RES 533 Draft 01 2014-2016 - Laserfiche WebLink

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WHEREAS, the Council of the County of Hawai`i, pursuant to Resolution 113-99, adopted on September 9, 1999, specifically authorized the Finance Director or his authorized representative to dispose of the parcels of former Harnakua Sugar Company, Inc. lands including TMKs (3) 4-7-006:001 and (3) 4-7-006:018; and WHEREAS, the Hamakua District of the Big Island has historically been heavily engaged in local agricultural pursuits including, but not limited to, the raising of cattle, the cultivation of macadamia nuts, fruits, vegetables and flowers, aquaculture and forestry, as well as several processing plants that utilize locally grown and raised produce and livestock; and WHEREAS, diversification of the Island of Hawai`i agriculture industry has led to smaller operations producing an ever increasing assortment of agriculture products, while simultaneously facing the challenge of obtaining suitable land for those agricultural pursuits; and WHEREAS, HCFB plans to develop a grazing entity whose ranching members will jointly provide cattle to graze pastures developed at Kapulena Agricultural Park and to demonstrate a joint ownership grazing strategy that can benefit multiple cattle producers, transform former cane lands into improved pastures and increase the production of locally raised grass finished beef; and WHEREAS, the goal of the lease with HCFB is to use a portion of the Kapulena Agricultural Park as a model for ranchers to work cooperatively to increase the development of grass finish beef and encourage other land owners to consider local grass finished beef production as an appropriate and sustainable use of their lands; and WHEREAS, HCFB is one of the eleven (11) county member chapters that make up the Hawai`i Farm Bureau Federation, a 501 (c) (5) non-profit organization representing and unifying the agricultural communities in the State of Hawai`i whose membership is dedicated to improving the quality of life on farms, ranches, and their rural communities, and whose mission is to be the voice of