The state Department of Agriculture is set to receive about 43,000 acres of pasture land, as decided by officials this week.
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources currently manages that land, but has agreed to move it to the agricultural department later this year.
That land covers about 100 parcels across the state that were deemed eligible for transfer between the departments under a 2003 law known as Act 90.
“We have the mission … to increase food production. We also have the mission to continue to preserve and protect very important watershed lands, forestry lands. But there's an opportunity to do both of that under Act 90,” DLNR Chair Dawn Chang said at a news conference announcing the land transfers.
The law originally identified about 110,000 acres of DLNR pasture land that should be kept in agricultural production.
But most of it has been stuck in the DLNR because it’s important for both agricultural and conservation purposes — a priority for the DLNR — and the departments have argued that they are better equipped to manage the land.
Act 90 requires the consent of both department boards to transfer any land, and in the 20 years since the law passed, only about 19,000 acres of land have actually moved between the departments.
Meanwhile, ranchers who lease those pasture lands have said their farms are especially difficult to run under the DLNR because of the department’s focus on conservation and its limited ability to give ranchers long-term leases.
Gov. Josh Green and his administration have been aggressive in speeding up the transfer process.
“That's just not adequate based on what the Legislature wanted us to do. So what we did is we put this project on steroids. I sat down with our directors (of the departments) right off the bat last year and said I'd like to see real progress,” Green said at the news conference.
The agriculture department board voted to accept the announced 43,000 acres of pasture land months ago, and half of that land has also been approved for transfer by the board of the land department.
The land approved by both boards is currently in the process of moving departments. This week’s announcement represents the DLNR’s verbal commitment to transfer the other half.
Last year about 5,000 acres of land were officially moved from the DLNR and the DOA. In total, the land department has transferred or committed to transfer about 70,000 acres of its pasture land.
“The agriculture community has been waiting 20 years for some real meaningful actions regarding Act 90,” said Brian Miyamoto, executive director of Hawai‘i Farm Bureau.
“Farmers and ranchers need long-term leases to prudently invest in infrastructure improvements on leased lands. The DOA’s rules are set up to encourage agriculture and make it practical to do so,” he added.
One-third of the pasture lands eligible for transfer under Act 90 have not yet been moved or committed by the DLNR, likely because of their potential conservation value.
Farming advocates want that land transferred so they stay in agricultural production, but it will be an ongoing discussion between the two departments.
“This is the most movement we have seen in decades, but like we've said: There's still work to be done. There are still leases to transfer,” said Nicole Galase, Hawai‘i Cattlemen’s Council managing director.
