Hawaii Department Of Agriculture And Biosecurity

Department Of Agriculture Hawaii Agriculture Division, a state government entity and division of the State of Hawaii, operates as Hawaii's primary agricultural regulatory and protection agency, executing federal grant awards and cooperative agreements in animal health surveillance, plant quarantine, invasive species prevention, and specialty crop development. The division receives federal funding exclusively as a grant recipient rather than as a federal contractor, with a portfolio heavily concentrated in USDA cooperative agreements for disease surveillance and biosecurity programs.

The Hawaii Department of Agriculture's federal footprint centers on animal health, pest interdiction, and agricultural safety. The division's top funding customer by award count is USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), which accounts for 146 awards across the portfolio. Representative work includes multiyear cooperative agreements for animal disease traceability implementation (CFDA 10.025, $104,167 awarded April 2026 for cattle brucellosis and tuberculosis surveillance on Molokai, avian surveillance through the National Poultry Improvement Plan, and One Health coordination); surveillance and diagnostic work for foreign animal disease and zoonotic disease prevention; and honeybee health surveys following national protocols. The division also executes USDA Agricultural Marketing Service grants for specialty crop block grants (CFDA 10.170, $512,664 awarded September 2025 to enhance competitiveness of Hawaiian specialty crops including kukui nut, breadfruit, taro, sweet potato, and banana) and the Micro-Grants for Food Security Program (CFDA 10.179, $2.236 million awarded September 2024 to distribute subawards for small-scale food production in food-insecure communities). The Department of Interior's Office of Insular Affairs funds invasive species prevention through multiple project grants supporting the Hawaii Detector Dog Program, Brown Treesnake survey and monitoring, and rapid response protocols (CFDA 15.875, $300,000 awarded November 2025 through September 2027). Notably, the division holds a single federal prime contract: a $113,605 firm fixed-price purchase order with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), awarded May 2023 through April 2028, for kennel rental services to support border security canine operations in Honolulu.

The division's recent activity shows a declining trend: 11 awards in 2022, 14 in 2023, 10 in 2024, and 7 in 2025. Nine awards carrying combined potential value of $114,000 face ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, presenting recompete exposure. The portfolio spans 16 distinct federal agencies, but the top five customers account for 89 percent of award count. Beyond APHIS's dominance, the EPA, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and USDA Agricultural Marketing Service round out the active set. The division operates entirely as a grant recipient (100% of awards) with no subcontract footprint, and no government-wide contract vehicles underpin its work — funding flows through agency-specific cooperative agreements and project grants. Combined obligated dollars across the portfolio ($61.3 million) vastly exceed combined potential value ($752,000), indicating substantial execution against mature, long-running cooperative agreements. The division's capability portfolio is narrowly focused on state-level execution of federal agricultural programs: animal disease surveillance and diagnostics, invasive pest detection and interdiction, produce safety rule implementation, pesticide compliance oversight, poultry and egg grading, and support for Hawaii's specialty crop and local food production sectors.