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http://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/news...ve-session
Sen. Russell Ruderman, a Democrat representing Puna and Ka'u, envisions a new agriculture park in Puna ... which he says could be located on hundreds of acres of state land between Hawaiian Beaches and Hawaiian Shores, has access to ample water, including a freshwater aquifer and easy access to cold ocean water that could be used for chilling produce and growing winter crops. There's also good soil, he said.
In other words, let's just step right over the "private ag subdivisions" and invest public money in the creation of an "ag park" -- not only will this be totally different than last time, it will be located next to subdivisions that don't mind having commercial ag built "in their backyard".
He also supports raising the minimum wage to $15 soon and $22 later. This will create local farming jobs for sure!
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could be located on hundreds of acres of state land between Hawaiian Beaches and Hawaiian Shores
Isn't Hawaiian Beaches right next to Hawaiian Shores? Does Ruderman mean adjacent to the two subdivisions, either to the north or the south?
There is an ag park at the entrance to Hawaiian Beaches on Auina Street, maybe the new proposal would be an extension of that already existing area?
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Ag Park? Community garden? Rent space? Please explain.
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Another "park?" How about introducing some legislation that would enable people to do real farming? This could be done by judiciously reducing some burdensome regulations, creating an agricultural enterprise zone with tax incentives for food production, or simply not passing any more intrusive, unenforceable, and scientifically questionable restrictions on agriculture. But another park?
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Ag Park? Community garden? Rent space? Please explain.
Ruderman doesn't explain; my assumption is that this would be like a "business park" where commercial ag could lease land to grow crops, most likely for export since the local market "can't afford" the overhead (land leases, $15 minimum wage, GET) of locally-grown products.
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Ag Park? Community garden? Rent space? Please explain.
Generally an Ag Park is larger parcels, 10-20 acres, with long term leases, about 30 years. This allows the lessee time to recoup expenditures for improvements and needed infrastructure such as roads, greenhouses and water lines.
The Ag Park on Auina Street currently has in production various varieties of orchids, cut foliage, anthuruims, birds of paradise, etc.
"Only fear real things, such as minds full of delusions." -Last Aphorisms
"I'm at that stage in life where I stay out of discussions. Even if you say 1+1=5, you're right - have fun." - Keanu Reeves
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A portion of it should be allotted to the community for community use. Pesticide use oversight? That's pretty close to homesteads!
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Pesticide use oversight?
The existing park is near the elementary school. Nobody has complained about pesticide spraying, and there's a lot of pesticide, fungicide, and fertilizer applications made for ornamental flowers. If they're not perfect, no one will buy them.
"Only fear real things, such as minds full of delusions." -Last Aphorisms
"I'm at that stage in life where I stay out of discussions. Even if you say 1+1=5, you're right - have fun." - Keanu Reeves
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To some degree, this is just a further extension of the State's efforts to have absolute control over resident's economic future. In order to pander to the demands of small, loud minorities, the State burdens the business community with excessive, expensive, and incomprehensible regulatory requirements that are only enforced when the State chooses to "take notice" (and then bankrupt that business). Or offer businesses shelter from some of the more onerous requirements if they set up on State lands, under State control, where they allow the business to be successful as long as they "follow the rules".
There is a long-standing analogue to this on the Kona side: the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority that is billed as a business incubator. The idea being that new technology and businesses could be developed there that could "graduate" to private land once they became successful. A number of new businesses have developed there, but none have graduated due to the excessive access and regulatory costs of developing a completely private analogue (in Hawaii) outside of the sheltered environment at the lab. Some have, however, graduated their production to China and other offshore locales using the technology developed in Hawaii - not quite what the State had in mind...
If Ruderman is proposing it, we can only expect that it will ultimately be reserved for organic agriculture... Anyone catch a faint whiff of conflict of interest here?
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ultimately be reserved for organic agriculture... faint whiff of conflict of interest
Ag Park next to residential neighborhood.
Pesticide and fungicide spraying.
Let's make it an Organic Ag Park!
Location, location, location.
"Only fear real things, such as minds full of delusions." -Last Aphorisms
"I'm at that stage in life where I stay out of discussions. Even if you say 1+1=5, you're right - have fun." - Keanu Reeves
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