Local milk production rose in 2009 for the first time in 11 years, according to a survey from the local field office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

The gain reversed several years of declines in Hawai'i milk production, but was just a small uptick to 21.3 million pounds, from 18.5 million pounds in 2008. Annual production in the 1990s was more than 100 million pounds.

Last year's increase was due to more productive cows. There were 1,500 cows on average last year compared with 1,700 the year before. But last year the average production per cow was 14,200 pounds of milk compared with 10,882 pounds the year before.

Industry officials attribute the productivity gain to improved water supply for growing grass, as well as improved operations at Island Dairy, one of only two dairy businesses left in the state.

HAWAIIAN PLANES WERE 85.4% FULL IN APRIL

Hawaiian Airlines' planes were 85.4 percent full in April, up 1 percentage point from the same month a year earlier, the carrier said yesterday.

The total number of passengers flown during the month dropped to 662,356, a 2.8 percent decline from April 2008. Revenue per available seat mile, which measures how much money Hawaiian made flying each paying passenger one mile, was unchanged in April.

COMPANY GIVEN 5 MORE YEARS FOR BONDS

Honolulu Seawater Air Conditioning LLC has been given five extra years to float $48 million in state revenue bonds to help finance its project to cool Downtown Honolulu buildings using cold ocean water off Kaka'ako.

Gov. Linda Lingle signed a bill extending a bond issue deadline from June 30, 2010, to June 28, 2015.

Construction previously was anticipated to begin last year, but a planned pipe layout needed to be rerouted. Then financial market disruptions caused Honolulu Seawater to postpone an initial bond sale.

The developer now expects to break ground in the fourth quarter on the estimated $200 million project, for which the state has approved a total of $145 million in revenue bond financing.