Department of Agriculture

A new state Department of Agriculture rule aims to stop the spread of little fire ants on Oʻahu. The department this week announced it will impose quarantines on areas infested with the invasive ant species.

The Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture has restricted the off-island movement of ʻōhiʻa plants and plant parts since 2015. This includes ʻōhiʻa lehua, leaves and seeds.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Census of Agriculture released a report this month revealing Hawaiʻi lost hundreds of its smallest farms and thousands of acres in recent years. HPR's Mark Ladao explains.

Senate Bill 3237 would primarily create a plant nursery license, designate dozens of pest species for eradication, add rules for imported goods and give the state Department of Agriculture more power to stop the movement of infested goods.

The state Legislature could create a working group to improve local agriculture, food resilience and access to healthy food. Senate Bill 2414 and its companion bill would create a sustainable food systems working group and place it within the state Department of Agriculture.

The state Department of Agriculture is considering a change to its internal rules to stop the movement of plant material infested with pest species. Under the proposed changes, the State Plant Regulatory Official would be able to order a company to keep plant materials if it contains pests. The SPRO is in charge of the state’s pest detection and regulation.

State plant inspectors went through more than 19 million parcels that came into Hawaiʻi last year. However, there were only about 90 inspectors who did that work. HPR's Mark Ladao has more.

About 43,000 acres of pasture land are set to move to the state Department of Agriculture. The state Department of Land and Natural Resources currently manages that land, but this week it agreed to move it to the agricultural department sometime this year.

The state Department of Agriculture asked for an additional $55 million in its budget at a Senate Ways and Means Committee meeting on Monday. Sharon Hurd has served as director of the department for the past year. She talked to HPR about the state of Hawaiʻi's agriculture.

Department of Agriculture Chair Sharon Hurd told state lawmakers at an informational briefing on Monday that general funds would help free up money for other biosecurity efforts and stabilize the funding for those employees.