Legacy farmers to be honored at ag fest pancake breakfast
This year’s Legacy Farmers include Chuck Boerner of Ono Organic Farm in Kipahulu and -- Photo courtesy Maui County Agricultural Festival
Lindy Sutherland, who made his mark in the sugar and cattle industries. The late Dr. Phil Parvin will also be honored. -- Photo courtesy Maui County Agricultural Festival
Last year’s honoree Peter Baldwin (in red shirt at right) enjoyed the hearty breakfast buffet of pancakes with syrup, bacon, sausage, eggs, juice and hot coffee. -- Photo courtesy Maui County Agricultural Festival
Pin-cushion protea with a spectacular king protea — once just a dream of Dr. Phil Parvin. -- Photo courtesy Maui County Agricultural Festival
This year’s Legacy Farmers include Chuck Boerner of Ono Organic Farm in Kipahulu and -- Photo courtesy Maui County Agricultural Festival
Lindy Sutherland, who made his mark in the sugar and cattle industries. The late Dr. Phil Parvin will also be honored. -- Photo courtesy Maui County Agricultural Festival
Last year’s honoree Peter Baldwin (in red shirt at right) enjoyed the hearty breakfast buffet of pancakes with syrup, bacon, sausage, eggs, juice and hot coffee. -- Photo courtesy Maui County Agricultural Festival
Pin-cushion protea with a spectacular king protea — once just a dream of Dr. Phil Parvin. -- Photo courtesy Maui County Agricultural Festival
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The 11th annual Maui County County Agricultural Festival kicks off on Saturday, April 7, with an island-style pancake breakfast honoring three Maui farmers for their contributions to our community.
Sponsored by Alexander & Baldwin, the Maui Legacy Farmers Pancake Breakfast will pay tribute to honorees "Lindy" Sutherland of Kaupo Ranch and HC&S; Chuck Boerner of Ono Organic Farm; and the late Dr. Phil Parvin of the College of Tropical Ag and Human Resources.
The ag fest provides a full day of activities and education with crops, animals, games and talk-story sessions to help raise awareness of agriculture's important role in the community. Hosted by Maui County Farm Bureau, the event takes place from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. against the lush backdrop of Maui Tropical Plantation in Waikapu.
Recognized as the county's signature agricultural event, it offers free parking as well as free admission for children 18 and younger and kupuna 65 and older. Adults pay just $5 to get in.
The pancake breakfast will begin at 8 a.m. in an open-air tent on the luau grounds. Breakfast tickets are $10 for adults, $6 for kupuna 65 and older and children ages 5 to 12. Children 5 and younger get in for free. Adults who buy a ticket to the pancake breakfast get into the ag fest for free.
"Fill up on a delicious buffet of pancakes with syrup, bacon, sausage, eggs, juice and hot coffee," says event organizer Charlene Ka'uhane. "Breakfast entertainment includes bingo and a unique ag fest raffle with items such as tropical plants, Grown on Maui produce boxes and restaurant gift certificates. The grand prize for bingo is a two-night stay at Maui Coast Hotel and the grand prize for raffle is a dinner for four at Roy's Ka'anapali."
"We have always wanted to honor legacy farmers at ag fest," says Warren Watanabe, executive director of the Maui County Farm Bureau.
"As we all know, it's important to recognize those who set the foundation and contributed to a viable agricultural industry on Maui. So, we're really pleased to make it a tradition to honor these individuals and their families for the major agricultural contributions they have made to Maui over the years."
Past honorees include 2017 recipients Doug MacCluer of Maui Pineapple Co. and Maui Gold Pineapple Co.; Richard "Dick" Cameron of HC&S; Peter Baldwin of Pi'iholo Ranch; and the late Dr. Wilbert Yee of Yee's Orchards.
The 2016 honorees were C. Pardee Erdman of Ulupalakua Ranch and MauiWine; David "Buddy" Nobriga of Maui Soda & Ice Works and Nobriga Cattle; and Hanako Hashimoto of Hashimoto Persimmon Farm. Here are the backgrounds on the 2018 honorees:
Lindy Sutherland
"Salt of the earth" has been used to describe Maui rancher Robert Seymour "Lindy" Sutherland, a gentleman who quietly does things because it is the right thing to do.
Born in Waipahu, he went to Punahou and joined the Marine Corps. After three years, he pursued a business degree at Colorado State University. He came back to the islands and worked at Honokaa Sugar Co. on the Big Island; HC&S on Maui; and Princess Orchards, a papaya operation in Keahua on Maui.
Sutherland also made his mark on the cattle industry at Kaupo Ranch and other rural holdings. He nurtured newbies in the livestock industry here to make sure agriculture will be around for future generations in the state.
Chuck Boerner
Born and raised in Honolulu, Chuck Boerner spent time on Maui in Kipahulu at the farm his grandfather bought in 1945, shortly after he was born. He and his wife Lilly of 39 years are still on that Kipahulu parcel and have farmed about 45 acres since 1975 after a five-year trip around the world. It's well known with isle chefs as Ono Organic Farm.
The Boerners started with papayas, then added bananas, pineapples, coffee, cacao and other exotic fruits, now having too many to list here.
Late Dr. Phil Parvin
It's not often that a Mauian sees a crop, creates a vision and develops an industry that puts us on the map, nationally and internationally, resulting in his name being synonymous with the crop that he nurtured and developed.
The late Dr. Phil Parvin, who was superintendent of the Maui Agricultural Experiment Station, was such an individual in his vision of growing protea on the island. He showed us what is possible and built a protea industry on his ideas.