t want to leave anyone out, so we decided we would give to a school only if we could give something to everybody on the staff.

Last week we had one of those spikes, so we went into action. We donated 97 boxes of Hamakua Springs cocktail tomatoes (that’s 776 individual “clamshell” containers) to teachers. We gave one clamshell to everybody on staff at the following schools: Kalaniana‘ole School, Waiakea Elementary, Waiakea Waena, Kea‘au Elementary and Middle Schools, Mountain View, Pahoa and Kaumana Schools.

We put a note in each container saying how much we appreciate the work they do for our keiki. We feel so good about being able to recognize these important members of our community.

Bananas

Yellow Bananas

Richard Ha writes:

Kindergarteners from Kaumana School came to our farm on an excursion Friday. Tracy took them on a tour to see what we do here on the farm.

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First, she asked them, “Does anyone know which way bananas face when they are hanging on the tree? Up or down?”

Some of the children answered “UP!” enthusiastically and an equal amount shouted “DOWN!” Some just yelled.

There were maybe 70 children, in several groups, each with an adult teacher or volunteer in charge. They were well behaved, walking in double lines and holding hands.

Tracy showed them how a worker removes the hands of banana from the stalk with a special air tool. And they got to see how the bananas are trimmed, washed and then weighed and put in trays of forty pounds each.

After learning how the bananas are carefully packed into a box, being careful not to bruise them, the children got a banana break. Each child received a banana.

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This was the most enthusiastic bunch of banana eaters I have ever seen. One kid ate three bananas. I wondered out loud, Are they always this hungry? Kris, my daughter-in-law and one of their teachers, told me that they do get hungry around mid-morning.

All of us on the farm were flattered that they liked our bananas so much. But I’m pretty sure any food at all would have been just fine for these little bundles of energy.

Our workers like when we have schoolchildren visit and they make a point of having the farm in top shape, looking clean and neat. They should be proud of the good image they present to the kids. I know that I am proud of the farm at these times.

After their banana break, the young children went into the coolers to look at the tomatoes that were ready to be sent to market.

They saw small, medium, large, red, and yellow tomatoes. They saw loose tomatoes, tomatoes attached to the vine as well as tomatoes packed in plastic clamshells. But, most of all, they liked getting to stand around in the cooler getting cool.

From there they walked to the tomato packing house, where they saw how the tomatoes that are harvested into plastic trays are brought up to be washed and disinfected and then packed into the containers that are sold in the supermarkets.

While they were looking at the tomatoes being packed, the lettuce came in and everyone went over to see how that was done. Tracy explained that the Chef Select has three different lettuces, so that Mom can make a colorful salad with just one container of lettuce.

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It reminds me of when Tracy took her first group of first graders on a farm tour more than 10 years ago.

We were wondering if farm tours would help us market our bananas. So she explained all about bananas and how Kea‘au Bananas (our name at the time) were the best.

And at the end of the day, hoping that her message had gotten across, she asked the children: “Now children, when your mommy goes to buy bananas at the market, which ones will you tell her to buy?”

They all replied in unison, “YELLOW BANANAS!!!” I am still laughing at that one. We no longer try to sell bananas to kindergarten and first grade kids, but we still love to have them visit.

Uncategorized

Not A Grape

Richard Ha writes:

Two weeks ago I concluded that I need to do more than just exercise in order to keep losing weight, and I said I was going to devise a routine to control my calorie intake. But before I put this plan into effect, I got sidetracked.

Then last week I realized that it was after I stopped loading the delivery van four times per week, with several hundred boxes each time, that I started having a hard time losing weight. Since I like to exercise more than I like dieting, I decided to increase my exercise volume and intensity instead of making a calorie intake plan.

And that brings us to this week. My weight is 196.2 now, and I lost the half pound I wanted to lose this week. But I am now exercising six days per week and losing much less weight than expected.

On four days, I exercise 30 minutes twice a day at a low heart rate of 110 or so. On the other three days, I do 30 minute sessions. On one of those days, I do three or four intervals of 150 beats per minute, and the other two sessions are done at 130 beats per minute or so.

This is improving my resting heart rate, which is now 53 beats per minute. When I’m not exercising regularly and am out of shape, my resting heart rate is usually in the mid-70’s. A low resting heart rate is an indication of an efficient cardiovascular system—a strong heart takes fewer strokes to move a given volume of blood around. I am trying to lower my resting heart rate below 50 beats per minute.

Several days ago, when I was sitting in the doctor’s office waiting for a flu shot, it was 57. This is pretty good since I usually can’t relax enough at the doctor’s office to get my heart rate down below 60.

But for the amount of time I spend exercising, I am losing very little weight. So I am going to try a routine that Leslie is finding successful. Her routine involves eating a reasonable breakfast and a reasonable lunch. Then, around 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. or so, she allows herself a pre-planned snack. After a reasonable-sized dinner she brushes her teeth and doesn’t eat anything more that day. “Not a grape,” she told me. It is working very well for her and makes a lot of sense to me.

I plan to maintain my exercise program and copy Leslie’s eating plan. I need to figure out the amounts I can eat on that plan to accomplish my goals.