Support the little farmers of Hawai'i!

[Miulang]

Re: Support the little farmers of Hawai'i!

There were several bills passed by the State Legislature which will aid significantly in the preservation of agricultural land from non-ag development. Now that the laws are on the books, it's important for the citizens to make sure the Legislature follows through and puts some teeth into the laws. You have to protect your agricultural lands from development if you ever have any hope of Hawai'i being able to sustain itself through an emergency.

And I don't feel too sorry for the rich folk who might be deprived of the chance to buy up acreage just so they can have their little mansions with the high fences and Beamers parked in their enclosed garages.

Miulang

[kimo55]

Re: Support the little farmers of Hawai'i!

eh whazz wrong with lil mansions and enclosed garages?!
and ya cain't have any fence higher than po folk; 6 feet's da legal max.
for erryone.

[Miulang]

Re: Support the little farmers of Hawai'i!

eh whazz wrong with lil mansions and enclosed garages?!
and ya cain't have any fence higher than po folk; 6 feet's da legal max.
for erryone.

Some of da fences surrounding some of da minimansions on Maui look higher den 6 feet. Maybe because of da razor wire on top to keep da riff raff out, yeah?

Miulang

[DaveNSoKona]

Re: Support the little farmers of Hawai'i!

The fences around here are to keep the cows and pigs out. They do discourage some agricultural theft.

When I first moved here I heard about one farmer that had a water tank stolen piece by piece. The farmer saw what was happening and dismantled the rest of it and locked it in a shed but the thieves came back and broke into the shed and stole the rest of it! A water tank!!! We have a good subdivision where neighbors look after each other pretty well.

Beware of "Wild Kona Coffee" sold in open-air markets here. It is most likely stolen from a farmer.

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Support the little farmers of Hawai'i!

When I had my small farm business going on over in Kurtistown on a 29-acre ag lot, I had small things stolen like buckets, tools and once in a while some of my product including ginger and plumeria cuttings.

But the biggest theft so far was water. Not water tanks but water! In a one month period someone would drive in and load up huge tanks of water amounting to over 200,000 gallons. Thankfully the Department of Water rescinded the theft, but before I sold the business I secured all the waterlines including the main every night I left for the evening.

It's tough enough being a small business owner/farmer but to have someone come in and steal from you is downright disgusting.

[Miulang]

Re: Support the little farmers of Hawai'i!

Time again to think about where your food is coming from. According to a story in this morning's Advertiser, 90% of all food consumed in Hawai'i is imported.

The decline in local livestock production makes Hawai'i more dependent on the Mainland and other sources to meet basic needs, said Harold Keyser, Maui County manager for UH's ag college. As it stands, Hawai'i has a one-month reserve of gasoline and fuel reserves to generate two months of electricity.

However, "Ninety percent of our food comes into our state and we have about seven to 10, days of food on retail shelves at any one time," Keyser said. "If there were a shipping problem, clearly the major factor would be the availability of food and water...."

I know whenever I'm in Hawai'i, I buy local eggs because I can actually TASTE a difference between the local eggs and the eggs shipped from the Mainland. Maui raised beef is making a comeback in the gourmet markets, too. And Kula strawberries are comparable to the fresh strawberries I can pick right off the vines up here for their sweetness and succulence.

Miulang