Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Department Of Agriculture Operations topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Maui Department of Agriculture outlines ag park expansions and grant strategy ahead of FY26 budget
Summary
Department of Agriculture officials briefed the ADEPT committee on FY25 operations, new positions including an arborist, expanded ag park planning and a $6.17 million county grant subsidy split into competitive and non‑competitive buckets for farms and recovery projects.
The Maui County Department of Agriculture told the ADEPT committee on Feb. 20 it is moving ahead with planning for new agriculture park sites, a larger grant program and staff additions as officials prepare for FY26 budget talks.
Department leaders said the department’s FY25 operating budget totaled about $8.3 million, a modest decrease from FY24, and noted new and restored positions to support agriculture recovery and resiliency. Director RC (name as given at the meeting) said the department secured funding for an arborist position and 13 expanded positions, and that the department is standing up field offices at the Kula Ag Park and planning an Upper Maui Agriculture Park (UMAP) with water and road improvements.
Officials emphasized the department’s grant work: the county’s $6.172 million grant subsidy was reorganized into topic “buckets” and divided between competitive and non‑competitive awards to support ag recovery, livestock, nonfood agriculture, and island‑specific needs on Molokai and Lanai. Ag staff reported they received roughly three times the number of applications this year compared with last year and increased the number of awards (from 22 previously to roughly 64 awards in FY25). The department also described CIP work at agriculture parks, including a booster pump and a planned larger reservoir to improve drought storage and fire response capacity.
Department staff briefed the committee on the Maui County Food and Nutrition Security Plan, an islandwide strategy developed with more than 900 community participants that sets measurable goals through 2030 to expand local food production, support producers, and build resilient food economies. Staff said the plan will be finalized in the next weeks and offered to present it to the council.
Committee members pressed staff on leasing and cleanup at Ag Park lots. The department said a recent professional services contract cleared abandoned materials at a Kula lot at a cost of about $74,764 and that the department is reviewing existing tenant leases with Corporation Counsel to add stronger cleanup and compliance language in future agreements.
Officials also described a new conservation liaison position funded by USDA NRCS (about $500,000), noting the federal award is currently paused; the liaison would help coordinate erosion control, grazing recovery and cross‑agency restoration work after last year’s wildfires.
Looking ahead, agriculture staff said they will continue to seek federal and state matches for UMAP construction and encouraged the council to consider continued support for the county share of park infrastructure. No formal action was taken; the briefing was informational only.
