Maui 4-H not just a club, for some it’s a way of life

MAKAWAO To 11-year-old Atriel Tanaka of Makawao, the fun of working with steers and goats as a member of Maui 4-H is an opportunity to learn valuable life lessons as well.

The Maui 4-H program is coordinated by the Cooperative Extension Service of the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Resources, providing programs for youth development in agriculture programs. The organization strives to instill appreciation for the value of hard work and taking responsibility through hands-on experience in projects such as raising an animal for show and for auction.

Tanaka got into 4-H at age 9, encouraged by an older stepbrother, Gerard Cambra,

"I got into 4-H because my brother was in it and he encouraged me to do it," he said.

In his third year with 4-H, he's raised a steer, pigs and goats.

"You have to take care of the animals," he said, "Like grooming them and feeding them the right food so they become good animals.

"I like working with the steer because I know the steer the most," he said, "We have a farm with cows, so I can take my own steer from our farm and raise it from a baby."

For a 4-H project, Tanaka was responsible for making sure the steer he was raising was groomed properly and fed properly so that when it came to showtime, it had healthy conformations and was ready to be shown.

Second-year 4-H member Cynthia Kealoha, 12, of Makawao had been raising her goat, Star, for over eight months.

"They're pretty easy to train," she said.

The hardest part will be letting go of the animal after raising her, Kealoha said.

"You get attached really easily," she said.

Tanaka said winning trophies is fine, but the best thing about being in 4-H is the chance for him to work with animals and learn about them.

"My favorite part about 4-H is showing the animal and learning about the animal," he said.

The worst part about raising the steer is when the animals get sick and are unable to participate in the competitions.

"You cannot show them in the 4-H show, because you don't want the virus to infect the animals."

For the Upcountry Ag and Farm Fair, he said he didn't have that problem. There are eight competitions throughout the year, four on showmanship at which the animals are judged on how well they appear.

"All the judges look for is how well you show the animal and how well you and the animal look," Tanaka said.

There are also four live shows, in which the judges review how well the trainers interact with their animals.

"In the live show, the judges look for how nice your animal is, how comfortable you are with the animal and how much you know about your animal," Tanaka said.

Tanaka has won about 25 trophies. At the Upcountry Ag and Farm Fair held earlier in June, Tanaka and his steer, Houdini, took first place in both the live show and the showmanship competitions.

"I felt good because it was my second win," he said, "Usually you get really lucky if you win a second one."

He said he's learned through 4-H that the harder you work with your animal and the more time and effort you put in, the better the results.

"The more time you put into it, the better they are," he said.

Steven Tonthat can be reached at stonthat@mauinews.com.