New Country Market at Waikapū is all things Maui A few months ago, Manu Vinciguerra of Kumu Farms called to share the good news—they’re opening a bigger store in Waikapū dedicated to Maui agricultural produce and products. “We want to make AgFest happen every day at our store!” she said.  The Country Market at Waikapū officially opened on June 1 at Maui Tropical Plantation. Now instead of buying produce from the Kumu Farms Farm Stand, customers can expand their shopping in the spacious new store with many other local products, including artwork and specialty coffee, teas and accessories.   The Country Market also features Kumu Café & Farm Bar, which offers smoothies, papaya parfait, and barista creations that can be enjoyed while sitting out in nature or walking around the property.   The exciting new venture is made possible through a collaboration between Kumu Farms and Maui ʻOma Coffee Roasting Co.

Kumu Farms began in 1980 with a small two-acre farm, and after many years, has grown to become one of the largest diversified farms in Maui Nui, growing produce on both the Central Plains of Molokaʻi and in Waikapū. The farm began planting at the Maui Tropical Plantation site in 2011 and grows a range of vegetables, fruits and herbs. On Molokaʻi, the farm grows GMO-free Sunrise papaya and bananas, as well as other fresh produce.   Maui ʻOma Coffee Roasting Co. sources the best Hawaiian grown coffees and masterfully roasts them. Founded by David Gridley in 1993, Maui ‘Oma excels at creating individual coffee programs for restaurants with the emphasis on single origin varietals using 100% Hawaiian coffees. Today, Maui ‘Oma’s custom blends are exclusively curated for many of Maui’s finest restaurants, including Mama’s Fish House, Merriman’s and Hula Grill. From everyone at Maui County Farm Bureau, congratulations and best wishes to Manu, Grant Schule and the team at Kumu Farms and to Maria Holmes and the team at Maui ‘Oma Coffee Roasting for their collaboration in opening the Country Market. We’re excited to see the Market grow into a bustling center for all things Grown on Maui and Made in Maui! The Country Market at Waikapū is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Kumu Café & Farm Bar is open on the same days, from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

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Exercise that ‘Grown on Maui’ trademark Grown on Maui: it means more than just delicious. We know that buying local preserves our agricultural heritage and ensures that farming remains a viable business. But we have to keep up with our Grown on Maui branding efforts to be sure that everyone else understands the importance as well! We encourage all members to support Maui County Farm Bureau in our efforts to brand locally grown produce, proteins and value-added agricultural products by using the official Grown on Maui trademark.

To register your business and to obtain usage rights to the trademarked logo, go online to www.mauicountyfarmbureau.org/grown-on-maui. In addition, you can request information on how to order Grown on Maui stickers. As always, our goal is to make it easy for consumers to identify locally grown products so that they can choose them over shipped-in products.
 
Stay tuned: MCFB is working on Grown on Maui in-store and restaurant promotions for the fall!

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Maui 4-H Youth Livestock Show a big success!

June is an important time of the year for Maui 4-Hers. For decades, keiki and their families have gathered for an annual Maui 4-H Youth Livestock Show and Auction. Once part of the Upcountry Fair, the event merged with Maui County Farm Bureau’s Maui AgFest a few years ago. It always took place in June so the Maui winners could travel to O‘ahu to showcase their animals in the statewide show and competition.

“Maui County is the birthplace of the 4-H program in Hawai‘i, and 2021 marks the 102nd year of 4-H livestock on Maui. “While the Covid-19 pandemic shut down all of major events in the county this year, our 4-H Livestock show had to go on,” said Dr. Kyle Caires, University of Hawaii Livestock Agent and MCFB president. “Managing and raising livestock presents a great opportunity for these keiki to gain life skills; youth learn to accept responsibility, to value hard work, think critically, make decisions, and communicate well. We wanted to support these keiki, our future leaders, by allowing them to complete their projects and showcase their hard work and determination!”

4-Hers continue to expand their knowledge by raising different projects over the years, and via participating in skill development contests at the county, state and national level. Taken together these activities (1) prepare 4-H youth to make a positive impact in an ever-changing world, and (2) help our youth gain a life-long appreciation for Agriculture that becomes part of their DNA. The program represents a team effort where 4-H volunteers, UH faculty, and members of the agriculture community work together to positively impact the youth involved.

The Maui 4-H Livestock Program offers two types of projects bridging several species. Market projects are offered in beef cattle, sheep, and swine options, and entails the 4-Her raising, feeding and finishing an animal to proper market weights for harvest. Breeding projects allow 4-Hers to raise cattle and goat projects as breeding stock, that they can market to local ranchers interested in genetic improvement or retain ownership of those animals to start their own herds with. Maui 4-Hers have the ability to complete short-term (3 months) or long-term (8 months – 24 month) projects in the aforementioned species.

At the final show, an expert judge evaluates livestock for their potential as either breeding or market animals using visual appraisal for conformation (balance, muscle, structural correctness, etc.) along with actual performance data for many traits of economic importance for the livestock industry in a species-specific manner. The judge provides a critique for each animal in the class, comparing the “form” of the animal with the “purpose” for which it is intended to serve. An awards banquet is planned for these outstanding youth in August. The official judge for the 2021 was Mitch Magenheimer from Canby, Oregon. “Mitch brings two decades of agribusiness and livestock judging expertise in the USA. He worked really well with our kids during the show, and afterwards, gave our youth a short talk relating their current 4-H experiences to life after high school, discussing opportunities in both college, industry, and life.” Dr. Kyle Caires. We also extend thanks to Maui Cattlemen’s Association for their continued support of the 4-H program and help with sponsoring our official judge.

This year’s Maui 4-H Youth Livestock Show was limited to 4-H members, their families and livestock industry leaders. The event was a small gathering, outdoors, which allows organizers to follow Covid-19 rules and regulations. A big Mahalo to Ken Miranda and the Rice Family, of Kaonoulu Ranch, for allowing the Maui 4-H Livestock Program use of the Oskie Rice Arena this June. The one-day show took place on, Saturday, June 5, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., minus the traditional auction. The event was not open to the general public. Maui 4-H looks forward to bringing back the auction when the event returns to the War Memorial Special Events Arena as part of Maui AgFest 2022.

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Ag in the Classroom program expands participation

Nearly 1,800 Maui County Farm Bureau field trip activity booklets were distributed to second-graders at 18 schools around Maui in May.
 
“We’re happy that our program reached so many students,” said Warren K. Watanabe, executive director of Maui County Farm Bureau. “Our annual in-person field trip brings about 1,200 second-graders up to Haleakala Ranch. It’s great to know that we reached almost 600 more students this year, especially in these challenging times.”
 
The colorful booklet and video (filmed mostly onsite at Haleakala Ranch) provide a great opportunity for keiki to learn from agriculture educators about a range of topics: from watersheds to canoe plants. The six lessons are presented in an accessible format that can be completed in-person or at home.
 
Teachers who wish to order activity booklets and receive the link to the companion field trip video may email: education@mauicountyfarmbureau.com

As cases continue to decline and businesses begin to rebuild, we are hopeful that our farmers and ranchers will see improved sales and a consistent, more stable market. With this goal in mind, we are revitalizing our Grown on Maui program to assist members with their marketing efforts and over all awareness program. For us at Maui County Farm Bureau, it is clear now more than ever that we need our community to fully support the agricultural industry not just with purchases but by standing with us on issues including water, land, labor, invasive pests, etc. These all have a tremendous impact on the viability of agricultural operations.  With this pandemic, we learned many lessons. Having a thriving agriculture industry for self-sufficiency for our island-based population is a top priority. As a community we need to keep that and all of the lessons learned close and use them to help guide the future of Maui County’s and the state’s farms and ranches.

Your board of directors have been hard at work with several initiatives to make our organization more adaptable, resilient and organized through a deliberate and rigorous strategic planning process and working group meeting occurred last month after receiving feedback from multiple partners and Ag industry sectors. We worked in groups to tackle different concern areas and have scheduled a formal meeting to discuss implementation of strategic plan outcomes on the evening of June 9th. We hope this effort positions MCFB for future success as a member-driven organization that functions to meet the diverse needs of our members, in order to benefit our community in a dynamic and ever-changing world.

Recent success of MCFB programs that directly support our farmers and ranchers on the front end include the Farm Product Purchase Program and Livestock Relief Programs. Outputs of our county-partnered programs also included working with Feed My Sheep to help provide access to fresh local meat and vegetables to help meet the food needs of the community.  How can you be a part of this good work? We invite you to join our growing membership!

I want to extend my thanks to Lynne Woods, our outgoing membership chairperson, for doing a great job in that role over since the fall of 2019. Lynne leaves MCFB in a great place for our new member committee that was assembled in May that includes Carol Reiman, Hugh Starr, Kai Pelayo and Teena Rasmussen, our newly appointed membership chair. Our members never fail to step up in times of need; they have stepped up to the plate again to serve the organization.

We appreciate everyone’s continued support and involvement on committees, boards, and webinars through virtual and in-person meetings during this time. Member engagement and communication is vital so that we can continue to serve our members effectively.

I want to close by celebrating the high school graduation of two of our most dedicated 4-H youth leaders, Alexis Camara and Kaylee Silva. These ‘seasoned veterans’ of the Livestock Program have represented Maui County in state and national 4-H skill development contests and were always there to mentor younger 4-Hers. These young women are exceptionally driven, hard-working individuals, and are great role models for our youth. Alexis and Kaylee are strong academically and very organized, maintaining a healthy balance between work, extramural activities and community service. They have each volunteered at many MCFB sponsored events over the past four years. I wish you both congratulations as you pursue your college programs!

Stay safe and healthy this summer! Mahalo.

Join MCFB! – Membership in the Maui County Farm Bureau is your best way to stay informed on all agricultural programs, issues, and educational opportunities that can impact your family farm or ranch. If you are a Friend of a Farmer, we welcome your support as well. Our new online portal makes paying for your membership easy and convenient. Learn about membership benefits here. Through your membership support, MCFB is able to advocate for the entire agriculture community.Join or renew membership here.

Monthly Board Meetings

MCFB’s monthly board meetings are open to members. Monthly board meetings are held the fourth Wednesday of each month from 5-7 pm. We will post Zoom Meeting links on MCFB’s website before each meeting. If you would like information about attending, please use the form below to contact us: Mahalo.