HCR116 SD1

WHEREAS, information regarding crop production in relation to land use is not very accessible; and

WHEREAS, growers must quickly shift products to match marketing opportunities, which requires knowledge of production limitations due to elevation, temperature, pest incidence, and soils; and

WHEREAS, more attention is needed to address the issue of inadvertent contamination of coastal waters as a result of agricultural operations and livestock operations and their manure management, and to address continuing concerns about nitrate contents in the Pearl Harbor aquifer and watershed; and

WHEREAS, nutrients are accumulating in and leading to the degradation of Oahu's coastal and other waters, and improved understanding and management of fertilizers and nitrogen-based amendments such as manures, composts, and the organic fertilizers required by organic farmers, are needed; and

WHEREAS, the extent of arsenic and other organic contaminants is not well-known; and

WHEREAS, technicians from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) are lacking an online tool to make phosphorus and nitrogen runoff risk evaluations; and

WHEREAS, improvements in the Fertility Advice and Consulting System (FACS) of the University of Hawaii Agricultural Diagnostic Service Center (UH-ADSC), including joint NRCS and University of Hawaii-developed software, are needed to provide clients with alternatives to resolve these issues; and

WHEREAS, the Hawaii Agriculture Information Center (HAIC), a proposed computer system involving a comprehensive data warehouse and decision-aid online applications, is intended to provide site-specific real time information on personalized web portals to aid decision making with respect to agricultural activities for Hawaii food producers, homeowners, agriculture extension agents, researchers and scientists of the University of Hawaii, and technicians of NRCS; and

WHEREAS, the primary databases in HAIC will include soil, crop, weather, water body, fertilizer, animal feeding, irrigation, and conservation practices, and the integrated decision-aid applications of HAIC will include nitrogen/phosphorous/potassium/calcium management, pesticide control, nutrient runoff risk analysis, economic analysis, crop scheduling, and farmers' daily plans; and

WHEREAS, the overall goals of HAIC will be to:

(1) Encourage agricultural growth and expansion in Hawaii;

(2) Help to ensure the economic viability of agricultural operations in Hawaii; and

(3) Improve environmental protections and mitigate environmental damage that occurs as a result of agricultural operations;

now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2008, the Senate concurring, that the UH-ADSC, in consultation with the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (UH-CTAHR), NRCS, and any other appropriate public or private entities, is requested to survey the information needs of Hawaii's agricultural industry and assess whether HAIC can meet the information needs of Hawaii's agricultural industry; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that UH-ADSC, with input from NRCS, UH-CTAHR, and any other appropriate public or private entities, is requested to submit a written report to the Legislature of its findings and recommendations, including any appropriate legislation, no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the 2009 Regular Session; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of NRCS, President of University of Hawaii, Director of UH-ADSC, Dean of UH-CTAHR, and Executive Director of the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation.

Report Title:

Hawaii Agricultural Information Center

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	116
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008		S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII