100% Kona Coffee Legislation
KCFA represents the Farmers' voice to our Legislators.
KCFA will actively represent and communicate the interests of its members to State and Federal legislators and agencies on issues such as amendment to the State 10% Kona coffee blend law, country of origin labeling, importation of green coffee, consumer protection, and preservation of important agricultural lands.
November 16, 2010
RESOLUTION Requesting the Hawaii Legislature to Provide Emergency Funding to Mitigate Damage from Coffee Berry Borer (CBB) to Kona Coffee
WHEREAS, the recent identification of CBB on farms in the Kona coffee growing region presents new economic, management and marketing challenges for Kona coffee farmers;
WHEREAS, CBB threatens to negatively impact Kona coffee production that annually brings millions of dollars (more than half of the coffee revenue for the entire State) into Hawaii in the form of income to more than 650 farm families in the Kona region;
WHEREAS, immediate action is required to develop an effective program for mitigating the damaging effects of CBB in the Kona region and to protect the viability of Hawaii’s premier specialty agricultural crop;
WHEREAS, there is an immediate need to draw on the extensive scientific knowledge and practical experience developed in other coffee growing regions in order to create a program to minimize the affects of CBB on Kona coffee farms;
WHEREAS, the University of Hawaii’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (UH-CTAHR) Cooperative Extension Service agent position for coffee has been vacant for almost a year and that vacancy deprives Kona coffee farmers of valuable technical and advisory support needed to mitigate CBB damage; and
NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED that the Kona Coffee Farmers Association (KCFA) requests that the Hawaii Legislature appropriate $500,000 in emergency funding for UH-CTAHR to
1—Fund investigative research by UH-CTAHR faculty members, in collaboration with scientists from the USDA’s Pacific Basin Agriculture Research Center in Hilo, into practical techniques developed and used to combat the effects of CBB in other coffee growing regions of the world; and
2—Hire for a minimum three year term a professional entomologist with biological control experience to be assigned to Kona with responsibility to develop a CBB mitigation program suited for the Kona region; and
3—Re-instate the Kona Cooperative Extension Service position for coffee with specific responsibility for assisting Kona coffee farmers implement a CBB mitigation program.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of the Resolution shall be provided to members of the Hawaii Legislature, the Governor and Governor-elect, members of the Hawaii Congressional delegation, UH Chancellor, UH-CTAHR Dean, the Hawaii County Mayor and County Council Members, the Director of the Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center, and Kamehameha Schools/Bishop Estate.
Adopted by the Board of Directors of the Kona Coffee Farmers Association November 16, 2010
Sandra Scarr, Acting Secretary
Kona Coffee Farmers Association
November 4, 2010
Hawaii County Council Resolution 397 10 introduced by Council Member Kelly Greenwell and passed unanimously by the entire Council on November 4, 2010 here
October 19 2010
Kona Coffee Farmers Association
Resolution OF October 19, 2010
RESOLUTION CALLING FOR THE IMMEDIATE SUSPENSION OF GREEN COFFEE IMPORTS INTO HAWAII
1—WHEREAS, one of the critical duties of the HDOA and its Plant Quarantine and Plant Pest Control Branches is to prevent introduction and spread of pests and diseases harmful to Hawaii agriculture;
2—WHEREAS, in the past month it has been discovered that the HDOA has failed to prevent the introduction of coffee berry borer (CBB) into Hawaii County—a failure that the HDOA itself predicts will dramatically reduce Kona coffee yields;
3—WHEREAS, the HDOA for years has ignored requests from Kona’s coffee farmers to ban, as do other coffee growing regions, the importation of foreign green coffee beans in order to prevent the introduction of coffee berry borer, coffee rust, and other diseases and pests;
4—WHEREAS, the HDOA has failed to provide any reasonable explanation as to how CBB and other pests such as varroa mite and little fire ants were introduced into Hawaii County and has failed to establish corrective
procedures and practices to prevent similar introductions in the future;
5—WHEREAS, the Kona Coffee Farmers Association has lost confidence in the ability of the HDOA's current measures to prevent the introduction of pests and diseases damaging to agriculture;
NOW, THEREFORE, the Kona Coffee Farmers Association:
Calls for the Hawaii State Legislature to initiate an immediate suspension of the importation of foreign green coffee beans into the State of Hawaii.
The KCFA Board Secretary is requested to send copies of this Resolution to the HDOA Chair, to the Governor of Hawaii, and to members of the Hawaii State Legislature.
Adopted by the Board of Directors of the Kona Coffee Farmers Association on October 19, 2010.
Christy Carrico, Acting Secretary
"Why is Hawaii the only region anywhere in the world that permits the use of the name of one of its premier specialty agricultural crops with only 10% genuine content?"- President, Bruce Corker at the KCFA Annual Meeting- January 2010
August 2010
2010 Candidates Respond to KCFA Questionnaire here
ATTN: KCFA Members, it's a must-read! to Vote Smart!
it was suggested that any member who does not read the responses to this Questionnaire should be fined $5:)- we feel they are that important!
We've had the Political support of Hawaii County and State in the following:
KCFA’s Legislative Objectives are set forth in our four formal Position Statements: “Green Coffee Imports”, “10 Percent Blend Law”, “Truth-in-Labeling”, and “GMO Coffee Position”.
July 2009
As the Kona Coffee Farmers Association’s representative, President Bruce Corker attended 3 days of agricultural conferences at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, June 30-July 2.
The first 2 days were dedicated to the “Agile Agriculture Summit” in which more than 125 delegates representing farmers, retailers, government agencies and various universities participated. The focus of the conference was “How to connect small and medium-scale agricultural producers with lucrative large markets”. The consensus from the conference sessions was that small and medium-scale producers must join together in co-ops or marketing alliances to achieve volume and market power to gain access to large markets and to the higher profits those markets offer.
On the third day, the “U.S. Place-of-Origin Conference” was convened. This event was organized by Elizabeth Barham of the University of Missouri. As KCFA Board members will recall, Dr. Barham met with us when she was in Kona this past January and discussed her work on place-of-origin issues. At this July 2 Conference more than 50 representatives of producer groups, marketers, government agencies and universities participated in a full day of conference sessions. Panel presentations were offered on geographical identity issues faced by Kona coffee, Idaho potatoes, Napa Valley wine, and Missouri Northern pecans. The similarity of problems faced by producers of other specialty agriculture crops from counterfeiting and unscrupulous marketing are strikingly similar to those we face with Kona coffee. Conference participants decided to explore the formation of a national organization of producers of American-origin-products and to create a national inventory of US origin specialty crops.
Text and Photos of Harold Hoogasian, KCFA International Liaison's visit to Teruel, Spain for the OriGIn conference, are available here
All Geographic Identity News is here
March 2009
KONA COFFEE FARMERS ASSOCIATION
RESOLUTION OF MARCH 18, 2009
A RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE HAWAII STATE LEGISLATURE TO PROVIDE VIDEO CONFERENCING IN ORDER TO END THE DISENFRANCHISEMENT OF OUTER ISLAND RESIDENTS FROM EFFECTIVE PARTICIPATION IN THE LEGISLATIVE HEARINGS PROCESS
WHEREAS, the current State Legislative system of short-notice hearings and testimony on proposed legislation essentially disenfranchises ordinary citizens from the Outer Islands;
WHEREAS, bills are in practice often scheduled for hearing with little or no notice and written testimony is required to be sent in one day in advance;
WHEREAS, even when written testimony can be timely submitted, it is well recognized that live testimony has a much greater impact on representatives and senators;
WHEREAS, short-notice travel to Honolulu for personal testimony by Outer Island residents is often not possible because there are not flights arriving early enough, or flights are full, or costs are prohibitively high;
WHEREAS, the current system too often leaves the floor at Legislative hearings to the lobbyists for special interests and effectively silences the voices of ordinary citizens from the Outer Islands;
WHEREAS, attached as Exhibit A to this Resolution, the March 2009 edition of “The Independent Voice”, the newsletter of the Kona Coffee Farmers Association, provides examples and describes the barriers faced by ordinary Outer Island residents—including Kona coffee farmers—wishing to provide testimony under the current system.
WHEREAS, the current state of video conferencing can provide a simple and cost effective way for Outer Island citizens to be fairly heard and for their voices to be considered in the Legislative process;
WHEREAS, the video conferencing system the Hawaii County Council currently has in place amply demonstrates the feasibility and cost effectiveness of broadening citizen participation in the legislative process by allowing Kona residents to give personal testimony when Council meetings are held in Hilo, and vice versa when meetings are held in Kona,
THEREFORE,
IT IS RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE KONA COFFEE FARMERS ASSOCIATION that the Hawaii State Legislature is requested to implement without delay a video conferencing system for the taking of live testimony of citizens from the Outer Islands at all Legislative hearings at which testimony from the public is taken;
IT IS FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Kona Coffee Farmers Association is requested to transmit copies of this resolution, and its attachment, to all members of the State Legislature and to the Mayors and County Councils of Hawaii, Kauai, and Maui Counties.
Adopted at Captain Cook, Hawaii, March 18, 2009.
Attested to by:
Mary Lake, Secretary
Kona Coffee Farmers Association
On January 27, 2009 we were treated to an inspiring discussion with Professor Beth Barham from the University of Missouri at Columbia, Missouri about the procedure of establishing geographical origin.
Professor Barham
January 26, 2009 - 2 Truth-in-Labeling Bills were introduced by Representative Denny Coffman for the 2009 Legislature but did not get out of Committee.
- HB448- "Truth-in-Labeling for Hawaii-Grown Agricultural Products" here
- HB931-"Truth-in-Labeling for Hawaii-Grown Coffees" here
Despite his good intentions...well - denied again. Auwe!
2008
11.14.08-The Hawaii County Council Overturned the Mayor's Veto of the GMO BAN on Hawaii Island after 5.5 hours of testimony by our hard working KCFA group. Congratulations to all and Mahalo to our County Council!
The KCFA sponsored 3 Candidate Forums in the Fall of 2008, dedicated to agricultural issues.
2008 Candidates- Our original mailing in September 2008
please click to access specific.pdf above
We could always use financial help to pursue these important efforts. click here to donate on-line
or alternatively, you can mail a donation to:
KCFA
PO Box 5346
Kailua-Kona HI 96745
mahalo nui
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