The Maui News - The latest federal statistics on local agriculture show that Hawai‘i’s macadamia nut production has fallen to a 26-year low. The National Agricultural Statistics Service estimates that macadamia nut production fell 22 percent in 2007-08, due to bad weather and a pest called the koa seed worm. Macadamia nut prices are also lower, which has reduced the industry’s crop value to about half of what it has been the last few years. The agency says low prices contributed to low production because some growers can’t afford to hire pickers to harvest nuts. Rain caused an increase in spoiled nuts, while other farmers say dry conditions during the critical maturation phase reduced output. In contrast, Hawai‘i’s flower and nursery crop farmers have posted a record season with sales of $106 million.