The county has requested an additional $50,000, bringing total cost of case against biotechnology companies to $125,000

Our photographer turned his lens on employees, farmers and their families on the island where Big Biotech is the largest employer.

A November ballot initiative could shut down its biggest employers, but the island’s population is dwarfed by voters elsewhere in Maui County.

A measure likely to make the November ballot would impose a moratorium on genetically engineered agriculture, affecting companies that employ many.

Despite biotech industry support, the proposal is unlikely to pass. But it raises the question of whether a national law would quell the debate raging in Hawaii.

Our organic farmers aren’t threatened by modern farming, but organic farmers in Hawaii are threatened by mainland, industrial-scale organic farms.

The national nonprofit is backing Big Island farmers in a lawsuit against Bill 113, which bans most genetically modified crops.

The lawsuit comes after Maui County residents collected enough signatures for an initiative that would impose a temporary moratorium on genetically engineered agriculture.

Our suggestions: Reagan and Springsteen, Tulsi Gabbard and a stodgy old Congress, the Democrats’ science problem and much more.

The time has come for transparency and accountability for chemical companies and their agricultural operations in Hawaii.