More good news for Hawaii from the farm bill

Nothing derailed the farm bill. After passing the House Thursday it did clear the Senate Friday, and again by a vetoproof margin. Thirty-five 35 Republicans voted against their president. He knew they would. Farm bills are like defense bills. There is money for every district. Here's more of what was in it for Hawaii. (The bill is hundreds of pages long and sometimes we don't notice all the good stuff until the Congressional delegation enumerates its accomplishments in a press release.) The bill contains a new premise for allocating funding -- the premise that Hawaii, Alaska and the territories should get a little sumpin-sumpin on account of being far away, or, as the bill puts its, our farmers operate at a geographical disadvantage. I'm not entirely sure this is so. The biggest disadvantage our farmers face is that the low cost of shipping allows supermarkets to buy milk and produce from California, where farmers have lower land and labor costs, to save a few dollars. The geographical disadvantage is not that we're isolated but that we're insufficiently remote to be beyond the reach of West Coast ag. But let that pass. The other really cool thing in the bill is a labeling requirement for mac nuts. If a company is selling a Hawaii-branded candy with South African or Australian nuts, the consumer will be able to discern this on the package somewhere. On another occasion I'll explain why labeling requirements sometimes pit farmer against farmer in the nut and coffee businesses. (I have the luxury of having friends on both sides of the dispute, thus conferring on me the high honor and privilege of annoying both sides at once.) But generally speaking if you want to address the issue without spending too much money or shaking up the market with unintended consequences, a simple labeling requirement is a good starting point.