As we shared in the last issue, voters in Maui County will soon receive their ballots. Among their many choices on the ballot will be a Charter Amendment question:
“Shall the Charter be amended, effective July 1, 2022, to establish a Department of Agriculture to develop a sustainable regional agricultural system for Maui County?”
On the surface it may sound harmless, but there is a lot behind the simple question that should cause you to strongly consider voting NO. During the first week of September, you, our members, were polled to determine how you felt about the proposal to create a County Department of Agriculture. The results revealed a strong objection to the proposal with 84% of you – farmers & ranchers – responding, saying NO to the ballot question. The farm and ranch members of the Maui County Farm Bureau grow and raise nearly every agricultural product on Maui, including vegetables, flowers and nursery products, livestock, tree crops, fruits, eggs, poultry, seeds and more, as well as producing value-added agriculture products. Our farmers are as diverse as our crops, but our collective voice is strong on this issue, vote NO on this Charter Amendment. |