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