Ray Foster, General Manager of Monsanto opperations on Molokai
4/16/2007 6:35:53 AM
Monsanto Hawaii's recent announcement about its new long-term lease of ag lands from Molokai Properties has generated a number of very good and very interesting questions. In the interest of open dialogue, we felt it might be of interest to talk about some of the more frequently asked questions:
Why is Monsanto Hawaii making such a large land expansion?
Monsanto Hawaii is expanding our operations. In part, this is a reflection of how Hawaii's seed industry continues to be a significant and positive growth area for our state. Our commitment to this long-term land lease is also a commitment to keeping this land in long-term agriculture and open space, which is a great thing for the rural environment we enjoy on this island.
There's been some confusion about how much more land is going to be farmed. The new land lease covers an area of 1,650 acres. Out of those 1,650 acres, 450 acres are not suitable for farming and will remain as open space. Another 700 acres were already previously being leased by Monsanto Hawaii. So, in effect, this new land lease has added about 500 acres to our existing farming operations.
Also, by the nature of our business, we can only plant on about one-fourth to one-third of our acreage each year, so please do not expect to see 1,600 acres of fields on these newly leased lands. That will not happen.
What impact will this have on water from the Molokai Irrigation System?
I have been in farming for more than 30 years, and truly appreciate how important water is. I firmly believe that all of us -- farmers, businesses, community residents, everyone -- must be responsible stewards of our water, land and other natural resources.
The Molokai Irrigation System was originally built in the 1960s using federal funds, and its water is intended to benefit multiple agricultural users. The 25-mile-long system is managed and funded by the Department of Agriculture through fees paid by those who use the water. Currently, the system serves over 200 users on 3,160 acres of land, and transports some 1.2 billion gallons of water per year.
Monsanto is aware of the rights and responsibilities associated with the Molokai Irrigation System water and we are fully prepared to honor them. The MIS is capable of supporting its current users including our expanding farming operations. We have not received any new state water meters because of this land lease, though we have been given permission to upgrade or repair existing meters, one of which was broken.
We are installing new pipelines for drip-irrigation, which is a highly efficient way of using and conserving water, with minimal wastage.
What if there's a drought?
Over the last few years, there have been occasions when we've all needed to practice water conservation. Most users of the MIS are required to implement water conservation efforts during drought conditions. Monsanto Hawaii has a water conservation program in place for times of drought, and we've implemented it when necessary.
An interesting aspect about Monsanto Hawaii is that we are largely a winter and spring business, meaning that most of our plantings takes place during the wet season. We usually plant very little during the dry months of August, September and October. So if drought conditions are a concern, the nature of our operations is a great fit for the MIS.
There's another reason why the seed industry is a good fit: it adds tremendous value to Hawaii's economy -- some $144 million in economic activity annually, $53 million in annual labor income, and more than 2000 jobs -- and yet, when compared to other large-scale crops, the seed crop industry puts far less pressure on Hawaii's natural resources. By the nature of our business, only a fraction of our lands are under active cultivation at any given time.
Finally, here's a factoid that I think is kind of neat: Monsanto works to develop new varieties of plants that can help overcome some of the problems that farmers face on an ongoing basis. Some of our current research efforts include developing new drought-resistant varieties that will allow farmers to grow their crops using less water.
How does this affect the community land use plan?
This land lease is in line with the Community-Based Land Use Master Plan for Molokai Ranch that the Molokai Enterprise Community affirmed. Monsanto supports this community land use plan and is happy to fit in with it.
This land lease is truly a win-win. It's a good fit for Molokai's community plan, helps our economy, supports agriculture and, as Molokai Properties Chief Executive Peter Nicholas has noted, returns the land to productive agriculture use.
Are you going to be hiring more people because of your expansion?
There will be a very positive impact on Molokai employment opportunities. We currently employ approximately 110 full-time and 80 seasonal employees here on Molokai, as well as approximately 600 full-time and 100 seasonal employees statewide. We have full-time as well as seasonal positions. If anyone is interested in joining our employee ohana, I encourage them to apply.
What are you planning to grow? How much of your crops will be biotech (GMOs)?
Monsanto plants both biotech and conventional crops. Nearly 100% of what we are growing today is corn and a small amount of soybeans. We don't anticipate that will change much in the near future, though it is difficult to predict exactly what types of crops we will be growing, say, five or ten years from now.
By the way, Monsanto is an agricultural company and our focus is on crops that are grown for food, animal feed, fuel and fiber. We are not involved in pharmaceutical crop research.
How will you ensure your GMO crops won't cross-pollinate with other crops?
Corn does not cross-pollinate with other plants. We develop high purity corn seed so we rely on scientifically proven protective methods like distance and time isolation to insure that our corn plants and others are not cross pollinated. Any other crop we might grow must be considered individually regarding its unique seed production requirements.
On a final note, we understand and respect the fact that members of the community may have questions about who we are and what we do. We encourage anyone with questions to please call us. Schedule permitting, we offer free tours of our facilities to people in the community who are genuinely interested in learning more about our work and agriculture in general.
Sincerely,
Ray Foster
Molokai Business Services Manager
Monsanto Hawaii, Molokai
Source : http://www.molokaitimes.com/articles/741663552.asp
4/16/2007 6:35:53 AM
Monsanto Hawaii's recent announcement about its new long-term lease of ag lands from Molokai Properties has generated a number of very good and very interesting questions. In the interest of open dialogue, we felt it might be of interest to talk about some of the more frequently asked questions:
Why is Monsanto Hawaii making such a large land expansion?
Monsanto Hawaii is expanding our operations. In part, this is a reflection of how Hawaii's seed industry continues to be a significant and positive growth area for our state. Our commitment to this long-term land lease is also a commitment to keeping this land in long-term agriculture and open space, which is a great thing for the rural environment we enjoy on this island.
There's been some confusion about how much more land is going to be farmed. The new land lease covers an area of 1,650 acres. Out of those 1,650 acres, 450 acres are not suitable for farming and will remain as open space. Another 700 acres were already previously being leased by Monsanto Hawaii. So, in effect, this new land lease has added about 500 acres to our existing farming operations.
Also, by the nature of our business, we can only plant on about one-fourth to one-third of our acreage each year, so please do not expect to see 1,600 acres of fields on these newly leased lands. That will not happen.
What impact will this have on water from the Molokai Irrigation System?
I have been in farming for more than 30 years, and truly appreciate how important water is. I firmly believe that all of us -- farmers, businesses, community residents, everyone -- must be responsible stewards of our water, land and other natural resources.
The Molokai Irrigation System was originally built in the 1960s using federal funds, and its water is intended to benefit multiple agricultural users. The 25-mile-long system is managed and funded by the Department of Agriculture through fees paid by those who use the water. Currently, the system serves over 200 users on 3,160 acres of land, and transports some 1.2 billion gallons of water per year.
Monsanto is aware of the rights and responsibilities associated with the Molokai Irrigation System water and we are fully prepared to honor them. The MIS is capable of supporting its current users including our expanding farming operations. We have not received any new state water meters because of this land lease, though we have been given permission to upgrade or repair existing meters, one of which was broken.
We are installing new pipelines for drip-irrigation, which is a highly efficient way of using and conserving water, with minimal wastage.
What if there's a drought?
Over the last few years, there have been occasions when we've all needed to practice water conservation. Most users of the MIS are required to implement water conservation efforts during drought conditions. Monsanto Hawaii has a water conservation program in place for times of drought, and we've implemented it when necessary.
An interesting aspect about Monsanto Hawaii is that we are largely a winter and spring business, meaning that most of our plantings takes place during the wet season. We usually plant very little during the dry months of August, September and October. So if drought conditions are a concern, the nature of our operations is a great fit for the MIS.
There's another reason why the seed industry is a good fit: it adds tremendous value to Hawaii's economy -- some $144 million in economic activity annually, $53 million in annual labor income, and more than 2000 jobs -- and yet, when compared to other large-scale crops, the seed crop industry puts far less pressure on Hawaii's natural resources. By the nature of our business, only a fraction of our lands are under active cultivation at any given time.
Finally, here's a factoid that I think is kind of neat: Monsanto works to develop new varieties of plants that can help overcome some of the problems that farmers face on an ongoing basis. Some of our current research efforts include developing new drought-resistant varieties that will allow farmers to grow their crops using less water.
How does this affect the community land use plan?
This land lease is in line with the Community-Based Land Use Master Plan for Molokai Ranch that the Molokai Enterprise Community affirmed. Monsanto supports this community land use plan and is happy to fit in with it.
This land lease is truly a win-win. It's a good fit for Molokai's community plan, helps our economy, supports agriculture and, as Molokai Properties Chief Executive Peter Nicholas has noted, returns the land to productive agriculture use.
Are you going to be hiring more people because of your expansion?
There will be a very positive impact on Molokai employment opportunities. We currently employ approximately 110 full-time and 80 seasonal employees here on Molokai, as well as approximately 600 full-time and 100 seasonal employees statewide. We have full-time as well as seasonal positions. If anyone is interested in joining our employee ohana, I encourage them to apply.
What are you planning to grow? How much of your crops will be biotech (GMOs)?
Monsanto plants both biotech and conventional crops. Nearly 100% of what we are growing today is corn and a small amount of soybeans. We don't anticipate that will change much in the near future, though it is difficult to predict exactly what types of crops we will be growing, say, five or ten years from now.
By the way, Monsanto is an agricultural company and our focus is on crops that are grown for food, animal feed, fuel and fiber. We are not involved in pharmaceutical crop research.
How will you ensure your GMO crops won't cross-pollinate with other crops?
Corn does not cross-pollinate with other plants. We develop high purity corn seed so we rely on scientifically proven protective methods like distance and time isolation to insure that our corn plants and others are not cross pollinated. Any other crop we might grow must be considered individually regarding its unique seed production requirements.
On a final note, we understand and respect the fact that members of the community may have questions about who we are and what we do. We encourage anyone with questions to please call us. Schedule permitting, we offer free tours of our facilities to people in the community who are genuinely interested in learning more about our work and agriculture in general.
Sincerely,
Ray Foster
Molokai Business Services Manager
Monsanto Hawaii, Molokai
Source : http://www.molokaitimes.com/articles/741663552.asp
