§171-68 Applicants; qualifications of. (a) A person shall be eligible to apply for a farm if the person has the qualifications as follows:

(1) The person has been a resident in the State at any time for at least three years;

(2) The person is a bona fide farmer:

(A) Who has not less than two years' experience as a full-time farmer; or

(B) Who was an owner-operator of an established farm conducting a substantial farming operation and who for a substantial period of the person's life resided on a farm or depended on farm income for the person's livelihood; or

(C) Who has been a farm tenant or farm laborer or other individual, who has for the two years last preceding the person's application obtained the major portion of the person's income from farming operations; or

(D) Who has a college degree in agriculture; or

(E) Who by reason of ability, experience, and training as a vocational trainee is likely to successfully operate a farm; or

(F) Who has qualified for and received a commitment for a loan under the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act as amended, or as may hereafter be amended, for the acquisition of a farm; or

(G) Who is displaced from employment in an agricultural production enterprise; or

(H) Who is a member of the Hawaii Young Farmer Association or a Future Farmer of America graduate with two years of training with farming projects; or

(3) The person meets such other qualifications as the board of land and natural resources may prescribe pursuant to section 171-6.

(b) No person shall be entitled to apply for a farm:

(1) Who, or whose husband or wife, has previously taken or held land for farm or homesteading under any certificate, lease, or agreement or under any homestead lease or patent based thereon; or

(2) Who, or whose husband or wife, or both of them, owns in fee simple other land in the State, the combined area of which with the land in question exceeds eighty acres; provided that:

(A) The ownership of a residence lot or tract, not exceeding three acres in area, shall not disqualify any person otherwise qualified from applying for and receiving any form of farm;

(B) Any person who would otherwise qualify to take a farm lot shall not be disqualified by reason of taking, holding or owning land for farm or homesteading or otherwise, if the land so taken, held or owned becomes unusable for the purpose of farming as defined in section 171-65.

(c) The terms "farm" and "farmer" as used herein also mean ranch and rancher respectively for the purposes of this section. [L 1962, c 32, pt of §2; am L 1965, c 239, §34; Supp, §103A-64; HRS §171-68; am L 1975, c 135, §2; gen ch 1985]