SUBHEAD: Kauai County ignores requests of notable residents and okays dairy feedlot operation in Mahaulepu.
By Chris D'Angelo on 13 April 2014 for the Garden Island News -
(http://thegardenisland.com/news/local/county-dairy-farm-up-to-par/article_5bf0e6ec-c2d3-11e3-8990-0019bb2963f4.html)
Image above: A modern automated continuous rotary milking parlor on a dairy with 300 pedigree Holstein cows in Waterford, Ireland. The equipment in this plant includes Auto cow ID, milk recording, MP 580 Alpro herd management system as wellas DeLaval in parlour (GMO corn) feeders and retention bars. There is also a computerised feed to yield system and the DSG3 drafting gates which make AI work, dosing, vaccination etc a cinch. From (http://www.thedairysite.com/articles/3689/how-will-ireland-prepare-for-2015-and-beyond).
The County of Kauai sees no reason to intervene with Hawaii Dairy Farms’ proposed $17.5 million, 582-acre dairy in Mahaulepu.
On Friday, County Engineer Larry Dill responded in writing to concerns voiced by a group of local biologists and residents. The group recently requested that the county step in and reconsider any decisions it has made or permit exemptions it has granted to HDF.
“While the County supports this effort to establish a dairy farm on Kauai, we share your concerns that the appropriate safeguards will be in place to protect the environment,” he wrote. “To date, we are satisfied that the respective agencies are exercising the appropriate regulatory oversight to meet that objective, and the county continues to monitor the project.”
One of many accusations in their letter to Dill was that HDF started construction at the dairy site without securing proper permits.
Kauai County Ordinance Sec. 22-7.6(e) provides that the permit requirements of the Grading, Grubbing and Stockpiling Ordinance shall not apply to agricultural operations, including ranching, “managed in accordance with soil conservation practices acceptable to the applicable soil and water conservation district directors, and in accordance with an actively pursued comprehensive conservation plan that has been exempted by the County Engineer,” Dill outlined in his response.
After submitting the appropriate documents, HDF received an Ag Exemption from the County on March 18.
“Additionally, on April 3, 2014, without having received a complaint but because of concerns that had been raised by the community, the (Department of Public Works) inspected the site,” Dill wrote. “DPW found that any grubbing or grading work that had been done by that time did not surpass the thresholds established by the Grading Ordinance.”
And while significant clearing had already occurred on the property, Dill said clearing is not an activity regulated by the grading ordinance.
Other accusations included in the group’s letter to Dill were that HDF understated rainfall records, thus indicating a lower risk of waste runoff than actually exists, incorrectly reported the site’s soil type and its ability to handle waste and nutrient loads, and failed to include hydrological or drainage studies which confirm drainage in the area runs directly to the ocean.
“We, the undersigned, believe that HDF has amply demonstrated their disregard for the environment, willingness to play fast and loose with their facts, such that they cannot be entrusted with so precious an area,” Koloa resident Bridget Hammerquist and 14 others wrote.
The group also questions HDF’s claim of sustainability.
“Although HDF refers to its proposal as a ‘sustainable dairy farm,’ they acknowledge that at least 30 (percent) of the feed for the herd will be imported and that percentage increased if the highly invasive non-native kikuyu grass is not sufficient,” they wrote. “Milk is also to be processed off island, hardly a ‘sustainable’ scenario.”
On Friday, Hammerquist described Dill’s response as “sad” and “scary.”
“How do you deal with the fact that there are so many holes in their plan?” she said. “We really are trying hard. We want to help. We don’t want to hurt. We don’t want to harass. We just want to ask those questions.”
Dill wrote that the county relies on the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service and the West Kauai Soil and Water Conservation District “as experts in agriculture to ensure that responsible farming methods are employed to protect the environment.”
“The WK SWCD, with technical support from the County, reviewed and approved the Conservation Plan prepared by HDF with assistance from the NRCS,” Dill wrote. “The WK SWCD continues to monitor the project.”
Additionally, HDF’s Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan will be reviewed by the state Department of Health prior to the start of dairy operations, according to Dill.
In a written statement Friday, Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. said he has been briefed numerous times on the HDF operation and “strongly supports” the project.
“It is significant for the entire state as we work to reduce our dependency on imported food,” he said. “At the same time, I feel it is very important for the HDF team to address the concerns of the community and demonstrate that there are adequate environmental protections in place and that any negative impacts will be minimized or eliminated. As a community we have to work with our farmers and help create the solutions that will allow ag to flourish once again on Kauai.”
Groups sour on dairy farm
By Chris D'Angelo on 11 April 1014 for the Garden Island News -
(http://thegardenisland.com/news/local/group-sours-on-dairy/article_00f824c6-c152-11e3-ae2e-0019bb2963f4.html)
A group of biologists and local residents are calling for the County of Kauai to reconsider allowing Hawaii Dairy Farms (HDF) to move forward with its proposed $17.5 million, 582-acre dairy in Mahaulepu.
“We, the undersigned, believe that HDF has amply demonstrated their disregard for the environment, willingness to play fast and loose with their facts, such that they cannot be entrusted with so precious an area,” Koloa resident Bridget Hammerquist and 14 others wrote in an April 3 letter to Larry Dill, chief engineer of the county Public Works Department. The group says it is “imperative” that the county step in and reconsider any decisions it has made or exemptions it has granted to HDF.
They accuse HDF of starting construction without securing proper state permits, understating rainfall records, thus indicating a lower risk of waste runoff than actually exists, incorrectly reporting the site’s soil type and its ability to handle waste and nutrient loads, and failing to include hydrological or drainage studies which confirm drainage in the area runs directly to the ocean.
“We need to act, before irreparable harm occurs,” states the letter.
In an email Tuesday, county spokeswoman Beth Tokioka said Dill was “working on a response to the various questions posed in the letter.” However, Dill’s response had not been finalized by press time Thursday.
Amy Hennessey, HDF’s director of communications, said it was disheartening to hear that the group feels HDF is not doing what is right for the project and the community, and that the company never went outside of its permitting.
“We don’t want to do something that’s harmful,” she said. “Some of the assumptions that are made in this letter are based on just that — assumptions. They don’t have all of the information, so they’re extrapolating things from this to create a picture of inadequacy.”
Among the signatures on the six-page letter are Dr. Robert Zelkovsky and Dr. Carl Berg of the Surfrider Foundation Kauai Chapter and Don Heacock, a fisheries biologist with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.
Berg said those who signed the letter support having a dairy farm, but not in Mahaulepu.
“It’s just the location, really,” he said. “If we didn’t have to worry about everything running into the ocean, Surfrider wouldn’t care.”
The group asserts that HDF has not been truthful with the community and is gambling with the environmental health of the land, coral reefs and the entire ecosystem, as well as the health of residents and visitors in and around Poipu.
Hennessey, however, said the idea that the dairy will lead to a flood of manure downhill and into the ocean is simply incorrect.
“Basically what they are saying is it’s like poop on a parking lot, and that’s not the case,” she said, adding that the nutrient-rich waste from the cows is essential to maintaining the amount of grass needed to feed the animals.
As for the group’s charge in the letter that HDF’s plan was never given a thorough review by the West Kauai Soil and Water Conservation District, Hennessey called it “perplexing.”
The group is also requesting that the WKSWCD reconsider its approval of HDF’s Conservation Management Plan and its accompanying Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan.
“As detailed herein,” the letter reads, “ the severity of the HDF ‘Plan’ errors and omissions should clearly invalidate any approval/exemption extended to HDF. They did not include the information they should have. They understated or underreported facts that were easily accessible and which, when disclosed, makes it clear that there will be significant environmental damage done to Mahaulepu Valley and the protected wildlife that live there.”
“(The plan) is clearly deserving of a careful review, no matter how much money has already been invested in the area.”
Hennessey said it is important for the public to remember that the farm is not in operation, and that HDF is doing everything it can to be a good community partner and address concerns.
“It’s a work in progress,” she said.
.
By Chris D'Angelo on 13 April 2014 for the Garden Island News -
(http://thegardenisland.com/news/local/county-dairy-farm-up-to-par/article_5bf0e6ec-c2d3-11e3-8990-0019bb2963f4.html)
Image above: A modern automated continuous rotary milking parlor on a dairy with 300 pedigree Holstein cows in Waterford, Ireland. The equipment in this plant includes Auto cow ID, milk recording, MP 580 Alpro herd management system as wellas DeLaval in parlour (GMO corn) feeders and retention bars. There is also a computerised feed to yield system and the DSG3 drafting gates which make AI work, dosing, vaccination etc a cinch. From (http://www.thedairysite.com/articles/3689/how-will-ireland-prepare-for-2015-and-beyond).
The County of Kauai sees no reason to intervene with Hawaii Dairy Farms’ proposed $17.5 million, 582-acre dairy in Mahaulepu.
On Friday, County Engineer Larry Dill responded in writing to concerns voiced by a group of local biologists and residents. The group recently requested that the county step in and reconsider any decisions it has made or permit exemptions it has granted to HDF.
“While the County supports this effort to establish a dairy farm on Kauai, we share your concerns that the appropriate safeguards will be in place to protect the environment,” he wrote. “To date, we are satisfied that the respective agencies are exercising the appropriate regulatory oversight to meet that objective, and the county continues to monitor the project.”
One of many accusations in their letter to Dill was that HDF started construction at the dairy site without securing proper permits.
Kauai County Ordinance Sec. 22-7.6(e) provides that the permit requirements of the Grading, Grubbing and Stockpiling Ordinance shall not apply to agricultural operations, including ranching, “managed in accordance with soil conservation practices acceptable to the applicable soil and water conservation district directors, and in accordance with an actively pursued comprehensive conservation plan that has been exempted by the County Engineer,” Dill outlined in his response.
After submitting the appropriate documents, HDF received an Ag Exemption from the County on March 18.
“Additionally, on April 3, 2014, without having received a complaint but because of concerns that had been raised by the community, the (Department of Public Works) inspected the site,” Dill wrote. “DPW found that any grubbing or grading work that had been done by that time did not surpass the thresholds established by the Grading Ordinance.”
And while significant clearing had already occurred on the property, Dill said clearing is not an activity regulated by the grading ordinance.
Other accusations included in the group’s letter to Dill were that HDF understated rainfall records, thus indicating a lower risk of waste runoff than actually exists, incorrectly reported the site’s soil type and its ability to handle waste and nutrient loads, and failed to include hydrological or drainage studies which confirm drainage in the area runs directly to the ocean.
“We, the undersigned, believe that HDF has amply demonstrated their disregard for the environment, willingness to play fast and loose with their facts, such that they cannot be entrusted with so precious an area,” Koloa resident Bridget Hammerquist and 14 others wrote.
The group also questions HDF’s claim of sustainability.
“Although HDF refers to its proposal as a ‘sustainable dairy farm,’ they acknowledge that at least 30 (percent) of the feed for the herd will be imported and that percentage increased if the highly invasive non-native kikuyu grass is not sufficient,” they wrote. “Milk is also to be processed off island, hardly a ‘sustainable’ scenario.”
On Friday, Hammerquist described Dill’s response as “sad” and “scary.”
“How do you deal with the fact that there are so many holes in their plan?” she said. “We really are trying hard. We want to help. We don’t want to hurt. We don’t want to harass. We just want to ask those questions.”
Dill wrote that the county relies on the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service and the West Kauai Soil and Water Conservation District “as experts in agriculture to ensure that responsible farming methods are employed to protect the environment.”
“The WK SWCD, with technical support from the County, reviewed and approved the Conservation Plan prepared by HDF with assistance from the NRCS,” Dill wrote. “The WK SWCD continues to monitor the project.”
Additionally, HDF’s Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan will be reviewed by the state Department of Health prior to the start of dairy operations, according to Dill.
In a written statement Friday, Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. said he has been briefed numerous times on the HDF operation and “strongly supports” the project.
“It is significant for the entire state as we work to reduce our dependency on imported food,” he said. “At the same time, I feel it is very important for the HDF team to address the concerns of the community and demonstrate that there are adequate environmental protections in place and that any negative impacts will be minimized or eliminated. As a community we have to work with our farmers and help create the solutions that will allow ag to flourish once again on Kauai.”
Groups sour on dairy farm
By Chris D'Angelo on 11 April 1014 for the Garden Island News -
(http://thegardenisland.com/news/local/group-sours-on-dairy/article_00f824c6-c152-11e3-ae2e-0019bb2963f4.html)
A group of biologists and local residents are calling for the County of Kauai to reconsider allowing Hawaii Dairy Farms (HDF) to move forward with its proposed $17.5 million, 582-acre dairy in Mahaulepu.
“We, the undersigned, believe that HDF has amply demonstrated their disregard for the environment, willingness to play fast and loose with their facts, such that they cannot be entrusted with so precious an area,” Koloa resident Bridget Hammerquist and 14 others wrote in an April 3 letter to Larry Dill, chief engineer of the county Public Works Department. The group says it is “imperative” that the county step in and reconsider any decisions it has made or exemptions it has granted to HDF.
[IB Editor's note: The letter referred to by TGI dated 3 April 2014 twas signed by lawyer Bridget Baynes Hammerquist as well as Carl Berg Ph.D. as Vice-chaor of the Kauai Surfrider's Foundation; Don Heacock the Kauai State Fisheries, Marine and Wildlife Biologist; and others. It said in part the following. See (http://www.islandbreath.org/2014Year/04/140413letterapril3.pdf)] As detailed herein, the severity of the HDF ‘Plan’ errors and omissions should clearly invalidate any approval/exemption extended to HDF. They did not include the information they should have. They understated or underreported facts that were easily accessible and which, when disclosed, makes it clear that there will be significant environmental damage done to Maha’ulepu Valley and the protected wildlife that live there. Is it credible for HDF to now admit publically that they under-reported the rainfall in the area, failed to do drainage studies, failed to disclose the true soil type (not “free draining” as claimed), all of which significantly impacts the runoff and likely damage to the environment? Can HDF be allowed to now disclose the fact that their cows will deposit more than 20 tons of waste/acre/year (manure and urine)? Should HDF be allowed to apologize for their misinformation and factual omissions, claiming that “they’ll take care of everything,” “they’ll be the safest operating dairy the island has ever had" or should the authorities reconsidered the suitability of the HDF dairy operation at this location? Although HDF refers to its proposal as a ‘sustainable dairy farm,’ they acknowledge that at least 30% of the feed for the herd will be imported and that percentage increased if the highly invasive non-native kikuyu grass is not sufficient. Milk is also to be processed off island, hardly a ‘sustainable’ scenario. We, the undersigned, believe that HDF has amply demonstrated their disregard for the environment, willingness to play fast and loose with their facts, such that they cannot be entrusted with so precious an area. As the following demonstrates, your reconsideration of a dairy operation, as HDF proposes, is clearly warranted. For these reasons, we urge your reconsideration of the entire HDF project. |
They accuse HDF of starting construction without securing proper state permits, understating rainfall records, thus indicating a lower risk of waste runoff than actually exists, incorrectly reporting the site’s soil type and its ability to handle waste and nutrient loads, and failing to include hydrological or drainage studies which confirm drainage in the area runs directly to the ocean.
“We need to act, before irreparable harm occurs,” states the letter.
[IB Editor's note: The Sierra Club of Hawaii Kauai Group Executive Committee wrote a letter on 4 April 2014 that was signed by Carl Imarato. There was some confusion on the part of TGI which letter they were talking about. Below is the text. See (http://www.islandbreath.org/2014Year/04/140413letterapril4.pdf)] |
In an email Tuesday, county spokeswoman Beth Tokioka said Dill was “working on a response to the various questions posed in the letter.” However, Dill’s response had not been finalized by press time Thursday.
Amy Hennessey, HDF’s director of communications, said it was disheartening to hear that the group feels HDF is not doing what is right for the project and the community, and that the company never went outside of its permitting.
“We don’t want to do something that’s harmful,” she said. “Some of the assumptions that are made in this letter are based on just that — assumptions. They don’t have all of the information, so they’re extrapolating things from this to create a picture of inadequacy.”
Among the signatures on the six-page letter are Dr. Robert Zelkovsky and Dr. Carl Berg of the Surfrider Foundation Kauai Chapter and Don Heacock, a fisheries biologist with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.
Berg said those who signed the letter support having a dairy farm, but not in Mahaulepu.
“It’s just the location, really,” he said. “If we didn’t have to worry about everything running into the ocean, Surfrider wouldn’t care.”
The group asserts that HDF has not been truthful with the community and is gambling with the environmental health of the land, coral reefs and the entire ecosystem, as well as the health of residents and visitors in and around Poipu.
Hennessey, however, said the idea that the dairy will lead to a flood of manure downhill and into the ocean is simply incorrect.
“Basically what they are saying is it’s like poop on a parking lot, and that’s not the case,” she said, adding that the nutrient-rich waste from the cows is essential to maintaining the amount of grass needed to feed the animals.
As for the group’s charge in the letter that HDF’s plan was never given a thorough review by the West Kauai Soil and Water Conservation District, Hennessey called it “perplexing.”
The group is also requesting that the WKSWCD reconsider its approval of HDF’s Conservation Management Plan and its accompanying Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan.
“As detailed herein,” the letter reads, “ the severity of the HDF ‘Plan’ errors and omissions should clearly invalidate any approval/exemption extended to HDF. They did not include the information they should have. They understated or underreported facts that were easily accessible and which, when disclosed, makes it clear that there will be significant environmental damage done to Mahaulepu Valley and the protected wildlife that live there.”
“(The plan) is clearly deserving of a careful review, no matter how much money has already been invested in the area.”
Hennessey said it is important for the public to remember that the farm is not in operation, and that HDF is doing everything it can to be a good community partner and address concerns.
“It’s a work in progress,” she said.
.
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