Committee keeps Healthy Soils program at Department of Agriculture, asks for house draft and larger appropriation

The House Committee on Agriculture & Food Systems moved SB552 SD1 forward as a House Draft, preserving placement of a state Healthy Soils program within the Hawaii Department of Agriculture and asking for technical edits and an updated appropriation request.

Testimony from Hawaii Farmers Union, Hawaii Farm Bureau, cattle producers and individual farmers highlighted fragmented soil programs, outdated statewide soil data and the need to coordinate incentive programs. Hunter Hevelin of Hawaii Farmers Union said Hawaii’s soil data “has not been updated since the 1960s” and urged consolidation of existing incentive programs into a coordinated healthy-soils effort.

Committee members debated whether the program should sit with the Department of Agriculture or the Agribusiness Development Corporation (ADC). The chair announced the committee would keep the program with the Department of Agriculture for now. Members also noted federal program uncertainty and directed the committee report to recommend consideration of a larger appropriation than the original $500,000 request so state funding can fill anticipated federal gaps.

The committee adopted the chair’s recommendation to create a House Draft, change the effective date for drafting purposes (07/01/3000) and make technical amendments. The recommendation was adopted with the chair and vice chair voting aye; absences were noted for Representatives Kush and Ward. The committee’s action preserves the bill’s core mandate to establish a healthy soils program and require annual reporting to the Legislature; exact funding and program details will be resolved in follow-up committee work.