Surfing Goat Dairy Opens Due to Strong Support for GOat Fund Me
Like many in the agricultural community, Surfing Goat Dairy was hit hard financially by the Covid-19 lockdown. Facing mounting bills and decreased business, dairy owners Thomas and Eva Kafsack were forced to closed their Omaopio operation for the last several months.
The solution? They put their goats up for “adoption.” But not really.
The Kafsacks launched a creative online campaign they called GOat Fund Me, asking community members to “adopt” one of the dairy’s 100 goats for five years for $1,000.
Only about three weeks into the fundraising campaign, the dairy had raised $50,000, with 43 people paying $1,000 per goat (some people adopted two goats). Some of the adoptions were by the employees and owners at Castaway Cafe and Pukalani Superette. The Kafsacks are halfway there. The desired goal is to get 100 goats adopted.
The adoptions help pay for goat feed and pasture irrigation. The dairy has also been able to increase the hours of several employees and hire two new people.
“We are so happy now and are making plans for the upcoming kidding season and the soon coming Christmas time,” the Kafsacks said in a letter to Maui Now. “With this money we will make it at least until the end of January. December is usually our best month of the year with lots of online orders, so we will survive this year and will go into 2021 optimistic.”
Adopters get to choose “their” goat (perhaps Abigail, Haumea or Savannah?) from an array of adorable online photos. Recently, the first 16 donors received their adoption certificate with a photo of their goat and a special 12-piece box of goat cheese truffles. Every six months, adopters receive either four of the dairy’s award-winning cheeses or four Casual Tour tickets.
Cast your vote by Tues., Nov. 3!
| “Shall the Charter be amended, effective July 1, 2022, to establish a Department of Agriculture to develop a sustainable regional agricultural system for Maui County?” |
| You voiced your opinion and MCFB listened. Now it’s up to you to vote NO on the Charter Amendment to establish a Maui Department of Agriculture placed on this year’s voting ballot. |
Due to the restriction on gatherings, MCFB held a virtual annual meeting on September 30. This was new to all of us, and although we would have preferred an in-person meeting where we could talk story, the meeting was a success and ran smoothly.
An important item on the agenda was the election of half of our board of directors. Board members serve two-year terms, and five of the ten board members are elected each year. This year the ballots were mailed to eligible regular members to vote and return their ballots.
Congratulations to these members who were voted back onto the board: Kyle Caires, Rudy Balala, James “Kimo” Falconer, Teena Rasmussen and Heidi Watanabe.
The Hawaii Farm Bureau annual meeting was held virtually on Oct. 28. MCFB was represented by delegates Teena Rasmussen, Kyle Caires, Joshua Shyloh Stafford-Jones, Rudy Balala and Tim Stevens. Janet Ashman was the alternate. For every twenty regular members, the county chapters get one delegate at the annual meeting. The delegates conduct business of the organization pertaining to the operations held during the year. The election of officers was held, and I want to congratulate their re-election by unanimous ballot: President Randy Cabral, Secretary Heidi Watanabe and Treasurer Larry Jefts. For the position of Vice President, the delegates will vote by mail for either Darren Strand or Joshua Shyloh Stafford-Jones. Our own Alex Franco was selected HFB Member of the Year, HFB Family of the Year Woody and Carmen Goble, and Nelson Okumura for HFB Friend of Ag.
Also recognized as Legislator of the Year was Hawaii County Council member Tim Richards for his strong support of agriculture and for co-creating the BRIDGES food purchase and distribution program. Congratulations to all of them. I want to recognize and thank HFB Executive Director Brian Miyamoto, Farmers’ Market General Manager Megan Kono, Administrative Assistant Kaelin Sylva, and the recently departed Rachele Lamosao for their dedication to serving our members during this past year.
The holiday season will soon be upon us. This has been a trying year for all of us and certainly a learning experience. Our farmers and ranchers have shown the true spirit of being in agriculture by tackling head-on the impacts of the pandemic, drought, regulations, transportation, and the election. They continue to work hard every day and provide for the Maui community. I wish everyone continued strength as we head into this holiday season.
Warren K. Watanabe
Executive Director
FORWARD MOMENTUM! That is what we have been striving for in the midst of this pandemic. With all that has come at us this year, it was important to me and our board of directors to keep moving MCFB forward.
In addition to all the COVID grant programs we designed and managed with our own unrestricted funds and CARES ACT funds, we have made significant accomplishments that will strengthen MCFB for the future:
Produced our first ever monthly e-newsletter, built and will soon launch a brand new MCFB website, did a complete review and overhaul of our by-laws which will be sent to our membership to vote on soon, restarted a membership committee, participated and testified at multiple government hearings and committees on behalf of our farmers & ranchers, designed the first ever virtual annual meeting. And now we are preparing for a strategic planning process that will further strengthen MCFB as we chart a course for the future.
Thank you to all our members for your continued support. Thanks to you, MCFB is strong and ready to navigate whatever lies ahead!
Teena Rasmussen
President
Meet Wesley Nohara, Owner of Pu‘u Kane Farms
Farming is hard work. Just ask Wes Nohara, owner of Pu‘u Kane Farms LLC, after wild pigs ate his entire 10-acre crop of organic pineapple in 2014! Coming after four years of financial losses, it was enough to make Wes shut down his organic pineapple business for good. Still, he didn’t let the hardship turn him away from agriculture.
Instead, he focused on other ventures: namely farming dryland taro for luau leaves, and buying and selling Maui Gold pineapple.
Wes’s taro operation started out with 20 Chinese (Bun Long) taro huli planted in a small plot in his backyard. Not long afterward, he partnered with a friend to expand his plants to 400. When the friend changed his mind and gave up farming, Wes suddenly found himself with a lot of taro.
“So later that year I went to Ag Fest and I met the folks from VIP. I was curious so I asked them if they wanted luau leaves, even though I had only a small amount. Through that contact, I began supplying luau leaves to VIP and increased production to about an acre.” Today, VIP remains Wes’s biggest customer.
Running his own farm comes easily after a lifetime in agriculture. Actually, more than a lifetime: born in Lahaina at the Old Pioneer Mill Hospital, Wes grew up in the old Honolua “Camp” Village, where his whole family was centered around pineapple. Wes’s maternal and paternal grandparents, his mother and his father all worked for Baldwin Packers Pineapple Company.
Wes began working for Maui Pine when he was 14 years old, and he worked there every year until the company closed in 2009—40 years! He started as a management trainee, after graduating from UH Manoa in 1979 with a B.A. in Geography. He was later promoted to harvesting supervisor for the Honolulu Plantation, and then to plantation superintendent.
For the next 12 years, Wes oversaw all pineapple farming operations in West Maui, plus all Maui Land & Pine lands outside of Kapalua Resort, including Pu‘u Kukui Watershed. Then when Doug MacCluer retired, Wes was promoted to plantation manager for all pineapple farming operations. After seven years, he was promoted to vice president of pineapple operations, plus organic vegetable farming in West Maui.
While working for Maui Pine, Wes was involved in the selection process of 50 variety plots of pineapple, one of which (73-50) would later become the famous Maui Gold. In fact, Wes selected the name Maui Gold and recommended branding it to the marketing folks.
Today, Wes continues to buy and sell Maui Gold, along with farming taro, and he remains interested in all things pineapple (such as the Del Monte Costa Rica recent development of a pink pineapple!). A member of Maui County Farm Bureau since 1982, Wes continues to serve many organizations, including as current board chairman of Maui Federal Credit Union and associate director of West Maui Soil & Water Conservation District.
Wes lives with his wife Torrie in Ha‘iku, and he has two grown children: son Gavin, 37, a fireman in San Diego, Calif., and daughter Rebecca, 33, who works for the Hawai‘i State Library System on O‘ahu.
“In these challenging times, people need to learn to work with one another,” Wes says. “We are all neighbors; we are all Mauians. Conventional farmers, organic farmers, ranchers; we are not the enemy to our neighbors or to each other. With Covid-19, climate change, economic downturn, political divisiveness, etc., we need to join hands, work together and solve these issues together.”
Holiday Membership PartyMCFB’s popular holiday party is scheduled Wed., Dec. 16, at the Kula Community Center. Save the date! If County Covid-19 restrictions allow for groups of 100 to gather and if the community centers are opened, we will have our holiday party in person. We will make a decision right after Thanksgiving and will put out an announcement to our membership. We hope to bring everyone together to celebrate this holiday season. As you all know, it’s been the most challenging year for agriculture. Let’s come together to reflect on the positives – FPPP and other opportunities – and prepare to welcome 2021. |
Congratulations Maui County Farm Bureau Member Awards Recipients
Agriculture in the Classroom
MCFB’s in-class session plan titled “Where Would We Be Without Seeds” goes virtual. We will provide a link to the five-part lesson plan along with digital handouts and other tools to second grade teachers on Maui. We’re excited to see MCFB’s annual AIC program continue through the Covid-19 pandemic.
AgFest Receives Five-Year Approval for War Memorial Location Save the Date (for the next five years): Maui AgFest & 4-H Livestock Fair has obtained a five-year license to be held annually at War Memorial Complex on the first Saturday following Memorial Day.
The resolution for the license was championed by Healthy Families and Communities Chair Riki Hokama and was recently passed by the County Council. The agreement will be signed by the Mayor, Department of Parks and Recreation, Office of Economic Development and MCFB.
The designated venue at War Memorial in Wailuku will provide ample parking and event space, as well as ease of access from all districts on Maui. Mark your calendar to participate in this year’s AgFest on Saturday, June 5, 2021. Mahalo Mayor Victorino, Parks Department, and the Maui County Council for making this happen!
‘Ulu Tamale w/ Charred Pineapple and Tomato
By Adam Rzeczkowski, chef, Merriman’s Kapalua
Serves: 4 people
Ingredients:
3 large or 4 medium ‘ulu
1 cup coconut oil
1 TSP achiote paste
Banana or ti leaves
Half cup diced tomato
Half cup diced pineapple, charred
Directions:
- Start by breaking up achiote paste into sauce pot with coconut oil. Heat oil on low until the paste completely breaks up. Allow to cool and strain through colander.
- Soak the banana or ti leaves; you can also use fresh corn husks.
- Steam the ‘ulu whole for 20 minutes. Allow to cool until manageable then remove outer skin layer. Large dice the ‘ulu and transfer to medium sauce pot. Season with salt and cover halfway with water. Cover and cook on medium heat until tender. Transfer cooked ‘ulu to food processor and slowly drizzle achiote oil until you reach the consistency desired (If too sticky you will need to add more oil).
- When the ‘ulu is ready, take two banana leaves and place wide parts overlapping, spoon some of the ‘ulu onto the banana leaf, wrap and tie.
- Steam for 10 – 15 minutes. Plate, garnish with diced pineapple and tomato and serve.