A toast to less-expensive local milk

Even those who are not milk drinkers are sure to find the latest dairy story quite refreshing.

Big Island Dairy LLC has petitioned the state Department of Agriculture to allow farms to sell milk to processors for less than regulated minimum prices.

That’s right: The word was "less." That’s a term rarely heard in discussions of local pricing.

The idea would enable the company to negotiate its own contract for selling milk to the milk processor, and the hope is that this would make it more competitive with mainland milk producers.

Want to support the free-market concept? There’s an Oahu hearing at 9 a.m. July 14 at the department’s Kalihi office, 1851 Auiki St. Milk moustaches welcome, but not required by the dress code.

Reduce feral cat population on Kauai

There are up to 20,000 feral cats roaming the island of Kauai, and they are clearly capable of wiping out entire colonies of seabirds. Endangered shearwaters are particularly in peril.

A serious reduction in the feral cat population is necessary to save the birds. Members of the Kauai Feral Cat Task Force must be clear-eyed as they agree on tactics to accomplish this task.