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"...nothing but mainland eggs for instance at any of our local chain grocers. We have lots of people raising chickens for eggs on a small level..."--Devany
And remaining quite a small level is probably the only way it would work unless the farmers would grow their own chicken feed. The necessity of shipping in the feed was the piece of the economic picture that did in the Big Island commercial egg operations. It apparently cost more to ship the bulky feed than it costs to ship the eggs, even though the eggs are refrigerated. Nobody in Hawaii grows grain on a significant scale to my knowledge, and grain is the main base of typical commercial chicken feed. Grain is not, however, the only thing that chickens will eat, and it surprises me that no farmer, even on a relatively small scale, has thought outside the box and tried growing other feed crops for chickens. There are probably reasons, though.
It is possible to grow things that chickens will eat in a home vegetable garden, and it is also possible to let them forage if there is enough space and security from dogs, etc. I trade leaf trimmings, spent veggie plants, and sub-par produce from my garden to a neighbor lady for fresh eggs. Her chickens happily gobble up my offerings, and we are happy with our arrangement.
Cheers,
Jerry
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I'm with you Devany. There is a way of making the islands sustainable and we are not heading in that direction right now. My suggestion is that we make this a tax issue. My house is on agricultural land. I'd like a tax break if I DO use the land, or part of it, for that purpose. It should be enforced (meaning, they hire a guy just to spot check). We need to encourage small scale farming, and then co-ops that can assist these small farmers. In California, no one has their own almond-huller for example. The small orchards (some are only 4 acres) take their stuff to a guy that processes them. Then, they have marketing to encourage consumers to enjoy just a can a week.
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I'm all for local farming, and I buy as much as I can at the Farmers Markets.
But, the harsh reality is that if Hawaiian farmers can't beat mainland or overseas producers on price, even with the advantage of having to not ship it thousands of miles, then they are doomed. People look at price and maybe quality, not eco-miles or sustainability.
If you say you want tax breaks for farmers then that means less tax revenue and that shortfall has to come from somewhere. So in essence you're saying that you want everyone to pay for your choices. That's always a hard sell.
As for not being dependent on ships coming in for food, there will always be ships coming in with food. That's like saying Hawaii should build their own cars in case the cars stop coming. If there's money here, the goods will come. How do we get money? By managing our resources properly. Don't use land for agriculture if it can be more gainfully used in a different way.
I wish things were different but they're not. People don't want to pay more than necessary for anything.
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I've also been growing my own and saving the tops...but when they are not available, our local macuu market has alot to choose from...safeway also still sells the maui golds and for only 59 cents per pound at least for now.....
Noel Morata
Check out my blog about living aloha in East Hawaii http://noelmorata.blogspot.com/
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quote:
Originally posted by PaulW
But, the harsh reality is that if Hawaiian farmers can't beat mainland or overseas producers on price, even with the advantage of having to not ship it thousands of miles, then they are doomed. People look at price and maybe quality, not eco-miles or sustainability.
I wish things were different but they're not. People don't want to pay more than necessary for anything.
That is so true. Until the price to produce a local product is lower than the cost of shipping in foreign produce, people as a whole will look for that cheaper price.
Also, local producers are selling to a very small market. They would be hard pressed to consistently meet the supply demands of standard grocery store requirements. The store will need to supplement the local items with imported items. Now if you had two items side by side and the local one was a bit more in price, how many people will reach for the cheaper priced imported item?
There is nothing Hawaii can do to level the playing field that will bring price parity of local grown produce to that of imported produce.
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Nah, I think that if every piece of property that was zoned agriculture, produced agriculture it would be easy to meet the demands with respect to the kinds of products that can be grown in Hawaii. We will always need to important peaches, cars, and computers. But delicious tropical agriculture? Easy. Start by not buying off-island avocados, or god forbid, mangoes. I don't and I won't.
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I agree with Glen here. I think that at least 85% of the land on Hawaii Island is already zoned ag land maybe more.
Bob, the problem with the cost of local produce is that we pay living wages to our ag workers. Most countries have such low labor costs that we have a hard time competing. For instance Ken Love just returned from 2 months in India, he said ag workers in India get $3-$4 a day. However, shipping and handling that fruit for a week or more makes it less than optimum at best. I was in KTA today and they had lettuces from CA bagged with a date of 11/12 and they were already rotting in the bags. It was pitiful.
Our grocers can and should offer both local and shipped in produce, eggs, meat and dairy, but they do not. People can choose for themselves that way.
I am reading a book right now that emphasizes how the fruit flies impede our ability to export anything. Very sad. Still if you look at wholesale costs for local produce, there is no way it is much more than shipped in goods... if you compare quality and freshness.
When I have a choice of local vs imported food, I always buy local no matter the price. But I usually find what I want at the farmer's markets... but know your farmer... many of them are selling the same imported things that are in our grocery stores. Island Naturals & Abundant Life are exceptions, they really try to buy locally and they actually have quite reasonable produce prices. I have been known to drive many miles to go to a farmer's market vs having to buy crap at a grocer. Of course growing some of your own and trading with friends is another good idea.
Aloha au i Hawai`i,
devany
www.myhawaiianhome.blogspot.com
www.eastbaypotters.blogspot.com
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I agree that competing on price is not something we can do. I also buy on quality, but from time to time, price does play into the decision. If there is a big difference in price, like everyone else, I make a decision to balance cost versus quality.
As for agricultural land, that's a big misunderstanding of people. Zoning labels are broad statement of use, not a must use description. So AG land does not mean it’s for AG purposes but rather means a broad description of permitted use where AG is the desired and predominant category of use, but not the only use.
Many communities are starting to expand zoning beyond the residential, commercial, agricultural, industrial, resort type labels. They are expanding the labels so that the words match the permitted by ordinance use. So AG zoned land means AG operations. Not Ag zoned land means Ag use, or residential, or day care, or kennels, or churches, or group homes, or mortuaries, or riding stables, or sports stadiums, or utility use, or vets, or campgrounds, or B&B's, or schools, or a golf course. or any of the other permitted use.
Even more, some areas have made zoning just a zoning issue and permitted use, the taxing basis. So Ranch Land 5 means ranching operations of at least 25 acres, but less than 100 acres and livestock and equine is allowed by law. Besides ranching you can also operate a B&B, or commercial riding school, a funeral home, a day care or just plain residential with no ranch. But for real estate taxes, the use determines the tax rate. So if you want your mini mansion on Ranch 5 land so you can have the tennis court, in ground pool, and putting green, your tax will be assesses as residential not ranching. You pay taxes based on use, not some broad description that has nothing to do with use.
So AG zoned land is only a designation of what the land can be used for. They could call it Group 5 Zoning for all the name reflects actual permitted use. Technically, you can halve 100% of AG property being legally used for something other than agricultural purposes. There is nothing in Hawaii law that requires the use to match the word description of the zoning.
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