Richard Ha writes:
I interviewed Dr. Shane Burgess, dean of the University of Arizona's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and asked him a series of questions I thought folks on the Big Island would find interesting and useful.
In this – the first of a series of interviews I will post here – I asked Dr. Burgess: "What is a sustainable way of using GMOs?"
Richard Ha writes:
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustees decided against filing a contested case hearing about the Thirty Meter Telescope.
Five of us flew over from the Big Island to testify at the OHA meeting. We were all concerned about the possibility of losing the education and employment opportunities that the TMT will bring to future generations.
I was very impressed at the power of the testimony of the group from the Big Island. Wally, Nani, Herring and Bill’s testimony was eloquent, from the heart, powerful, and simple. I was very proud to be a part of this group of strong, community-minded people.
Left to right: Bill Brown, Herring Kalua, Wallace Ishibashi, Nani Kahea, and myself
After we testified, the OHA Trustees went into deliberations, and a few hours later we received word that the Trustees decided not to file a request for a contested case hearing.
Here is the testimony I gave:
Aloha trustees.
Please do not initiate a contested case hearing. Several things happened recently that could have a strong bearing on your decision.
My name is Richard Ha. I am a farmer on the Big Island and our family and our workers have produced more than a hundred million pounds of fruits and vegetables over the last 35 years. My family is Kamahele from lower Puna.
I was the only person from Hawai‘i to have attended five Association for the Study of Peak Oil (ASPO) conferences. I went because I wanted to learn about oil and how we could adapt to a world of rising oil costs.
Albert Bartlett, a professor of physics and a member of ASPO, said the greatest failing of humankind is its inability to understand the exponential function.
If someone stood in the middle of Yankee Stadium at 12:00 noon with an eye dropper, and started a drop of water and doubled it every minute and you were handcuffed to a chair at the top, how many minutes woukd you have to escape? The answer is 50 minutes. At what time would the stadium still be 93 percent empty? 12:45! At that point, the water would only be 5 feet high and hardly anyone would be aware that there was a serious problem ahead in just five minutes. That is the nature of compound growth.
Several weeks ago, the Energy Information Agency, the government agency that keeps track of energy information, said the Monterey Shale, consisting of two-thirds of the nation's oil reserves, was downgraded to just four percent of its previous estimation. The nation's total oil reserve supply before the announcement was estimated to be 100 years. This means that our oil reserves is estimated to last somewhere around 34 years, and only if the price is high enough can we get all of it. So, if oil supply is limited, the price will eventually rise.
The problem is that at $150 per barrel oil, our tourism industry will be hit hard. At $200 per barrel oil, an IMF economic team modeling that situation could not model any further because they were in uncharted waters. I heard the team leader, Michael Kumhoff say at the last ASPO conference that the results would be utterly improbable. Utterly improbable??? Scary words coming from an economist.
My good friend Robert Rapier, a well-respected chemical engineer who has been on 60 Minutes and many news and magazines, gave his take on British Petroleum's recent annual report. He basically said that if it wasn't for the shale oil and gas boom in the U.S., the world would already be going down the backside of the oil supply curve. And if not for that, we could already have been seeing $150 to $200 per barrel oil. That was just last week!
Will the shale gas and oil boom last? In the data from 19,000 oil and gas wells, we see that the average shale oil and gas well lasts only five years. Clearly that is not sustainable. In contrast, the Saudi old oil finds have lasted for more than 50 years. Things have clearly changed.
So, what happens if China, India and other countries start to become worried that we have economic trouble ahead? The Chinese know that you cannot be king if you cannot feed the people. Would they cut funding for the TMT? There is a strong possibility they and other countries would. The TMT represents money going out and no money coming in.
I was on the TMT subcommittee of the Hawaii Island Economic Development Board, so I was involved from the start. I volunteered because I was determined that if it was going to be done, it should be done right. Henry Yang, the new president of the TMT, was a good guy that you could do business on a handshake. He flew in to the Big Island 15 times and never talked to the press. He met with the people on the ground. The last trip he asked me where they should go since they had a couple of hours. I suggested we go to Kupuna Day at Keaukaha. When we got there, the people were so used to him and Jean Lou Chameau, president of Cal Tech, visiting them, they just said, Come, come, come, go eat, where you guys going?
From meeting with the people, Henry Yang came to find out that the lowest common denominator that folks on all sides of the issue could agree ok was Keiki education. That is how the THINK $1 million annual education fund was born.
One of the most important principles I learned came from Kumu Lehua Veincent, former principal of Keaukaha Elementary school. When I first got involved, I suggested to him that we could ask the TMT folks to give his students five full-ride scholarships to the best schools in the nation. He thought about it a few minutes and then he said these profound words. He said simply: "What about the rest?"
And that is what this decision is all about. What about the rest?
Aloha
Richard Ha writes:
Last time I wrote about the first session of the Western Region meeting of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities, which I attended at Lake Tahoe as a Council for Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching (CARET) delegate.
The remaining sessions focused on the four major areas that comprise the Western Agenda – fire, water, invasive species, and endangered species.
Maria Gallo, director of UH Manoa’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, is proposing adding the important subjects of nutrition and obesity to the Western Agenda, and I support that idea.
I like that we are taking a systems approach to this. The world has become incredibly interconnected, but too often we look at things in their independent silos. My friend, Charlie Hall, is a systems ecologist. He looks at things from an interconnected, ecological point of view.
The main issue we discussed was whether we would take the time to create one cohesive comprehensive paper that incorporates all four parts of the Western Agenda, or whether we would focus on one important issue and build the comprehensive paper along the way.
We CARET members wanted to get moving right away. We are action-oriented and want to have something we are working on before our winter meeting in Washington, D.C. We decided to get behind “fire” and push it hard as soon as we can.
The plan is very complex and involves multiple stakeholders who have been in the fight for varying lengths of time and to different degrees. We are not interested in who gets credit so much as in moving this project forward. Fire season will start soon and we will see multiple fires throughout the West. We all know this. We need to move, and move now.
Hawai‘i is going to be a major contributor in this work on the Western Agenda, especially in the area of endangered species, invasive species, and water issues. I am happy to be in the middle of it.
While this important work was going on, June and I took some time to see South Lake Tahoe and San Francisco closer up.
Here’s Lake Tahoe from our room, overlooking the Summer Concert series stage area.
We went on a paddle wheeler on the lake.
We saw sandy beaches, warm weather, and many homes built right into the landscape. They introduced a proposal that new developments cannot reflect sunlight into the lake.
We also sat at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf and I had ceviche and raw oysters, while June had a sourdough break bowl with Dungeness crab cocktails. There were seagulls all around. We’re having a fun time.
Richard Ha writes:
I’m at Lake Tahoe at the Western Region meeting of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU). I’m attending as a Council for Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching (CARET) delegate; most of us are people in the ag industry.
Attending this meeting are deans of land-grant universities in the western U.S., and heads of their research, extension and teaching divisions. Back home, UH Manoa is a land-grant university.
At the first session, there was a panel discussion about how we can work together to maximize the Land Grant Universities’ extension, research and teaching functions. Also participating were representatives from the Western Governors Association, the National Association of Counties’ western representative and the Western Council of State Governments. I felt like this was a good effort at maximizing scientific resources.
I raised my hand and said that the County of Hawai‘i passed an ordinance banning all new GMOs. I said that I had found the input of CTAHR scientists very valuable in the discussion, and asked if the government groups were concerned about this issue. Of course, they were.
Then we got into the heart of the meeting, the Western agenda, which is about fire, water, invasive species, and endangered species. We discussed issues and prioritized action items. Next we had the research, extension and teaching groups go over the priorities and add their perspectives.
My thoughts? There are lots of things taking place that most people have no idea about. There are a ton of research facilities and people at work tackling a number of issues. These folks are all dedicated people who are interested in the public good. And they all believe in science – you can’t just say it; you have to prove it. I like this approach. It keeps us from wasting time and scarce resources.
With all the high brain-powered people here, I think I will ask them questions about GMOs that people back home will be interested in.
Richard Ha writes:
Dennis Gonsalves and I had lunch at Zippys awhile back with Lawrence Kent of the Gates Foundation. Lawrence told us the Gates Foundation is sponsoring GM plant research to help the poorest of the poor. It’s a significant project, though just a small percent of the whole Gates Foundation effort.
I asked him about commercial banana research. He said they don’t do anything with commercial projects. Oh shucks, I thought.
But Dennis Gonsalves is working with Lawrence on a virus-resistant cassava project for Africa. Can you imagine: Local Kohala boy Dennis Gonsalves working with the Gates Foundation to help save lives of the poorest of the poor in sub-Saharan Africa? Wow.
I wrote about Hillary Clinton talking about the State Department moving from emergency feeding of the poor to GM plants that provide people with solutions they need to sustain themselves. Replacing emergency feeding programs with GM solutions gives farmers biotech tools to enhance their food production and vitamin content and more.
It’s kind of like the old saying: Give a man a fish and feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime.
Golden rice is an example of this kind of humanitarian effort. Another is the vitamin A-enhanced banana developed in north Queensland, Australia that was recently announced.
Richard Ha writes:
Hillary Clinton says GM foods are okay, and the vast majority of our local farmers agree. I think Senator Inouye, too, would have agreed with Hillary Clinton on this issue.
Our local county councilperson Margaret Wille says they are not okay, though, and, without scientific proof and going against the vast majority of UH scientists, initiated an ordinance to ban it. Hawai‘i State Senator Brian Shatz went with Margaret Wille on this issue.
This is why we farmers support Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa in the upcoming U.S. Senate election. It’s about courage, leadership, and common sense.
Hillary Clinton was the featured speaker at the recent BIO 2014 conference, which is the largest industry trade group representing all aspects of biotechnology (it has a thousand members).
Audio excerpt of Hillary Clinton's talk
Listen to the short audio above for an excerpt of her talk. She supports genetically modified products and says there is a large gap between fact and perception. She talks about the shift in foreign policy from emergency feeding to providing seeds that are drought-resistant, for example. And she advises the industry to be more thoughtful about how they describe genetically engineered products.
Everything she says makes a whole lot of sense to me.
Richard Ha writes:
The "Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act" recently introduced in the House of Representatives is an attempt to provide clarity.
Farmers don't have a problem with labeling. We just need for regulations to be uniform, so that everyone is playing by the same rules. This is just plain common sense.
From The Packer:
(UPDATED COVERAGE, April 10) Drawing support from major agricultural groups but pointed opposition from environmental groups, legislation that would prevent states from enacting mandatory labeling of genetically modified food has been introduced in the House of Representatives.
Reps. Mike Pompeo, R-Kan., and G.K. Butterfield, D-N.C., introduced H.R. 4432, called The Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act on April 9.
“This legislation is vital to giving America’s farmers certainty about what the rules of the game will be when it comes to labeling foods containing GMOs, an issue that cries out for a national solution,” Chuck Conner, president and CEO of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, said in a news release.
“A 50-state patchwork of different labeling laws and regulations would not only burden farmers and food producers but would cause significant confusion among consumers at grocery stores across the country.
Also in that article, Chuck Conner points out that GMO crops will be important to meet future world food needs, and why this bill is significant.
“This bill represents an important step in cutting through the misinformation about GMOs and instead focuses on the science attesting to their safety and the benefits these crops provide,” Conner said in the release.
Bob Stallman, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, Washington, D.C., also strongly supports the legislation.
“With the introduction of this legislation and the leadership of the bill’s sponsors, Farm Bureau looks forward to a national-level discussion that will affirm FDA’s role in assuring consumers about GMO safety and reduce the confusion that would result from a patchwork of state labeling initiatives,” Stallman said in a statement.
Richard Ha writes:
I made up my mind to put on a Hanabusa shirt after I attended the rededication ceremony of the Daniel K. Inouye Pacific Basin Ag Research Center. When Jennifer Sabas spoke, it really hit me hard what Senator Inouye did to help agriculture over the years. And how local Hawaiian agriculture is at a critical point.
Then, when I went to hear the Senate candidates speak at Sangha Hall Wednesday night, I remembered the long dinner conversation Dean Maria Gallo and I had with Colleen Hanabusa up at Washington D.C. She talked then about Hawai‘i, the Big Island, and its bountiful resources and great potential to benefit future generations. Most importantly, she was clearly a person you could trust. She had courage and a good heart.
I heard that the campaign was going to visit several locations Thursday morning. I decided I would put on a Hanabusa t-shirt and catch the van.
And that's how I found myself on the road at Hawi in Kohala sign-waving for the first time. There is no doubt in my mind that Colleen Hanabusa will fight for us farmers much like Senator Inouye did.
Richard Ha writes:
John Dill passed away, and I went to his service on Saturday. He was a really good guy. One after another, people spoke about how giving and caring he was.
John was a founding member of the Big Island Community Coalition. He was present from the very beginning; from when we first had the idea to form a group.
This is Jan, John's dad.
Jan was also there when the first idea of the Big Island Community Coalition came up. John was, and will forever be, a part of us.
Richard Ha writes:
This letter from Glenn Teves, who is a Moloka‘i extension agent, is full of good, practical advice for new farmers. Over the years I've found that going to your extension agent is usually the best place to start.
It's out of the Hawai‘i Homegrown Food Network newsletter, July 2014.
WRITTEN BY GLENN TEVES ON 27 JUNE 2014.
In farming, the real test when you fall down is how fast you get up and move forward. Below is a letter I wrote to a Hawaiian homesteader several years ago. He was interested in farming, but for some reason he had a difficult time understanding what he needed to do in order to create a farm business, and also wasn’t realistic about his goals. He was looking for solutions such as setting up a farm to teach others how to farm without having a basic knowledge of farming, or networking with others to get his farm started when he didn’t have any production.
I really had to write everything down to help him understand without dampening his enthusiasm and spirit. I think it may help anyone who’s interested in farming. There are many concepts to grasp, including a few doses of reality along the way. Here it is:
I write this to you to help you focus and see the steps you need to take in order to create a farm business. In life, you need to crawl before you can walk. There’s so much to know, and you cannot ‘skip grades’; you have to start at kindergarten. You have to be diligent in learning all you can by studying, and you have to go at it with both eyes open. Most farmers in Hawaii farm part-time because they cannot earn enough money on their farm, and they also want to have medical coverage for their family. Parttime farming is also a growing trend in the nation.
There are certain attributes that must be in place in order to be successful in farming. One is the willingness and motivation to farm and to overcome any adversity. We cannot supply this because it comes from deep within you. If you’re easily discouraged, farming is not for you. This stick-to-it-ness is important especially when things don’t go the way you expected. When the going gets rough, the tough get going. In farming, the real test when you fall down is how fast you get up and move forward.
Gerry Ross and Janet Simpson of Kupa'a Farms, Maui. Farming is hard work and there’s a sequence to things. One thing I’ve learned is I try to focus on a few things at a time because if I try to see the whole picture, it becomes so overwhelming….
Great article. Read the rest here.
