Agriculture awareness at the capitol
Event date: 2/19/2025
Photo Credit: HCC
Photo Credit: HCC
Agriculture Day at the Capitol 2025
Agriculture Day at the Capitol 2025 was a valuable opportunity to engage with Hawaii's policymakers and the public, shedding light on our state's agricultural landscape. Mahalo to the Hawaii Farm Bureau for hosting this event each year! Our team had the privilege of engaging with a diverse range of visitors, including legislators, policymakers, students, agricultural organizations, university researchers, and program representatives. We were excited to feature two new banner signs this year: one highlighting the vital ecosystem services that beef production can support when managed sustainably in Hawaii, and the other showcasing our organization's vision of healthy rangelands for generations to come.Another important message we shared through a table top sign is that Hawaii’s beef is contributing to the Department of Education’s goals to reach 50% local food purchased for school lunches by 2050. However, this is just 3% of their purchases, and we can provide more if we can smooth out procurement issues. These banners and signs sparked meaningful conversations about ranching and beef production agriculture in Hawaiʻi. One of the highlights of the day was the delicious braised soy chuck bites from Chef Keaka of Kapa Hale Restaurant. As always, they were a hit with visitors! The meat was slow-cooked for 8 hours, creating the most tender and flavorful bites. Chef paired the bites with a garnish of local microgreens, showcasing the many possibilities for using locally sourced ingredients and sparking pride in Hawaii’s agricultural offerings. These bites resonated with our visitors, prompting conversations about supporting local food systems and how more access to local ingredients can play a crucial role in promoting sustainable farming and ranching practices. A big mahalo goes out to all of the OCA members (Keal Pontin, Greg Smith, Amy Ridela) who volunteered to help us throughout the day! Peep a visual of our beef samples that even made the News: (0:40-:47) here.
Educational information about Hawaii's cattle industry and beef purchases by the Department of Education.
We estimate that around 450 people visited our booth, and we had a great reach to the public, lawmakers, and their office staff. We also stocked our table with recipe cards for Pulehu ribs, Hawaiian Stew, Kona coffee-rubbed beef, and more. Many visitors took a card with them, inspired to try their hand at preparing local dishes. These small exchanges left a lasting impression, not just about the food but about the value of supporting Hawaii's agricultural industry through thoughtful consumer choices of ingredients.
It is always so refreshing to see cowboy hats and boots representing this important sector at the Capitol. Your dedication to educating the public and engaging with policymakers is truly appreciated. During the event, we were also asked some important questions regarding how we’ve been affected by federal funding freezes and how these impacts might be realized by participants in the island cattle industry over time. These discussions raised awareness of the challenges the agricultural community faces and emphasized the need for continued support. We also want to mention that "Cattlemen at the Capitol" is expected to be held on March 17, 2025, so please keep an eye out for more details on our efforts for this. We look forward to continuing these conversations and strengthening our collective efforts to support Hawaii’s agricultural community.
Photo Credit: Becker Communications
Photo Credit: Becker Communications
Photo Credit: Becker Communications