Ag department needed
Maui County has created a Department of Agriculture at the county level, which Mayor Michael Victorino says “will guide Maui County’s agricultural future in collaboration with our farmers and ranchers.”
Creating a County Department of Agriculture is very smart. It would be great to have something like that here in Hawaii County, but in the short term, we should at least start increasing the number of county personnel whose role it is to keep up on and address agricultural issues.
Here on Hawaii Island (which is the same as Hawaii County), we have 4,020 square miles compared to Maui’s 626. The vast majority of the state’s agricultural lands are here on this island, where we have nine climate zones and multiple micro-climates.
It’s because of our state’s reliance on oil that we import most of our food, instead of producing more of it here.
Soaring electricity costs impact just about every facet of farming. But having been on the board of the state Department of Agriculture and having farmed on Hawaii Island for 40 years, I know that combined with our extensive, proven geothermal resources, Hawaii Island could easily become the state’s bread basket.
Let’s encourage and support the idea of more ag experts at the county level on Hawaii Island, so we can work together on food security issues and produce more of our food locally and affordably.
Richard Ha
Hilo
So much aloha
We came from the mainland to house-sit for a friend.
She allowed us to use her car, which unfortunately had engine failure on the way to Kalapana.
We are so grateful to the tow company that came after only an hour wait, leaving us with refreshing water to drink.
Kam’s Taxi brought us safely back to Hilo. A special thank you to Tyler the service manager at Kia in Hilo.
Even though it wasn’t our car, and the owner was away, he made sure we had transportation for the next two weeks.
Mahalo to all these local folks who made us feel the beautiful aloha that is Hawaii nei.
Betty J. Long-Schleif
Goldendale, Wash.
Punished in Puna
When Russell Ruderman was the state senator for District 2 (Puna and part of Ka‘u), many did not want to fund Honolulu Mayor Caldwell’s “choochoo” train, so Russell voted no on that tax.
Because of that, he was told that District 2 would not receive funding for any more capitol improvement projects for 10 years that hadn’t already been approved. That’s the garbage politics we have to deal with around here.
That was before I tried to get a left turn arrow and short lane out of Pahoa toward Hilo, and one from Highway 132 toward Kalapana.
Who knows, perhaps something might happen before the next ice age, but I wouldn’t count on it.
Dave Kisor
Pahoa