UH offers free soil, water testing to farmers impacted by recent storms

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Farmers affected by recent storms and flooding can now apply for free soil, plant health and agricultural water testing.

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience, or CTAHR, is offering the testing through its GoFarm Hawaiʻi program, which will cover the cost for eligible farmers.

Eligibility and how to apply

Farmers are eligible if:

• Their farm or commercial agricultural operation was affected by a qualifying weather event.
• The owner or manager believes the event may have affected soil health or agricultural water or contributed to plant disease.
• The owner or manager wants testing to better understand those concerns.

Farmers can fill out an application form or call GoFarm Hawaiʻi at (808) 956-3530 to describe the weather event, what happened on their farm and any concerns about soil, plant health or agricultural water.

The college first launched the effort in April and is reopening applications with an expanded range of services.

UH officials say testing can help farmers understand how severe weather may have changed their soil or agricultural water and guide decisions about recovery.

Flooding and runoff can affect soil and plant health, spread plant diseases, leave sediment on farmland or affect a farm’s water supply.

Through its Farm Disaster Response Project, GoFarm covers the cost of eligible tests for farmers whose operations were affected by the March 2026 Kona low storms, hurricanes or tropical storms, flooding, or related heavy rainfall this year.

GoFarm will use its Post-Disaster Farm Testing Decision Guide to help farmers determine whether testing would be useful and which tests to consider.