Leadership Team and Committee Chairs for the 28th

[TomK]

HiloPuna,

Really glad you made the following point:

"[...] and Obie was providing a data point with no references to gauge it by."

I wanted to do a little research myself but haven't had the time so far, but supplying numbers or statistics without any comparison is always going to be misleading. Thank you for pointing it out before I could.

[snorkle]

I don't know or care much about specific numbers, but it's inarguable that Puna has played a large part in agriculture in the State. Unfortunately most of this activity has been export Ag, and most of that export crop(since Sugar) has been of the ornamental variety. Nothing against Orchids, but please NEVER eat one when offered as a garnish in a Kohala Eatery. (I've sprayed too much Vidate to fall for that one.) The production numbers have diminished lately as third world Countries have offered inferior, yet much cheaper product to the market.

But Alas!

The game has changed. Puna Makai may not exist solely as a bedroom community for Hilo much longer. What is this, if not opportunity?

While temporary emergency roads are not conducive to commuting, they would serve very nicely for truckloads of produce run at off hours. Modern hydroponic and aquaponic growing techniques don't rely on deep soil or huge volumes of chemical fertilizer. The fish in an aquaponic system actually produce the ferts necessary to the plants(yet another product).

Too bad we don't have representation in the State legislature to help us promote and develop modern agricultural trends here in Puna. Oh! Gloom and Doom![]

Oh, wait! I just remembered; Our State Senator is very familiar with, and successful in the organic food market. It's going to be OK, folks. Things change. Where some see only gloom and doom, others see opportunity for positive growth and change.

Thank you to all our Veterans out there, I'm going to Pohoiki!

[snorkle]

Woe is me........Doom and Gloom............[]

[snorkle]

If your scenario holds true pahoasdead, Agricultural product won't get to THIS market either. If trucks can't get out; Trucks can't get in, right?

What are the thousands of us "Left Behinds" going to do???

Doom and Gloom?? Maybe not. Human ingenuity; combined with Sunshine, plentiful water, technology, and uncrowded surf breaks, will assure us a happy future.

[Mendo]

Is it possible that being chair of Ag is better than being chair of nothing? Is it possible that Ag will be important for Puna's future? Perhaps we should give up on Ag in Puna, where self sufficiency will be crucial, land and labor is cheap, and rain is plentiful? Should we embrace PT's doom and gloom as our future, or let PT go there with a few pessimistic allies while the rest of us create a better future?
Tough questions for PT to ridicule.

[snorkle]

teddy,
Excuse my confusion, but you seem to the one predicting a bleak future.

Packaged goods can get to south Puna, but Puna produce cannot get out?

South Puna residents will eat only canned goods?

We can't grow anything?

Damn, we are screwed. I'm gonna pull up my vegetables and put in a Spam tree.

The Surf Breaks will be uncrowded though, right?

[HiloPuna]

"I don't know or care much about specific numbers..."

Snorkel
Stephen Colbert has made a career out of ridiculing people who make statements like this, opinions and feelings instead of facts and logic as the basis for their positions. Gifted comedian but easy targets. While Colbert usually finds his inanities to lampoon on Fox News the same themes and illogic frequently bubble up on these web forums.

You go on to opine:
"...it's inarguable that Puna has played a large part in agriculture in the State. Unfortunately most of this activity has been export Ag, and most of that export crop(since Sugar) has been of the ornamental variety. "

Wrong again. Punas agricultural history is dominated by sugar. Turn of the century (20th) there was significant truck crops from Glenwood to Volcano, Russians and then Japanese farmers, but that's just about finished. The last hurrah were the 50 acres or so of greenhouses in those communities in the 80's and 90's, they produced upwards of $5m year in tomatoes and cucumbers. Gone.

Puna Sugar had some of if not the lowest yields in the state. It was highly mechanized so it was able to remain somewhat competitive but went out of business nonetheless. It wasn't very profitable relative to other plantations as told to me by John Humme, one of the last managers there. Poor soils and high equipment maintenance, coupled with low light ( sugar cane needs very high light conditions)

BTW : careful with the misinformation. It's irresponsible.
Vydate hasn't been used on orchids in years, almost every insecticide used now is a low toxicity synthetic pyrethroid.

[snorkle]

Hilopuna,
Be careful that you read what someone writes before passing judgement. If you'll re-read my post you'll see I said; "and most of that export crop(since Sugar) has been of the ornamental variety. "

Dracena, Anthuriums and Orchids were the dominate export in more recent years. With many Orchid growers shifting their focus to live plants even more recently.

You are no doubt correct about Vidate; If you re-read my post you'll see it says; "I've sprayed too much Vidate". I didn't mention that I stopped spraying in 1995 and lost interest in any Chemicals at all. It's great that it's illegal now.

Sorry about the confusion.

Please let me handle the snark around here.

[Wao nahele kane]

Well the good news is, we'll probably seldom need to use the CCR connection with this flow. The State DOT will probably keep a revolving combination open of RR and 130 over the active flow with mesh and gravel fills.
Nothing much will change south of inundation with the exception of a slow dwindling of sec8 renters and the few commuters who bail out early. We may lose many of the conveniences Pahoa had to offer but they'll likely pop back up somewhere, possibly around Pohoiki or Kapoho. More intrepid minded people will move into the area as well.

Things will continue as always.

[kalakoa]

Please let me handle the snark around here.

You got a license for that snark and a permit to wave it about?