GoFarm offering course to Kauaʻi residents wanting to become next crop of farmers

GoFarm Hawai‘i, a program raising the stateʻs next crop of farmers, is offering Garden Isle residents the opportunity to join its latest training course on Kaua‘i.

This year, no prior experience is required to join the six-month AgXcel course. It is open to anybody who has the passion for learning and for sustainable agriculture and growing food, program manager Lily Nguyen said.

But would-be farmers must submit their applications by Monday.

GoFarm Hawai‘i is a University of Hawai‘i program that promotes fresh, locally-grown produce throughout a state that imports about 90% of its food.

Typically, GoFarm requires completion of an introductory course called AgXposure, prior to participation in the more advanced AgXcel course. But that rule has been suspended on Kaua‘i in 2025.

“We’re trying to increase our scope of impact by opening up this phase to all applicants,” Nguyen said.

AgXcel is a hybrid training course with online and in-person components. This year the Kaua‘i course is set to run from Feb. 6 through Aug. 16.

The course requires a fee that ranges from $500 for individuals to $700 for partnerships. Need-based, veteran and youth scholarships are available.

Participants will get their hands dirty while cultivating their own 2,500-square-foot plot at Kaua‘i Community College in Puhi. They also will receive business training, which they will use to market their crops through a seven-week, community-supported agriculture model.

GoFarm and its AgXcel course welcome applicants from all backgrounds, including those with goals that go beyond fruits and vegetables, like Kaua‘i farmer Kurt “Toke” Rutter.

Rutter, who is currently enrolled in an advanced course called AgIncubator, entered the GoFarm program as a beekeeping hobbyist and gardener. Rutter and his family now sell honeycomb and honey through their business Tokabago Farm, which was recently highlighted on GoFarm’s official Instagram account.

Rob Barreca is another GoFarm graduate who thought outside the box. Barreca, who attended GoFarm courses in Waimānalo through 2015, went on to found Farm Link Hawai‘i: An online grocery that provides consumers with local agricultural products on O‘ahu.

“He saw a big need to help connect farmers to customers or clients … They deliver every day of the week, all across O‘ahu,” Nguyen said. “It’s a really accessible way for anybody to buy local produce.”

Farm Link Hawai‘i achieved annual sales of $2.8 million by 2023, according to Honolulu Magazine in 2024.

The AgXcel course on Kaua‘i includes lessons to grow more than 25 different crops, as well as training and access to resources and equipment like a tractor.

Course topics range from soil health, plant anatomy and pest management to recordkeeping, business planning and cash flow projections. Graduates of AgXcel also will earn a certificate of professional development.

For more information and to apply to the Kaua‘i AgXcel course by Jan. 27, visit gofarmhawaii.org. Questions may be emailed to info@gofarmhawaii.org.