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~~~~;y~~ _ 4"~ ~e -sr~ 'fir:. i.. HONDA'S FARM Nacho Honda - Paauilo, HI _ ~ j ~a w;. R 4.5 acres Ag Coop lease land +i w' iil iil w ui Elev: 200' ~ 9 acres (FS} ~ Elev:1700' Crops: Mac nuts on the FS, on the Ag Coop land Nadao had started in 1997 with dracaena and pineapple. He did not fmd good results so he has cleared again and is starting over with avocado, mango, citrus, with coffee inbetween. He is using green manure to build up the soil organically. Nadao was a mechanic for Hamakua Sugar. He has been farming all his life. He states, "that's its hard to farm with a leaky sys- tem to irrigate with -the Hamakrra Ditch -the infrastructre (aside from the main pipe) needs to be replaced. If the State would maintain the ditch and provide a metering system for the water, the farmers would become more responsible with the usage & maintinence. This would create more water and less waste." Nadao belongs to both the Ag Coop and the Farmer's Bureau. He feels that the state and county governments are a little unfair in their expectations of what it takes to farm. " If the people want to farm then that's a good opportunity for this land and for them. We should help with expertise as much as possible to get people started. Not increase the lease rates so high that no one can afford to farm this land. Actually we are helping to add more value to this land by farming it." GT.JERPO'S FAn.'~i Dante Guerpo Paauilo. HI 9 acres Ag Coop lease land ` Elev: 100' Crop: Papaya 7 Dante started his farm 1997, he hired ` '~d 3,~ contractors to mow and rip the soil. He worked for Hamakua Sugar for 25 yeazs. He used no gzants and has no employment. He is a member of the Ag Coop and the Farmer's Bureau. He was very distrubed to hear that the Ag Coop leases might be raised to $125. an acre. He helps his neighbor farmers with their cultivation.