Richard Ha writes:

This is a sample of a new publication, "Farmers & Friends," that we are planning to launch. Several of us put together this publication to tell stories about what farmers do. 

We don't want to engage in "pro-" this or that. We just want to tell interesting, farm-related stories.

From our mission statement:

Farming is an endlessly fascinating subject and a challenging vocation. Agriculture is also a corner‐stone of any successful civilization. That was true of Hawai‘i in ancient times and remains true today. We are an island society steeped in agricultural traditions. To sustain that legacy, and to continue the transition to diversified agriculture, we must respect our roots and embrace new knowledge. That’s our mission.

It is apparent to us that the working farmers of Hawaii need a voice. Real farmers respect science and ground truth. They learn by doing. They are naturally pragmatic and open-minded. As a rule farmers and people in business are too busy to engage in long-winded arguments or public anger. They are usually caught up in the next learning curve and have a story to tell about it. That's a voice worth hearing.