STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3422

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    GOV. MSG. NOS. 689, 690

 

 

 

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Agriculture, to which was referred Governor's Message Nos. 689 and 690, submitting for study and consideration the nominations of: 

 

Board of Agriculture

 

G.M. No. 689

JERRY ORNELLAS,

for a term to expire 6-30-2018; and

 

G.M. No. 690

MICHELLE GALIMBA,

for a term to expire 6-30-2018,

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     Your Committee has reviewed the personal histories and resumes submitted by the nominees and finds Jerry Ornellas and Michelle Galimba to possess the requisite commitment, sincerity, dedication, and qualifications to be nominated to the Board of Agriculture.

 

JERRY ORNELLAS

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this nominee from the Department of Agriculture; Kauai County Office of the Mayor; Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation; Kauai Chamber of Commerce; 4 Ag Hawaii; Hawaii Cattlemen's Council, Inc.; Hamakua County Farm Bureau; Kauai County Farm Bureau; Maui County Farm Bureau; Kukaiau Ranch, LLC; Hawaii Floriculture and Nursery Association; Grove Farm Company, Inc.; Hawaii Floriculture & Nursery Association; Sugarland Growers Inc.; Ulupono Initiative; Young Brothers; The Nature Conservancy; DuPont Pioneer; and thirty-one individuals.

 

     Mr. Ornellas is a farmer with more than forty years of experience in the agricultural sector.  He is the owner of Agland Management LLC, in Kauai, which produces tropical fruit for local distribution.  From 1990 to 2011, he worked as an Agricultural Research Technician for the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources and from 1992-2002, he was a partner in Kainahola Banana Farm in Kauai.  From 1972 to 1992, he managed his family agricultural land, which included ranching and diversified agriculture.  Finally, from 1966 to 1971, he managed a one-hundred head dairy farm at Ornellas Dairy. 

 

     Mr. Ornellas currently serves as a member of the Board of Agriculture, and also serves on the Kauai Agricultural Advisory Committee and the Kauai Economic Development Board.  He is also the President and founding member of the East Kauai Water User's Cooperative; the President of the Kauai County Farm Bureau; and on the board of the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation.  Based on Mr. Ornellas' extensive local agricultural experience, community involvement, and previous contributions to the Board of Agriculture, Mr. Ornellas is ideally suited for reappointment to the Board of Agriculture, as a Kauai County representative. 

 

MICHELLE GALIMBA

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this nominee from the Department of Agriculture; Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation; Hamakua County Farm Bureau; Maui County Farm Bureau; Hawaii Beef Producers, LLC; 4 Ag Hawaii; Sugarland Growers Inc.; Matsuda-Fukuyama Farms, Inc.; Hawaii Cattlemen's Council, Inc.; Young Brothers; Ulupono Initiative; The Nature Conservancy; and twenty-two individuals.

 

     Ms. Galimba earned her Bachelor's degree in Asian Studies from the University of Oregon and her Master's degree and Doctor of Philosophy in Comparative Literature from the University of California at Berkeley.  She is currently a rancher, co-manager, and share-holder for Kuahiwi Ranch/Kuahiwi Contractors, Inc., where she does everything from grant-writing to plumbing to specialized livestock handling.  She is the Chairperson of the Hawaii Beef Industry Council and the former President of the Hawaii Cattlemen's Association, Inc.  She also serves on the Kau Agricultural Water Steering Committee, Hawaii County 4-H Livestock Committee, Kau Community Development Plan Steering Committee, and as a Director of the Kau Farm Bureau.  Ms. Galimba's extensive knowledge of water cycles, pasture and herd management, environmental and regulatory issues, and marketing and distribution, combined with her excellent communication skills makes Ms. Galimba an ideal candidate for reappointment to the Board of Agriculture.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committee on Agriculture that are attached to this report, your Committee, after full consideration of the background, experience, and qualifications of the nominees, has found the nominees to be qualified for the positions to which nominated and recommends that the Senate advise and consent to the nominations.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Agriculture,

 

 

 

____________________________

CLARENCE K. NISHIHARA, Chair