During this legislative session, there was a noticeably higher level of awareness and support for the initiatives of the farming community than ever before.

As the state faced years of economic hardship, the agricultural industry was not a high priority when cuts had to be made and resources ran short.

Now that the economy is better and more resources are available, lawmakers recognized that the time was right to fully support Hawai'i's agricultural industry.

This boost in support and reinvestment in our local agricultural industry provides not only long-overdue financial support, but it also assures thousands of farm families throughout the state their future well-being and reaffirms that agriculture continues to be a strong economic contributor to Hawai'i's overall economy.

Lawmakers quickly introduced a bill that provided the resources to maintain the irrigation infrastructure that feeds thousands of acres of productive and important agricultural lands. The maintenance of the irrigation systems is vital to the existing as well as the future expansion of our local agribusinesses. Without access to affordable agricultural water, we would not have the ability to move toward a sustainable farming system providing a stable source of local food production.

This measure recognized this invaluable infrastructure that is well engineered for our industry. Also in relation to irrigation systems, landowners and farmers have the opportunity to take advantage of special-purpose revenue bonds to help finance the repairs and maintenance of private irrigation systems.

The Legislature also recognized that research and market development are critical to keeping Hawai'i's agricultural industry at the forefront and competitive in the global marketplace. Being an island state in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, critical resources and expertise are needed to find innovative and efficient ways to produce and market high-quality and consistent product.

The Legislature recognized that invasive species continue to devastate not only our fragile environment, but also adversely affect all of our agricultural businesses. With our year-round tropical environment, heavy dependence on imported products and materials and a high volume of visitor traffic, Hawai'i is very susceptible to this problem, which not only harms the economic viability of our ranchers and farmers, but limits opportunities for Hawai'i to export our products out of the state. The Legislature directed resources to the Department of Agriculture to improve invasive species control measures, including better inspections at our ports of entry.

While many of the measures required funding, there were several substantive measures to help expand and develop our local agribusinesses. A measure was approved that makes it easier for agribusinesses to expand into tourism so long as it is directly related to their farming operation. It also directs the counties to oversee this type of agri-tourism activity.

Farmers will be able to strengthen and diversify their farm business, and it provides another way of educating visitors and the general public of the importance of Hawai'i's agricultural industry.

A second measure made it easier for landowners to subdivide agricultural lands so that long-term leases will be afforded to small farm family operations.

Also, a measure was approved that strengthens the penalty for those caught damaging agricultural equipment, supplies and products. The passage of this bill sends a strong message and recognizes that farmers and ranchers need added protection and enforcement against theft and vandalism.

Finally, we would like to recognize and thank the leadership in both the House and Senate, especially: Sen. Russell Kokubun, chairman of the Senate Water, Land and Agriculture Committee; Sen. Brian Taniguchi, chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee; Rep. Felipe Abinsay, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee; Rep. Ezra Kanoho, chairman of the House Committee on Water, Land and Ocean Resources; Rep. Michael Magaoay, chairman of the House Committee on Fiscal Management; Rep. Dwight Takamine, chairman of the House Committee on Finance — and many other lawmakers for their exceptional support and positive actions for Hawai'i's agricultural industry.

The Hawai'i Farm Bureau has advocated for these kinds of across-the-board bills that make a huge and overriding impact on the growth of the agricultural industry in Hawai'i. We are encouraged that the next legislative year will be another resounding year as we continue to address the many challenges facing Hawai'i's farmers and ranchers.

Dean Okimoto is president, of the Hawai'i Farm Bureau Federation. He wrote this commentary for The Advertiser.