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| `O Ka`u Kakou's annual fishing tournament will be held tomorrow at Punalu`u Beach. |
COUNTY COUNCIL MEMBER BRITTANY SMART said her trip to the opening of the state legislature on Wednesday was very successful in terms of gaining support for Ka`u. She said she has high hopes for being able to get funding for the community disaster shelter and gymnasium in Pahala. She talked with legislators and the governor.
KA`U FARM BUREAU PRESIDENT Chris Manfredi spoke at the legislature this week, cautioning the state to refrain from adding a layer of new food safety laws on the state level before the federal government releases its own new food safety laws. He said that adding layer upon layer of regulations would be tough on farmers and businesses buying farm products.
CHRIS MANFREDI is also the vice president and legislative liaison for the Hawai`i Farm Bureau. He recently traveled to Atlanta for the annual national Farm Bureau convention and to Washington, D.C. to talk with members of Congress. In an op-ed piece he released to statewide media he said the needs of Hawai`i’s farmers and ranchers are straightforward. “We require land, water, labor, transportation and markets. We require science and technology to manage today’s problems and pests. We need these elements at rates that allow us to be profitable. Without these things, there is no agriculture.
Regarding food security, he said the warning signs are evident. “We must move toward sustainability by producing safe and healthy food, flowers, foliage, fiber and fuel for our fellow citizens. We have a duty to do this. The economics of the food supply have favored imports, causing our local food system to atrophy. The solution is up to you,” said Manfredi. “If you eat, you have a stake in agriculture.”
“If you value food security, you must create the demand. You must buy local, demand local of your grocer and dine in restaurants that do. Our future hangs in the balance,” he said.
THE KA`U COFFEE FESTIVAL will hold its next meeting this coming Monday at 6 p.m. at Pahala Community Center. The date for the 2011 festival has been set for Miss Ka`u Coffee on Friday, May 13; the ho`olaule`a, recipe contest and sales and displays on Saturday, May 14 and education Sunday, May 15. As with the Kona Coffee Festival, many community members beyond the coffee farming community are needed to make the festival a success. Everyone is invited to volunteer.
KA`U FARM BUREAU PRESIDENT Chris Manfredi spoke at the legislature this week, cautioning the state to refrain from adding a layer of new food safety laws on the state level before the federal government releases its own new food safety laws. He said that adding layer upon layer of regulations would be tough on farmers and businesses buying farm products.
CHRIS MANFREDI is also the vice president and legislative liaison for the Hawai`i Farm Bureau. He recently traveled to Atlanta for the annual national Farm Bureau convention and to Washington, D.C. to talk with members of Congress. In an op-ed piece he released to statewide media he said the needs of Hawai`i’s farmers and ranchers are straightforward. “We require land, water, labor, transportation and markets. We require science and technology to manage today’s problems and pests. We need these elements at rates that allow us to be profitable. Without these things, there is no agriculture.
Regarding food security, he said the warning signs are evident. “We must move toward sustainability by producing safe and healthy food, flowers, foliage, fiber and fuel for our fellow citizens. We have a duty to do this. The economics of the food supply have favored imports, causing our local food system to atrophy. The solution is up to you,” said Manfredi. “If you eat, you have a stake in agriculture.”
“If you value food security, you must create the demand. You must buy local, demand local of your grocer and dine in restaurants that do. Our future hangs in the balance,” he said.
THE KA`U COFFEE FESTIVAL will hold its next meeting this coming Monday at 6 p.m. at Pahala Community Center. The date for the 2011 festival has been set for Miss Ka`u Coffee on Friday, May 13; the ho`olaule`a, recipe contest and sales and displays on Saturday, May 14 and education Sunday, May 15. As with the Kona Coffee Festival, many community members beyond the coffee farming community are needed to make the festival a success. Everyone is invited to volunteer.
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| Blossom DaSilva is sworn in as president of Ka`u's Hawaiian Civic Club. |
THE KA`U HAWAIIAN CIVIC CLUB HELD it annual meeting last night with a feast, installation of officers and entertainment at Pahala Plantation House. Officers are president Blossom DaSilva, first vice president Liz Kuluwaimaka, second vice president Hannah Uribes, secretary Pauahi Pulham, treasurer Lehua Lopez-Mau, and directors Raylene Moses, Debbie Wong Yuen and Shanda Davis-Fujikawa.
THE ANNUAL `O KA`U KAKOU Keiki Fishing Tournament at Punalu`u takes place tomorrow. The tournament is catch-and-release, using poles and barbless hooks. Registration is from 8 to 9 a.m. for fishing from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Many prizes will be awarded.
A FREE COMMUNITY CONCERT will be held next Wednesday, January 26 at Pahala Plantation House at 7 p.m. featuring Muriel Anderson and Tierra Negra, a musical group that will also be performing this weekend in Volcano.